Significant learning and public administration education: The impact of short-term courses

This paper considers online courses in human resources, public budgeting, and public procurement, within a public administration program, developed and taught during one calendar year at a public regional university in the southeastern United States. Each course had an underpinning of required reading, but also included individual and collaborative role-playing and simulation activities. The effect of shorter term online classes on the potential for significant learning, in public administration programs or otherwise, has not been fully explored. The research question is: What impact do short-term classes have on the potential for significant learning? A survey of students was conducted, and the resulting corpus was analyzed, using a two-cycle coding strategy. It is concluded that short-term classes may limit the ability of students to fully gain knowledge transfer and applied skill. There are specific concerns raised by study participants about work expectations that are voluminous, even given the accelerated nature of programs, and how this might undermine the potential for quality learning outcomes. At minimum, short-term courses raise significant potential learning-related issues, and show gaps between the expectations of a knowledge-transfer-centered program and the added value of significant learning opportunities.