| This study uses the lens of transaction cost economics (TCE) to understand the decision-making process and resources that need to exist within the hierarchy of a traditional public school (TPS) to internally develop fully online learning courses.;The purpose of this study was to examine the decision-making process that occurred at Ollie High School (name has been changed for anonymity) when an internally developed online learning program was proposed and the effects this decision and program had on the school and its community. The study researched questions about the motivation behind, and process used, to implement and run an internally developed, rather than outsourced, fully online course at a TPS, what cost and benefits were associated with this decision, and how effectiveness of this program was assessed.;Interviews with the individuals who made the decisions to develop and implement the online courses and surveys with students and teachers who did and did not participate in the online courses were used within this qualitative case study. The presence of human actors with knowledge and a desire to implement online courses emerged as a key contributor in the inception of the online program.;Findings demonstrated recurring themes of flexibility for student schedules and teacher content delivery as mutually beneficial attributes of the online classes. In addition to flexibility, increased access to and use of educational resources by students and teachers was discussed as a desired and achieved outcome of implementing internally developed online courses. These desired outcomes, as well as the analysis of existing structures and protocols at OHS, demonstrated that this type of programming is one that can be extended to other TPSs as a sustaining educational innovation. |
