Identifying key stakeholders in blended tertiary environments: experts' perspectives

Although key stakeholders in blended tertiary environments (BTEs) fulfil an extraordinary role in advancing of higher education, significant gaps in knowledge about their identities and contributions may impede the provision of appropriate support, limiting their ability to promote effective learning and teaching. As online growth intensifies, changing contexts of learning, it is critical that tertiary education institutes (TEIs) address these gaps in knowledge by developing their understandings of key stakeholder identities. This paper re-evaluates the identity of key stakeholders in BTEs, and describes their contributions. Through qualitatively designed semi-structured interviews with 13 blended learning experts from New Zealand, Australia and Canada, and a 5-step analysis of data, it verified and proposed a current list of key stakeholders in BTEs. They included teachers, senior management staff, students, technical support staff, educational support staff, the institute, other support staff, government bodies, technology infrastructure providers, communities, and the public. Some were considered to be among those who contributed most significantly to BTE success. As learning spaces evolve and technology usage continues to accelerate, the outcomes from this research provide a basis from which TEIs can develop new understandings about their key stakeholders, at a level that enables the delivery of informed, relevant, and meaningful support.