Strategic Academic Planning for Distance Education

STRATEGIC planning for distance learning represents a significant challenge to any educational institution as it not only requires the expansion and operational planning beyond that of the core business of residential teaching, but also requires the integration of new activities with those of the operational units and functions. Educators are no longer limited to the physical classroom, and students are no longer restricted to courses offered on a campus. Strategic planning offers five primary benefits and these are:

* The communication of a strategic vision;

* The increase in external support that normally follows a clear articulation of vision;

* The increased certainty it brings to the lives of organizational members;

* A context for resource allocation and reallocation on campus; and

* Improvement of the institutions image.

The strategic planning process for distance education

The process of strategic planning for distance education should not be perceived as essentially different from other forms of academic planning. To seize opportunity while avoiding pitfalls, strategic planning permits an institution to gather data, to analyze information, and to rationally move toward the implementation of a plan that has a high probability of achieving expectations. Any strategic plan seeks to avoid common mistakes. In distance education these include: Premature selection of technology, emphasis on technical planning, and neglect of market factors and programs resources.

The traditional framework of a strategic academic plan still …

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Publication information: Article title: Strategic Academic Planning for Distance Education. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: Manila Bulletin. Publication date: May 9, 2005. Page number: Not available. © 2009 Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp. COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group.

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