Assumptions

IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGIC PLANNING IN INITIATING DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

WRITTEN BY TERESITA BANAG

We heard "strategic planning" in the business world. But did you know that strategic planning is not just for the business world? While strategic plans are around within the education sector since the 1980s, it’s not as normally known. Schools benefit from this approach, which helps them achieve goals to improve student outcomes and become a more efficient and effective organization.

So why is strategic planning critical in education?

PLAN AHEAD!!!

Strategic planning assumptions allow the institution to plan ahead with a degree of certainty about what their institution will look like. These represent the shared values, beliefs, and vision of the management team. This is the very foundation on which the plan has been built (Hollingworth, 2008).

EXPECTATIONS

There are expectations in strategic planning in initiating DE Programs. Administrators forcasts the growth in the number of enrollees in each of their programs. With this in mind, they have to develop some of the courses and programs and pass through the accreditation. By doing this they have to review every five years all the courses and programs. With quality control, the courses, programs, and graduates must be up to the standards of any other university.

BE UPDATED!

Institutional leaders expect to be innovative in their approach. They must have a lot of data from surveys, interviews, and focus groups and go over the

data gathered and find out the current trends. They have to find out why such a trend is happening and how it matters. Brainstorming is important. Come up with new ideas, reflect on those ideas, create choices make choices, consider all solutions and think of one solution collaboratively. Consider the flexibility on how they will be able to adjust their course with new information.

OPEN UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG DURING PANDEMIC

Institutional leaders expect to be innovative in their approach. They must have a lot of data from surveys, interviews, and focus groups and go over the data gathered and find out the current trends. They have to find out why such a trend is happening and how it matters. Brainstorming is important. Come up with new ideas, reflect on those ideas, create choices, make choices, consider all solutions and think of one solution collaboratively. Consider the flexibility on how they will be able to adjust their course with new information.

FUND…….EXPENSES

Funding is expected and considered by institutional leaders by opening its channels to get more funds and control the cost of content.They have to spend money in the most effective manner since pandemic strikes. They employ most employee or office staff in months that needs more people to work and were given the right compensation with the workload they have.

SSS

Student support services are also given and the administrators should be open about this. Flexibility in time, mode, and place of study. In order to solve language barriers, bilingual courses and telephone tutorials are provided for those students that need support and guidance. Electronic libraries were provided that are the most available. As far as the students are concerned, the lower the tuition fees, the better which is the top support services for them.

TRANSPARENCY + DISCUSSIONS =

ASMa S n UMP agem TIONS ent must accept the fact that assumptions are being made to be acknowledged in preparing strategic plans. However, there must be transparency and discussion surrounding these assumptions and viewed as key elements and the responsibility of the strategy creators. Management must provide advantages for the students, especially the media (print, electronic, telephone tutoring, e-library) which is the best for faculty and the students.