Strategy Development and Courses of Action

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

AND COURSES OF ACTION

WRITTEN BY MARIEL CAPULONG

Strategic planning in Open and Distance Education is a crucial function of the administration and leadership (Smith, 1998).

Strategy Development. It is a process wherein the administration researches, identifies, and selects from the list of the most appropriate and promising strategic options. The administration then decides how will they allocate the resources and funds across the whole organization or institution to achieve their key objectives (CMI, 2020).

Courses of Action. After generating potential solutions, the administration decides courses of action to follow. Strategy Development and Courses of Action (COA) for Distance Education. As part of the strategic planning process model, the strategy development and courses of action phase starts with the integration of the results and data gathered from the SWOT analysis conducted in Phase 3. After which, the tentative courses of action (COA) will be developed by analyzing the “strengths and external opportunities” of the SWOT analysis. These COA must also be aligned with the mission and vision and ensure consistency. Once the COA becomes acceptable to the planners, stakeholders, and administrators, they start refining and expanding the COA before coming up with a decision (Pisel, 2008).

STRATEGIC PLANNING IS LIKE A COMPASS AND A MAP FOR AN INSTITUTION.

It helps them identify the institution’s direction and guides them in making impactful decisions. It serves as a roadmap in identifying the activities and the courses of action to be taken.

Moreover, strategic planning helps them in addressing the trends, current challenges, and opportunities in initiating distance education programs. Without a strategic plan it would be difficult to evaluate the progress of an institution as there would be no means of measuring the goals and success.