Key Planning Issues in Technology-Based Education

Key Planning Issues

In Technology-Based Education

Ball State University

Elements of Effective Strategical Planning

for Technology in Education

Bizhan Nasseh

Special Assistant for Educational Technology

Ball State University

RB - 237

Muncie, Indiana 47306

00b0nasseh@bsu.edu

Ball State University Muncie, Indiana

Abstract:

Technology-based education is the hallmark of higher education institution's operations in the coming years. Advancement of Internet and web brought to higher education institution the possibility of the lossing geographic monopoly and provided tough competition in attracting new generation of outcome-oriented learners. Higher education institution's vision, and strategical and tactical planning are the key elements in the providing successful distributed education and services for distributed learners. Practical and visionary strategical planning is not only vital for society, citizens, and global learners, but also for survival of higher education institution in the global education. The inter-related areas which are essential in strategical planning for technology-based education are:

Network infrastructure and instructional delivery.

Web's role in academic and administrative operations.

Instructional support system and technology-based education.

Faculty and student development in basic competency and information literacy.

Computer-based distance education for k-12 and adult learners.

Introduction:

Can universities be successfully transformed from teaching institutions to learning institutions? Can universities plan and execute a process of teaching/learning, which can satisfy the curiosity of a generation of active learners and prepare them for a challenging, exciting, and tough global economy? Can universities provide opportunities for our citizens to be lifelong learners in an ever-changing, technology-oriented era with an overload of information in a global education?

After centuries of lecture-based, face-to-face, teacher-centered, task-oriented, passive education, the hope is that universities will be able, through the power of technology, to foster active learning with an outcome-oriented process in student-centered education. In the last two decades, universities have invested in an infrastructure based on hardware, software, network, and human resources. It is time to utilize this investment with visionary and practical strategical planning for providing a technology-based learning environment for our faculty and students without reservation of time, place, and resources. After centuries of procedural and process-oriented education, universities must change their skills and mind sets, and provide educational opportunities that will empower students through an outcome-oriented education.

Changes in Foundation:

The university's foundation is built on its established mission and objectives. The mission is the chief function of a university, a vision of what the university is about, and a statement of the university's future goals. For centuries the mission of most universities was to become premier teaching or teaching and research institutions. But the invasion of technology, a tough global economy, frequent changes in society's needs, and the student body made major changes in the university's definition of mission. The new mission for the university is to be a learning, teaching, and research institution.

A mission creates many objectives and goals for the university. The primary objective is a desired future, which should be achievable with the available resources. The achievement of objectives is directly related to the accomplishment of the mission. In the past most of the main objectives were geared toward providing an environment in which students could acquire a body of knowledge necessary for the establishment of lifelong careers. In the computer age, university objectives are changing to focus on the preparation of lifelong learners and critical thinkers who can survive a challenging life, while preserving their careers in an information society and tough global economy. In order to accomplish the objectives, the university should plan strategically such inter-related areas as faculty development, web utilization, and network infrastructure.

Practical and visionary strategical planning is essential and vital for the accomplishment of today's objectives. Successful strategical planning is the art of employing all the available elements of strength and recognizing all the elements of threat in the process of planning. Some of these elements of strength might include experience, knowledge, vision, opportunity, dedication, leadership, value and beliefs, technology, skills, human resources, and financial status. Some of the elements of threat might include unanalyzed planning, being reactive (not proactive), and unshared vision. The heart of any strategical plan is the dependability of the situational analysis. With a true and precise situational analysis, a planning team can identify all the problems and opportunities necessary in the design of a realistic and achievable strategical plan.

In the following sections I suggest strategical planning for some of the areas which are essential for proper transformations from a traditional to a technology-based education. Planning for these areas not only helps faculty, students, and researchers to survive the changes of technology and expectations of society, but also can help higher education institutions to be ready for the challenge of the 21st century.

Strategical Planning:

These days everybody is talking about the bridge to the 21st century, a world without boundary for education, economy, and communication. For the university the bridge is the realistic and practical strategical direction which can enrich the power of technology in teaching, learning, and research activities. Strategic planning is the art of utilizing available resources to accomplish desired objectives. Advancement in computer and communication technologies has brought us many new