An environmental scanning system is structured to identify and evaluate trends, events, and emerging issues. QUEST represents the quick environmental scanning technique, and an ED QUEST process enables an educational organization to clarify its future and define its options. This paper describes how an educational organization can establish an…

Describes a workshop held during the 1982 World Future Society's Fourth General Assembly on the combined application of issues management and policy impact analysis. The workshop participants applied futures research, forecasting, goal-setting, and policy development techniques to future problems in educational policy. (AM)

This handbook was designed to accompany a three-day workshop for senior administrators in higher education on proactive management techniques in higher education. Proactive management allows for anticipating change and managing uncertainty in place of crisis management or reactive actions. The workshop covered: (1) strategic thinking; (2)…

The concepts of long-range planning and strategic planning are explained, and a planning model is proposed. Attention is directed to an environmental scanning model that is congruent with the concept of strategic planning and that emerges from one portion of the futures research community, issues management. A third planning model, the strategic…

This publication presents an environmental scanning workshop for administrators in higher education institutions to help them incorporate environmental scanning into their planning and anticipation of future events. In particular, the workshop shows how to establish and sustain a comprehensive environmental scanning system and how to use the…

A formal environmental scanning system designed to identify emerging issues, events, or trends threatening or bringing opportunity to an institution is discussed that uses a committee to systematically collect and analyze data from a variety of sources. (MSE)

The environmental scanning project at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education is described. The project attempts to identify signals of change in all sectors of the external environment. Information resources have been selected from the social, technological, economic, and political aspects of the environment at the…

ED QUEST (Quick Environmental Scanning Techniques) is a strategic planning process designed to identify emerging trends, issues, and events which portend threats or opportunities for colleges and universities, analyze their probable impact on the institution, and facilitate the development of appropriate institutional strategies. A workshop was…

The major benefit of an environmental scanning/forecasting system is in providing critical information for strategic planning. Such a system allows the institution to detect social, technological, economic, and political trends and potential events. The environmental scanning database developed by United Way of America is described. (MLW)

Scanning the external environment will become more essential to colleges in the coming decade. Developing an environmental scanning system can identify important emerging issues that may constitute either threats or opportunities. The organizational features of a mature scanning process are described. (MLW)

A description is provided of a conference session that was conducted to explore the structure and function of an environmental scanning/forecasting system that could be used in a community college to facilitate planning. Introductory comments argue that a college that establishes an environmental scanning and forecasting system is able to identify…

The focus of the session summarized in this paper was on how postsecondary educational institutions can better anticipate the future of higher education by using the "alternative futures approach to planning" model. The alternative futures model processes the best available information obtainable so that plausible alternative futures in…

A method for college planning using alternative futures scenarios is explained, and a case study is used to illustrate its use in institutional research. The alternative futures approach addresses the uncertainty associated with strategic decision making. It differs from the traditional long-range planning models based on a single set of…

The use of futures research to improve a college's ability to deal with changes brought about by social, economic, political, and technological developments is discussed, with attention to new planning strategies and forecasting methods. While traditional long-range planning tracks and forecasts the institution's internal development, strategic…

A graduate course in educational administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill uses simulation of a higher education institution to teach planning. A literature review on strategic planning is combined with an experiential planning exercise using the alternative futures approach. The exercise extends appreciation of planning…