Over the last 20 years, since the launch of its flagship study the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has become a behemoth of transnational influence on education policy making. To better understand the evolution of the OECD's perspective on education and the…

This paper demystifies the process of open and distance learning (ODL) policy development in a dual-mode university after existing without one for 50 years. The two-pronged critical questions this paper addresses are: What does it take to successfully develop an ODL policy? And what aspects constitute an ODL policy applicable for a dual-mode…

The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges' Basic Agenda for 1986 is presented. The Board's basic agenda is a proposed public policy statement that identifies major goals and policy-making activities which the state and the community colleges should initiate or complete during 1986. Five objectives are presented which establish…

An introduction is provided to Vision 2000, a project initiated by Ontario's Minister of Colleges and Universities to review the mandate of the province's Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT). Section 1 discusses the challenges facing Ontario's educational system, the minister's mandate to the CAAT Council of Regents, and the objectives…

Reports on ways in which college and university facilities management departments can keep a strategic plan viable throughout the intended planning time frame. Focuses on the importance of reexamining plans, staying on track, measurement and consequences, using other planning modules, scenario planning, reinventing the market, value migration, and…

Discusses the importance of strategic planning to higher education. Addresses the need for postsecondary institutions to evaluate their environment and develop a strategic plan. Presents the components of strategic planning, i.e., mission statement development; analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; and strategy…

While various paradigms exist for planning in two-year colleges, from master planning to quality circles, three major elements invariably appear in planning activities: strategic or formal planning, operational planning, and effectiveness measures. Strategic planning attempts to systematically assess an institution's relationship with its external…

The goal of the 1986-1991 University of Alaska (UA) System Six-Year Plan is to serve as the foundation for a restructured and revitalized university system sensitive to the changing needs of the people of Alaska. Such a university system can be attained only in an environment of understanding and cooperation, where the needs of all residents are…

A contexual model is introduced to simplify planning, to provide an understanding of institutions as interpretive systems, to guide the implementation of better strategic planning, and to provide a research paradigm that may integrate research findings for a better understanding of how the strategic variables are related to one another.…

Designed to help those who plan and allocate resources for California's community colleges in evaluating future trends and identifying responsible policy directions, this report seeks to: (1) describe present and future trends and their variations within California; (2) determine the applications of those trends for community colleges; (3)…