Strategic Planning for E-Learning in a Polytechnic

2011 ◽  
pp. 47-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Bates
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Core Values ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
E Learning ◽  
And Training

This chapter is a case study of how a polytechnic developed a strategic plan for e-learning. It describes the institution’s rationale for moving more strongly into e-learning, the processes followed by the institution to develop a plan and ensure its acceptance through the institutional community, and the factors that facilitated the process. It indicates that attention to objectives, core values and principles, and faculty development and training, are critical for the successful transition from mainly face-to-face teaching to e-learning. The development of key performance indicators will allow the success of the plan to be measured in 2010.

scholarly journals Students' Reflections on the Use of the Zoom Video Conferencing Technology for Online Learning at a South African University

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-178
Author(s):  
Cedric B. Mpungose
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
South African ◽  
Video Conferencing ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Lectures ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The University ◽  
And Training

The majority of universities in South Africa offer face-to-face lectures, resulting in the neglect of online lectures, although learning management systems (LMS) have been adopted and are capable of supporting onlinelearning (e-learning). The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) forced universities to move fully online and to adopt Video Conferencing Technologies (VCT) to supplement LMS for e-learning. However, most students confront challenges related to a digital divide, raising the question of whether universities are able to address these effectively. This study explored students’ reflections on the use of the Zoom VCT for e-learning at a SouthAfrican university. An interpretive qualitative case study was conducted, with data generated using emailed reflective activities and Zoom focus group discussions with 26 students in a curriculum studies programme.The framework of connectivism was employed and the data were thematically analysed. The study found that Internet access was a major challenge. While most students enjoyed synchronous Zoom discussions, they wereunable to use other Zoom functions for effective engagement. It is thus recommended that the university should develop an e-learning policy and provide the necessary resources and training to students in order to ensure fitness for purpose. Key words: students’ reflections, Zoom VCT, e-learning, face-to-face, curriculum, university

Strategic planning in grassland farming: Principles andapplications

1997 ◽  
pp. 191-197
Author(s):  
W.J. Parker ◽  
N.M. Shadbolt ◽  
D.I. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Farm Business ◽  
Pastoral Farming ◽  
Financial Environment

Three levels of planning can be distinguished in grassland farming: strategic, tactical and operational. The purpose of strategic planning is to achieve a sustainable long-term fit of the farm business with its physical, social and financial environment. In pastoral farming, this essentially means developing plans that maximise and best match pasture growth with animal demand, while generating sufficient income to maintain or enhance farm resources and improvements, and attain personal and financial goals. Strategic plans relate to the whole farm business and are focused on the means to achieve future needs. They should be routinely (at least annually) reviewed and monitored for effectiveness through key performance indicators (e.g., Economic Farm Surplus) that enable progress toward goals to be measured in a timely and cost-effective manner. Failure to link strategy with control is likely to result in unfulfilled plans. Keywords: management, performance

scholarly journals Misfit? The Use of Metrics in Innovation

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 388
Author(s):  
Ilse Svensson de Jong
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Actual Use ◽  
Sales Organizations ◽  
Organizational Levels

Measuring innovation is a challenging but essential task to improve business performance. To tackle this task, key performance indicators (KPIs) can be used to measure and monitor innovation. The objective of this study is to explore how KPIs, designed for measuring innovation, are used in practice. To achieve this objective, the author draws upon literature on business performance in accounting and innovation, yet moves away from the functional view. Instead, the author focuses explicitly on how organizational members, through their use of KPIs in innovation, make sense of conflicting interpretations and integrate them into their practices. A qualitative in-depth case study was conducted at the innovation department of an organization in the process industry that operates production sites and sales organizations worldwide. In total, 28 interviews and complementary observations were undertaken at several organizational levels (multi-level). The empirical evidence suggests that strategic change, attributed to commoditization, affects the predetermined KPIs in use. Notably, these KPIs in innovation are used, despite their poor fit to innovation subject to commoditization. From a relational perspective, this study indicates that in innovation, KPIs are usually complemented by or supplemented with other information, as stand-alone KPIs exhibit a significant degree of incompleteness. In contrast to conventional studies in innovation and management accounting, this study explores the use of key performance indicators (KPIs) in innovation from an interpretative perspective. This perspective advances our understanding of the actual use of KPIs and uncovers the complexity of accounting and innovation, which involve numerous angles and organizational levels. Practically, the findings of this study will inform managers in innovation about the use of KPIs in innovation and the challenges individual organizational members face when using them. In innovation, KPIs appear to be subjective and used in unintended ways. Thus, understanding how KPIs are used in innovation is a game of reading between the lines, and these KPIs can be regarded as misfits.

scholarly journals Challenges in Food Scientist Training in a global setting

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Höhl ◽  
Gerhard Schleining ◽  
Charlotte Hochgatterer ◽  
Wolfgang Kneifel ◽  
Velitchka Gotcheva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Training Programme ◽  
Research Management ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Target Groups ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Learning Modules ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Food Safety And Quality ◽  
And Training

Education and training were an integral part of the MoniQA Network of Excellence. Embedded in the "Spreading of excellence programme", Work Package 9 (Joint education programmes and training tools) was responsible for establishing a joint training programme for food safety and quality within and beyond the network. So-called `MoniQA Food Scientist Training' (MoniQA FST) was offered to provide technical knowledge on different levels and research management skills as well. Training needs for different regions as well as for different target groups (scientists, industry personnel, authorities) had to be considered as well as developing strong collaboration links between network partners and related projects. Beside face-to-face workshops e-learning modules have been developed and web seminars were organized. In order to achieve high quality training, a quality assurance concept has been implemented. It turned out that these types of training are of high value in terms of bringing together scientists from different regions and cultures of the globe, involving highly qualified trainers as basis for a sustainable network in the future.

Developing key performance indicators for a tertiary children’s hospital network

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Elliot ◽  
Cheryl Mcullagh ◽  
Michael Brydon ◽  
Karen Zwi
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Process Measures ◽  
Children's Hospital ◽  
Child Health Outcomes ◽  
Priority Populations

Objective The aim of this study is to describe the experience of developing key performance indicators (KPIs) for Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (SCHN), the largest paediatric healthcare entity in Australia. Methods Beginning with a published methodology, the process of developing KPIs involved five phases: (1) identification of potential KPIs referencing the organisational strategic plan and pre-existing internal and external documents; (2) consolidation into a pragmatic set; (3) analysis of potential KPIs against selection criteria; (4) mapping these back against the strategic plan and management structure; and (5) presentation to key stakeholders to ensure suitability and traction. Consistent with the strategic plan, a subset of indicators was selected to address quality of care for children from priority populations. Results A pragmatic list of 60 mandated and 50 potential KPIs was created from the 328 new and 397 existing potentially relevant KPIs generated by the executive team. Of these, 20 KPIs were selected as the most important; 65% were process measures. The majority of mandated KPIs were process measures. Of the KPIs selected to highlight inequities, there were proportionately more outcome measures (44% outcome, 27% process). Less than one-third could currently be measured by the organisation and were thus aspirational. Conclusion Developing a KPI suite requires substantial time, effort and organisational courage. A structured approach to performance measurement and improvement is needed to ensure a balanced suite of KPIs that can be expected to drive an organisation to improve child health outcomes. Future directions for SCHN include a systematic approach to implementation beyond the mandated KPIs, including KPIs that reflect equity and improved outcomes for priority populations, development of meaningful measures for the aspirational KPIs, adding structure KPIs and measurement of changes in child health outcomes related to the development of this KPI process. What is known about the topic? Health services are increasingly required to demonstrate accountability through KPIs. There is a body of literature on both theoretical frameworks for measuring performance and a long list of possible measures, however developing a meaningful suite of KPIs remains a significant challenge for individual organisations. What does this paper add? This paper describes lessons learned from the practical, pragmatic application of a published methodology to develop a suite of KPIs for the largest paediatric healthcare entity in Australia. It provides a select list of the highest-level KPIs selected by the organisation to stimulate further discussion among similar organisations in relation to KPI selection and implementation. What are the implications for practitioners? Developing and implementing a suite of meaningful KPIs for a large organisation requires courage, an understanding of health informatics, stakeholder engagement, stamina and pragmatism. The process we describe can be replicated and/or modified as needed, with discussion of key lessons learned to help practitioners plan ahead.

Strategic Planning in Education

2019 ◽  
pp. 238-249
Author(s):  
Salam Omar
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Leadership Team ◽  
Effective Model ◽  
Educational Organizations ◽  
The People

BCAA is an outstanding school that was rated as one of the top schools in the UAE in 2016 and again in 2018. Taking into consideration the fact that strategic planning is an important factor in guiding educational organizations to achieve a shared vision, this case study provides its readers with a detailed guide for other schools to be aided with. This case study shows the commitment of the leadership team towards the strategic planning. It also highlights the importance and the different aspects of the planning. The researcher has interviewed the members of the leadership team in order to collect the required data for the study. The researcher analyzed the collected data thematically to provide other schools with a successful effective model of strategic planning. The findings of this study show that having a well-studied strategic plan in BCAA led it to succeed and to be evaluated as an outstanding college in all aspects. The results also reveal that the success of the BCAA strategic planning is due to the commitment, cooperation, effective communication, and sincerity of the people working at it.

Justification Based on Rational Training

2010 ◽  
pp. 146-165
Author(s):  
Karim A. Remtulla
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Cultural Critique ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Exploratory Case Study ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Worker Identity ◽  
And Training

This chapter produces a socio-cultural critique of the ‘rational training’ workplace e-learning scenario. In this workplace e-learning scenario, workplace e-learning for workplace adult education training is used to justify the workforce through standards, categories, and measures. The alienating effects that arise out of this rush towards technocentric rationalization of the workforce through workplace e-learning are also discussed. These are the unintended and paradoxically opposite outcomes to the effects actually anticipated. An exploratory case study problematizes the unquestioned acceptance of the technological artefacts of workplace e-learning within organizations as credible sources to provide a rationale to justify workforces within workplaces. This approach critiques the presumption of infallibility of the technological artefacts of workplace e-learning; considers the short-comings of the conceiving of workplace e-learning as ‘finished’; and, reveals the ‘underdetermined’ nature of workplace e-learning technological artefacts. Socio-cultural insensitivity from workplace e-learning, in this scenario, comes from the basic, unquestioned assumption that workers are essentially socially flawed and culturally inferior; accountable for overcoming their sociocultural flaws and inferiorities; and, need to be justified by workplace e-learning, through standards, categories, and measures, to meet the expectations of the infallible and commodified workplace. A workplace e-learning that is deployed to justify the workforce, through standardization, categorization, and measurement, all result in a workforce being alienated from: (a) each other (worker-worker alienation); (b) their work (worker-work alienation); and, (c) their personal identities and sense of self (worker-identity alienation). Social rationalization is not the means to social justice in the workplace when it comes to workplace adult education and training, workplace e-learning, and the diverse and multicultural learning needs of a global cohort of adult learners.

scholarly journals Establishment of Key Performance Indicators for Green Building Operations Monitoring—An Application to China Case Study

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinqiu Li ◽  
Qingqin Wang ◽  
Hao Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Evaluation Standards

Released green building evaluation standards for operation stage include a huge number of indicators, which are very comprehensive and systematic. However, the indicators of these standards are very complicated and a large amount of time and manpower are consumed for their evaluation. To evaluate the operational performance of green buildings more practically and efficiently, some studies collect the operational data for part of the indicators (mainly focusing on building energy performance, indoor environmental quality or occupant satisfaction), which are too rough to evaluate the performance of green building. This paper proposed a total of 27 key performance indicators (KPIs) for green building operations monitoring. The number of proposed indicators is much fewer than the evaluation standards, as well as suitable for long-term monitoring, which can dramatically reduce evaluation time and cost. On the other hand, the indicators involving Outdoor environmental quality, Indoor environmental quality, HVAC system, P&D system, Renewable energy system, Total resource consumption and User behavior, which are more comprehensive and systematic than the conventional monitoring studies for operational performance of green building. Firstly, an indicators library for operations monitoring of green building was established based on relevant standards and literature review in this field. Secondly, “SMART” principle and Delphi method were adopted to select the key performance indicators for green building operations monitoring. Different background experts regarding green building industry were chosen to screen the most relevant, accessible and measurable indicators. Subsequently, two projects in China were selected for case study of key performance indicators proposed in this paper for green building operations monitoring to validate the feasibility and advancement.

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