Abstracts
Taking the Lead: Strategic Management for E Learning
Monday 4 May 2009, 1300 - 1330
Presenter: Andrew Higgins
Auckland University of Technology, NEW ZEALAND
Presenter Biography
Dr A Higgins and Emeritus Prof T Prebble have been commissioned by the Ministry of Education through AKO Aoteoroa to produce a high level strategic resource pack for senior managers of Universities, Polytechs and PTEs as part of the nation’s drive towards enhancing its educational and technological progress. This study draws on the practices of about 20 important New Zealand tertiary institutions.
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to inform the tertiary sector institutional senior leaders and managers in New Zealand about the strategies, processes and implications pertaining to e-learning and its uptake in Universities, Polytechnics and private training enterprises.
The intended readership of the research is quite small: the chief executives and senior executive officers of New Zealand’s tertiary education institutions and organizations. It is designed to help these leaders consider the contribution they need to make to the strategic development and management of e-learning in their institutions1.
It is strongly recommended that those involved in e-learning who wish to see it rate more highly in institutional strategic planning and operations make their Chief Executive Officers and Vice Chancellors aware of this work.
“E-Learning” in its various forms is transforming the way New Zealand tertiary educational institutions are teaching and supporting their students. It is a transformation involving fast developing technologies, some complex re-design and integration of institutional systems and the recruitment of new categories of specialists to assist teachers and managers use these new technologies. Much of the detail of this transformation process will, quite appropriately, be managed by specialist staff and middle managers rather then by senor executive staff. However, if these developments are to achieve the key strategic objectives of the institutions, these senior leaders and managers do need to exercise strong leadership in a number of key areas. The purpose of this study has been to identify these key areas and to offer guidance to institutional leaders as to how they might be addressed most effectively.
This document is an executive summary of the complete research report of the “E-Learning Management Resource Project”. The fuller report – which is a substantial document of 100+ pages - builds on a set of nine themes. These nine themes were drawn from an earlier study on quality assurance for e-learning. In seeking to prepare a much shorter and tighter summary document, the authors have reduced and tightened these categories to just six:
- Strategy
- Structure
- Resourcing
- Decision making
- Collaboration
- Selecting technologies
