Strategic PlanningStrategic Planning

Workshop for Palestinian TEIsWorkshop for Palestinian TEIs

CINDACINDA

Ramallah, May, 2007Ramallah, May, 2007

Jose Rafael Toro Professor of Computational Mechanics in the School of

Engineering , Universidad de los Andes Presently I am Vice President for Academic Affairs at

Universidad de los Andes (Bogota, Colombia)

- 11,500 Undergraduate Students

- 2000 Graduate Students

- 550 Full Time Faculty

Where do I come from ?

Where do I come from ?

My city, Bogotá

Extremes of Strategic Planning

An An enlightened authorityenlightened authority knows knows where the institution has to go, where the institution has to go, and the rest try to follow him and the rest try to follow him

A huge number of A huge number of tiny academic tiny academic unitsunits make up a list of resources make up a list of resources which add up to an “impossible which add up to an “impossible

dream” dream”

Extremes of Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning should (at least) be an Strategic Planning should (at least) be an opportunity to try to discuss opportunity to try to discuss openlyopenly and and systematicallysystematically all all issues which determine issues which determine the future of an Institutionthe future of an Institution

There should be a place for leadership, for There should be a place for leadership, for participation, and for analysisparticipation, and for analysis

Mission

Vision

Vision

Vision

Local and global

context

SWOT analysis

Basic elements of Strategic Planning: Basic elements of Strategic Planning: a common language

Initial State (Base Line) GoalsActions

Strategies

Final State

Final State

Final State

Vision

Mission

Basic elements of Strategic Planning: Basic elements of Strategic Planning: a common language

Mission

It is a conceptual statement concerning the nature and purposes of the institution. BUT it can be so abstract and general that it helps little to enlighten future goals and strategies in SP process.

Every concept in the Mission should have a translation into more operational elements. For example what does it finally mean for your institution: - Quality - Interdisciplinarity -Commitment to the country’s development - Academic excellence - Globalization

Basic elements of Strategic Planning: Basic elements of Strategic Planning: a common language

VisionVision

It is a description (a “photograph”) of a possible future reality. The Mission is unique and has permanence in time. The Vision changes and adapts to local and global conditions.

The The visionvision is a concretion of the is a concretion of the missionmission

MISSION and VISION are only useful if they have been deliberately designed to build on them, and not only as a formal step in SP exercises.

Basic elements of Strategic Planning: Basic elements of Strategic Planning: a common language

Some preliminary observationsSome preliminary observations

Apart from conventional procedures in SP ( Mission, Vision, SWOT) a special emphasis should be placed in:

-Developing conceptual models of the operation of the institution which show the interactions and restrictions among the different system components of the institution.

Many TEIs can coincide in WHAT they want in the coming future (Missions of different universities differ very little), still the restrictions and difficulties which limit achieving (apparently) similar goals require a very precise analysis fitted for each institution, within each particular context.

-Detailed knowledge of the interactions between academic and economic variables, which determine the development of an institution.

TEIs tend to evidence a strong gap between what is academically desirable and what is economically sustainable. This tension complicates considerably decision making processes.

System components of a TEI for SP purposes

Academic processes

Physical resources

Prime actors: Students

Prime Actors: Faculty

Academic products

Academic processes : -Undergraduate programs -Graduate programs -Research -Continued education -Community services

SP intends to design strategies which allow an optimal performance of prime actors (faculty and students) in achieving goals consistent with Mission demands.

Evaluation and accreditation processes are intended to monitor the effectiveness of strategies in achieving the pursued goals.

Decision making processes

Definition of quality:

Inner and outer consistency

Local and global

employers

Academic community (national and international)

Social and economical conditions

External context

Outer consistency

Mission and vision

Inner consistency

Academic Processes

Physical resources

Students

Faculty Staff

Academic products

Decision making processes

Evaluation processes and systemsEvaluation processes and systems

Academic Processes

Physical resources

Actors: Students

Actors: Faculty

Academic Products

National and international accreditation systems

Employers

Academic community

(national and international)

Professional certification

systemsNational

secondary education

examinations

Governmental

Local and global context

Degree of inner and outer consistency of the

institution

Objective Quality Function

-Social, economical and political restrictions -Institutional restrictions

Restrictions

Strategic Planning can be understood as the process by which inner and outer consistency of the institution (objective quality function) are optimized subject to inner and outer restrictions.

Strategic planning under the metaphor Strategic planning under the metaphor of an of an Optimization ProblemOptimization Problem

Definition of Definition of Quality factorsQuality factors

Academic Processes

Physical resources

Students

Faculty Staff

QF

QF

QF

QF

QF

QF

QF

QF

QF

Quality factors are special attributes in which system components can be unfolded. By affecting Quality Factors, system components are transformed in a direction which affects (positively or negatively) the overall quality of the institution.

Quality FactorsQuality Factors(some tentative examples)(some tentative examples)

Academic Processes

Physical resources

Students

Faculty staff

Academic Products

-Faculty staff disciplinary and teaching qualification - Faculty size

- Labor conditions:

- Salaries-Teaching loads- Resources and

environment for academic production

- Rules (selection, promotion, evaluation)

-Entry qualifications of students-Study habits-Autonomy

-Effectiveness of physical resources in supporting academic processes

-Consistency of curricula with Mission Statement -Consistency of curricula with market demands and main stream of disciplines -Effectiveness of teaching learning process (ex: Active learning processes, student engagement with learning process) -General education requirements and adequate balance between breadth and depth of education

Quantitative Indicators can be associated to (most) Quality Factors

Quality factors and Quality factors and strategiesstrategies

Process oriented quality factors such as: .Teaching-learning process . Decision making processes

Resource oriented strategies:

high investment and operation costs

Process oriented strategies

moderate operation costs

Resource oriented quality factors such as: .Faculty size .IT support services

Strategic Plans cannot be reduced to a collection of required resources: How things are done (once reasonable resources are available) can be very strategic and cost effective in determining quality

  St Fac Cur T-L Dec Res St Fac Cur T-L Dec Res

St                        

Fac                        

Cur                        

T-L                        

Dec                        

Res                        

St                        

Fac                        

Cur                        

T-L                        

Dec                        

Res                        

Process dependent QF Resource dependent QF

Pro

cess

d

epen

den

t Q

FR

eso

urc

e d

epen

den

t Q

F

Resources Processes The simple couplings: Better resources (may) lead to more effective processes

Process Process The subtle couplings: “How things are done” (may) increase effectiveness of processes

Quality Factor Couplings

Non void couplings among quality factors suggest strategies oriented to increase

quality of products

TEACHING LEARNING PROCESSES

Disciplin

qualific.Teachg.qualific.

Tchg. loads

Size of courses

Lab resources

Library resources

IT resources

Teaching practices and methodologies              

Student engagement              

Course Examination systems   X   X X  X      X 

Efficiency of teaching learning processes              

. Drop out rates              

. Effective time for graduation              

Quality Factor Quality Factor Couplings Couplings ExamplesExamples

Strategic Planning rationaleStrategic Planning rationale

QFi

QFi

QFi

QFi

QFi

QFi

QFi

QFi

QFi

Strategies are coherent actions which affect groups of highly coupled Quality Factors in a positive direction

Strategic Planning rationaleStrategic Planning rationale

A P

S

F S

Base Line in terms of system components and its

associated quality factors

A P

S

F S

Expected states in terms of system components and its associated quality factors

Strategies and actions designed with the help of QF coupling analysis

Each set of goals, strategies and actions affect operational and investment costs which can be evaluated in this flow chart, thus selecting the sustainable and academically acceptable strategies

Academic Programs Academic Programs academic academic variables vs. cost structure variables vs. cost structure

Gross demand

Admission process

Enrolled students

Curricula

Student population

Drop out rates

Teaching structure

Faculty size

Faculty costs

Admin structure Admin

costs

Tuition and government

support

Gross income

Teaching demand

Educational support

resources & services

Institutional administration

Support invest. &costs

Instit. admin costs

Selection capacity

Faculty salary

structure

Each set of goals, strategies and actions affect operational and investment costs which can be evaluated in this flow chart, thus selecting the sustainable and academically acceptable strategies

Examples of coupled factors : Admission and quality of students

(some) quality standard

“quality” of students

Enrolled students

Under qualified students

Qualified students

High risk students

# students

Enrolled students

Under qualified students

Qualified students

“quality” of students

Under qualified students

Qualified students

Better secondary education

Examples of coupled factors: Admission and secondary education

Examples of coupled factors: Admission policies and costs of teaching

# students

Under qualified students

Qualified students

High risk students

Larger course sizes

Regular course sizes

#Teaching hours ~Size Faculty ~Operation costs

Smaller course sizes

Exampled of coupled factors: Admission policies, quality of students and cost

of teaching

High risk students

Larger course sizes

Regular course sizes

Faculty costs/hr

Active learning strategies which increases engagement of students with their education process

#Teaching hours ~Operation

costsEducation support

costs/hr

>

# students

How does learning really proceed ? Are our teaching practices adequate for our

students?

Time

Learning

Lecturing

Repetitive exercises

¿ …….. ?

Profitable time

Unprofitable time

“quality” of students

Strategic planning structure within Strategic planning structure within the institutionthe institution

Institutional SP

Schools SP

Department SP

Faculty staff work plans

Generation of adequate conditions

Academic specific programs and projects

Examples : -Faculty staff training programs -Salary policies -Teaching load policies -General curricula structure

Strategic Planning as an iterative process

Institutional SP

Schools SP

Department SP

Faculty staff work plans

Goals, strategies and

actions

Associated investment and

operational costs

The institutional iteration The sustainability iteration

Why do I look arab?

SP Workshop

Objectives:

Considering a specially significant process associated to Tertiary Education, the object of the work shop consists in identifying (quality) factors of the different components of the institution which are expected to affect the selected process. For the selected process, and quality factors coupled with such process, the participants are expected to:

Provide a general qualitative characterization of the present state of such elements ( analyzed process and coupled quality factors) When possible provide quantitative which help with the above mentioned characterization Describe briefly the way in which selected quality factors affect the process under analysis Provide suggested final states of quality factors which will affect positively the selected process Suggest different strategies and actions which will determine the expected evolution of the analyzed process and associated quality factors Provide a general overview of the impact in operational and investment costs associated to proposed strategies and actions

SP Workshop

For the present workshop its is proposed to consider the Teaching Learning processes in the institution for one or several significant academic units and programs.

TL processes are key elements which determine the overall quality of education. At the same time they are affected by many other system components. This condition will allow the participants to explore the multiple factors analysis required for comprehensive and systematic planning.

SP Workshop

System Components

Quality Factors Teaching Learning Quality Factors Proposed strategies

and actionsInitial State Processes Expected State

Students qf1   QF1  

  qfn   QFn  

Faculty qf1   QF1  

  qfn   QFn  

Curricula qf1   QF1  

  qfn   QFn  

T-L processes qf1   QF1  

qfn   QFn  

Dec. process qf1   QF1  

  qfn   QFn  

Phys. Res. qf1   QF1  

  qfn   QFn  

Context qf1   QF1  

  qfn   QFn  

SP Workshop