Best Practices in Planning Strategically for Online Educational Programs

Best Practices in Planning Strategically for Online Educational Programs is a step-by-step guide to developing strategic plans for creating and implementing online educational programs within higher education institutions. From conception to execution and assessment, the successful management of purposeful online educational programs in colleges and universities carries increasing importance and a unique set of requirements. This book enables administrators and faculty to: - identify the opportunities and challenges presented by online education for institutions based on their histories, missions and market positions - develop a roadmap for creating and implementing a strategic plan - provide guidance for assessing the plan and insight into the iterative nature of planning. With computer networked-based technologies gaining ground in traditional private and public institutions, this critical volume is the first to apply the principles and practices associated with strategic planning specifically to online educational programs.

Elliot King is Professor and former Chair of the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, USA. He is the author or co-author of seven books and has written extensively about the application and impact of new computer and communication technology since the 1980s. He is a co-founder of Loyola's Master of Arts program in Emerging Media, an online program. Neil Alperstein is Professor in the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, USA. He is the Founding Director of its Master of Arts program in Emerging Media, an online program, and is a leader in the use of educational technology in the classroom. He is the author of the book Advertising in Everyday Life and of numerous book chapters and scores of scholarly articles.

1. The principles of strategic planning and management 2. Establishing a strategic planning framework for online education 3. Crafting a vision for online education (Where do you want to go) 4. The self-assessment and audit (Where are you now) 5. Creating a strategic plan 6. Implementation and assessment of the strategic plan 7. Building a sustainable planning process