Choosing &
Using Technologies in Education & Training
Organisational
Requirements
The organisation should identify
how the project relates to its own strategic goals and
position.
Rationale
When discussing the educational outcomes of
a program, or the use of technology in the program, it is
important to be clear about why the project is being
undertaken. Reasons may be framed in relation to the
objectives of the organisation: for example, organisational
priorities may include developing a market in a new
geographical region, in a new industry sector, or in a
different demographic group. It may be an objective to
provide better quality programs to existing target markets.
It may be intended as research or as a trial to test a
methodology that is being considered for more widespread
implementation. Or it may be part of a combined
education/industry effort to attract major government growth
funding.
Educational organisations must establish
their own strategic objectives, which may be only partly
educational, and which may relate also to the organisational,
commercial and competitive requirements for positioning the
organisation for success in the educational arena. The
relationship of the project to these objectives must be
clearly viewed within the organisation, though it may or may
not be desirable to make this information public. The
relationship may be to do with directly furthering the
organisation's aims to cater for the needs of particular
types of clients; it may be to do with developing skills or
capacities to do this in the future; or it may be to do with
testing hypotheses about possible future directions. Clarity
of understanding of how the project relates to the
organisation's desired position is important to enable staff
to play their part in the project.
The purpose of identifying these objectives
is to enhance clarity in the planning process; to assist in
framing the evaluation; and, when success factors are being
identified, to ensure that the nature and context of
`success' is clear to the organisation and to project
participants.
If the organisation neglects to examine and
acknowledge its own objectives and agendas, there is a danger
that the project may be pulled in a direction that runs
counter to the acknowledged educational outcomes. This will
not only dilute its educational effectiveness; it is also
likely to cause some degree of resentment among staff who are
committed to educational ideals. If, on the other hand, the
organisational goals are acknowledged, it is usually possible
to harness them to the educational outcomes, so that both are
pulling in the direction of success. This may also help staff
to better understand the constraints within which the
organisation is operating, leading to a reduction in
frustration levels.
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