Learning Resources

Abstract: The concept of shared governance is at the cornerstone of any planning process at American colleges and universities. Respecting this need for representation, however, has created an atmosphere in which participants in the planning process have come to view their role as that of oversight aimed at protecting a constituency more than insight intended to help move an institution forward. This article suggests a strategy that can address the criticism of higher education's inertia when it comes to moving from planning to decision making while maintaining the participative management style of shared governance.

Abstract: Examines the use of digital technologies, especially on-line ones, and their effects on teaching and other institutional activities. Considers the particular challenges and opportunities digital technologies create in the academy. Argues that institutions must ask thoughtful questions about the appropriateness of these technologies in order to best make use of them.

Abstract: Campus leaders frequently feel restricted by the limited menu of options at their disposal when attempting to secure input or participation from constituencies across the campus. This article explores one innovative technique, open space technology, which has shown to produce both meaningful involvement and results across a number of campuses, whether in strategic planning, curriculum reform, teaching, or cross-unit problem solving.

Abstract: This study discusses two important topics: participation and strategic change. The paper considers why participation is seen as necessary in higher education, why participation seems not to have aided strategic planning and change processes, and if those processes are inherently flawed. Information from interviews with selected persons with experience as administrators and as faculty and from research literature provide the foundation for an exploration of how participation and processes can be improved and facilitated.

Abstract: This article compares postsecondary education organizations by examining dimensions of educational delivery and organizational structure along with current institutional examples. The first section attempts to clarify key environmental changes occurring in postsecondary education delivery and organization. The next section provides an approach to thinking about the archetypes of postsecondary educational organization within that environment based on the variety of institutional forms that are emerging. In the final section, the article considers implications for institutional planners who are trying to manage the complexities resulting from the organizational arrangements discussed in this article.