Menu
A rapidly changing world means great challenges and opportunities for educational institutions. A programme portfolio needs to reflect the needs and interests of your students and you broader stakeholder communities. And programmes need to reflect the changing world – the present and our best understanding of the future, while reflecting on the past.
Sound programme design is based on getting some basic cornerstones in place and remembering to consider a range of issues. Then there’s a lot of word something so that others can follow your intentions.
An experienced, independent facilitator can help resolve tensions within teams when you’re trying to balance strongly-held opinions and build a coherent programme. Most programmes need to be accredited either by government agencies or by professional bodies…. and often by both. We are experienced at balancing the different requirements – sometimes overlapping and sometimes even conflicting – and helping institutions successfully negotiate their way through these.
Collaboration is an efficient way to enhance your programme portfolio and offer exciting choices to your students. Increased communication between staff and students between institutions and often between countries and cultures will provide great benefits to all. Collaboration works best if sound planning and project management ensures that high level aspirations are supported by detailed analysis and alignment of processes. Giles Brooker Ltd has considerable experience developing and evaluating collaborative/joint venture programmes and can help with both the big picture and the small print.
Getting ready for an external evaluation or quality audit, you may be too close to see your gaps or it may be hard to point these out to your colleagues. Independent self-assessment, evaluation and audit facilitation helps you see yourselves as others see you, and gives you time and some ideas to fix issues before the external agencies turn up.
Self-assessment may identify issues which are best resolved by close attention to an institution’s systems and processes. We are experienced at developing and reviewing systems and can use business mapping technology to help identify the sources of confusion or inconsistency. Tidying these can resolve the issues on a sustainable basis.
Mediation is a useful tool to reduce the tensions in any dispute and helps achieve a resolution where all parties can see their interests being met. Unresolved conflict can damage an organisation permanently. Mediation provides a respectful context to help people reach a resolution and retain a relationship.
Negotiations also benefit from applying the principles and strategies of mediation – identifying win-win options and promoting respectful relationships.
We are experienced at assisting negotiations between institutions, between individual institutions and government and between students and institutions.
Strategic planning
Understanding shifting government policies and developing or reviewing institutional policies in a changing environment is not everyone’s cup of tea. Scoping the environment, developing plans, establishing points of difference and strategic alliances, experience and credibility help.
Please contact us to discuss how we can help you.
