Effective External Stakeholder Engagement: an Imperative for Effective Open and Distance Learning Delivery

Abstract

The use of external stakeholders in an Open and Distance Learning environment is an operational necessity and a strong component of the ODL system, but it could also be the weakest link if not properly managed. The use of external stakeholders by organisations ensures quality assurance through content reviews and readily available resources at a minimum cost. Because most of the external stakeholders are individually unknown to the institutional administrators, this creates a gap in the ODL process within an institution. Institutions must evolve a robust, sustainable engagement process, a more formal means to understand the stakeholders - individual doubts and capabilities, their limitations, motivations as well as their conceptions and views of the learning method that they are engaged with. To bridge this gap and achieve inclusive engagement with the numerous external stakeholders this study will utilise survey method to seek to understand their unique expectations. The outcome of this study will hopefully enable institution’s managers and the internal experts/content creators to constantly manage their relationship with the external experts and hence construct more and effective engagement strategies and plans, and positive work environment for their diverse external stakeholders with attendant benefit for their students.