So here I am, trying to decide between vision and planning. I don’t think one can be valued more than another because they are undeniably intertwined.  Strategic planning and institutional visions are equally fundamental in developing a sound e-learning program. Both also have limitations depending on the type of institution being discussed. No program can be designed, developed and implemented without either of these elements.  Without vision, there would be no model to determine in which direction to develop e-learning.  Without planning, no vision can be effectively executed into action.  Bates seems to emphasize vision as a more important foundation, because strategic planning has its disadvantages.  Vision clearly forms the program in terms of structure and goals/objectives.  It also serves as a “benchmark” for assessing the success of a program.  Therefore, it can be recognized as the core of any e-learning model.  But, though strategic planning may have its limitations in university programs because it must keep up with constants changes and the question of autonomy in teaching, planning offers a support to the vision, which is invaluable.

Yes, institutions which have a top-down power structure such as the military and private businesses can implement strategic planning easily.  However, if a university wish to keep pace with changing social environment (technology and otherwise), it must  use strategic planning to organize departments, distribute functions, and allocate resources.  Bates might be right that in organizations like universities, strategic planning may work better at the department level. But that is not to say the entire university as an institution can’t have a strategic plan.  This plan can be the foundation for departmental planning features.  Even if professors, who are considered subject-matter experts in their fields, wish to retain creative autonomy in teaching while focusing on their research, departments can still espouse the fundamentals of university wide standards and follow a strategic plan. Personally, I think both, vision and strategic planning, can be balanced to accommodate clients/students and facilitate optimum-learning.