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You are here: Home » infoKits » Creating an MLE » understanding-your-organisation » External drivers
Introduction: What is an MLE?
Why might you want an MLE?
Understanding your organisation
- What do we mean by organisational issues?
- External drivers
- Institutional context
- Finding out what really happens
- Defining your organisational profile
- Mapping initiatives, agendas & issues
- Types of organisation
- Organisations: Lessons learnt
- Identifying issues
- Finding and using information
- Linking the project into other institutional activities
- Lifecycles
- Lessons learnt: Alignment and institutional buy-in
- Staff development, training and support
- Staff development plans
- Staff development: Lessons learnt
- Planning, dissemination and evaluation
- Mechanisms for dissemination
- Developing your dissemination plan
- Developing an evaluation plan
- Models and frameworks
- Lessons learnt: Concepts of MLE development and eLearning
Gathering requirements
Technology options
MLE design
Implementation
Embedding MLEs into Institutions
Summary

3.1.1 External Drivers

Providing guidance on carrying out MLE development is of course the main function of this infoKit, but it is also worth scanning the external context to see what else might be of relevance.

Some form of mapping of the external environment and relevant drivers and initiatives may have already been carried out within your institution. If this is the case you can use this as a starting point and pick out the relevant aspects for your MLE development. An understanding of the external environment can be achieved in a number of ways. A common method is by carrying out PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Legal and Environmental)and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analyses. These are often undertaken as part of strategic reviews or departmental away days. The resource links associated with this section provides some tools which you can use to help you do these. The sub-section on finding information will help you to identify relevant sources of existing information within your institution.

Having identified relevant external factors the next step is to assess their impact on activities within the institution, and in particular how they impact on your MLE developments. For example:

  • Are there any timely external funding opportunities which you could bid for to complement your existing plans?

  • How can you capitalise on lessons learned from elsewhere? Are there useful resources and case studies which you can draw on?

The PESTLE and SWOT analyses are tools used to find out the current status and position of an organisation or department in relation to its external environment and current activities. This can then be used as a basis for future planning and strategic management. Focus in particular on PESTLE and SWOT in relation to your MLE development. For each factor within the PESTLE and SWOT matrices, consider the following:

  • Which of the below are of most importance now?

  • Which are likely to be most important in a few years?

  • What are the factors influencing any changes?
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