The need for E-learning strategies: Higher education institutions and their responses to a changing environment

Integrating e-Learning in their educational delivery and support processes is one way of strategy formation higher education institutions can deploy to respond to their changing environment. In this article, the focus of such a strategy formation is on three strategic choices: traditional, face-to-face, campus-based education (back-to-basics), flexible on-campus delivery of education (stretching-the-mould) or anytime, anywhere education (worldcampus). Results of a quantitative study showed that higher education institutions with a worldcampus strategy differ from higher education institutions with a back-to-basics strategy because they have a stronger focus on 'increasing access,' 'offering logistic flexibility,' and 'use of ICT for income generation.' By doing so, these higher education institutions aim to respond to an environment that is becoming increasingly market-oriented and competitive.