UKRAINIAN NATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS’ DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES DESIGNING: CASE STUDY

Abstract

The article based on the analysis of the national and foreign research and pedagogical discourse, as well as analytical study of the Ukrainian higher education institutions’ experience, reveals methodological approaches to designing a modern pedagogical higher education institution’s development strategy. The methodological basis of the study was the methods of content analysis and case method, as well as the rating approach to the study of the relevant experience of the HEIs of Ukraine. Based on the results of the study, methodological recommendations for the designing of the modern domestic higher education institutions’ development strategies have been formulated, which will help to improve this process. In making managerial decisions on the HEI’s development strategy designing the criterion of alternatives should be used, and assess the success probability of a particular strategy, based on: consistency with previous achievements; resource consumption; orientation of the strategy according to the place of the institution in the competition; by the way to achieve competitive advantages; terms of strategy implementation, etc. The structure of the higher education institution development strategy varies, however, as a rule, it contains the following established components: historical background on the key milestones of the institution's formation; characteristics of the university current state, the level of its infrastructure; mission and vision of the institution (vision of its prospects); values of higher education institution; analysis of strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities; a set of strategic goals and objectives, criteria for evaluating their achievement and ways of implementation; and expected results. High-quality and effective development strategy of a higher education institution is the result of systematic work not only of the management or working strategic group, but of a number of stakeholders involved in the relevant stages of its development: faculty, staff, students and graduates, representatives of employers, representatives of relevant departments, advisory bodies, expert community, etc. The study substantiates that interaction with stakeholders and effective strategic communications are the tools that allow a high-quality and competitive development strategy of a higher education institution design.