THE INSTITUTE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF LIFELONG EDUCATION: A STUDY IN PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

This Analytic Paper studies program development in Harvard's Institute for the Management of Lifelong Education (MLE) in light of a composite model of the implementation process. The question addressed is, in what ways and to what extent is change in MLE attributable to factors inherent in program development and implementation? MLE is a professional development program for college administrators, holding a two-week session each spring. It addresses lifelong education issues in a general management curriculum. The paper studies MLE from its founding in 1978 through its fourth program in 1982.;The model is based on work in implementation theory by Pressman and Wildavsky (1979) and Bardach (1977); in program development by Pennington and Green (1976); in program evaluation by Parlett (1980). The model suggests that programs evolve toward goals other than those proposed by planners, and that this evolution is attributable to factors inherent in the implementation process. These include problems in goal-setting, a formative crisis in the first year, crucial decision-points in the second year, and the emergence of typical obstacles in later implementation. The model describes program implementation as a process in which unexpected change in one part of a system produces change in another.;The paper analyzes change in MLE in goals, constituency, institutions served, faculty, curriculum, pedagogy, and program model. To a great extent, the changes are found to be attributable to generic factors in the implementation process. This conclusion is qualified by discussion of six specific (distinguished from generic) explanations of change in MLE and by a critique of the model. The paper concludes that a study using this model is an alternative to evaluation, less useful to a program planner than to those who must describe, analyze, and assess program development.