Online Higher Education:Positioning Community Colleges
WCET 23rd Annual Conference 2011
OnlineCommunityCollege.orgAmerica’s Public Community Colleges –
Trusted, Affordable, TransferableSEARCH ∙ CONNECT ∙ EDUCATE
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), in collaboration with AboutEdu (a nonprofit online education consumer group), led discussions with online leaders from community colleges across the country.
OnlineCommunityColleges.org (OCC) has developed a plan to incubate a new and "trusted“ single access search site for the online program offerings of community colleges.
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgThe Start
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Conclusions reached by the group:• Online offerings of community colleges are often being
excluded from online searches, students are too often “guided” to online education providers with the largest marketing budgets and the higher tuitions.
• Community colleges, individually, cannot afford to effectively compete. Collectively, OCC can provide greater visibility and accessibility via a trusted" national searchable site to low income students, unemployed workers, and other underserved student populations.
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgThe Start - continued
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One-Stop Access to Affordable Higher Education - a central, “trusted” website that will provide students with one-stop access to online program offerings of member community colleges nationwide
Student Focused Website – a student friendly site that incorporates advanced interactive tools to search, identify and self-select affordable online community college programs
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgFocus
Centralized Marketing and Communications – to increase the presence of participating community colleges’ online programs in online searches
Future Services - for our community colleges and their students - personalized student enrollment services, best practices in student support, and student retention/completion services
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgFocus
“America cannot lead in the 21st century unless we have the best educated, most competitive workforce in the world.”
President Barack ObamaRemarks on Higher Education
April 24, 2009
“By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world... So tonight I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training... every American will need to get more than a high school diploma.”
President Barack ObamaAddress to Joint Session of Congress
February 24, 2009
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Education Requirements for Jobs, 2018
Georgetown University, Center on Education and the Workforce, 2010 p. 14 http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/FullReport.pdf
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Fastest-Growing Occupations
Healthcare Professional
Healthcare Technical
STEM and Social Science
Education
Community Services and Arts
Managerial and Professional Office
Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
How do students choose aCollege?
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgWhy the Need?
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OnlineCommunityColleges.orgOnline Marketing
Is online marketing a priority for your college?
Is your marketing budget growing or shrinking?
Is your college visible beyond your geographic area? Do you want it to be?
Take a look at marketing examples from the panelists…
Anne Arundel Community CollegeMarketing to Students – Jean Runyon, Dean, Virtual
Campus
Print • Postcards, newspaper ads, mailers, schedules
Television• Local cable• Broadcast
RadioEvents
• College fairsMovie theaters www.aacc.edu
Anne Arundel Community CollegeMarketing to Students – Jean Runyon, Dean, Virtual Campus
College Portal • Virtual Campus Lounge• LMS
Website • Virtual Campus (homepage)
MarylandOnline
Anne Arundel Community CollegeMarketing to Students – Jean Runyon, Dean Virtual Campus
AACC Tube iTunes University Second Life Social networking• Facebook• Twitter
Broward CollegeMarketing to Students – Russ Adkins
Marketing for BC Online is embedded in overall college marketing strategy.
College Objectives: Transform the
perception of Broward College to local high school students.
Keep Broward College top of mind with the general public in Broward County.
Broward CollegeMarketing to Students – Russ Adkins
Media Radio - 3 stations (rap, hip-hop,
r&b, house, techno and the entire top 40)
Print Caribbean Today The Miami Herald The Sun-Sentinel
Cinema, Mall Media Social Media Outdoor Bus ads
Broward CollegeMarketing to Students – Russ Adkins
Digital/web
Rio Salado CCMarketing to Students – Todd Simmons
Strategy: a multi-dimensional approach to marketing, enrollment management & brand identity.
Focus: to increase enrollments, foster partnerships & enhance the college’s public image.
Goal: to create and disseminate strategic information about our innovative college’s programs, products & services.
Method: advertising, college copy center functions, graphic design, media relations, outreach/call center, photographic services, recruiting & web design/development.
Rio Salado CCMarketing to Students – Todd Simmons
Media Outlets:•Print (newspapers & magazines)•Outdoor (billboards, digital displays & mass
transit shelters)•Radio (Commercials, PSA’s, Specialty Radio Programs, On-air endorsements)•Television (Sponsorships with 0:15 ads & on-air mentions)•Direct Mail, Email & Phone Campaigns•Events, collateral materials & “U @ Rio Salado Magazine”
Rio Salado CCMarketing to Students – Todd Simmons
Media Outlets - continued:•Traditional & Social Media Relations•Web
– Web banners / networks
– Websites & web directories
– Video banners– Site Engine Optimization (SEO)– Tracking splash web pages– Web analytics
Rio Salado CCMarketing to Students – Todd Simmons
Our “Top of Mind” awareness ~250 million impressions and growing!
MARKETING & ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT FLOWCHART
Advertising
PR / Social
Recruiting & Other Activities
Web
Outreach Center
Student Services/Affairs
STUDENTS
Dallas TeleCollege OnlineMarketing to Students – Pam Quinn
Targets Emphasis on reaching potential students beyond DFW African-Americans and Hispanics Focusing on the student as a well rounded person
Customer Service Close relationship between advising and marketing Academic advisors building relationships with students Implementation of a CRM
Dallas TeleCollege OnlineMarketing to Students - continued
Online Ads/Focus
National Ads across national sites and keyword search (USA Today, Baby Center, Rachel Ray and beyond) DallasObserver.com PegasusNews.com Al Dia - aldiatx.com Collegeview.comLocal Mix1029.com
Dallas TeleCollege OnlineMarketing to Students - continued
Print – only in “special” education sections Texas Monthly Dallas Morning News NEWSWEEK (Texas only) Dallas Examiner Al Dia
Misc Dart Buses Nat'l Hispanic College Fairs University Newspapers
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgOCC Members
Who are the OCC members?Anne Arundel CC, Broward College, Dallas TeleCollege Online, Darton College, Foothill College, Illinois Central College, Ivy Tech CC, Northern Virginia CC and Rio Salado CC
Through Partnerships anything is possible…
TOGETHER: The OCC member colleges jointly:
• Serve more than 600,000 students nationwide
• Have an inventory in excess of 2,000 online courses
• Are helping to engage and educate other colleges on the initiative, and its timely importance
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgCollaboratively
Opportunity to:
Increase visibility and affordable access to:• Displaced workers• Traditional students – needing direction and • Retooling• Skills enhancement• 2nd/3rd careers
Innovate and position community colleges for the future – keep viable and competitive
Together we can make a difference!
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgWhy Now?
Increase value to the nation’s community colleges —
including online community colleges – positioning for a change world and future
Respond to shrinking marketing budgets – opportunity for a new market of students
External resources for national brand building campaigns and expertise and marketing • Annually, billions of dollars are being spent on marketing by less cost
effective competitors; while the already limited marketingdollars of many community colleges are disappearing
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgWhy Now? - continued
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgProgress
What has been happening?
• Building the foundation/infrastructure
• Recruiting Community Colleges
• Establishing guidelines for Corporate Sponsors
• Building the OCC website…
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgWebsite
OnlineCommunityColleges.orgQ & A
Jean Runyon, Anne Arundel CC, [email protected] Russ Adkins, Broward College, [email protected]
Todd Simmons, Rio Salado CC, [email protected]
Pam Quinn, DCCCD/LeCroy, [email protected]
For more information on the OnlineCommunityColleges.org contact Valerie
Cavazos, [email protected] or 214-576-0917
