MOOC-enrollment-tocquigny

New MOOC for admins promises better online students


MOOC designed for administrators highlights shift in higher education to marketing

MOOC-enrollment-tocquignyIn what’s being billed as an industry first, a new MOOC for administrators promises to increase online enrollment and retention of online learners.

The free four-week online course, designed by an Austin-based digital marketing agency, Tocquigny—a company whose clients include Regent University and Rice University—says it will offer “expert insight into the strategies and tactics necessary for universities and colleges to improve enrollment in their existing, new and future online degree programs.

Regent and Rice, which have tapped Tocquigny to launch new campaigns aimed at generating applicants and lifting donor engagement, are just a handful of the company’s higher-ed clients, which are supporting this higher-ed marketing MOOC and its potential.

The online course, “Online Recruitment of Online Learners” is designed for directors of enrollment, admissions directors and marketing directors at institutions who are concerned about the number of students in their online programs.

The course will be taught by Colin Gilligan, Tocquigny’s Vice President of Media and Planning; and topics will include: digital lead generation, social media, branding, campaign measurement and analytics.

Colin has led the development of Tocquigny’s higher education client’s marketing strategies for the past five years, and has mapped trends in media consumption, competitive brand/message creation and marketing techniques to generate conversion to application for students.

“As competition for student recruitment continues to intensify, the higher education industry is in desperate need of in-depth and impactful insights on how to improve online enrollment,” said Yvonne Tocquigny, the agency’s CEO. “Online Recruitment of Online Learners will enable universities and colleges at all levels a cost-effective opportunity to not just improve, but also sustain, the number of students who continue to choose online education as a chief means of learning.”

(Next page: How the course will work; the A+ version)

According to Tocquigny, Online Recruitment of Online Learners includes access to all education materials, course videos, and participation in a discussion board. A curriculum will be provided, projects will be assigned, and a final exam will be administered. Since the course will be delivered online through a video platform, participants can watch the coursework whenever it’s convenient for them.

Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, director of the Catholic Distance Learning Network through which the MOOC will be hosted, says that the Network’s platform has supported a growing interest in MOOCs specifically geared toward higher education professionals—from faculty to administrators.

“Marketing courses, however, had not been part of our course offerings so far. It’s great to have that gap filled by an industry leader in higher education marketing. I have no doubt that the course will be of considerable value to the participating universities and colleges.”

For those administrators interested in a more comprehensive course other than the free version, Tocquigny is also offering an ‘A+ version’ for a fee, in which registrants for the course will receive direct instructor access and private consultation on topics covered during the course.

Outside of simply using this MOOC as a way to reach out to potential higher-ed clients, the marketing company says it sees MOOCs as the new content marketing channel.

“While many companies are still distributing white papers and trying to market webinars, Tocquigny believes both methods are dated, tired ways of delivering content,” said the company in a statement. “The MOOC provides the opportunity for full engagement, deeper learning and it’s measurable. Tocquigny plans to use this new educational channel as a unique means of getting content into the hands of prospects.”

Enrollment is open. To sign up for Online Recruitment of Online Learners, visit https://recruitonline.eventbrite.com.

Material from a press release was used in this report.

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