MOOCS: digesting the facts

The techniques used in massive open online courses (MOOCs) are compared with supersizing in the fast food industry. Similarities include the profit motives, marketing techniques, criticisms, industry defences, and evolution of the two controversies. While fast food restaurants strategically increase the size of their meal courses and consumer base, MOOC providers increase the size of their student enrolments and the amounts of online course material they provide for the students to consume. In the two contexts, franchise owners and educational administrators deliver the supersized courses to their customers with apparent disregard for their widening negative effects. Educational institutions are encouraged to consider the ethics of these practices in order to prevent the unmonitored spread of junk education.     

(Dis)ordering Teacher Education: From problem students to problem-based learning

This paper takes issue with the 'disabling' of students enrolled in teacher education courses, perpetrated by definitions of students' learning disorders and by the structures and pedagogies engaged by teacher educators. Focusing on one case, but with relevance for similarly affected systems, the paper begins by outlining the changed student entry credentials of Australian universities and their faculties of education. These are seen as induced by a shift from elite to mass provision of higher education and the particular effect on teacher education providers (especially those located in regional institutions) of the politics of government funding and the continuing demand for teachers by education systems. While these changed conditions are often used to argue an increased university population of students with learning disorders, the paper suggests that such arguments often have more to do with how student problems are defined by institutions and how these definitions serve to secure additional government funding. More pertinently, the paper argues that such definition tends to locate the problem in individual students, deferring considerations of teacher educators' pedagogy and the learning arrangements of their institutions. The paper concludes that the place to begin addressing these issues of difficulty would seem to be with a different conception of knowledge production.     

Marketing British Higher Education Overseas: The Response to the Introduction of Full-Cost Fees

Since the introduction of full-cost fees for overseas students in 1980 there has been a marked increase in marketing activities in British universities, polytechnics and in some other institutions of higher education. A survey of 33 universities and public sector higher education institutions in 1985 showed that 90 per cent undertook some form of marketing to attract overseas students, and 70 per cent reported that they had intensified their recruitment and marketing efforts since 1980. The British Council's Education Counselling Service, established in 1984, is now extremely active in certain countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. As well as increasing their publicity, many institutions have also strengthened their support services for overseas students and have developed new courses for the overseas market, particularly short courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Although there have been some instances of institutions adopting a 'hard sell' approach, most recognise the need for 'responsible recruitment' policies, and many are now developing comprehensive strategies covering admissions, financial support, the structure and content of courses for overseas students and academic and pastoral support services, as well as marketing. Partly as a result of increased marketing activities, the number of overseas students, which fell sharply after 1980, has been rising steadily since 1983, and the number in universities is higher now than before the introduction of full-cost fees. It is estimated that spending by overseas students now exceeds £1 billion.     

Critical Success Factors in the Marketing of an Educational Institution: A Comparison of Institutional and Student Perspectives

This article analyzes the use and effectiveness of marketing techniques in the higher education environment, concentrating specifically on the lack of consistency in the application of different techniques. Questionnaires were sent to the 2,039 members of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AA-CRAO). The admissions officers were asked to report the use and perceived effectiveness of the following fifteen marketing techniques: publicity, target marketing, market segmentation, advertising, program development, market positioning, market research, access, marketing plan, pricing, marketing committee, advertising research, consultants, marketing audit, and marketing director. The results clearly indicate and increase in the acceptance, use and perceived effectiveness of the fifteen techniques. However, the data also indicate that many institutions are not consistent in their use of the marketing techniques. For example, many institutions use target marketing without first applying market segmentation, and then neglect to develop a positioning strategy vis-á-vis their competition. The very low use of developing marketing plans, using marketing directors, committees, or consultant's points to a lack of integration of marketing throughout the organization as well as a lack of a strategic marketing focus. While marketing certainly had become more accepted, it is still in its infancy at many institutions. Marketing is viewed as an excellent way to attract students and yet is not commonly seen as a way to increase student satisfaction, lower attrition, and develop strategic and competitive advantages in the marketplace. For many institutions it remains caught in the admissions office, and fulfills strictly a sales and promotional function.     

It is time to MOOC and SPOC in the Gulf Region

In this paper we will explain massive open online courses (MOOCs)-how they started, their targeted audience, and what services they provide- and demonstrate selected MOOC service providers that best suit the Arabian Gulf region. The record annual growth for MOOCs has made many respected institutions reconsider their educational strategies. Many elite universities have started to join the stream; others are expected to join very soon. In this paper we will focus on select MOOC providers that will help institutions or individual instructors ride the stream before it is too late. All MOOC providers have been carefully selected to meet the author’s criteria of either having crossed a capacity range limit or being tailored to meet the Arabian Gulf region needs. Finally, the paper summarizes the best practices and gives recommendations for any Gulf region institution or individual for better implementation of MOOCs into their learning system.     

Marketing Strategies for a Low Endowment Private University in the 1990's

This article suggests that low endowment private institutions must apply better marketing techniques in strategic planning to ensure long term survival. Given current financial pressures due to the shrinking pool of high school graduates, marketing is particularly crucial in the 1990's. Furthermore, the low endowment private institution is vulnerable since its primary source of funds is tuition. Recommendations are offered to enable such institutions to use market research effectively, identify new markets and direct media communication accurately. The role of the student as customer forms the starting point for the development of both product and promotion strategy.     

Marketing of Further and Higher Education: an equal opportunities perspective

abstract

College and universities are wanting to recruit more students from a wider base giving them access to further and higher education. This requires institutions to market their courses effectively to prospective consumers. In educational terms the consumer is the student. This article explores the links between marketing models and the ways that colleges and universities have addressed the issue of equality of opportunity and wider access.     

Financial Delegation: its effect on the school and the role of the head

At the end of a decade of enhanced marketisation in schools, this article considers the subjective meanings attached to educational marketing by school teachers and the ways they construct and interpret teachers' 'idealised' and 'actual' involvement and contribution to school marketing. Through semi-structured interviews with 12 secondary school teachers from the south of England, the study revealed teachers' perceptions of and attitudes towards competition, marketing and education, their awareness of the marketing activities of their schools, the teachers' role in marketing the school and the perceived impact of the market upon teachers' well being. The results show that there is no coherent, organised view of education marketing among teachers in the study but rather that there are a number of inchoate voices amongst teachers concerning their role in school marketing. Broadly, two voices are revealed that reflect a cognitive dissonance which may exist among school teachers in the era of marketisation. This dissonance may stem from teachers' ideology-based difficulty in perceiving marketing as part of school life, while at the same time, they are aware of its importance to the school's success.     

战略营销观与中小企业营销力提升

营销力是企业人、财、物等资源在市场营销层面上的综合体现,是企业研究市场、开拓市场,科学制定、运用营销战略和策略,满足和引导消费者需求,提高市场竞争力的综合能力。中小企业要在当前在瞬息万变的市场竞争环境下取胜,必须培育战略营销观,提升营销力。     

Global,Social, and Economic Influences on the Access Policies of South African Higher Education

The access policies of South African universities are influenced by sets of global, social, and economic factors. Although the second and third sets are predominantly local (South African), they are influenced by the first factor that gives rises to a fourth imperative, the economic factor. The latter, which is of increasing importance and is affected by the fact that students can ''vote'' for higher education institutions and programmes with their feet, is tricky. For if institutions sacrifice their core values to market imperatives, they will lose much of their utility as education institutions.     

A SURVEY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL,MOTIVATIONAL, FAMILY AND PERCEPTIONS OF PHYSICS EDUCATION FACTORS THAT EXPLAIN 15-YEAR-OLD STUDENTS’ ASPIRATIONS TO STUDY PHYSICS IN POST-COMPULSORY ENGLISH SCHOOLS

This paper investigates the factors that influence 15-year-old students’ intentions to study physics post-16, when it is no longer compulsory. The analysis is based on the year 10 (age, 15 years) responses of 5,034 students from 137 England schools as learners of physics during the academic year 2008–2009. Factor analyses uncovered a range of physics-specific constructs, 7 of which were statistically significantly associated with intention to study physics post-16 in our final multi-level model; in descending order of effect size, these are extrinsic material gain motivation, intrinsic value of physics, home support for achievement in physics, emotional response to physics lessons, perceptions of physics lessons, physics self-concept and advice-pressure to study physics. A further analysis using individual items from the survey rather than constructs (aggregates of items) supported the finding that extrinsic motivation in physics was the most important factor associated with intended participation. In addition, this item-level analysis indicated that, within the advice-pressure to study physics construct, the encouragement individual students receive from their teachers is the key factor that encourages them to intend to continue with physics post-16.     

MARKETING HIGHER EDUCATION: MYTHS AND PROBLEMS

The budgetary decentralization of higher education in the United Kingdom calls for individual institutions and units within them to take increasing responsibility for raising their own funds. The author, who argues that higher education institutions must derive an increasing proportion of their budgets from the marketing of their products goes on to explain how this can be done. To begin with, the nature of marketing and of market research must be well understood, and the legitimacy of the marketing process itself must be accepted by all the members of the university community. It is then necessary to do a marketing audit so as to establish what a given institution has to sell and what its outside environment wishes to buy. Flexibility on the part of the seller with regard to type, level, duration, and scheduling of courses is very important. It is also necessary to be able to persuade the potential buyer that he wants to have what the seller has to offer. At this point, however, the author cautions the reader as to the dangers of some seven market myths as applied to higher education and the dangers of oversell. He concludes that with prudence higher education can be marketed to the satisfaction of all concerned with results which avoid the “unhappy paradox” that the marketing of higher education is both essential and disastrous.     

Logos,ethos, pathos and the marketing of higher education

ABSTRACT

This article utilises rhetorical analysis as a method to investigate course level marketing communications for undergraduate fashion marketing degrees in England. The purpose of this method is to explore the persuasive appeals of Aristotle’s triad of logos, ethos and pathos, how they are used and how these appeals could differ by university type. Sixteen course pages were analysed, with the analysis of course web pages shows a clear distinction between ‘types’ of university, with Post 92 institutions relying heavily on appeals to emotion (pathos) and giving more focus to ‘value for money’ that would be a concern to their students. Russell Group and Specialist universities rely more on appeals to ethos (credibility) and logos (fact/data) to market their courses. This research finds evidence of market segmentation, demonstrated through the different use of persuasive appeals to express the course focus, and giving insight to their target audience.     

Are U.S. Colleges and Universities Applying Marketing Techniques Properly and Within the Context of an Overall Marketing Plan?

This article analyzes the use and effectiveness of marketing techniques in the higher education environment, concentrating specifically on the lack of consistency in the application of different techniques. Questionnaires were sent to the 2,039 members of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AA-CRAO). The admissions officers were asked to report the use and perceived effectiveness of the following fifteen marketing techniques: publicity, target marketing, market segmentation, advertising, program development, market positioning, market research, access, marketing plan, pricing, marketing committee, advertising research, consultants, marketing audit, and marketing director. The results clearly indicate an increase in the acceptance, use and perceived effectiveness of the fifteen techniques. However, the data also indicate that many institutions are not consistent in their use of the marketing techniques. For example, many institutions use target marketing without first applying market segmentation, and then neglect to develop a positioning strategy vis-a-vis their competition. The very low use rate of developing marketing plans, using marketing directors, committees, or consultants points to a lack of integration of marketing throughout the organization as well as a lack of a strategic marketing focus. While marketing certainly has become more accepted, it is still in its infancy at many institutions. Marketing is viewed as an excellent way to attract students and yet is not commonly seen as a way to increase student satisfaction, lower attrition, and develop strategic and competitive advantages in the marketplace. For many institutions it remains caught in the admissions office, and fulfills strictly a sales and promotional function.     

Sex doesn't matter: the role of gender in the formation of student-university relationships

As competition intensifies, higher education providers are facing ever more complex challenges in attracting and retaining students. These new marketing challenges have necessitated a need to more comprehensively understand the factors that lead to positive perceptions of the institutions services, as well as positive referral of the brand. This research focuses on students' perceptions of the importance of satisfaction, trust, and commitment in the development of student loyalty. In particular this research examines whether or not these antecedents differ for male versus female students. A structural equation modelling approach was adopted using a sample of 447 students. Despite literature which characterises males as task oriented, and females as relationship oriented, gender did not influence the salience of the antecedents to loyalty. These results show that first and foremost both gender groups seek to form affective and emotional bonds with their institution and hence a sense of psychological closeness to it. Student satisfaction was found to be the second most important driver of loyalty across both genders. Conclusions, implications and opportunities for future research are presented. From a managerial perspective, it is expected that uncovering the importance of key relationship marketing constructs between genders will enable higher education institutions to develop more targeted relationship marketing programs.     

略论知识经济时代的市场营销新思维

该文论述了知识经济时代市场营销的新策略,提出了：１．作为新时代学习型组织的企业应当向消费者提供学习,改善信息不对称状况;２．企业应当创造差异,输出差异意识,创造新的消费需求的观点。     

论企业产品的市场竞争与定位

产品策略是市场营销策略的核心,产品策略正确与否,是市场营销成败的关键所在。企业要使自己的产品能够有较高的市场占有率,就要在市场营销活动中准确地运用市场定位策略。市场定位主要有两种形式:潜在市场定位和显在市场定位。     

企业商品价格优劣分析及其应对策略

价格是企业的可控因素之一，但同时却又是一个十分敏感而又最难控制的因素。它直接关系着市场对产品的接受程度，影响着市场需求量的大小和利润的多少，许多企业为了扩大自己的市场占有率竞相打起了价格战。这已成为我国经济生活中的普遍现象。通过浅析价格战的优点与危害及原因，提出了应对价格战的策略，探究了企业如何从价格战中解脱出来。     

Marketing,Information, and Parental Choice: A Comparative Case Study of Third-Party,Federally Funded Out-of-School-Time Services

Information and promotional marketing play central but complex roles in market-based educational programs. This in-depth qualitative study examines these complexities using the case of Supplemental Educational Services, a parental choice program providing federally funded tutoring to low-income students in K–12 public schools. Examining the creation, dissemination, and use of information and promotional marketing is necessary in order to understand how aspects of market theory play out in reality. This kind of inquiry is especially important given that the theory of consumer action behind market-based programs is that parents¹Throughout this paper, “parent” refers to parents and guardians. We use the term parent for simplicity, but the concept of parental choice, as well as the sample of participants in our study, includes nonparent guardians as well. will make the best decisions for their children's education, if they have sufficient information on which to base those decisions. Our data and analysis suggest three findings: first, public management of provider marketing can ensure that consumers receive marketing materials legally and appropriately; it can also help to level the playing field among providers with different marketing resources. Second, promotional materials infrequently focus on specific academic components. Third, districts are largely underutilizing their options in terms of sharing information on provider quality with parents. Together, these findings suggest that moderate regulation of marketing and an increased focus on provider academic quality are likely to improve consumer access to useful data.