Posts Tagged ‘social media’

Rethinking Online Course Marketing: Build a Tribe in Six Steps

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Being the best matters. Having customers who are convinced you are the best, and who will convince others of this, matters even more. By rethinking your sales strategy, positioning yourself as a thought leader, making your Web site stand out, and using social media the right way, you can build an intensely loyal tribe of customers for your online courses. Here’s how to do it. (more…)

Economy forces tuitions higher; students and teachers suffer

Monday, March 8th, 2010

March 4th, student protestors in Oakland picketed as part of  ‘National Day of Action for Public Education.’ Protests started back in September 2009 at UCLA, and has now spread across the United States as an all-out movement to fight increased tuition costs for college students. The protests  migrated to Colorado last week when about 600 people marched from Denver’s Metro Campus to the State Capitol.  At the same time, protests turned violent at Northern California’s UC Berkley when police attempted to block a walking demonstration. Participants around the country were trying to shine a light on the growing number of students who will no longer be able to afford an education at their current colleges or universities. (more…)

Eight ways social media is credited for cutting student drop-outs

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Sean Coughlan, a BBC News education reporter, recently wrote an excellent article on how Facebook and social media platforms are reducing student drop-out rates. He sighted eight major reasons for this phenomenon.

1.) Social networking sites are successfully being used to keep students informed and connected with instructors.

2.) Using Facebook pages for information on individual courses help the students to bond with each other, work together as a team and maintain their connection with staff.

3.) Social media platforms are young-adult friendly communication tools that create a positive effect on motivation.

4.) Going to social networking Web sites is a natural for young adults and a way they are comfortable with getting their information.

5.) With social media platforms available through mobile phones, students can keep in touch with each other and be given support outside of class. It fits with their on-the-go lifestyles.

6.) Instructors can give students that often forget about class assignments a ‘gentle prod’ through social media updates.

7.) The sites are also a way to keep in touch with students that are about to start a course and to help them connect with future course mates.

8.) Coughlan, also sited the fact that social networking technologies can communicate to many students easily and quickly at almost no cost, which is important in a world with increasing budget pressures.

Steve Gatlin, founder of Gatlin International, an international leader in online learning, says his online course instructors are encouraged to use all means of digital correspondence to communicate with students.

“Effective communication is the key to lowering drop-out rates,” said Gatlin. “And, effective communication in this instance means communicating with the tools and platforms that students are most comfortable with. Online learners feel an ease and comfort level in using their social media sites to get pertinent course information.”