White Paper

How Research Can Help Emerging Development Programs

Summer Sessions Research: Operations, Student Preferences, and Marketing
November 3, 2008

ABOUT: Summer session administrators make critical decisions regarding marketing, student retention, organizational design, and online courses. This Web conference highlighted selected research findings including:

• Findings and insights from a unique national survey of more than 4,200 summer session students' preferences
  • Some topics included scale, expenditure, and enrollments
• Benchmarking metrics for summer session operations
  • This part of the presentation delved deeper into areas such as scale (size) of summer session and growth patterns, student audiences served, and financial and operational metrics
• Analysis of effective marketing practices and organizational strategies
  • Another area of discussion was marketing practices (e.g., what channels are preferred by students, what motivates them to enroll), strategies to engage faculty, and implications for new program development

The Adult Learner: An Eduventures Perspective
October 20, 2008

ABOUT: Our recently published white paper, The Adult Learner: An Eduventures Perspective, outlines the growth drivers for this sizable and growing market. Despite its attractions, however, serving the adult learner market often requires new behaviors for many institutions. Fortunately, there are many practical justifications for adjusting these behaviors, from increasing the rate of participation in higher education to improving the financial health of the institution through the development of new tuition streams. A central question remains: How is your institution going to respond to the opportunities and the challenges posed by the needs of adult learners? This Web conference covers the characteristics, motivations, and preferences of today’s adult learner, and highlights some promising strategies for recruiting them.

How Can Liberal Arts Institutions Improve Stewardship Programs and Practices?
September 26, 2008

ABOUT: Effective stewardship is integral to the successful cultivation of prospects and retention of donors. In addition to several widely practiced activities, some liberal arts colleges have developed innovative approaches to stewardship, especially for donors making non-traditional or principal gifts ($1 million or more). This Web conference presented data from Eduventures' report titled Effective Stewardship Programs and Practices at Liberal Arts Institutions and explored ways in which these institutions have invested in resources and staff for donor relations departments and stewardship operations. Recommendations for improving stewardship programs were also discussed.

How Can a Successful Faculty Development Program Strengthen Your Institution?
September 17, 2008

ABOUT: Faculty development is a top priority and challenge for chief academic officers (CAOs). As institutions endeavor to recruit and retain faculty members, CAOs must deliver top-notch faculty development, including orientation, mentoring and teaching programs, and research opportunities. Each of these efforts aims to ensure that faculty members fully develop and use their skills as teachers and scholars, and become engaged and active members of the campus community.

The Faces of Change: Governmental and Market Challenges to Online Learning
June 25, 2008

ABOUT: Eduventures and The Presidents' Forum are hosting a Web conference to update the online higher education community on some of the challenges and opportunities we face as a sector. This Web conference is an excellent chance to engage with thought leaders on a range of important topics which are central to the Presidents Forum's efforts to advance the cause of adult and online higher education.

Balancing Academic and Professional Outcomes in Messaging
June 11, 2008

ABOUT: Do you wish you had a better understanding of what high-achieving, career-oriented prospective students want to know? Are you interested to learn the essential academic and professional outcomes messages your institution should highlight? Do you want to understand how institutions effectively collect and share outcomes data?

Strategies for Demonstrating Accountability at Schools of Education
April 29, 2008

ABOUT: Do you wish you had a better understanding of state policy trends related to the regulation of schools of education? Do you feel increased pressure to demonstrate the quality of your student outcomes? Are you grappling with how to define, assess, and gather data on the outcomes of your students?

Eduventures is working with a number of leading schools of education to explore these pressing issues and to develop strategies schools of education can use. Join us to hear about promising institutional practices that Eduventures is uncovering and the ways in which other institutions are successfully demonstrating accountability. Hear summaries from Eduventures' recently completed work on the role that states are playing in calling for accountability and supporting the collection of necessary data.

Is Your School Web Site an Effective Tool For Recruiting Adult Learners
Research Findings on Students' Web Site Preferences and Behaviors
February 12, 2008

ABOUT: Colleges' and universities' Web sites have become primary vehicles for marketers of continuing and professional education programs to reach and interact with prospective students. Eduventures’ surveys indicate that Web sites play a role in approximately 80% of prospective adult learners’ enrollment decisions.

Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Development Staff
December 6, 2007

ABOUT: As colleges and universities plan for and engage in ever-larger campaigns, the success of fundraising efforts rests on institutions’ ability to recruit and retain development officers who can effectively cultivate relationships with donors and secure gift commitments. Over the past year, Eduventures’ research has identified key characteristics of high-performing development officers. This session will share insight on what leads to high performance among fundraising staff and highlight non-traditional recruiting opportunities and effective retention strategies.

Does Geography Matter in Online Higher Education?
December 3, 2007

ABOUT: Online higher education continues to grow rapidly - an estimated 1.5 million higher education students are studying 100% online, a number that has more than tripled in less than five years. Online delivery implies geography is irrelevant, but the truth is not so straightforward. Whether in terms of consumer demand, program positioning or state regulation, geography will become more, not less, important in the online market. Whether a school is already a major online player nationally, a more locally oriented institution, a niche provider, or a mix of al three, an understanding of the roles geography plays in a maturing online market is essential to success.

Eduventures’ recent Understanding the National Online Higher Education Market study offers unique data and insight that no college or university active in the online market should miss.