The coronavirus pandemic poses additional challenges for universities and colleges. Not only do they have to transform their education to online platforms, but they also must reach out to applicants using mainly digital platforms. With not every recent high school graduate valuing online education and missing out on the social aspects of the whole “college experience,” attracting prospective students requires more work. Within this context, higher education institutions have had to think fast and act quickly to ensure they continue to survive.
Getting outside help
Sometimes the most important step on the road to success is to realize when challenges are too much to tackle alone. If confronted with unprecedented times, outside help can support you in maneuvering the bumps along the way.
For universities and colleges, this includes taking an innovative step in drawing attention to the educational brand. With everyone stuck at home, conventional college fairs and open days have become less of an option. Rather this activity has been replaced by a convincing digital presence and reaching out to students online.
However, this online area takes expertise to succeed. After all, understanding the dynamics behind those enrollment numbers is not an easy task.
The project is best left to people who have made it their mission to figure it out. Getting the support of marketing automation for universities might just be what your university needs to steer innovatively through these challenging times.
Ready for the future?
While the coronavirus has turned around how students learn, the tendency to take a digital approach within education is not new. However, the need for immediate change has pushed businesses in all sectors to implement these changes more quickly.
With higher education being a place where innovation and advancements foster, the response to these changing circumstances reflects whether innovation and vision belong to the brand name. While institutions are at an advantage that introduced digital interaction and learning platforms early on, the ability to reimagine the future of learning will set institutions apart from the rest.
Taking a visionary approach is particularly important when thinking about the challenges that many students face in this new digital reality.
There for you, virtually rather than literally
One such aspect revolves around mental health. With mental health, particularly depression and anxiety, having been an increasing concern before anyone had even mentioned the word pandemic, lockdown, or social distancing, the physical isolation that students are experiencing now has only exacerbated these issues further.
To ensure the well-being of their students while reassuring prospective students that their health is important, having remote support systems in place is crucial. This is an important step for universities and colleges to take if they wish to ensure continued interest and enrollment.
This undertaking is anything but easy, though. The digital infrastructure for support systems must be established while it is at the same time faced with more demand.
Focusing on what is important
If anything, the increased screen and home time allow for an in-depth understanding of what is important. This point applies both to the individual as well as larger entities, such as universities and colleges.
While the pandemic has been a forceful push for change, the developments suggest that change and innovation will come one way or another. Moreover, as the reality of day-to-day life is changing, what it means to be a student is something that universities must understand well to survive.
Grasping what students require to have a continued positive social and learning experience is crucial to ensure the future of higher education. To accomplish this, using modern ways and tools is key.
I feel the same way as the commenter below. I can’t imagine that my entire college experience would take place remotely. Now they promise us that we will be back on campus in the fall, but who knows what else they will come up with…
It’s a unique time in education and all other parts of life, that’s for sure!
Because of the pandemic, student’s lives have been impacted greatly. Hopefully, in the next year, life will return to a more normal stage. I cannot imagine having to learn everything remotely.
There seems to be a bit more normalcy now where I live but it will be interesting to see how things go over the next few years. That applies to not only education but all other areas of life
What to say, Ladies? ;-) I agree to Robbie, and otherwise hope your advices will become true, Christy. My last experiences in need of some books of the library were bad. No “click and collect” available. For students this may be a very sad situation, because law related books, much more the magazines are also very expensive. If you need them just for verifying two sentences its horrible to buy. Michael
That’s too bad that you haven’t been able to use the library, Michael. Over here, we have the ability to order books online and pick them up in-branch. Oh yes buying those types of books would be pricey!
Dont worry, Christy! I have now come to terms with the fact that this new idea of digitization in Germany is only wishful thinking. ;-)
It sounds like you could implement a few changes there with all your wisdom! Let me know where to cast my vote for you as future leader ;)
You are spot on with this post, Christy. Students choices are different now that on-line is the only option. Many have chosen to wait out the virus before starting University so they do get the university experience. I studied via a correspondence university and it was very hard. Of course, there was very little student support when I studied. I think this has changed.
I think more support is becoming available now in courses as universities realize how much difference that can make to student success. Thanks for sharing your distance education experience, Robbie!