How we attracted more students

1
How we attracted more students

• Richard Henson
• University of Worcester

2
Situation in 2005

• Numbers had been falling since 2003
• needed to find out
• why?
• what would bring students back
• Discovered that
• fewer students were taking Computing at A level
• IT had lost its gloss as an attractive career
• other institutions sexing up their IT-related
  degrees and attracting more students
• e.g. Computer Games/Forensics degrees

3
What could we do better? What would happen if we
didnt

• Other institutions experiencing unprecedented
  falls in numbers
• Falling market
• need to either give up or take up the gauntlet
  and get larger market share
• thankfully, we did the latter

4
Navel Gazing Time

• Needed to
• look at existing matrix of modules offered for
  Computing
• create new named specialist degrees based on
  existing pathways and staff expertise
• Opted for four specialist degrees based on
  existing matrix
• Games and Multimedia Development
• Web Development
• Computer Networks
• Business Information Technology
• Kept Computing because some students still
  wanted a more generalised qualification

5
Marketing Problems

• Needed to turn perceived weaknesses into
  strengths
• E.g. Computing within a Business School was
  being drowned out
• not really seen as part of central strategy
• needed to use the marketing muscle of business
  colleagues to push computing within a business
  context as a good thing in itself
• but business itself was barely keeping up its own
  numbers

6
Marketing Solutions

• New member of academic staff
• 50 of time available for marketing dept courses!
• Agreed to include computing in that marketing
• task made easier by having new courses to market
• New university
• Institution also had a new marketing direction
• Business school made sure its courses were
  marketed successfully on university literature
  and at university functions
• Prospective new students were individually mailed
  and virtues of city region extolled

7
Focusing on the Core Market

• Research showed that most existing students
  local, or regional
• West Midlands students liked Worcester because
  (a) rural (b) friendly
• Local students could go elsewhere
• Targeted local schools colleges
• Colleagues went out in the field
• FE colleagues invited to tell us about their
  students see what we offer

8
Results

• 2006-7 steady as she goes
• all specialist degrees recruited
• computing itself had higher numbers than
  previously
• 2007-8 Success! Numbers starting had more than
  doubled!
• new member of Computing staff appointed
• For 2008-9 Further increase in numbers
  projected new course development in security
  building on existing networks degree

9
What have we learned?

• Use a specialist marketing person and give them
  the time to do the job
• Work together as a team
• know your strengths and build on them
• know your weaknesses and provide support
• Success breeds success
• marketing is everyones responsibility
• a small team creating a buzz about the place
  rubs off on others

10
Whats in a Name?

• All sorts of sexy names for computing courses
  doing the rounds
• decided to go for content and career goals rather
  than media blitz
• maybe risky - but it worked for us
• STILL under pressure for the glitzy title
• team agreed we still want our students studying
  for degrees that do what they say on the can

11
Why so few students wanting to do Computing
anyway?

• IT industry in depression in 2002-3
• recovered strongly, but no-one told the careers
  teachers
• now the BCS is taking a lead in correcting this
• and last year (2007-8) TOTAL applications for
  Computing-related courses up slightly
• ICT in schools focused on Microsoft
  applications
• many IT teachers NOT Computing graduates and
  11-16 curriculum had to be tailored to suit? But
  should this continue?

12
Questions