Assisting applicants
A series of initiatives that emanate from a database of errors that students at high school commit in their tests and assignments
A training program that helps potential applicants choose a suitable course and tertiary institution
A conference or blueprint to inspire tertiary institutions to apply blockchain technology and enhance the credibility of micro-credentials
Collaborative marketing
A platform that encourage all staff to complete the activities, such as develop fresh content, that enhance rankings on search engines
High School friends
A series of initiatives that emanate from a database of errors that students at high school commit in their tests and assignments
Outline of the problem
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Many tertiary institutions do not attract enough students to their courses—or attract students who have not developed the qualities they need to flourish in their studies. To attract the students they seek, tertiary institutions often invest heavily in marketing campaigns. Unfortunately, the costs of these investments frequently outweigh the returns or benefits.
Outline of a solution
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Tertiary institutions could attempt to collate many tests or assignments that students at school complete together with the feedback of teachers
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Relevant academics, such as specialists in supervised machine learning or content analysis, could then identify the prevailing misconceptions or shortfalls in these tests or assignments
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This database could be used to fulfill several coordinated goals.
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First, tertiary institutions could design and convene online classes that address common misconceptions or shortfalls—especially on topics they already teach. These classes may not only attract modest fees, from students or schools for example, but also improve the reputation of this institution.
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Second, tertiary institutions might then develop online modules, comprising vital information and automated assessments, that also address these common misconceptions or shortfalls. Students who complete these modules could be granted special privileges. To illustrate, when choosing applicants, Australian universities could boost the ATAR score of these students by 5 points. Alternatively, these modules could be awarded with credit points towards a degree. These modules increase the likelihood that disciplined students will choose to study at this institution.
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Third, this database could generate many research publications efficiently. That is, the institution can develop method to analyse common misconceptions in one field of education—and can then replicate this method to other fields as well.
The course on courses
A training program that helps potential applicants choose a suitable course and tertiary institution
Outline of the problem
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Tertiary institutions implement a range of strategies to attract students. They arrange open days, develop virtual tours, facilitate conversations with students, organize webinars, attend school fairs, launch social media campaigns, and engage in many other activities.
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Unfortunately, tertiary institutions tend to promote only their own courses.
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These institutions do not significantly help potential applicants choose a course and institution that is most relevant to their needs and preferences
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Consequently, applicants are often dissatisfied with their choices and abandon the course prematurely
Outline of a solution
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A coalition of tertiary institutions should develop a training program that helps domestic and international applicants choose a course and institution that matches their needs and preferences.
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To develop this program, these institutions should first explore the determinants of satisfaction with each course.
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For example, after these institutions analyze student evaluations and other data, they might discover that students who have not studied mathematics in school do not tend to enjoy business studies. Or part-time students might enjoy some courses more than other courses.
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This information could be translated to guidelines the help potential applicants decide whether they are suited to a particular course or institution.
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Second, these institutions might conduct a market analysis to collate the distinct features and initiatives of each course and institution in the region
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This information would not only inform potential applicants of the benefits or attributes of each course but would also enable this coalition of institutions to learn about innovations they could introduce in the future—enhancing the operations of these organizations.
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Third, these institutions might also collate the latest findings on how applicants should reach decisions more effectively, such as findings that revolve around unconscious thinking theory and other models.
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In short, if institutions develop and deliver this training program, they not only promote their brand to potential applicants, but also gain vital insights that can also improve their practices: They enhance the utility of student evaluations and market analysis.
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If several tertiary institutions collaborate to develop this program, applicants are more likely to perceive the information as valid rather than biased.
Block-chain preparation
A conference or blueprint to inspire tertiary institutions to apply blockchain technology and enhance the credibility of micro-credentials
Outline of the problem
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Students are becoming increasingly motivated to enroll in micro-credentials or other circumscribed courses.
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To compete, tertiary institutions will need to offer a range of micro-credentials. But, many problems limit the benefits of micro-credentials
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First, when employers need to decide whether to employ an applicant, they tend to disregard micro-credentials, primarily because managers are seldom aware of how students earned these credentials. Employers cannot be sure these applicants have acquired the requisite skills and knowledge
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Second, employers, especially in other nations, are not even sure whether these micro-credentials are legitimate or forged.
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Third, micro-credentials are seldom recognized by other tertiary institutions, disrupting credit for prior learning
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Blockchain 2.0 is designed to address these problems. For example, smart contracts, a feature of Blockchain 2.0, specify all the activities and assignments that students must complete to earn the micro-credentials and can be accessed by employers.
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Decentralization and validation algorithms enhance trust and security as well as enable micro-credentials to be recorded in blockchain rather than stored on institutional databases.
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Although institutions can utilize existing platforms, such as EduCTX, to achieve this goal, many staff members, employers, and other stakeholders may resist this change because they are unfamiliar with Blockchain 2.0 and do not want to disrupt existing practices
Outline of a solution
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To introduce Blockchain 2.0, tertiary institutions might organize a conference that delineates how this workplace, or workplaces in general, could be different 10 years from now. Some sessions might discuss how blockchain and other technologies could overcome existing challenges in the workplace.
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To illustrate, in one session, staff might be prompted to identify which of their skills could facilitate these changes in the workplace. Staff may be motivated to participate in this session partly to reinforce their contributions and promote job security.
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In another session, staff might be prompted to consider which existing practices might benefit from the reliability, efficiency, and security of blockchain. The teams who identify the most opportunities might be awarded cryptocurrency. Hence. staff unfamiliar with Blockchain 1.0 may develop positive associations with this technology.
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In a third session, teaching staff may receive guidance on how to develop materials or modules about future technologies—materials or modules that are likely to attract students to their classes.
SEO Collaborator
A platform that encourage all staff to complete the activities, such as develop fresh content, that enhance rankings on search engines
Outline of the problem
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To attract students and other clients, staff assigned roles in marketing and communication engage in search engine optimization or SEO.
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For example, they identify popular keywords that other institutions seldom include in their webpages, refresh their content frequently, avoid duplicate content, deploy HTML canonical tags, check links, develop formats that are suitable to mobiles, add rich snippets, and so forth.
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These efforts are more successful if many other staff assist, such as develop content that includes suitable keywords or correct mistakes.
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Yet, these staff are often unaware of how to assist or too busy to assist.
Outline of a solution
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Tertiary institutions need to develop a platform--comprising various templates or tools—that simultaneously facilitate the tasks that staff need to complete as well as generate content that can be included on websites.
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Provided these tools and templates are designed appropriately, if staff utilise these templates or tools, they will experience two benefits
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First, they will be able to complete their tasks more expeditiously and effectively
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Second, the webpages that promote their activities, such as their courses, will be higher in quality. Consequently, the marketing team will intentionally direct more of the marketing budget to promote the activities of these staff
Examples of these templates, tools, or opportunities
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One template will prompt staff to enter information from a textbook they use, such as common misconceptions, practical suggestions, or recent developments. The template may also prompt staff to include specific keywords. This information will then be converted automatically to various materials, such as slides, exercises, multiple-choice questions, or content that can be used in their classes and webpages.
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As part of this scheme, staff may receive questions about topical issues that are relevant to their expertise. They can then visit a studio and answer these questions in an interview. Video extracts from these interviews can then be used in classes, posted on webpages, or sent to media outlets.
Contributors
To seek advice or engage specialists on these initiatives, contact the contributors of this page
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High School friends
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The course on courses
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Block-chain preparation
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SEO Collaborator
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