Marketing Your Online Degree
Marketing Your Online Degree |
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Marketing Your Online Degree |
How do you know if your online degree is marketable? Will it really be accepted by academic admissions officers or potential employers? Cyberschools never mention this potential marketing challenge, but it's out there, and you should be ready to face it. Realize the Potential Marketing Challenge. Don't be fooled! The explosion in communications and Internet technologies is real. But always know that, as the very first of many online graduates, you will have to be ready to jump a higher hurdle than traditional graduates. Don't let yourself think that everyone out there is dazzled by your new online degree You are a new phenomenon, a pioneer. You represent change and change always has its enemies. For instance: It doesn't matter that online education has made huge advances since the days when correspondence schools advertised on matchbook covers. It doesn't matter that we are entering a vast new era featuring omnipresent accessibility to online resources. The hard, cold reality is that many academic institutions and employers are just not prepared to accept the new world represented by your new online degree. Very few people have yet met applicants with virtual diplomas. Most organizations have not decided how they will view, process and assimilate the coming wave of dot.com degree holders. Often it will be up to you to convince someone that you and your online degree are worth the additional inconvenience your application may cause. Be ready to sell your online degree. Part 3: Four Ways To Sell Your Online Degree 1. Sell the quality of Online Courses. The same standards that are applied to quality face-to-face courses also apply to quality open learning courses. Instructional design standards place a high value on the certification of the program, the credentials of the instructor and the evaluation of the student. Educators and employers alike should examine the quality of the school or program rather than the method of obtaining a degree. You might want to show an admissions officer or potential employer the course design standards from your online school. All accredited schools must have them. 2. Talk About How Course CONTENT, Not Delivery Mode Counts. It is a universal academic truth that an institution's approval of curricula is based on course content, NOT the technology or the course delivery mode. Course objectives, what is taught, and course outcomes must remain the same, regardless of how the course is delivered. Otherwise the quality and integrity of any one course may be lost between teachers or technologies. 3. Emphasize How Much Class Interaction Took Place. The biggest drawback to overall acceptance of distance learning is the perceived loss of real-time interaction and instant direct feedback between teachers and students. Your job is to show that it just ain't so. Be ready to talk about how your online courses encouraged interaction. All distance learners should prepare a portfolio that dramatically displays your successes in obtaining your online degree. A well designed portfolio can easily become the most persuasive part of your presentation. Include your best essays, research projects, performance evaluations, extracurricular activities, videotapes or anything else that will convince others about your initiative and success as an online student. Next week's Spotlight article will be on the "why's" and "how's" of portfolios. Your job as a cybergrad is to be able to sell your degree, not just yourself, in getting into that school or getting that job. Remember, as an online learner, you are in a new frontier, not a suburb. |
