The Importance of Diversified Research:
Creating Recruitment and Retention Strategies at Distance Education Institutions
All too often, the heads of organizations make important decisions and embark on paths of strategic development based solely on their previous experiences or the advice of experts in a given field. While past experiences and expert advice are indeed useful in decision making, they cannot be the only methods for determining the best way to accomplish a given task or procedure. This is due to the fact that variables are constantly changing which may make past experiences and expert advice irrelevant for the circumstances presently facing a specific organization, such as a distance education (DE) institution. With their unique and ever-changing position in global higher education, it is of paramount importance that open and distance education institutions take a diversified, research-based approach, like that put forth by Judith Fage in her 2004 article, “Combining Statistical, Qualitative and Evaluative Research to Develop a Regional Recruitment and Retention Strategy in Line with Institutional Mission,” in order to determine the strategies that will work best in meeting institutional targets for recruitment and retention of students.
Open and distance education institutions cannot rely on the best practices of traditional institutions for implementing recruitment and retention strategies, as their student demographics are typically quite different. Most traditional universities compete for the best students, while open and distance universities largely allow access to all students. Allowing access to all students, with their varied socio-economic, educational, and cultural backgrounds, causes the need, as Fage (2004) suggests, for the wide range of student support vehicles found in DE universities (p. 41). And as Nutt (2003) points out, recruitment and retention is the lifeblood for an institution that wishes to stay in sound financial condition (para. 7). Thus having the correct and current knowledge about the needs and issues of students and prospective students is crucial to the success of an institution. Fage (2004) goes on to discuss, as a case study, a structured and multi-phased approach to shaping a “regional recruitment and retention strategy” for The Open University (OU) in London, UK (p. 41). This strategy would be tracked using qualitative, evaluative, and quantitative research. Since OU used three differing forms of research, any flaws in the data produced by one form of research would most likely be revealed by contrasting it to the data from the other forms of research, what Fage (2004) refers to as “a check and balance” (p. 42). Frølich, Brandt, Hovdhaugen, & Aamodt (2009) likewise advance the use of multiple (qualitative and quantitative) approaches to researching recruitment strategies (p. 231), which showed that institutions often simply copy one another’s recruiting methods rather than developing their own methods based on their unique institutional goals.
In order to implement a research-based approach to developing unique recruitment and retention strategies, there needs to be cooperation between the marketing, advising, and administrative arms of a university so that the research may be properly conducted, with an adequate sample size. The OU case study revealed both useful data and new questions that could lead to more refined recruitment and/or retention policies as a result of its research-based approach. For example, in 2001, OU decided to discover why retention was at a lower rate in London than in other areas of the UK by conducting a 200 student focus group study (Fage, 2004, p. 42). This qualitative study concluded that the stress and difficulties of living, working, and commuting in one of the busiest cities in the world made worse the usual issues common to OU students. Of course OU could not improve the commuting time of its students or lessen the competitive pressures found at student’s place of work, but it could resolve to implement courses that would not add to these difficulties, such as having offline materials that would not necessitate logging “on again after a tiring journey” or improving tutorial support (Fage, 2004, p. 43). This is just one example in which evidence could be shown, as Brindley (1995) says is needed, to show that student support can be an important fact in decreasing student attrition (p. 2). Calder (1994) proposes taking such qualitative research to the next level by using focus group feedback to develop an ongoing tool for polling both students and staff on the importance of the findings (p. 115). This would further build momentum for improvement in an institutional retention strategy.
Evaluative research of OU London recruitment events is another tool that Fage (2004) recounts; this study also produced useful data which pointed to the need for more advisors in order to decrease student wait time at drop-in sessions (p. 44). Yet this research was unlikely to yield in-depth information on the needs of prospective students (Fage, 2004, p. 42). The difficulty in working with prospective students is further complicated by the fact that they have little to gain by cooperating with a complex survey. If an individual, such as a prospective student, is less involved with an institution, then they are unlikely to participate in research that helps that institution (Calder, 1994, p. 108). But when taken in the context of other forms of research, evaluative research can prove useful.
The third research recommendation of Fage (2004) was performing a quantitative study, with her example being a “mapping project” that looked at course registrations and general inquiries from the various London districts, to determine hot and cold spots (p. 44). While Fage does not offer an outcome for OU as a result of identifying these hot and cold spots, it might be useful for OU to determine what recruitment efforts conducted in the hot spots may be lacking in the cold spots, or what marketing strategies conducted in the cold spots were not duplicated in the hot spots. Detecting the failures in cold spots and the successes in hot spots, and further quantitative study to determine if a shift in recruiting strategy makes a difference, would make the initial quantitative study worthwhile. This “long term approach” is suggested by Brindley (1995) in order to better present to the institution that support services are meeting its goals, whether for retention or recruitment (p. 5).
One of the main conclusions that Fage (2004) draws from the various research initiatives is the need for “achieving the right balance between Web based, telephone, Email and face-to-face advice and guidance” (p. 44). Unfortunately, this balance in many open and distance institutions is predicated on the need to reduce costs. As many would contend, including Brindley (1995), student support services are the first costs to be reduced when cost savings are needed (p. 2). But when return on investment is taken into account, one might be able to prove with sound research that by cutting costlier forms of support an institution is in fact hurting recruitment and retention, which may create losses that outweigh any gains found in cutting services. In fact, a costlier service, such as telephone or face-to-face guidance may produce a greater return than a less costly service, such as a static Internet site, if this improves retention by some percentage.
Another change produced by the research conducted by OU, according to Fage (2004), is the improvement of advice given by counselors to ensure that prospective students are fully aware of the challenges of DE learning and then the improvement of subsequent support given to enrolled students so that they are able to manage their time and improve their study habits if needed (p. 44). In addition, the instructors must be shown ways in which they should intervene in order to support students, which in turn improves retention (Fage, 2004, p. 44).
In her concluding paragraph, Fage (2004) points out the need for research to be conducted by “active practitioners” who can “draw the most relevant insights from the research outcomes” (p. 45). While it is certainly necessary for research to be conducted by those with practical experience and knowledge of DE support, relevant insights may also be obtained from those with some other perspective; sometimes active practitioners are in danger of getting to a point where they cannot see the wood for the trees. For example, an experienced student or an information technology staff member may be able to provide a useful analysis as a part of a larger team that reviews the research outcomes and recommends next steps.
What is clear in the OU case study presented by Fage is that OU desires to improve their recruitment and retention strategies, unlike institutions that may wish to simply “strengthen the existing institutional profile” by maintaining a strategy for continuity (Frølich & Stensaker, 2010, pp. 366-367). When change is needed, an institution needs to implement a sound change process, which includes the means for showing that change is needed and that change is working to improve the situation, namely the method that Fage puts forth for combining qualitative, evaluative, and quantitative research into the institutional recruitment and retention events and policies.
References
Brindley, J. E. (1995). Measuring quality in learner services: Building towards the future. In D. Sewart (Ed.), 17th World Conference for Distance Education: One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning (Vol. 2, pp. 49-52). Milton Keynes, UK: International Council for Distance Education and The Open University.
Calder, J. (1994). Student recruitment and support services. In J. Calder (Ed.), Programme evaluation and quality: A comprehensive guide to setting up an evaluation system (pp. 101-115). London, UK: Kogan Page.
Fage, J. (2004). Combining statistical, qualitative and evaluative research to develop a regional recruitment and retention strategy in line with institutional mission. In U. Bernath & A. Szücs (Eds.), Proceedings of the 3rd EDEN Research Workshop Oldenburg, March 4-6, 2004, (pp. 41-45). Oldenburg, Germany: Bibliotheks- und Informationssystem der Universität Oldenburg.
Frølich, N., Brandt, S., Hovdhaugen, E., & Aamodt, P. (2009). Coping by copying? Higher education institutions' student recruitment strategies. Tertiary Education & Management, 15(3), 227-240. doi:10.1080/13583880903072992
Frølich, N. & Stensaker, B. (2010). Student recruitment strategies in higher education: Promoting excellence and diversity?. International Journal of Educational Management 24(4), 359-370. doi:10.1108/09513541011045281
Nutt, C. L. (2003). Academic advising and student retention and persistence. Retrieved from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/retention.htm
Open and distance education institutions cannot rely on the best practices of traditional institutions for implementing recruitment and retention strategies, as their student demographics are typically quite different. Most traditional universities compete for the best students, while open and distance universities largely allow access to all students. Allowing access to all students, with their varied socio-economic, educational, and cultural backgrounds, causes the need, as Fage (2004) suggests, for the wide range of student support vehicles found in DE universities (p. 41). And as Nutt (2003) points out, recruitment and retention is the lifeblood for an institution that wishes to stay in sound financial condition (para. 7). Thus having the correct and current knowledge about the needs and issues of students and prospective students is crucial to the success of an institution. Fage (2004) goes on to discuss, as a case study, a structured and multi-phased approach to shaping a “regional recruitment and retention strategy” for The Open University (OU) in London, UK (p. 41). This strategy would be tracked using qualitative, evaluative, and quantitative research. Since OU used three differing forms of research, any flaws in the data produced by one form of research would most likely be revealed by contrasting it to the data from the other forms of research, what Fage (2004) refers to as “a check and balance” (p. 42). Frølich, Brandt, Hovdhaugen, & Aamodt (2009) likewise advance the use of multiple (qualitative and quantitative) approaches to researching recruitment strategies (p. 231), which showed that institutions often simply copy one another’s recruiting methods rather than developing their own methods based on their unique institutional goals.
In order to implement a research-based approach to developing unique recruitment and retention strategies, there needs to be cooperation between the marketing, advising, and administrative arms of a university so that the research may be properly conducted, with an adequate sample size. The OU case study revealed both useful data and new questions that could lead to more refined recruitment and/or retention policies as a result of its research-based approach. For example, in 2001, OU decided to discover why retention was at a lower rate in London than in other areas of the UK by conducting a 200 student focus group study (Fage, 2004, p. 42). This qualitative study concluded that the stress and difficulties of living, working, and commuting in one of the busiest cities in the world made worse the usual issues common to OU students. Of course OU could not improve the commuting time of its students or lessen the competitive pressures found at student’s place of work, but it could resolve to implement courses that would not add to these difficulties, such as having offline materials that would not necessitate logging “on again after a tiring journey” or improving tutorial support (Fage, 2004, p. 43). This is just one example in which evidence could be shown, as Brindley (1995) says is needed, to show that student support can be an important fact in decreasing student attrition (p. 2). Calder (1994) proposes taking such qualitative research to the next level by using focus group feedback to develop an ongoing tool for polling both students and staff on the importance of the findings (p. 115). This would further build momentum for improvement in an institutional retention strategy.
Evaluative research of OU London recruitment events is another tool that Fage (2004) recounts; this study also produced useful data which pointed to the need for more advisors in order to decrease student wait time at drop-in sessions (p. 44). Yet this research was unlikely to yield in-depth information on the needs of prospective students (Fage, 2004, p. 42). The difficulty in working with prospective students is further complicated by the fact that they have little to gain by cooperating with a complex survey. If an individual, such as a prospective student, is less involved with an institution, then they are unlikely to participate in research that helps that institution (Calder, 1994, p. 108). But when taken in the context of other forms of research, evaluative research can prove useful.
The third research recommendation of Fage (2004) was performing a quantitative study, with her example being a “mapping project” that looked at course registrations and general inquiries from the various London districts, to determine hot and cold spots (p. 44). While Fage does not offer an outcome for OU as a result of identifying these hot and cold spots, it might be useful for OU to determine what recruitment efforts conducted in the hot spots may be lacking in the cold spots, or what marketing strategies conducted in the cold spots were not duplicated in the hot spots. Detecting the failures in cold spots and the successes in hot spots, and further quantitative study to determine if a shift in recruiting strategy makes a difference, would make the initial quantitative study worthwhile. This “long term approach” is suggested by Brindley (1995) in order to better present to the institution that support services are meeting its goals, whether for retention or recruitment (p. 5).
One of the main conclusions that Fage (2004) draws from the various research initiatives is the need for “achieving the right balance between Web based, telephone, Email and face-to-face advice and guidance” (p. 44). Unfortunately, this balance in many open and distance institutions is predicated on the need to reduce costs. As many would contend, including Brindley (1995), student support services are the first costs to be reduced when cost savings are needed (p. 2). But when return on investment is taken into account, one might be able to prove with sound research that by cutting costlier forms of support an institution is in fact hurting recruitment and retention, which may create losses that outweigh any gains found in cutting services. In fact, a costlier service, such as telephone or face-to-face guidance may produce a greater return than a less costly service, such as a static Internet site, if this improves retention by some percentage.
Another change produced by the research conducted by OU, according to Fage (2004), is the improvement of advice given by counselors to ensure that prospective students are fully aware of the challenges of DE learning and then the improvement of subsequent support given to enrolled students so that they are able to manage their time and improve their study habits if needed (p. 44). In addition, the instructors must be shown ways in which they should intervene in order to support students, which in turn improves retention (Fage, 2004, p. 44).
In her concluding paragraph, Fage (2004) points out the need for research to be conducted by “active practitioners” who can “draw the most relevant insights from the research outcomes” (p. 45). While it is certainly necessary for research to be conducted by those with practical experience and knowledge of DE support, relevant insights may also be obtained from those with some other perspective; sometimes active practitioners are in danger of getting to a point where they cannot see the wood for the trees. For example, an experienced student or an information technology staff member may be able to provide a useful analysis as a part of a larger team that reviews the research outcomes and recommends next steps.
What is clear in the OU case study presented by Fage is that OU desires to improve their recruitment and retention strategies, unlike institutions that may wish to simply “strengthen the existing institutional profile” by maintaining a strategy for continuity (Frølich & Stensaker, 2010, pp. 366-367). When change is needed, an institution needs to implement a sound change process, which includes the means for showing that change is needed and that change is working to improve the situation, namely the method that Fage puts forth for combining qualitative, evaluative, and quantitative research into the institutional recruitment and retention events and policies.
References
Brindley, J. E. (1995). Measuring quality in learner services: Building towards the future. In D. Sewart (Ed.), 17th World Conference for Distance Education: One World Many Voices: Quality in Open and Distance Learning (Vol. 2, pp. 49-52). Milton Keynes, UK: International Council for Distance Education and The Open University.
Calder, J. (1994). Student recruitment and support services. In J. Calder (Ed.), Programme evaluation and quality: A comprehensive guide to setting up an evaluation system (pp. 101-115). London, UK: Kogan Page.
Fage, J. (2004). Combining statistical, qualitative and evaluative research to develop a regional recruitment and retention strategy in line with institutional mission. In U. Bernath & A. Szücs (Eds.), Proceedings of the 3rd EDEN Research Workshop Oldenburg, March 4-6, 2004, (pp. 41-45). Oldenburg, Germany: Bibliotheks- und Informationssystem der Universität Oldenburg.
Frølich, N., Brandt, S., Hovdhaugen, E., & Aamodt, P. (2009). Coping by copying? Higher education institutions' student recruitment strategies. Tertiary Education & Management, 15(3), 227-240. doi:10.1080/13583880903072992
Frølich, N. & Stensaker, B. (2010). Student recruitment strategies in higher education: Promoting excellence and diversity?. International Journal of Educational Management 24(4), 359-370. doi:10.1108/09513541011045281
Nutt, C. L. (2003). Academic advising and student retention and persistence. Retrieved from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/retention.htm