Fostering a Data-Driven Culture in Higher Education

Jim Fong, Director, UPCEA Center for Research and Marketing Strategy

Kari Kovar, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Helix Education

April 8, 2016

Today’s Focus • Understanding Benefits and Challenges of a Data-Driven Environment

• Delivering a Data-Driven, Student-Centric Experience

• Identifying Where We Are Today: UPCEA Snap Poll Findings

• Championing Data-Driven-Decision-Making at Your Institution

• Q&A

Group Discussion:

The Challenges & Benefits of Implementing a Data-Driven Online or Continuing

Education Operation

The Benefits of a Truly Data-Driven Culture

The Hurdles of Creating a Data-Driven Culture

Identifying Where We Are Today: UPCEA Snap Poll Findings

A Joint Study Between UPCEA and Helix Education

Overview and Methodology • UPCEA and Helix partnered to gather more data on a number of important

topics related higher education metrics. The survey was jointly produced and conducted during the months of February and March 2016. While 480 individuals participated in the survey, 391 qualified under the following study categories:

• Enrollment marketing: 74

• Enrollment operations: 32

• Retention operations: 8

• Online program management: 88

• Program development: 151

• Data/Analytics: 38

36%

26%

17%

7%

13%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Program directoror manager

Dean or otherleader

Marketingmanager, director

or othermarketing leader

Enrollmentmanager, director

or otherenrollment leader

Other

Respondent Title (All Respondents)

33%

59%

6% 3% 0%

25%

50%

75%

We manageeverything 100%in-house with the

staff at ourinstitution.

We manage someof our marketingin-house and we

partner withvendors for other

work.

We partner completely with outside vendors, but it’s a mix of

vendors.

Other

Which of the following best describes your enrollment marketing efforts?

Enrollment Marketing

12%

12%

15%

21%

24%

52%

64%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Planning/strategy

Outreach/events

Digital/web presence

Social media

Marketing/media buying

Traditional media (print,video, etc.)

SEO/Online marketing

What do you outsource?

8% 4% 4%

83%

11% 11%

22%

56%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Less than $5 $5 to $50 Over $50 Don't know

In terms of your most effective marketing channel, what is your

approximate cost-per-inquiry for an undergraduate inquiry and a graduate

inquiry?

UndergraduateGraduate32%

44%

16%

8%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Under 5% 5% to 10% Over 10% Don't know

Please estimate the percentage of gross revenue allocated to your marketing

budget.

11% 11% 11%

68%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Under 5% 5% to 15% Over 15% Don't know

Please estimate your overall conversion rate from point of inquiry to first-day start

16% 16%

21%

47%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Under $500 $500 to $2000 Over $2000 Don't know

Please estimate your cost per enrollment

The Student Lifecycle and a Data-Driven Culture

38%

29% 29%

21%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Teams closelyintegrates

Teams minimallyintegrated

Teams functionindependently

Other

Do your marketing, enrollment management and advising teams operate in an integrated manner?

77%

23%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Yes No

Are you currently leveraging a CRM to help manage your enrollment operations?

36%

18%

9% 9%

27%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Phone call(s) withenrollment rep

Completing anapplication

Attending an openhouse/ campus visit

Receiving evaluation oftransfer credit

Other

Which activity in your enrollment funnel drives the highest conversion among students in the enrollment

process?

Enrollment Operations and CRM

35%

11% 15%

37%

8% 4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

0 to 3minutes

4 to 30minutes

30 minutesto 1 hour

Within thesame day

Within 1week

Other

How fast are you able to contact an outbound inquiry?

20

0% 50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300% 350% 400% 450%

1 min.

2 mins.

3 mins.

30 mins.

60 mins.

300 mins

160%

98%

62%

36%

24%

Conversion Rate by Time from Lead Received to First Call Attempt

391%

From the 2012 Leads360/Velocify Sales Optimization Study

The Student Lifecycle and a Data-Driven Culture

Group Discussion:

The challenges and opportunities of retention

and student success

Is retention considered an institutional priority? Why?

Ultimately, who owns retention at your institution?

67%

50%

17% 17%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Graduation rate Persistence rate year-to-year

Persistence rate term-to-term

Other

How is student success defined by your institution as it relates to retention?

17%

33%

17%

33%

0%

20%

40%

Under 65% 65% to 70% 70% to 75% Over 75%

What is the current overall retention rate of your post-traditional learners?

100%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Yes

Do you provide student success coaching and/or regular outreach to currently

enrolled students?

17%

50%

33%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Under 1:150 1:150 to 1:200 Over 1:200

What is the ratio of coaches to students?

Retention Operations

100%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

No

Do you currently partner with an outside company to help with your

retention efforts?

33%

50%

17%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Don't have thebudget

Have internal team Other

Why Not?

The Proactive Model

CHALLENGE:

Ask yourself daily,

do we proactively

support students by

making them the

priority?

The Student Lifecycle and a Data-Driven Culture

28%

6%

13%

41%

12%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Yes Not yet, but we'relooking

No, but leadershipis open

No, we have noplan to do so

Other

Do you currently work with an outsourced or online program management partner?

24%

10%

10%

14%

14%

28%

0% 10% 20% 30%

Other

Add new programs

Scale our programs

Maintain overallenrollment

Achieve goals withpartner's capital

Grow enrollment

What is the most important benefit that you value from your current OPM partner?

10%

5%

5%

12%

20%

49%

0% 20% 40% 60%

Other

Maintain overall enrollment

Reduce costs

Add new programs

Scale our programs

Grow enrollment

What would be the most important driver for you and your team to explore an OPM partnership?

47%

39% 37% 35%

31%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Worry brand will bemis-represented

Don’t want to rely on partner

Worry aboutacademic quality

Too expensive Don't understandwhat a partner can

do that I can't

What are your biggest concerns about partnering with an OPM?

Partnership Considerations • Takes time to get to know your institution, team and processes to

customize a cohesive strategy and management plan to accomplish your institutional goals

• Focuses on creating a more personalized and student-centered experience for your institution

• Provides complete transparency across all activities from marketing to enrollment to student success and academic programs

• Helps you understand their core competencies and empowers you to transition certain functions or roles back to your team over time

• Can shoulder the necessary resources and data insights to deliver better student outcomes

The Student Lifecycle and a Data-Driven Culture

Program Development

49% 48%

3%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Yes No Don’t know

Do you have a formalized system in place to determine

what new programs are developed?

26%

21%

16% 14% 14% 14%

0%

10%

20%

30%

Leadership/culture

Otherindividualsmake thedecisions

Informalapproach/we

just gatherinformation

Differentprograms

have differentneeds

Hasn’t been done in past

Would liketo/currentlydeveloping

Why not?

Program Development

40%

48%

12%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Yes No Don’t know

Do you set aside funds for new program development research?

3%

19%

10% 6%

61%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Less than$5,000

$5,000 to$9,999

$10,000 to$20,000

Over $20,000 Varies/Don'tknow

What amount per program do you typically invest?

Program Development

44%

8%

20% 20%

5% 4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Yes, wereview

annually

Yes, wereview everythree years

Yes, but as alarger review

process

Yes, butinconsistently

or rarely

I don't know No

Do you regularly review your programs for ongoing feasibility?

The Student Lifecycle and a Data-Driven Culture

81% 77%

62% 58% 58%

54% 54%

35% 31% 31%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Program type Demographics Currentacademic

performance

Behavioralinformation

Prioracademic

performance

Currentacademic

performance

Learningmodality

Inquiry source Financial need Distance tocampus

What data are you using to make informed decisions?

Data, Information, and Analytics

Data, Information, and Analytics

18%

24%

29%

29%

29%

29%

41%

0% 25% 50%

Graduations (rate)

Course offerings/enrollments

Revenue

Costs/Expenses

Conversion rate/recruitment

Demographics

Studentperformance

What variables and elements are you most interested in tracking?

16%

21%

21%

26%

26%

32%

42%

0% 20% 40% 60%

Student retention

Better resource utilization

General improvement

Marketing/communications

Student support

Manage/growenrollments

Program decisions

What types of changes are you trying to affect based on findings from your data?

21%

76%

2% 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Yes No Don’t know

Are you using predictive models to identify prospective students and drive your marketing

efforts?

How are we getting ahead of students and prospects?

The Student Lifecycle and a Data-Driven Culture

Key Takeaways

• Notecard or whiteboard exercise.

Q&A

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

Kari Kovar

kkovar@helixeducation.com

www.helixeducation.com

@HelixEducation

@karilkovar

Jim Fong jfong@upcea.edu

www.upcea.edu

@UPCEA