Transcript Slide 1

Promoting Erasmus Mundus towards European Students:
Activate, Communicate, Engage
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AGENDA
 Goals and objectives
 Background and key information
 Activities and Outputs
 Student & Staff Survey
 EM-ACE Promotional toolkit
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SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
• Information
• Training
• Promotion
TARGET GROUPS
• Students
• HEI staff
• Other promoters
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
To enhance the visibility, awareness and
attractiveness of the EM programme across Europe,
with the final goal to raise both the quantity and quality
of applications received from European candidates
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BACKGROUND AND KEY INFORMATION (1)
Why promoting Erasmus Mundus towards European students?
 Key priority for the European Commission (Europe2020 strategy)
 EM Lacks visibility in Europe
Over the years, the international visibility of the EM programme has
progressively grown. When it comes to Europe, however, the scenario
changes significantly.
 Scholarship quotas (cat B) never filled to date
 Low number of application received (in 2010, 4194 Cat B application
received vs 33837 Cat A applications)
 Quality of application below Cat A average
 Preliminary needs assessment (EC, EACEA, EMA 2011)
 Identification of factors hindering European students' participation
 Preparation of marketing strategy
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BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT (2)
Full Partners
Associate Partners
Institute of International Education (USA);
NARIC-Italia / EM NS Italy (IT);
Santander Group (BE);
Erasmus Student Network (ESN);
Portuguese EM NS (PT)
Duration: 36 months (September 2012 – August 2015)
Budget: € 247.183,00
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ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS
 Needs analysis on EM awareness and promotion (including
surveys)+ international benchmarking (USA – Australia)
 EM Promotion Strategy for EU students  Short&long-term
(EfA? YES Europe?)
 EM Promotional Took-kit (online + print material)
 EM Marketing review tool (self-assessment)
 Promotional events (students)
 Training events (staff & promoters)
 Dissemination
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STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (1)
General Objectives
Collect and analyse data on the visibility and awareness of EM at European level, the
reasons why European students do not participate in EM, which of these reasons are
most important, and what mechanisms are appropriate to overcome those barriers
Targets


(a) Students (European EM students and alumni; Erasmus students; other
students who have the potential to be EM scholars)
(b) HEI staff directly involved in the EM programme (EM coordinators, IRO, etc.)
Methodology



Preparation of surveys (1 for students, 1 for staff)
Testing of surveys at partner universities (Sapienza, Ghent) and UNICA student
conference
Dissemination of surveys through EMA, Erasmus Student Network (ESN), UNICA
network, partner universities, CampusFrance overseas offices, IT and PT NS
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STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (2)
Student survey findings
2300 responses, 81% completion
75% aware of EM but 75% didn’t choose the accurate description
of it out of 4 options
Website/social media is main marketing tool
Brand distinctiveness: EC quality imprimatur
Incentive – more career, than travel
Why not apply?:
1) ‘too expensive’ 21%
2) ‘I don’t know anything about it’ – 18%
3) ‘I am unsure of qualification I will get’ 7%
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STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (3)
Student comments
“Great human experience but little opportunities to put diploma into
good use for employment out of university/research sector.”
“Only heard of it today - never ever been talked about. So any form of
promotion would help!”
“Improve clarity, accessibility and availability of study abroad's
requirements and opportunities (more centralized?). I find
universities' homepages are often confusing and 'hard to find right
information”
“Motivate the MUNDUS alumni (positive experience and personal
touch) and they would do the PR work for you.”
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STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (4)
Staff survey findings
270 completions, 47% academics
Nearly third staff not bothered about more EU (28%) students
applying to EM
Unwillingness to lose own students
Internationals main target of marketing effort
Barriers to more EU students:
1) Lack of promotion
2) lack of financial support
3) unwillingness of unis to lose own
students
4) academic recognition and timing
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STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (6)
Staff comments
“…many European students have zero knowledge about EM and it is often confused
with the regular Erasmus exchange (non-degree mobility).”
“The small number of scholarships offered to EU students has a chilling effect on the
application rate; if there were more scholarships for EU Students there would be a
higher number of applications.”
“We were very late in the process to market outside our schools to the general public,
plus no budget to do so”
“I would prefer to have different names for EMA1 and EMA2 as it has constantly
caused confusion in the past, especially when having EMA2 mobilities in EMA1
fostered master programmes. Having one name (Erasmus for all) for all programmes
will cause even more confusion. The programme structures are not similar, the
objectives are not the same, the contact persons differ.”
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COMPARING STAFF IMPRESSIONS OF
WHY EUs DON’T APPLY
Staff reasons
Student reasons
1) Lack of promotion –
BRAND/reputation
2) lack of financial support COST
3) unwillingness of unis to lose
own students
4) academic recognition and
timing –
RECOGNITION/CAREER
ADVANTAGE
1) ‘too expensive’ 21% - COST
2) ‘I don’t know anything about it’
– 18% - BRAND/reputation
3) ‘I am unsure of qualification I
will get’ 7%RECOGNITION/CAREER
ADVANTAGE
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STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (7)
Summary Conclusions (1)
Good product, poor marketing
Confusing and bureaucratic brand names
Unequal EM incentives for non-EUs (scholarship and
going abroad for jobs)
Lack of incentives for unis to target own
No compelling EM website or listed programmes
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STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (7)
Summary Conclusions (2)
 Strong need for promotion and brand awareness of EM
 EM-ACE project cannot solve main problem with EU applications
(financial allocations) but can help raising brand awareness
 Internet as most important information source
 Need to untangle EM and Erasmus
 Desire for more support from EMA
 Strong interest in the promotional tools to be created by EM-ACE
Full needs analysis and marketing strategy
soon available on www.em-ace.eu
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STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (7)
Key recommendations (target: HEI)
 Enhance the prestige of EM through events and marketing efforts,
involving EMA
 Enhance the narratives about career advancement (case studies
of EM alumni)
 Create a consistent EM visual identity that communicates the
brand in an attractive and unified way ( EC)
 Encouraged HEI to have marketing strategies and trained
marketing staff for EM in addition to other markets.
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STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (7)
Key recommendations (target: HEI)
Target students in their 2nd and 3rd year as well as after completeing
their Bachelor degree for EM, but focus on the 3rd ug year if money is
limited.
 ALUMNI: Target Erasmus students for EM continuation.
Intensify the use of the university websites as well as social
networking sites
Improve universities’ EM websites/pages and ensure the EM
programmes have a professional digital strategy
Full needs analysis and marketing strategy
soon available on www.em-ace.eu
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EM-ACE PROMOTIONAL TOOLKIT
PRINT MATERIAL
MULTIMEDIA
WEB
Marketing materials
 focus on EU students
EM Marketing review tool
(WP 3) – online selfassessment tool
EM-ACE portal / One-stopcentre for EU students :
www.em-ace.eu
PowerPoint presentation
templates to be used during
student talks;
Web material (studentfriendly content for websites
that HEI and EM NS across
Europe can use and adapt);
Training materials for
sessions at HEI aimed at
IROs, including case studies.
Guidelines on how to
prepare a successful EM
application
Promotional video on EM
experience in Europe;
Social networks and Apps
.
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DISCUSSION
The EM scheme – its value
What do you think of the EM scheme as a uni?
How aware are students of the scheme?
Do you proactively recruit your own students to EM or just external
students? What are barriers to application?
Do you have a corporate/academic strategy as a uni for EM?
How do you measure the success of EM (if at all?)? Are you
planning to do more or less in future?
Do it yourself!
Get across the idea of Erasmus Mundus in 140 characters that can
be tweeted to all your students.
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DISCUSSION
Current marketing and promotional strategies
How do you promote EM at this uni? Who promotes it? (if at all).
Do you have a separate EM marketing strategy? (can we see it).
Discuss budget, staff, resource etc.
How could marketing be improved, particularly to attract EU
students? What do you as HEI need to do to improve EM marketing?
Do you use EM centrally produced materials (which ones)? How
effective are they? Is the website good? How could these materials
be improved? Does the name EM work?
Do it yourself!
 Play your ACE: What would you select as the best marketing
indictors?
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DISCUSSION
EM-ACE promotional toolking: any suggestion?
We are planning to create marketing advice for EM officers, with
some best practice guidelines and benchmarking allowing
universities to compare their marketing with other universities in
Europe.
Do it yourself!
 What if anything should be in those guidelines, do you think?
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PLAY YOUR ACE!
E-MAIL
[email protected]
WEB
www.em-ace.eu
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
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