Marketing Delta State University

Regents of Delta State University, Cleveland, Mississippi Marketing Research Partners RE: As most of you know, trends in the educational field have dramatically changed over the last few decades. This is due to a number of internal and external factors: Globalization, the Internet, Distance Learning, Federal Funding to Education, and the overall economic health of the nation. Stakeholders now have new expectations from all vendors, including educational institutions.

Companies like Amazon.com have brought a new level of customization to web searches and recommendations, and social networking has changed the way stakeholders communicate. Even governments are instituting new policies for e-Government delivery of goods and services to align themselves better with the needs of the local and regional community.

As an educational institution, though, the community needs to be thought of in a different manner -- not as those who can drive by car to take classes 8-5 on a Full Time basis, but a universe of learners who may be looking for specific programs, professors or classes and may require evening, weekend, intensive programs or online delivery in order to meet their needs.

The importance of looking beyond the borders for the area can be seen with a simple analysis of the economic conditions of the Cleveland, Mississippi area. Unemployment is over 10%, higher than the national average; household income and per capita income are 20% lower than the U.S. average; and most of the households (almost 50%) have total incomes less than $35K/annum for families. The population is decreasing, -11% over the past few years, based on lack of jobs and opportunities.

While the cost of living is 12 points lower than the national average, many manufacturing and large employers have left the area (Sperling, 2013). To solve this issue, we would recommend an immediate action committee be put together to increase the size, quality and robustness of the Delta State Distance Education Program.

This program would be designed to offer distance education programs not offered in many other institutions, and to reach out to the regional needs, national needs, and even international students to provide high-quality programs that fit within a new marketing venue. Demographics have shifted so drastically that the make-up of the student body for the 21st century is vastly different from previous years, and thus marketing to the traditional student is now less effective.

Educational institutions must use online delivery to attract and retain the new 21st century global student, and as newer technologies are developed to deliver education, new demands and creative ways of marketing must be utilized (Moore, 2005). Some argue that the "effectiveness of online courses depends not upon technology but upon an understanding of the medium and the application of sound pedagogical principles in using the medium" (Dede, 1996). In fact, the medium has a molding effect on the message as well as the participants.

Technology has played a vital role in the changes in the model of distance education delivery, and the technological revolution of the 1960s and especially the 1990s led the way for the current wave of distance education. Recent technological advancements in educational technology have opened new opportunities for colleges and universities in online learning. Despite these opportunities and unprecedented growth in the delivery of online education, the direct effect on students and faculty is not nearly as staggering.

However, recent technological advances in voice and video over the Internet have repositioned online learning as a viable alternative to face-to-face learning using synchronous or real-time interaction between learners and instructors (Moore & Kearsley, 2004). Traditionally, distance education involved a plan-learning environment in which the instructor and student were separated. However, with new Internet and communication technology, five basic templates help us understand distance learning: 1. Separation between instructor and learner is only quasi-permanent 2. Planning and preparation for coursework are critical since there is no chance to make.