Question:
Our division is part of a seven campus Community College System in Maine and are looking to offer a free one-day class on a state wide basis next fall as part of a new branding, promotion, and public awareness effort across all seven Business and Industry Divisions.
Knowing the vast amount of information LERN has at its disposal, we are looking for your inputs on what you see as the top 4-5 classes (subject matter topics) in demand currently. Having this information would be very helpful since the goal of the initiative is to maximize the size of our potential audience’s interest in taking the class.
Answer:
I can give you the top topics. However, if you are looking at issues of branding, you should keep in mind that your current brand image is reflected in the courses that you are most known for (most popular).
Other factors that reflect your brand identity are your current participants, your fees and venues particularly if you are looking at open enrollment programs.
Think for example, about MIT. If someone mentions MIT to you, your first thought is not of Foreign Language and Literature, Philosophy, American Studies or other areas of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Nor do you think of large numbers of female students in the campus population, although 45% of MIT students are now female.
The reality is that MIT offers 19 majors in the arts and humanities (out of 44 total)--from Anthropology to Women's and Gender Studies. These programs, however, are not part of their brand identity. Their largest area is Engineering.
When most of us think about MIT we think about curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering and math with large numbers of men in the campus mix. That is because 86% of the degrees granted by MIT are in the STEM area. That is their brand.
Now, MIT could start promoting their Theatre Arts major, and maybe they would get a few more people in the theatre arts to enroll at MIT. But this is NOT their brand, and they will never compete with the Chicago School of the Performing Arts, even though MIT consistently ranks in the top ten US universities. Thus, the place to start with understanding your brand is to look at who you are serving and why they come to you now. Once you understand your current brand, you can think better about how you might re-brand your institution.
MIT has a new initiative called "Beyond STEM" in which they are trying broaden their brand, but still, fewer than 4% of their students are enrolled in the arts and humanities majors.
That said, I have attached a recent presentation with information on new growth areas in a variety of types of programs and a list of top certificate programs. Let me know if I can help further.