Persuasive Campaign for Online Education
Introduction
Online education is one of the most emergent issues in today’s digitized world. It gets considered one of the significant internet-based breakthroughs in the realm of teaching and learning because it provides a learning opportunity for all types of learners. In this sense, it caters to those who wish to access quality education from individual institutions. Still, they cannot do due to the distance involved, commitments (such as families and fulltime work), and other expenses. More so, given the recent happenings in the Covid- 19 pandemic face, many have realized endless possibilities of getting done. Managers and employers have had to reorganize themselves and adjust to working from home. It is after learning that the pandemic was bound to stay with us for quite a while. Schools, too, and other learning institutions that had not taken the full digital route are now exploring their virtual spaces and coming up with long-term ways to ensure their learners’ education does not get disrupted.
In a world where technological advancements are the order of the day, it only makes sense to shift and adjust accordingly to remain. That said, there are a vast possibility and foremost a question of time before regular changes. It will be least surprising to see online education becoming mainstream. This kind of shift will trigger a lot of innovations hence changes, both on and off campuses. As such, the ones who will be ready and prepared will have a smooth transitioning. As recently witnessed, those who already had systems in place for digital learning had an advantage over schools that did not have sufficient and required infrastructure in place. Although many tertiary learning institutions have online options for people to pursue studies, other lower-level institutions are gradually picking up this trend.
Even though online education is becoming more popular by the day, there are still many doubts and criticism from various stakeholders. Most of the concerns lie in the complexity of understanding technology and operating the networked systems and the lack of stability associated with online education. Others are just scared of change and wary of the fact that this could commercialize education and demean the value of university and lead to loss of the essence of interactions (Johnson et al., 2020). However, some of these concerns are baseless; hence, gaining enlightenment in this area could lead to more openness to the idea of online education, therefore getting more people on board. Furthermore, various partnerships between schools and big tech companies like Microsoft and Cisco are intentionally reshaping learning as we know it. They are collaborating to design spaces that will free online learning from some of the current setbacks. Such moves clearly define how virtual education interactions can be more active despite differences in time, place, and circumstances.
It proves that learning can take place comfortably in other spaces, such as the virtual space. Here, the traditional classroom and library are made more accessible to students across the globe wherever they are and at whatever time they deem fit. It is even better as online interactions can be made more diverse based on one’s preference. For instance, it can be a single classroom or several of them linked within a district or a nation or open to participants worldwide (Johnson et al., 2020). It could be one on one, exclusive for students or their instructors or both. Another great advantage is eliminating time lost in commuting to and from schools and the flexibility that comes with online classes in terms of time and courses’ duration.
Central message
This campaign, dubbed ” Digital Learning: Beyond Places, Exploring New Spaces,” is meant to encourage people to embrace learning online instead of the traditional way of physically attending classes. It presents the argument that learning no longer has to get limited to the confines of physical spaces (like classroom walls) or time (during the day) or one’s location (convenience of place). It deconstructs the myth that learning can only successfully get achieved in physical classrooms and sells the idea of embracing online learning as a model of education that is equally as good. One of the most significant upsides to online education is perhaps the fact that instructions get mostly designed to focus on the learner; hence instructor is more of a coach/ a facilitator.
The campaign will convince students that with online education, they can get to learn whatever, and venture into whatever they are passionate about as long as they can access the material and interact with the instructors. The cost of studying online is generally lower than face to face, which means the elimination of boarding or transport costs and other expenses usually associated with traditional mainstream education. In some other cases, for single courses that require certificates, it is even free of charge. Students who study virtually do not have to endure the daily problems which their counterparts in the regular system face. It saves them a lot of time and hustle. Students are also able to study at their own pace without pressure, based on their availability. For these reasons, the convenience is unbeatable. It is a huge factor because many students value their comfort (Classes, 2018). Additionally, online courses’ certificates on resumes are a good look. It demonstrates that a person takes the initiative to improve themselves professionally and stay ahead of the curve, even technologically.
The campaign recognizes that many misconceptions have led to online education discounting due to the learning environments’ differences. Spreading the awareness that although structures may differ, if the system gets properly organized for efficient functioning, the gains in terms of satisfaction and a maximized learning experience may be similar to face-to-face learning. Or even better, depending on an individual since experiences vary.
Target Audience
This campaign’s primary target audience will be students, especially those seeking tertiary level education, who have been contemplating enrolling in online studies in universities or colleges. Those reluctant to take short courses online on sites like Udemy or even ‘Google University.’ The advantages of enrolling in online education are endless, and the few highlighted are enough to persuade the students to try it.
It will also target teachers/ tutors and educators who do not support online instruction based on the mere thinking that it not as efficient as face-to-face learning. These instructors acknowledge that traditional mainstream education has shortcomings too. Still, they are pessimistic about whether online education will solve some of these learning problems, especially in subjects that get deemed ‘difficult to teach’ or demanding and require a lot of engagement. If this group understands the benefits and vastness of resources and materials that come with online education, they would embrace it and advocate for it.
The other group targeted are education researchers and other stakeholders in the education sector whose efforts and words could help erase the doubts online education goes. A better understanding of the online education processes and outcomes by this group will also help develop better structures and curriculum and the implementation of online learning in the future. Stakeholders will help see to necessary training given the technology. It will go a long way in maximizing the opportunities of learning in both online and face-to-face learning.
Employers will also form part of the target audience since recruiters’ recognition will enhance the credibility of online degrees and certificates. Since many of them value professional development and the idea of continuity in education, they may encourage and even sponsor their staff to enroll in online learning. It will be a win for both parties since there will not be a need for a leave of absence based on traveling for further studies or broadening expertise. Students who wish to take the online learning will do so without fear that their papers may be discredited or invalidated.
Promotion
Communication is a vital part of this campaign. Several tools shall be employed to reach the masses and persuade them to buy into learning online. Since the drive is about venturing into the online space for studies, what better way to capture the right audience right there in the online digital platforms. Such are social media(Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), websites, Youtube, direct marketing through e-mails, and influencers’ use. Mainstream media advertisements will help in the promotion.
Social media becomes the number one medium to promote this campaign. Since the point is to attract prospects and keep persuading those already familiarized with the concept of virtual learning, the messages and content shared should reflect the social aspect that is akin to social media users. Instagram would be perfect for this due to its high visual nature. Students should not think they are going to be lonely or isolated when the physical classroom goes missing. Getting influencers to make the hashtag trend, as in #DigitalLearning or #PlacetoSpace, would go a long way as far as the promotion is concerned, since it will keep the conversation about online education going. Just as in various movements, the tweets and shared stories could lead to communities forming, whose members are willing to engage and support each other by sharing their online learning experiences (“10 Simple Ways to Promote Online Courses on Social Media”, 2020).
Twitter and Facebook will also assist in this promotion due to the high number of participants and the fact that one can attach links to the campaign’s website, thus generating leads. Going live on these social media platforms, especially Facebook, which emulates the concept of online learning, will get the message out there (“10 Simple Ways to Promote Online Courses on Social Media”, 2020). It has the features to host sessions of questions and answers, has platforms to place tutorials done, and even the possibility of giving free introductory classes.
Website content will strive to focus on the interactive aspects such as meeting students across the world in live sessions, structured classes with flexible timings, and displays of engaging in practical skills at the comfort of one’s own house and space. Further details about the available opportunities and options will get provided and navigations to course contents on the website. Videos, too, can feature, to display and promote a variety of online courses. Here sharing resources (mostly learning materials) may be particularly beneficial as it would get people to share their experiences. Free trials on some of the courses available will also enhance the promotion and feedback since it gives one an online learning experience (“10 Simple Ways to Promote Online Courses on Social Media”, 2020).
Since content creation in the virtual space is pretty much at its peak, Youtube will be a great tool to promote this campaign. It will involve the direct result of a video about the campaign, explaining what it entails, and stating the benefits of engaging in online education. It will also feature as an advertisement in other videos, especially those with multiple subscriptions to generate leads. Another way to go about this would be by gaining mentions from influencers in their videos. These influencers may find a way to integrate their content to match the campaign’s message and ask their fans and subscribers to join the movement or direct them to check it out via links that they can attach to their descriptions.
The traditional forms of e-marketing and direct marketing, such as e-mails, will also be employed to promote the campaign. E-mails are a profound way to encourage serious matters such as education. There is also the advantage of attaching links that will lead one to the campaign website. An e-mail will also be long-lasting in terms of memorability since it stays there, and one can refer back to it whenever they please unless they delete it.
Last but not least, the use of mainstream media will also be good for the campaign since there are huge audiences that can get accessed that way. It will be through paid for airtime in the TV and radio stations to run their advertisements. Securing an interview, too, would be useful as it would extensively shed led on the campaign and develop influence. Having bloggers write about it will also promote the campaign.
Intended Outcome of the Campaign
By the end of this campaign, we hope to influence more people to be willing to dive into the waters of online education. The campaign seeks to deconstruct myths about online education by stating facts only and highlighting the many perks of this kind of virtual learning. It will also serve to give the final push for those who are having a hard time due to the many challenges posed by traditional learning to try out online education.
Will the campaign be effective?
The campaign will also be useful because it will serve as a kind of green light for those contemplating online studies. It can get based on the fact that motivation and will power are among the most severe prerequisites for learning. A highly motivated student will readily engage in pursuing their goals despite the challenges presented (Miltiadou & Savenye, 2020). In this case, seeing as opportunities in online education spring up all over, their motivation will bring them to take the initiative and remain persistent while working through the same.
The many perks of online education highlighted, and the romanticized factor of more quality time afforded with loved ones or personal activities, pose an element of psychological persuasion (Matz et al., 2017). I believe that will hugely contribute to the success of this campaign. The promotion tools used, too, will play a role in ensuring attitudes shift positively towards online education. Promoting the campaign’s message digitally through the guidance of people’s digital footprints will help access the right audience, hence influencing them to take a step towards online education. The clarity in distinguishing the target audiences as per their roles and the expectations of each group is undoubtedly set to make the campaign effective.
References
10 Simple Ways to Promote Online Courses on Social Media. Higher Education Marketing. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/10-simple-ways-to-promote-online-courses-on-social-media.
Classes, 7. (2018). 7 Advantages of Taking Online Classes | OEDb. OEDB.org. Retrieved from https://oedb.org/ilibrarian/10-advantages-to-taking-online-classes/.
Johnson, S., Aragon, S., & Shaik, N. (2020). Comparative Analysis of Learner Satisfaction and Learning Outcomes in Online and Face-to-Face Learning Environments. Learntechlib.org. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/8371/.
Matz, S., Kosinski, M., Nave, G., & Stillwell, D. (2017). Psychological targeting as an effective approach to digital mass persuasion. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 114(48), 12714-12719. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1710966114
Miltiadou, M., & Savenye, W. (2020). Applying Social Cognitive Constructs of Motivation to Enhance Student Success in Online Distance Education. Learntechlib.org. Retrieved from http://www.learntechlib.org/p/17795/.