Scale the Enrollment Cliff by Embracing Technology and the Student Lifecycle

Fostering the Student Journey in Higher Education

Nurturing the student journey is going to be of utmost importance for higher education institutions in the coming years, and data and technology will play a major role in this exercise. Interestingly, the journeys young adults take in their consumer lives will mimic those they take in their educational lives. Awareness, consideration, purchasing and establishing brand loyalty are all key stages of the consumer journey and are all steps in a student’s experience in higher ed.

As universities market their institutions to prospective students, they must sell them on the experience they’ll have once they arrive. But the first step is getting them on campus to take that initial tour. This phase is empowered by technology, from the data analysis required to target prospective students to the technical production and distribution of marketing materials.

Once students arrive to campus, technology can make or break their first impressions. Modern learning environments; high-tech, collaborative common areas; powerful Wi-Fi connectivity throughout campus; and innovative, tech-enabled programs make a big impact on students seeing an institution for the first time and deciding whether they want to invest in an education there. Maintaining and continually improving these programs and features is vital in keeping enrolled students engaged and propelling them toward graduation.

DIG DEEPER: How CDW transformed a university’s digital landscape.

But the journey doesn’t end with a diploma. Technology plays a pivotal role in keeping alumni connected to the university community, encouraging them to invest their money and resources back into the institution. This stage of the lifecycle also offers a more reliable revenue stream for the institution, as maintaining consistent touchpoints with alumni could make them more likely to give back.

Strong Internal Relationships Can Unlock Student Success

Of course, such technological achievements would not be possible without an engaged and qualified IT staff. Higher education institutions have notoriously limited budgets and are constantly asking their IT teams to manage these growing technology environments with the same or fewer resources than before. Providing professional development opportunities to help staff members grow their skills can boost their job satisfaction, keeping them passionate about their work and engaged with the mission of the university.

Ultimately, everyone who works at a university is working toward the common goal of furthering the institution’s mission. Because of this, we need to cross departmental lines when making technology decisions. Breaking down silos and creating alliances across departments and business functions can help get the support needed to move innovative technology pilots forward.

Engaging third-party support for technology initiatives can help institutions scale some of these barriers to success. At CDW, we have experience across the technology spectrum and can work with higher education institutions of all sizes and budgets to optimize their environments to ultimately improve the student journey and experience.

As the higher education business model continues to evolve, we can tap into our wealth of technology partners to customize a solution to fit any institution’s needs. From staffing and student success to cybersecurity and networking, our experts understand the unique challenges higher education institutions face and can meet institutions where they are in their journeys to help them achieve their enrollment and retention goals.

This article is part of EdTech: Focus on Higher Education’s UniversITy blog series.