On-Demand Webinar

The Big Questions Facing Graduate and Online Education in 2024

What are your most pressing questions about your graduate and/or online presence? Researching the right programs? Setting effective marketing and digital strategies? Converting more inquiries, applicants, and admits? Building effective online courses?
 
RNL brought together a panel of research, marketing, strategy, recruitment, and instructional design experts to answer your questions in real time. Before this year's RNL Graduate and Online Innovation Summit, we asked attendees to submit their questions. We received more than 300 unique questions and could only answer a handful in our closing "Q&A" session, so we are addressing additional ones now.
 
Here are a few that get us started:
 
  1. What are applicants looking for when choosing a graduate program, and what aspects of the application process do they hate/love?
  2. With the increasing competition for online graduate enrollment, what strategies are schools executing to successfully differentiate the positioning of their programs?
  3. How can we promote a large portfolio of programs with a small budget?
  4. Is lowering admission requirements the answer to increased enrollment?
  5. How do we cultivate admitted students between admittance and first enrollment?
  6. How do we increase speed to lead without increasing staff? What tools can we add on without adding a significant expense?
  7. What are the best use cases today for AI in marketing and recruitment? Where is it NOT a good idea?
  8. How to design programs that will be of interest to learners and how to get buy-in from academic units?
Watch now
Who You’ll Hear From

Anuja Siraj
Director of Digital Strategy, RNL
Anuja is a strategic visionary and hands-on digital strategist with over 10 years of experience leading and transforming digital marketing vision and strategy, driving new customer acquisition, and generating revenue growth. She collaborates with RNL's leaders and experts, campus partners, and cross-functional teams to deliver digital marketing projects that are fully aligned with the goals of our college and university partners. She oversees RNL's digital marketing strategy across channels for these projects, leveraging data analytics for insights and decision-making.
Emily Wood
Vice President of Instructional Design, RNL
Emily is an experienced higher education professional who helps institutions set strategic vision for instructional design and program development as they bring key academic programs online. She leads RNL's team of instructional design experts to provide high-performing service to students and higher education leaders to amplify program success. Prior to RNL, Emily held a leadership role at Helix Education, now part of the RNL family. She was also the founding director of the Center for Engagement and Learning at Pierce College in Washington and a tenured associate professor.
Erin Minsart
Vice President of Integrated Marketing, RNL
Erin joined RNL in early 2022 as Director of Digital Strategy, bringing over 20 years of marketing and leadership expertise from the healthcare, nonprofit, consumer services, manufacturing, and telecommunications sectors. As a former higher education instructor, she is passionate about education and ready to apply her broad marketing knowledge within higher education.
  
Kelsey Nelson
Associate Vice President for Partner Engagement, RNL
Kelsey brings almost 15 years of enrollment and fundraising experience to RNL. Kelsey is the key point of contact between campus leadership and RNL service units to maintain a constant grasp on all account details. She identifies areas of opportunity throughout the student lifecycle, bringing together subject matter experts from across the enterprise to support the success of institutions. She has collaborated with public and private institutions across the U.S. on graduate and online program development, undergraduate student search, digital lead generation, and student success.
Reena Lichtenfeld
Vice President of Enrollment Consulting Services, RNL
Reena brings more than 20 years of experience in higher education administration. Her areas of expertise include graduate, undergraduate, and online admissions; strategic recruitment and enrollment management/planning; and policy, accreditation, governance, and compliance. Dr. Lichtenfeld is a results-driven passionate higher education professional who brings a broad spectrum of proven tools and strategies to the table.
Scott Jeffe
Vice President of Graduate and Online Research, RNL
Scott has worked with more than 300 institutions in 40+  states to apply market data to strategic decision making. With a focus on profiling the demands and preferences of graduate students, undergraduate adult degree completers, and online students, Scott has developed a unique sensitivity to ensuring that programs align with student demand while upholding institutional mission and values. He is responsible for RNL's thought leadership and professional development offerings in the graduate and online space.