{"id":4158,"date":"2017-03-31T12:11:22","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T12:11:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/course.oeru.org\/moocs4all\/?page_id=4158"},"modified":"2017-03-31T12:11:22","modified_gmt":"2017-03-31T12:11:22","slug":"recruitment-and-retention-of-learners","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/moocs4all\/guidelines-for-producing-low-cost-moocs\/section-5-recruitment-and-retention-of-learners\/recruitment-and-retention-of-learners\/","title":{"rendered":"Recruitment and retention of learners"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Section 5: Recruitment and retention of learners<\/span><\/h2>\n

Introduction<\/span><\/h3>\n

This section outlines a number of low-cost approaches to promoting your MOOC to people who may be interested in signing up and proposes a number of approaches to designing your MOOC in a way which will keep your learners engaged.
\nThe section is accompanied by a tool which can be downloaded at:[1]<\/a> Tab 1 of the tool may be downloaded and filled in as you work through the three steps below of defining your target group, developing messages, and identifying promotion channels. Tab 2 of the file aims to help you to prepare a work plan to implement the strategy and can be filled in at the end of the recruitment sub-section.\n<\/p>\n

Planning your promotion campaign<\/span><\/h3>\n

Step 1: Define your target group
\nIt\u2019s important to have a clear idea of  who you are promoting your MOOC to, so the first step is to identify the group(s) you want to connect with. Think about who your course is aimed at: What groups of people need the information & resources you will present in your course? Who would be interested in knowing more about your topic(s)?
\n(It may be useful to fill in the template on the accompanying tool before proceeding to step 2)\n<\/p>\n

Step 2: Develop messages that will resonate with your target group
\nWhat can you say to each group identified in step 1 to make them understand how your course will benefit them? How can you explain to them how your course will help them to achieve their personal and\/or professional goals? How will your course help them to solve problems they may be struggling with? There are many courses on the internet – what can you say that will make your course stand out? This is your message.
\n(It may be useful to fill in the template on the accompanying tool before proceeding to step 3)\n<\/p>\n

Step 3: Identify the channels that will allow you to connect with your target group(s) to communicate your messages to
\nHow can you connect the people with a specific interest in one or more aspects of your MOOC so that you can communicate your message to them? Do you need to connect with members of specific professional groups\/ members of specific organizations, and if so, do you have the possibility to connect with these? Who do you have access to \u2013 through your own personal network\/ your professional network\/, local and national networks, your social media networks and so on.
\nPushing out your messages and promotion materials on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and any other channels available will get the numbers up with a relatively low effort. Do you have a Facebook page, Twitter account, LinkedIn account or other social media accounts? Who are the key influencers for your target group(s), and how can you connect with them to promote your course?\n<\/p>\n

Another thing you can do is to promote your course through a MOOC aggregator \u2013 these are basically search engines for free online courses. Each aggregator has its own application process to get your course added to their list, but it may be worth the effort as it allows you to reach large numbers of people who are interested in MOOCs. You can look into these ones: Class-central.com; Mooc-list.com; Coursebuffet.com; Degreed.com; Myeducationpath.com; Coursetalk.com; Tubecourse.com\n<\/p>\n

Creating materials to promote your MOOC<\/span><\/h3>\n

Regardless whether your promotion strategy involves personal outreach or social media, it will help if you have some promotion materials that you can share. Here below are a number of suggestions:\n<\/p>\n