Pushing the Next Class

Getting students in the next class is important.
Nancy Hulverson posted in LERN:
"In our computer lab, we have a small wipe board at the front of the room. It has a label that says "Your next class is". The instructor writes the next class in the series down or the next logical class. We have an amazing number of people go from digital cameras to photography to Photoshop as an example, from this sign.
Once you have a student enjoying your program, most students just want to know what to do next. They already love you, they just don't know what to do. Just tell them! "
At this time when we have fewer students, in-class promotion is very important. The more students we retain the better for all of us.
If you don't know what the next class after yours is, please call you programmer.

Increase Your Enrollment

It is that time of year again. Spring is here and people are thinking of things other than taking your class.

They will miss a great opportunity and all your hard work preparing for the class may be for naught. The solution to the problem is simple--increase your class enrollment.

Three straight-forward activities that can increase your enrollment were discussed in a previous post. However, they are certainly worth repeating.

• Contact potential students and tell them about your class.
• Make announcements in places where people gather who would be interested in your topic.
• Email prospective students and give them the department Internet address so they can register online. http://noncredit.cocc.edu/

What classes should I take next?

Students often ask, “What classes should I take next?” If the class they are completing was one of a sequence, I would suggest taking the next one in the sequence, even though I did not offer the class. However, I became stuck when asked what to take when there was no sequence. Feeling a need to help the students, I searched for a solution.

The first place I looked was the current class schedule. Not surprising, there were a number of classes that expanded on various topics within my class. So, I wrote down the titles along with a brief description and created a handout. The handout was disseminated at the next meeting or emailed to the students if the class had concluded.

One such handout can be viewed by clicking here. Your program coordinator (Glenda, Nancy, Paul, or Rachael) can help you construct something similar.

Social Media in the Classroom, Part I

Social media refers to the interaction of people using digital technology such as personal computers and mobile telephones. It is different from industrial media such as newspapers, television, films, etc., in that it is not one-way communication, not usually owned/operated by a large company, is low/no cost, etc.

The communication segment of social media encompasses blogs, social networking, and micro-blogging (text messaging), all of which have many classroom uses. For example, one can create a presence where students can interact on a personal level, discuss classroom activities, and exchange drafts of written papers for peer review. For the instructor, it is a means to post supplemental material, maintain contact with students once the course has concluded, and promote enrollment in other classes.

The following social media communication sites are examples of what is available. Each offers a free service.

Blogging
Blogger.com No advertisements on pages.
Wordpress.com Placement of advertisements on the page.

Networking
Facebook.com Originally for those of college age.
Myspace.com Originally for those of pre-college age.
Linkedin.com Professional-oriented.
Ning.com Offers software to create an online community.

Micro-blogging
Twitter.com Text-message blogging of no more than 140 characters.

Next week we will look at specific examples of social media in the classroom.

Carol Moorehead and Paul Stennett Give Presentations

Carol Moorehead, Dean of Continuing Education and Paul Stennett, Program Manager of Community Learning, gave presentations at the annual conference of the National Association of Continuing Education in Dallas, Texas on November 5-8, 2008.

The annual conference attracted educators from across the country, featuring a broad range of topics. Carol spoke on marketing and Paul discussed the teaching adults class for new instructors along with the department instructor blog.

A Blog for Your Class

A blog is simply an online journal or diary. It has many applications, including several in education. There are several advantages to having a blog for your students.

1. It is a convenient way to stay in touch with current students.
2. You can make information available to former students.
3. It is a means of advertising your class.

A class-related blog of one of our community learning instructors can be viewed at http://tomsbookpublishingblog.blogspot.com/. It has been on the Internet for several years, being visited by thousands of people. Thus, it has kept his students up-to-date and exposed the class to potential students.

If you are interested in pursuing the idea of class blog, let me know by using the COMMENTS link below.

Welcome Community Learning Instructors

Welcome to the new school year at COCC Community Learning! Registrations are pouring in and some classes have already started. If you wish to know about enrollment in your class please contact your Program Manager.

Please feel free to let you friends and neighbors know about your class.

We will be making regular weekly posts. Put us in your Favorites folder or subscribe to the blog by clicking on the Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) at the bottom of the page.

Click on the picture to access the website to see classes and register.

Community Learning Promotedat Larkspur Spring Festival

Members of the Community Learning Department worked a booth at the annual Larkspur Spring Festival on Saturday, June 7. They promoted the spring and summer classes, with an emphasis on those held at the Bend Senior Center, site of the festival. An important part of the promotion was to let the hundreds of visitors know that the community learning classes, like the center, were not just for senior citizens but community members as well.

Visitors to the department booth were given class schedules along with materials that elaborated on the department and the college. In addition, there was much discussion about instructors and their classes, a Qigong demonstration and practice session, as well as a display of computer applications. A special thanks to Larry Nonemaker, one of our instructors who loaned us an RV as part of the booth, Steven Foster-Wexler for the Qigong demonstration and Michelle Wood for the Qigong practice session.

So You Want More Students? This is what others have done.

Mike Mansker is teaching Kokanee Caught and he belongs to an online discussion board for like-minded Oregon fisher-folk. He posted a description of his class before the schedule came out and asked who might be interested. When the schedule came out, he posted our website and phone number and contacted the people who had responded favorably from his initial query about the class. The class is now full and he is contacting all his students with an email thanking them for registering and getting feedback about what will be the most valuable thing they could learn from the class so he can be sure to cover (within his outline) what people want to know.

Davon Cabraloff will be teaching our Zumba class and Davon has done a number of things to get word out about her class. Since Zumba is new to Bend, she started a class back in the winter and has been advertizing all over town on bulletin boards with very professional looking signs for that class. The students she has in that class were a great base for her COCC class. She also wears a huge “Ask Me About Zumba” button wherever she goes as well as other Zumba related clothing to generate interest with strangers.

Mollie Hogan who will be teaching our Hooping class added her classes to her Hoop Dazzle website and emailed a newsletter listing the classes and the COCC contact information out to her current students and others who are on her mailing list.

What ideas do you have and what has worked for you? Please comment and let us know.