Newsletter #125: International students love forums; One insight you missed in Clearing; Peer-to-peer is changing
✏️ From the Education Marketer desk
International students love internet forums. Look
One insight you might have missed in Clearing. Read
Peer-to-peer is changing. Look
What students want from content creation degrees. Listen
📰 HE news
At last week’s Universities UK Conference, there were plenty of “positive vibes” from the new universities minister, Jacqui Smith - but not much in the way of policy. If secretaries of state are declaring, “the war on universities has ended,” I at least expect some hint of a vision for the future. I get it, it’s tough for Labour to announce anything right now without having it played off against pensioners. However, the necessity of having to piece together Labour’s plans from soundbites, forums and LinkedIn isn’t filling me with confidence. As per Newsnight, one minister revealed that the government is working on a “rescue plan” that would only be enacted if a university going under would have a “knock-on effect” on the sector. Additionally, the government would take action if a university’s situation impacted “investor confidence,” but either way, it doesn’t sound like it’s a plan for all. Maybe it will be accompanied by a larger set of provisions (like the ability to raise fees). Still, pressures are becoming more visible, and October’s budget likely won’t come soon enough. Read
📊 Marketing and media news
A new report from Tubular Labs reveals that some types of short-form content are growing faster than others. On YouTube, shorter video uploads (under 30 seconds) increased by 10% in the first half of the year. But longer clips (over 30 seconds in length) are up 39%! There’s no clear reason for this, but if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say that users are getting burnt out on endless streams of short hits. Look at how this trend plays out against the rise of “long YouTube”, where videos can get hundreds of thousands of views and are sometimes over four hours long. Even TikTok is moving towards longer uploads, with clips between 1 and 2 minutes seeing the biggest growth. If you want to leverage the increased appetite for longer video on TikTok, I recommend publishing Business & Finance related content. The category has seen 73% growth just this year. Read
It’s official, the Brazillian Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the nationwide suspension of X - I doubt they will be the last country to do so. This is off the back of news that 26% of marketers plan to decrease ad spend on X in the coming year (that’s what happens when you try to sue us), and many other Elon missteps, making Bluesky and Threads delighted competitors. After the Brazillian ban, Bluesky got a huge boost with 2.6 million users signing up, but it’s Threads that’s winning hearts and minds. What started as a “bare bones Twitter” has evolved into the 8th most downloaded app for July 2024. X is nowhere to be seen. We’ve already witnessed the death of Twitter, but we could now be well on the way to a post-X world too. If you’ve been keeping threads ticking along - well done! With growing momentum, it’s worth thinking about how you can bring it even further into the fold. Read
🏫 What unis are doing
Here’s an idea for your next open day: A table where students make a (university-branded) LEGO minifig of themselves. Notre Dame University ordered thousands of custom minifig parts and managed to more than double its online engagement. It also makes sense for the institution as it has a LEGO replica of its campus. Feels like a no-brainer. Look
International student orientation is a standard affair at most universities, but Galway seems to go the extra mile. Well, at least I assume it does. This is one of the few times I’ve seen orientation being given the “content” treatment. And that’s the point. Because Galway took the time to repurpose the event across social media, it looks more welcoming than other schools. Look
What’s one of the best ways to fill online courses? Reenroling students! “Project Kitty Hawk” by University of North Carolina reports that only 2% of incoming first-year students enrolled in online courses last year, as compared with 25% of reenrolled students. Remarkably, 35% of returning students stepped out of their education between six and nine years ago. Read
🧑🎓 What students are saying
“People sometimes suggest that living at home will limit my independence and social life. This may be somewhat true – but after a long day of lectures, when others need to grocery shop and cook, I feel very glad I’ll be going home to a warm meal and folded laundry.” As the costs of student rents soar, commuting has become the sensible choice. Read
👾 Culture shock
Two guys imitating AI videos. We’ve gone full circle. Look
Forever 21’s “wear to work” section (thanks Hiring Gen Z for this one). Look
