Promoting Erasmus Mundus towards European Students: Activate, Communicate, Engage 1

 Video: how student- friendly is our information?  EM-ACE: goals & objectives, background information  Current EM promotional strategies in Europe: rationale, challenges and best practices  EM-ACE Survey and Needs Analysis  EM-ACE Promotional toolkit  Erasmus + : what implications? AGENDA 2

 Link to video 1. HOW STUDENT FRIENDLY IS OUR INFORMATION? 3

2. EM-ACE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES To enhance the visibility, awareness and attractiveness of the EM programme across Europe, with the final goal to raise both the quantity and quality of applications received from European candidates 4 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Information Training Promotion TARGET GROUPS Students HEI staff Other promoters

Why promoting Erasmus Mundus towards European students?  Key priority for the European Commission (Europe2020 strategy)  EM Lacks visibility in Europe Over the years, the international visibility of the EM programme has progressively grown. When it comes to Europe, however, the scenario changes significantly.  Scholarship quotas (cat B) never filled to date  Low number of application received (in 2010, 4194 Cat B application received vs Cat A applications)  Quality of application below Cat A average  Preliminary needs assessment (EC, EACEA, EMA 2011)  Identification of factors hindering European students' participation  Preparation of marketing strategy Background and key information (1) 5

Full Partners Associate Partners Institute of International Education (USA); NARIC-Italia / EM NS Italy (IT); Santander Group (BE); Erasmus Student Network (ESN); Portuguese EM NS (PT) Duration: 36 months (September 2012 – August 2015) Budget: € ,00 Background and key information (2) 6

 Needs analysis on EM awareness and promotion (including surveys)+ international benchmarking (USA – Australia)  EM Promotion Strategy for EU students  Short&long-term (EfA? YES Europe?)  EM Promotional Took-kit (online + print material)  EM Marketing review tool (self-assessment)  Promotional events (students)  Training events (staff & promoters)  Dissemination Activities and Outputs 7

Four key stakeholders share their experience:  European Commission  CampusFrance  Ghent University  Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association 3. CURRENT PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES IN EUROPE 8

Mission Lorem ipsum…. Rationale for current promotional strategy  Lorem ipsum…  Lorem ipsum…. EUROPEAN COMMISSION (1) 9

Key challenges  Lorem ipsum….  Lorem ipsum… Best practices  Lorem ipsum….  Lorem ipsum… EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2) 10

Mission Lorem ipsum…. Rationale for current promotional strategy  Lorem ipsum…  Lorem ipsum…. CAMPUS FRANCE (1) 11

Key challenges  Lorem ipsum….  Lorem ipsum… Best practices & tools  Lorem ipsum….  Lorem ipsum… CAMPUS FRANCE (2) 12

Mission Lorem ipsum…. Rationale for current promotional strategy  Lorem ipsum…  Lorem ipsum…. GHENT UNIVERSITY (1) 13

Key challenges  Lorem ipsum….  Lorem ipsum… Best practices & tools  Lorem ipsum….  Lorem ipsum… GHENT UNIVERSITY (2) 14

Mission Lorem ipsum…. Rationale for current promotional strategy  Lorem ipsum…  Lorem ipsum…. ERASMUS MUNDUS ASSOCIATION (1) 15

Key challenges  Lorem ipsum….  Lorem ipsum… Best practices & tools  Lorem ipsum….  Lorem ipsum… ERASMUS MUNDUS ASSOCIATION (2) 16

General Objectives Collect and analyse data on the visibility and awareness of EM at European level, the reasons why European students do not participate in EM, and what mechanisms are appropriate to overcome those barriers  Targets: Students + HEI Staff Summary results: 4. STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (1) 17 STAFF REASONS 1) Lack of promotion – BRAND/reputation 2) lack of financial support - COST 3) unwillingness of unis to lose own students 4) academic recognition and timing – RECOGNITION/CAREER ADVANTAGE STUDENT REASONS 1) ‘too expensive’ 21% - COST 2) ‘I don’t know anything about it’ – 18% - BRAND/reputation 3) ‘I am unsure of qualification I will get’ 7%- RECOGNITION/CAREER ADVANTAGE

Summary Conclusions  Good product, poor marketing (confusing brand names)  Unequal EM incentives for non-EUs  Lack of incentives for unis to target own  No compelling EM website or listed programmes  Strong need for promotion and brand awareness of EM  EM-ACE project cannot solve main problem with EU applications (financial allocations) but can help raising brand awareness  Iternet/Social Media as most important information source  Need to untangle EM and Erasmus  Strong interest in the promotional tools to be created STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (2) 18

Key recommendations (target: HEI)  Enhance the prestige of EM through events and marketing efforts  Enhance the narratives about career advancement  Create a consistent EM visual identity that communicates the brand in an attractive and unified way (  EC)  Encourage HEI to have marketing strategies and trained marketing staff for EM in addition to other markets.  Target students in their 2 nd and 3 rd year  ALUMNI: Target Erasmus students for EM continuation.  Intensify the use of the university websites & social networking sites  Improve universities’ EM websites/pages and ensure the EM programmes have a professional digital strategy STUDENT AND STAFF SURVEY (4) 19

5. EM-ACE PROMOTIONAL TOOLKIT EM-ACE portal / One-stop- centre for EU students : Web material (student- friendly content for websites that HEI and EM NS across Europe can use and adapt); Social networks and Apps WEB Marketing materials  focus on EU students Training materials for sessions at HEI aimed at IROs, including case studies. Guidelines on how to prepare a successful EM application MULTIMEDIA EM Marketing review tool (WP 3) – online self- assessment tool PowerPoint presentation templates to be used during student talks; Promotional video on EM experience in Europe;. PRINT MATERIAL 20

 Student section: developed by students for students; tested on students in different European universities  Staff section: guidelines + ready-to-use material to promote EM and joint programmes in a student-friendly way  Online self-assessment tool to be launched soon  add information on key indicators (TKP is working on it) Erasmus + : what implications Floor to Gutierrez FOCUS ON..EM-ACE WEBSITE as ‘ONE STOP CENTRE’ 21

The EM scheme – its value in the light of the new Erasmus + programme  What do you think of the EM scheme as a uni?  How aware are students of the scheme?  Do you proactively recruit your own students to EM or just external students? What are barriers to application?  Do you have a corporate/academic strategy as a uni for EM?  What will the place of EM be in the new Erasmus + programme? What do you think will the main challenges be? Do it yourself! Get across the idea of Erasmus Mundus in 140 characters that can be tweeted to all your students. DISCUSSION (just a few suggestions – we should discuss this jointly during the SC meeting) 22

Current marketing and promotional strategies  How do you promote EM at this uni? Who promotes it? (if at all).  Do you have a separate EM marketing strategy? (can we see it). Discuss budget, staff, resource etc.  How could marketing be improved, particularly to attract EU students? What do you as HEI need to do to improve EM marketing?  Do you use EM centrally produced materials (which ones)? How effective are they? Do you test your information on students? Do it yourself!  Play your ACE: What would you select as the best marketing indictors? DISCUSSION 23

EM-ACE promotional toolking: any suggestion? We are developing marketing advice for EM officers, with some best practice guidelines and benchmarking allowing universities to compare their marketing with other universities in Europe. Do it yourself!  What would you like to see in those guidelines? DISCUSSION 24

PLAY YOUR ACE! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! WEB 25