Competitor  Analysis    Colleges  and  Universities    The   team   began   the   competitor   research   intending   to   find   colleges   and   universities   offering  similar   courses   to   those   offered   by   [the   client].   This   process   resulted   in   limited   value   because  there   is   no   consistent   course-­‐naming   convention   from   institution   to   institution.   This   led   us   to  broaden  our  scope.    We    started   looking   at   colleges   offering   online   professional   development  courses    and  found    that    most    colleges    offered    many    courses    and    were    very    topic    specific.    The   team   limited   research   to   colleges   offering   online   PD   courses   and   made   a   list   of   courses  offered,   cost,   and   availability   of   free   previews,   enrollment   methods   and   course   dates.   At   the  request  of  the  [client],  we   later  expanded  our  research  to  colleges  and  universities  that  offered  in-­‐person  professional  development  courses.    The   engineering   disciplines   with   the   highest   concentration   of   course   topics   are   General  Engineering,   Electrical   and   Computer   Engineering,   and   Civil   and   Environmental   Engineering,  respectively.   Finding  a  new,   distinct   course   topic   in   one  of   these   areas   could  differentiate   [the  client’s]   online   learning  program   from  competitors   in   a   very   saturated  market.  Popular  course  topics  or  subjects  within  each  of  these  disciplines  include:  

• General  Engineering  o Six  Sigma  Certification/Lean  Principles  o Business   for   Engineers   (accounting,   project   management,   organizational  

behavior)  o Engineering  Law  and  Ethics  

• Electrical  and  Computer  Engineering  o Integrated  Circuits  (design,  components,)  o Cybersecurity  

• Civil  and  Environmental  Engineering  o Soils  (erosion,  testing,  control)  o Surveying  o Roadway  modeling,  design,  and  simulation  

 Further  analysis  of  competitor  institutions  and  courses  yielded  the  following  data:    Maximum  Price/CEU:  $1923.08  (Rapid  Prototyping  Technology,  [Client])  Minimum  Price/CEU:  $33.33  (Introduction  to  Wind  Energy,  [Client])  Average  Price/CEU:  $569.20  Maximum  Price/CEU  ([Client]):  $500  (MTM-­‐UAS  Certification,  MTM-­‐1  Base)  Minimum  Price/CEU  ([Client]):  $33.33  (Introduction  to  Wind  Energy)  Average  Price/CEU  ([Client]):    $242.81  

 

 

 

From   this,   the   team   concluded   that   [the   client’s]   professional   development   courses   are   very  competitively       priced       and       do       not       need       to       change       unless     there   is   a   noticeable  improvement  in  quality,  or  external      factors      such      as      CEU  requirements,  average  price/CEU,  course  demand,  or  profitability  change.    Maximum  CEU/Course:  25  (Engineering  Ethics,  [Competitor])    Minimum  CEU/Course:  .1  (Multiple  courses,  [Competitor])    Average  CEU/Course:  1.63  Maximum  CEU/Course  ([Client]):  7.5  (Fundamental  Skills  &  Knowledge  of  Cost  Engineering)  Minimum  CEU/Course  ([Client]):  .5  (NIOSH  Lifting  Equation)  Average  CEU/Course  ([Client]):  2.53    If  the  outlying  7.5  CEU  course   ‘Fundamental  Skills  &  knowledge  of  Cost  Engineering’  (currently  the  most  popular  course)  is  excluded,  [the  client’s]  average  CEU/Course  is  1.91,  meaning  that  the  average  course  is  a  suitable  length  for  a  professional  engineer.    [The  client]  is  the  only  institution  to  offer  a  free  preview  of  their  courses.  In  order  to  see  whether  this   increases   or   decreases   the   number   of   students   who   take   the   course,   [the   client]   may  consider  removing  the  feature  for  a  defined  period  of  time  and  track  changes  in  enrollment.    207/265   (78.1%)   of   all   courses   have   a   flexible   schedule,   meaning   they   may   be   started   and  taken  at  any  time,  similar  to  the  courses  [the  client]  offers.  This  allows  users  to  take  a  course  as  soon  as  they  please,  which  by  extension  may  create  more  appeal  for  the  course.    48/265  (18.1%)  of  all  courses  have  a  fixed  schedule,  meaning  they  may  only  be  taken  between  a  specified  start  and  end  date  and  often  only  at  certain  times.  These  schedules  typically  coincide  with  a  university’s  semester  schedule  and  are  paced  much   like  a  normal  course  at  a  university  with  scheduled  lectures  and  quizzes  or  assignments.    The  remaining  courses  offer  a  mixture  of  both  options,  allowing  unlimited  access   to   the  course  between   a   short   range   of   specified   dates.   Institutions   offering   these   courses   typically   tout   a  cohort  structure,  which,  they  allege,   increases  engagement  between  students  and  faculty.  While  the   team   found   no   support   for   this   claim,   a   cohort   structure  may   help   professors   respond   to  student  feedback  more  effectively  because  larger  groups  of  students  will  be  at  the  same  point  in  the  course  at  the  same  time,  thereby  reducing  the  potential  for  repeated  or  redundant  queries.    After   removing   the   outlying   [competing   institution],   each   institution   offers   6.8   professional  development   courses   on   average.   This   statistic   by   itself   is   not   particularly   significant   because  each  university  has  different  factors  that  contribute  to  how  many  courses  it  offers.  Of  particular  note,     however,     is     the    average    number    of     courses    per    discipline    at     each    university.     After  analyzing  the  competitors  the  CyBIZ  team  found  that  for  each  discipline  in  which  a  professional  development  course  was  offered,  there  were  at  least  4  to  5  courses  offered  in  that  discipline.  For  these   institutions   this  was   likely  a  very   intentional  and  strategic  decision.  Rather   than  offering  few    courses    spread    across    many    disciplines,    an    institution   is    more    likely    to    have    recurring  

 

 

 

students    if    they    offer    multiple    courses    in    fewer    disciplines.    This    is    something    [the  client]    should  consider  when  choosing  whether  to  add  or  remove  a  course.    Independent  Institutions    The  CyBIZ  team  initially  limited  its  search  search  to  colleges  offering  online  PD  courses,  but  during  the  process  we  discovered  that  there  are  multiple  independent  institutions  that  provide  PD  courses.  There  are  websites  that  provide  similar  services  like    www.pdhdirect.com,  www.pdhengineer.com,    www.pdhonline.com,  etc.    The  CyBIZ  team  decided  not  to  include  these  website/organizations  in  the  main  competitor  list  for  the  following  reasons:  

• Most  of  the  courses  consist  of  only  one  video  that  is  worth  .1  CEU’s.  • Participants  would  need  to  take  multiple  courses  consecutively  in  order  to  learn  all  of  

the  same  information  included  in  a  PD  course  offered  by  a  university.  • The  potential  list  of  course  topics  from  these  independent  institutions  is  too  large  –  

one  provider  alone  offers  over  2000  courses  -­‐  to  be  able  to  extract  any  analysis  useful  to  this  project.  

• Students  taking  these  courses  do  not  have  classmates  or  instructors,  so  there  are  no  opportunities  for  networking,  peer  discussion,  or  feedback.  

Despite  not  being  included  in  the  competitor  analysis,  it  is  important  that  [the  client]  recognizes  that  its  courses  offer  more  value  to  a  professional  engineer  than  these  websites.  The  CyBIZ  team  believes  this  to  be  true  for  the  following  reasons:  

• Students  have  the  opportunity  to  interact  with  peers  and  instructors  in  order  to  ensure  knowledge  of  the  course  topics  

• [The  client]  will  continually  evaluate  courses  based  on  student  feedback  and  interest  surveys  to  make  sure  that  topics  are  relevant  and  course  materials  are  up  to  date  

• [The  client]  is  an  accredited  institution  with  a  reputation  for  high  quality  engineering  education  and  with  graduates  who  are  employed  by  industry-­‐leading  companies  

 

 

 

Marketing  Material    Search  Engine  Results  Page  (SERP)  Analysis  and  Search  Engine  Optimization  (SEO)    After  a  brief  analysis  of  the  Google  Analytics  results  for  the  professional  development  section  of  the   [client’s]  website  we   learned   that  approximately   two-­‐thirds  of  all  users  accessing   the  page  found   it   from   a   Google   search.   The   team  was   curious   how   high   the   page   appeared   in   Google  search   results   in  order   to   gauge  whether   or  not   it   was   possible   to   get   more   users   from   this  source.   The   results   of   multiple   Google   queries   comparing   [the   client]'s   professional  development   website   with   that   of   [a   competitor],   which   consistently   appeared   significantly  higher  in  the  search  results,  are  as  follows:    

Query   [Client  website]   [Competitor  website]  engineering  professional  development  online  site:.edu   10th  result   1st  result  engineering  professional  development  site:.edu   13th  result   1st  result  universities  with  professional  development  for  engineers   19th  result   1st  result  engineering  professional  development  hours   21st  result   4th  result  engineering  professional  development  hours  online   25th  result   13th  result  engineering  professional  development  online   26th  result   2nd  result  engineering  professional  development   37th  result   1st  result  

 

engineering  ceu  Not  within  top  50  results  

 

17th  result    

engineering  continuing  education  online  Not  within  top  50  results  

 

19th  result    

engineering  ceu  online  Not  within  top  50  results  

 

19th  result    

online  engineering  courses  for  professionals  Not  within  top  50  results  

 

27th  result    

engineering  continuing  education  units  online  Not  within  top  50  results  

 

40th  result    

engineering  pdh   Not  within  top  50  results  

Not  within  top  50  results  

 

engineering  pdh  online   Not  within  top  50  results  

Not  within  top  50  results  

 

engineering  continuing  education  units   Not  within  top  50  results  

Not  within  top  50  results  

 

take  professional  engineering  courses  online  Not  within  top  50  results  

Not  within  top  50  results  

 It   is  very  clear  that  the  visibility  of  the  [the  client’s]  website,  and  by  extension  the  professional  development   courses,   is   severely   limited.   After   thoroughly   researching   principles   of   Search  Engine   Optimization   (SEO),   the   process   of   altering   a  web   page's  HTML   code   and   structure   in  

 

 

 

order  to  boost  organic  search  results,  the  team  has  the  following  recommendations  for  the  ELO  web  page:    

• Add  a  title  tag  between  the  two  head  tags  containing  keywords  users  would  search  in  order  to  find  your  web  page.  This  title  is  what  will  appear  on  the  first  line  of  a  Google  result  and  is  often  what  users  will   see   first.  Words   in   the   title   that  are  also   included   in  a  query  will  be  displayed  in  bold.  

o Ex:  <title>[Client]  Engineering  Professional  Development  Online</title>  • Add  a  description  tag  between  the  two  head  tags  containing  common  keywords  to  all  web  

pages.  This  description  tag  will  tell  users  exactly  what  the  purpose  of  your  web  page  is,  and  is  often  displayed  just  below  the  first  line  of  a  Google  result.  

o Ex:   <meta   name=”description”   content=”Take   professional   development   courses  to   earn   continuing   education   units   for   professional   engineers   online   from  [client].”></meta>  

• Add  a  keywords  tag  between  the  two  head  tags  in  order  to  increase  the  number  of  search  queries  that  will  find  the  [client]  website.  

o Ex:     <meta     name=”keywords”     content=”engineering     professional     development,  engineering  courses  online,  …  ,  engineering  continuing  education”></meta>  

• Include   a   prominent   description   of   the   web   page   on   each   main   landing   page   ([example  URLs]).  The  description  should  use  common  keywords,   including  those  that  you   identified  for  use  in  the  title,  description  and  keywords  tags,  approximately  3-­‐5  times.  

• Use    an    H1    tag    that    contains    the    most    important    keyword    or    search    term    you    have  identified  for  each  web  page.  

o Ex:  <h1>Online  Engineering  Professional  Development</h1>  • Create  an  XML  and  HTML  sitemap  for  the  entire  ELO  website  and  submit  it  to  Google  for  

indexing.  This  will  make  it  easier  for  Google  to  search  the  website,  thereby  producing  faster  and  more  prominent  results.  This  may  be  done  by  going  to  www.google.com/webmasters/  

• Add  social  media  buttons  to  the  bottom  of  the  webpage  so  various  users,  especially  young  professionals,     can     engage    with     ELO     through     a    medium    with    which     they     are    most  comfortable.  

• Use  backlinks  –  links  from  external  domains  to  your  website  -­‐  to  increase  the  sources  that  lead  to  your  web  page.  When   posting   links   on   social  media,  include  keywords  that  link  to  the  same  site,  e.g.,  professional  development.  By  linking  to  the  keywords,  Google  will  give  credit  for  both  the  keywords  and  for  the  backlink.  Many  experts  believe  that  backlinks  are  the  second  most  important  part  of  search  engine  optimization.  Also  consider  collaborating  with  bloggers,  thought  leaders  or  active  social  media  users  to  post  links  to  your  website.  A  large  number  of  high-­‐quality  or  legitimate  backlinks  will  boost  a  website’s  organic  search  results.  

 

 

 

• Use   a   tool   that   helps   tell   what   users   are   searching   for   when   they   are   directed   to   your  website.  Modify   the  website   to   include   these   terms   as   often  as  possible,   including   in   the  title,  description,  keyword,  and  paragraph  tags.  The  Google  search-­‐based  keyword   tool   is  free  and  may  be  found  at    http://www.google.com/sktool/#  

 

There  are  multiple  free  tools  online  that  will  provide  suggestions  to  optimize  your  search  engine  results.  The  CyBIZ  team  chose  to  use    www.freeseoreport.com  and    analyticsseo.com.  Both  allow  you  to  compare  multiple  websites  and  provide  a  detailed  report  within  minutes.  

       

                                             

 

 

Conclusion      Following  a  thorough  analysis  of  professional  development  courses  offered  by  [the  client]  as  well  as   competing   institutions,   the   CyBIZ   Lab   team   believes   that   by   implementing   some   minor  changes   right   away   and   gradually   implementing   more   dramatic   changes   [the   client]   should  observe  a  marked  increase  in  both  student  enrollment  and  satisfaction.  Further  experimentation  and   testing  with   delivery   format,   opportunities   for   interactivity,   and   new   course   subjects  will  ensure   that   [the   client]   develops   and   maintains   a   reputation   for   being   responsive   to   student  feedback  and  delivering  a  competitive  educational  experience.    [The   client]   should  place   its   immediate   focus   on   creating   a   course   feedback   survey   that   every  student   must   take   upon   completion   of   the   course.   Typical   survey   response   rates   lie  between   4-­‐6%,   which   makes   retrieving   feedback   from   former   students   challenging.   Further,  students  will  have  a  much  better  picture  of  what  they  did  or  did  not  like  if  they  are  asked  sooner  rather   than   later.   This   process   will   ensure   that   courses   are   consistently   meeting   students’  needs.   In   the   midst   of   redesigning   the   department  website,   [the   client]   should   also   take   into  consideration  changes,  both  cosmetic    and    structural,    that    will    increase   the    website’s   organic    visibility     in     Google.     Simply   having   more   website   traffic   should   lead   to   increased   student  enrollment.    Following   these   “quick   fixes,”   [the  client]  should   begin   evaluating   existing   courses   based   on  factors  such  as  enrollment   trends,  how  current  or  up   to  date   the  course  material   is,  how  many  other   courses   are   applicable   to   the   same   industry,   course   profitability,   etc.   Courses   are   given  inconsistent   attention   from   professors,   and   hence   are   receiving   very   inconsistent   feedback.  Implementing  prescribed  requirements   for   things   like   interactivity,  keeping  materials  updated,  and  course  materials  will  ensure  that,  regardless  of  course   taken,  students  will  have  consistent  things   to   say   when   recommending   courses   to   colleagues   or   peers.   At   this   stage,   [the   client]  should  also  implement  the  new  evaluation  process  for  professors  interested  in  introducing  a  new  professional   development   course.   This   will   ensure   that   proposals   for   new   courses   will   be  thoroughly   evaluated   in   terms   of   course   objectives,   format   and   audience,   as   well   as   market  potential.    Finally,   [the   client]   should  begin   continually  evaluating  new  methods  of  advertising  courses   to  potential   students.   The   CyBIZ   team   believes   that   promoting   courses   and   other   information  relevant   to  professional     engineers     through     social     media     channels     such     as     LinkedIn     or    Facebook     will   increase   [the  client]’s  visibility  as  well  as  convey   to  potential   students   that   [the  client]   is   placing   a   focus   on   education   that  meets   the   needs   of  modern  working   professionals.  Creating   targeted   emails   to   different  market   segments,   including   things   like   price   promotions,  testimonials,   or   new   course   announcements,   will   help   direct   potential   students   within   each  segment  to  courses  or  services  they  will  find  most  valuable.  By  keeping  up  with  how  these  direct  marketing  methods  influence  web  traffic  and  course  enrollment,  [the  client]  will  be  better  able  to  predict  how  potential  students  will  react  to  different  messages  and  adjust  accordingly.    By  keeping  a   close  eye  on  how   implementing   the   changes   included   in   this   report  affect   crucial  metrics   such   as   web   traffic,   course   enrollment,   and   course   satisfaction,   [the   client]   will  gradually   be  

- LAS

 

 

 

   able   to   make   more   informed   decisions   about   how   it   can   improve.   Making   the   entire   process  consumer-­‐centric,   from   course   development   to   implementation   and   revision,  will   position   the  [client’s]   brand   as   one   that   guarantees   valuable   educational   experiences   for   professional  engineers  and  cement  [the  client]’s  position  as  a  world-­‐  renowned  educational  institution.