Manchester U. & Open University Team Up to Target Foreign Students

http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/overseasstudents/story/0,,1719178,00.html

 

Ric Romero discovers online education?

These represent a textbook case of what is known as 'line extension' in marketing. It is as if a car dealership expanded into motorcycles.

Meanwhile, proprietary universities built from the ground up seem to be doing quite well: Kaplan, UoP, DeVry, etc.

On the other hand, it would be instructive to know why NSU and UMUC have done so well.

In other words, two large universities are in talks, and this a forward-looking press release.

At least they have a focused marketing strategy.

Seen in the light of what is said about China, below, this goal seems to be a bit optimistic.

It will be interesting to see if they get the pricing right.

As, for example, with Amazon.com, eBay, and other dot.com successes.

The article does not make it clear how they plan to reach their students.

If they work with existing universities, they will have a tough time reaching a new student base. It isn't as if Harvard Online's outreach to single mothers is what drove the dot.edu boom. It was UoP's outreach to potential students who are excluded from mainstream education or appreciate the convenience.

The notion that everyone deserves an education is a predominantly Anglo/American phenomenon. In many other areas of the world, university education is perquisite of the elite.

Partnering with the state university in Uzbekistan will not necessarily improve access to higher education for working single mothers there, and below they compare setting up campuses with imperialism.

Um, "higher education is on the brink of an industrial revolution"? "struggling to take off until the advent of [a new enabling technology]"?

Quick! Someone call Ric Romero! Alan Gilbert has just discovered... wait for it... wait for it...

The Internet!!!

Cue music.

More at 11.

I hope representatives from UoP, NSU, UMUC, Kaplan, et.al. are reading this. They might learn a thing or two.

Below, the article talks about how foreign enrollments in British universities are dropping. In economics, we call that 'falling demand' and not 'growing demand'.

I really hope representatives from UoP, NSU, UMUC, Kaplan, et.al. are reading this. I'll bet they haven't figured this one out yet.

Perhaps, someone at Thomson worked out that the average monthly salary among 'the masses' is about the same as the cover price of one of their textbooks.

Watch very closely how the Chinese and Indians deal with the textbook issue. Instructors there can be had for a couple hundred dollars per month.

Will they bootleg, share, home-grow, or use free curriculum materials?

It is interesting that Manchester and OU expect to take over the world, when lower-cost alternatives are coming to the table. As I mention above, I wonder how they will price their educational services.

The only way to survive in this market is to focus on a very specialized niche.

I wonder what distance programs they have.

If a) the trend is toward a hybrid on-line/on-ground model, b) existing universities are accustomed to serving only the top students, and c) setting up campuses is 'neocolonial', then how do Manchester and OU plan to deliver instruction?

I predict that millions of pounds will be shed, before they get their business model right.

 

Re: Ric Romero discovers online education?

Very thought provoking response.

 

The textbook costs for Chinese students is much lower compared to North American students (and I assume European students as well). I was teaching for a Chinese university this summer and filled my suitcase with massive quantities of CUP and OUP books. Titles that would have easily set me back $50-75 CAD at my local Canadian university could be had for the equivalent of $4-20CAD thanks to a publishing arrangement with the Foreign Press Department.

My wife wasn't to happy with the gifts I brought back (The History of Linguistics, Morpho-Semantic Interfaces and other catchy titles) but I sometimes dream of returning for the book prices alone!!!!