This guidebook is designed for institutional leaders and student success teams who are ready to talk openly about the students they serve and who are eager to learn practical strategies from national experts and peer institutions. We cannot design an experience that meets our students where they are unless we holistically understand who they are.…

Market segmentation is an important topic for higher education administrators and researchers. For segmenting the higher education market, we have to understand what factors are important for high school students in selecting a university. Extant literature has probed the importance of rational factors such as teaching staff, campus facilities,…

Evaluated the impact of printed promotional materials on the recruitment of college freshmen using focus groups of students attending a large, southern metropolitan university. Students provided detailed suggestions on ways to improve the method of distribution, graphic design, and content of the materials. (Author/DB)

This paper explores a facet of the organizational implications of an Afrocentric perspective in American education, primarily in public schools. It also explores, through two focus groups, the perceptions of 10 African-American school administrators and 10 teachers in a graduate education supervision class. The focus groups made it clear that the…

For college admissions and publications officers, a focus group of college-bound high school students can offer quick, anecdotal information about the general effectiveness of recruitment materials as well as about specific messages, themes, or design approaches. The insights gained by one publications specialist through the use of focus groups…

Describes the use of student focus groups to review and evaluate an interdisciplinary undergraduate program. Asserts that this technique reveals more significant information than using machine scorable tests. Concludes that the instructors' role is the most important factor in student attitudes toward a course. (CFR)

Use of student focus groups to help shape college and university student recruitment efforts is examined, illustrated with the experiences of a variety of institutions. Benefits and limitations of the approach are noted, specific techniques for maximizing the groups' effectiveness are suggested, and uses of the resulting information are discussed.…

Six technology-based strategies for colleges and universities to use to address market pressures are described: behavioral research to help the institution build relationships; blind consumer surveys concerning perceptions of the institution; secret shopper research, in which unknown "shoppers" go through the enrollment process, keeping…

Describes and evaluates eight elements of a comprehensive market-research program for commuter colleges: secondary research with formal environmental scanning, local business community-needs assessment; adult community-member telephone survey, classroom survey, new student survey, focus groups, brainstorming sessions, and survey of college…

In a study of college students' experiences at a public, four-year comprehensive university, 10 students took photographs representative of their impressions of the university and discussed the underlying themes of the photographs in focus-group interviews. Several primary themes emerged, including perceptions about the physical environment,…

This study assessed student perceptions of service at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane (Australia). Data were based on open-ended discussions with 48 undergraduate focus groups during which participants were asked what they perceived to be the good and bad aspects of university life, what they did to cope with obstacles, and how…

The report combines survey findings and data from interviews and focus-group sessions on recruiting minority group members for the private college or university governing board. It discusses real and perceived obstacles and recommends resources to assist institutions. Recommendations are based on two premises: (1) more minorities are needed on…