End of Semester Sprint
Life is spinning out of control as we all run for the completion of the semester. To enhance student learning, I decided to take on some complex production projects for the college. The students are building an interactive CD to send with a college envoy that is going to Beijing on a global exchange. I had heard that one of our sister colleges had an interactive CD made and that it had cost over $40,000 to have it produced. Now, our CD just kicks butt on that other one. We have a sophisticated, well-designed interface (kudos to Jeanette for that) and media-rich content. We even have an introduction in Mandarin (we had hope to do Cantonese also but, alas, we ran out of time). I'm really, really, really proud of all the work that went in to that piece. Heath and M.K. have created wonderful videocasts of campus areas. Quite frankly, they started out rough but I am quite pleased and amazed with what they're doing.
Several other students have been working on a dual language Spanish/English DVD that explains what MCC has to offer and how to come to the college. From personal experience, I know the buget on this piece would be over $22,000. Students served as production crew -- recording, editing, sweetening, pressing. This project is very dear to my heart because I've attended school in Guadalajara (twice) -- this makes me very fond of the Hispanic culture and population. These students tend to seek the advice and support of their families so a native language tool will really serve these students. On top of that, current trends indicate that the Hispanice population will surpass the Caucasian population within the decade. It only makes sense that we need to start serving this market NOW. Ross, Heath, Kyle, Nick, Jason, Alec and Robby get the glory on this project. It's super cool to have them working in teams on professional projects.
Another group has been working on Spotlight Promos for specific courses of study. These 2-minute commercials are being produced, edited and streamed for the MCC website. Several student groups took on this project. Some were more successful than others. Some students thought they were "done" but others had to dig in and revise the pieces to make them more viable. In the end, it's been a compelling learning experience. I'll post a link to the promos as soon as they're ready. The goal of this project was to reveal the "exciting and rewarding" elements of these career areas, to share benefits of learning at MCC and provide information on how to enter the programs. Kudos to Jeniece, Kyle, Pam, Robby, Jason, Alec and Lindsey on these pieces. I'm thinking these promos would be budgted around $7000 each.
There are four other projects being completed by student groups. It's been fantastic. The proof, however, will be in the pudding (as they say). If these tools help us to reach the optimal target groups and increase enrollment, I'll be deleriously happy. Some people make think marketing is all negative but I think anything that helps the right people find the right path is a plus. I'll update you later on how it goes.
