Building a school from the ground up
You have an idea for a school. One that the world needs. This is where it starts: with a simple desire to fill an educational gap. That might mean a specific type of training, an education targeted to a certain audience, or simply a more effective way to teach a skill. These are the insights that act as the catalyst for an entire institution.
How do you get it started?
1.
Taking classes Build Curriculum The heart of your school is the information you offer to your students. And chances are, you already have a pretty good idea of what that will be. But what to teach is usually the easy part. How to teach it is where things get more involved. Cyanna can develop curriculum in any subject area, at any educational level, for any organization. Our unique process starts with identifying what competencies and outcomes are needed from the course. From there, we blend established learning theory with the latest technology to create curriculum that not only holds students’ interest, but leads to measurable skills.
Courses must be effective and engaging. The learning environment should be interactive, but not intimidating.
Our process:
What’s it for?
Courses must lead to a specific outcome. Because people seek education to gain opportunity, like a job or a promotion, it’s imperative that relevant skills are consistently highlighted throughout courses.
What’s it mean?
A curriculum is meaningless if students aren’t learning. And it’s impossible to gauge learning without assessment and feedback. Feedback comes from students, from instructors, and potentially from employers. It continuously ensures that the curriculum is sound, that students and employers are happy, and that your institution is meeting its goals.
REVERSE ENGINEERING
Define the desired outcomes of the curriculum. What should students know? What should they be able to do?
Consider any accreditation and licensing standards that may apply.
Develop learning objectives based on this information.
Decide how to deliver courses. Classroom
Design interesting course material for all learning styles.
Blended
Visual
Online
Audio Kinesthetic
2.
Going digital Determine Technology Needs The right software automates a number of activities and keeps costs low. It frees your staff to engage in more meaningful, strategic activities. It can even increase lead conversions and alumni engagement. And of course, it can enable you to deliver classes online so your students can learn from anywhere in the world. But there are a lot of choices. Cyanna software was built specifically for institutions. With it, you can effortlessly track all student activity, from admissions to alumni. It also helps with operations management, as well as compliance. And if you’re delivering online classes, we’ll help you select the right system to integrate and customize it to your needs.
Here’s what your technology solution should manage:
ADMISSIONS Lead tracking, applications and supporting documents, acceptances, enrollment agreements
CURRENT STUDENTS
LEARNING AND CONTENT DELIVERY
Student progress, course activity, grades
Course content, syllabi, discussion boards, assignments
ALUMNI
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
$
TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID Financial aid disbursements, student balances, scholarship information
COMPLIANCE State reporting of enrollment, completion, placement, and other state requirements
Contact information and personal details, donation history
Satisfactory academic progress, student feedback, leave of absences, attendance, transfer of credit
Although all these elements don’t need to be managed by the same software platform, take care to choose solutions that integrate seamlessly.
3.
Putting it all together Create an organization structure It’s not as exciting as curriculum and technology, but organization is just as important when establishing a new institution. Putting the right organization in place ensures that your school will run correctly from the very beginning, and will easily scale as you grow. Cyanna has its roots in regulatory compliance and organizational management. We use our expertise to ensure that new institutions are compliant with regulations and organized efficiently and effectively. That way, you enjoy immediate success, and are set up for long term growth.
Know your regs
The organization of your institution may be subject to regulatory requirements, depending on your location. You’ll need to obtain any and all required licenses before you start offering classes to ensure compliance.
Staff up
Initially, a new institution of higher education looks something like this: PRESIDENT
DEAN OF ACADEMICS
Oversees all operations, and has specific financial and administrative oversight
Manages faculty and ongoing curriculum needs
FACULTY
IT MANAGER
Teach and support students in their courses
Ensures that technology functions as expected, there should be at least one IT staff member
ADMISSIONS/ STUDENT SERVICES COORDINATOR
ADVISORY BOARD
Connects with potential students and assists enrolled students with questions about the institution.
AS AN INSTITUTION GROWS,
Though not required initially, an advisory board is invaluable in the early stages of an institution, especially when degree programs tie to a specific industry or career..
the organization structure grows with it. Logical next additions include a Marketing Director, Financial Aid Director, Library Manager, Academic Advisors, and Placement Coordinator.
4.
Making sure it runs Establish operational procedures Operations tie every aspect of your institution together. To be effective, operations must include the right internal rules and regulations for your programs, your students, your staff, and your faculty. Cyanna can guide new institutions to operational success, by assisting with the creation of key documents, including budget, goals, policies, and procedures.
Get started with these operations basics: Budget
Should cover at least one year of operations. Get real about expenses, revenue, and funding. A new institution that does not have a realistic operational budget will fail before it even enrolls its first student.
Guiding framework
An institution should establish a foundation to guide its actions. SHORT TERM BUSINESS GOALS Define specific, measurable objectives to be achieved within 12 months
LONG TERM BUSINESS GOALS Define specific, measurable objectives to be achieved within two to five years
VISION Defines where the institution is going
Student Catalog
Fosters student success and sets expectations.
Employee Handbook
MISSION Defines why the institution exists
Guides activities, while allowing for creativity and continual improvement.
None of these items should be static.
In any successful institution, the business plans, goals, and even the mission and vision are periodically evaluated and refined to keep up with the needs of the institution, the students, and the industry.
5.
Getting the word out Create a brand and marketing strategy Once you know how your institution will run internally, the final step is figuring out how to present it to potential students, and inspiring them to apply. Cyanna’s experienced brand and marketing team has helped a number of institutions find their unique story and share it with the world. We’ll work with you to create a brand, web presence, and other communications that show how you’re different than other schools — and why students should care.
Brand Strategy
Using your mission, vision, and goals as a guide, you’ll need to consider how those things extend to an external audience. Here are a few of the things you should define: AUDIENCE
KEY MESSAGES
What type of student are you looking for? Where are they now? What other institutions are they considering? Understanding who you’re talking to is critical to understanding what you should say.
What are the top three things you want potential students to know? And what’s in it for them? It’s important to be consistent in your messaging, and let audiences know exactly how it will benefit them.
POSITIONING
What makes you unique from other schools? Making your position in the market clear helps you stand out.
Brand Foundation and Tactics
Use your brand strategy to inspire how your brand will ultimately present itself. LOGO
Your logo represents your institution at the highest level. Make it easily recognizable, and make sure there’s meaning behind it.
BRAND LANGUAGE
Aa
Your brand should have an established set of colors, a consistent font, and a consistent photographic style at the very least.
MARKETING PLAN
Working within your established marketing budget, develop materials that will drive results. When materials are consistent, your brand will be more recognizable.
Ask questions like: What are the goals we need our communications to help us accomplish? Which are priority? Who are the most important audiences to target first? • What kind of digital presence should we have? • What types of support materials does each department need? For example, does admissions need an overview brochure? • Do academic departments need program description guides? • How is our audience used to communicating? How can we meet them there? • •
Building a school from the ground up: WorldQuant University Cyanna worked closely with the WorldQuant University team to take this tuition-free, online Master’s degree program from the idea stage to a fully functioning university. Here’s a quick look at how we did it.
1 Build curriculum Cyanna instructional designers worked with experienced professors to develop 14 courses equivalent to 42 semester hours. Courses were designed to address the social, emotional, and educational needs of adult learners. The content addresses the different types of learners—auditory, visual, kinesthetic—and includes lectures, reading assignments, applied learning, and assessment tools.
2 Determine
technology needs Cyanna technologists and curriculum specialists made all courses and materials easily available to students in a customized learning management system. WQU uses our software platform to manage student information and institutional operations.
3 Create an
organization structure Cyanna consultants determined proper regulatory agencies, including state jurisdiction and an accrediting body, to guide creation of a compliant organizational structure. We outlined the initial organization hierarchy as well as identified a plan for organizational growth as enrollment increased. We developed and submitted the application for state licensure.
4 Establish
operational procedures Cyanna developed student policies to meet both the regulations for state licensure and the accrediting agency. We determined the operating budget for years one through three, and analyzed non-traditional revenue generation models, since the university is tuition-free.
5 Create a brand
and marketing strategy Cyanna articulated key messages for the university and identified the best ways to reach target audiences. Working with international PR partners, we executed extensive creative tactics including the WQU website, social media outreach, print and digital ads, traditional PR, and speaking engagements.
At Cyanna, we’ve seen how education can transform lives. And we’re driven to be a fundamental part of delivering education to everyone. We serve educators and related regulatory agencies in four key areas: Licensing, compliance, and accreditation consulting
Curriculum licensing and development
Software licensing and development
Brand and marketing
How can we help you?
Cyanna Education Services
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info@cyanna.com
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1 (888) 845-2634
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P.O. Box 177
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Granville, Ohio 43023