It’s Never Just Analytics for #HigherEd

Teaching higher ed analytics to hundreds of professionals since 2010

I first began teaching Web Analytics for Higher Ed in September 2010. Since then, I have taught more than 300 higher education marketing and web professionals about Web Analytics. However, I don’t like to think about it as just teaching analytics. The course is actually much more than that.

For many students, taking Web Analytics for Higher Ed is the first time they have considered how their role at their school impacts the entire institution. This is not something that we are often asked to consider.

I think that our jobs often become a routine task. We come into work, do a few things, talk with our co-workers, go to some meetings, spend a few more hours in front of a computer screen, and go home. Repeat the next day, week, month, year… Our institutions do not always do a great job of letting us know how each position affects the greater mission of the school.

In higher ed, your job is not just…

A web developer does not just develop a website. A marketer does not just craft a message and place ads. Those things might be part of what they do, but it is not the complete story.

A web developer develops a website that may be the gateway for the first time a prospective student encounters a school and learns about the message and purpose of the school–the thing that the marketer spent many hours researching and crafting. Why? All to get that prospective student to take the next step to learn about the school, the program, and how education can change a student’s life forever.

That is certainly not the only purpose. There are many objectives that a university hopes to meet. When we look at the lifespan of higher education, we cannot just consider the individual elements or the simple tasks of the day. Sure, we need to know what we need to complete. But it is much more rewarding when we consider that our work impacts not only one or two people’s lives–it impacts many lives over many generations.

Your work can help change lives

We typically do not think in these terms. When we consider what a website goal may be, or how to segment the data to evaluate the right audience, we must think in these terms. We must consider the full website user experience, the full prospective student experience, and the full alumni engagement process.

Our role as higher education marketing and web professionals places us in the center of the experience. We help set the stage and show our audience who we are–as an institution made up of many parts.

In truth, my goal is never just to teach web analytics.

I want to teach higher ed professionals how to understand their audience, assess their needs and preferences, and create a better experience that meets those objectives.

I hope to provide the context for that analysis and some best practices for making improvements. I want to show you how you can use data to inform your decisions and recommendations. I want to help you make a difference–in your job, at your institution, and in the world.

Meet the Faculty: Joshua Dodson

Higher Ed Experts is a professional online school for digital professionals working in universities and colleges.

When you take a professional certificate course with us, you get a chance to upgrade your skills by working on your projects, interacting with classmates just like you and getting detailed personalized feedback from your instructor.

Joshua Dodson is a Google Analytics qualified web expert who has worked with numerous colleges and universities to improve their web presence and better understand their user trends. Before joining Bentley University as Director of Digital Marketing, Dodson worked as the Director of SEO at SNHU and the Web Strategy and SEO Administrator for Eastern Kentucky University. He has taught hundreds of higher education marketing professionals how to use analytics and SEO through the courses he teaches for Higher Ed Experts.

Joshua teaches Higher Ed Expert’s 4-week online course on Web Analytics for Higher Education as well as 3 other advanced courses.