Yes, you can!
“Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; and if it is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
However, it is possible to master the concepts and go beyond your own expectations in how to analyze data and use it to make strategic decisions. More than 500 higher ed professionals have taken the courses I teach at Higher Ed Experts. Many of these marketers begin the courses without much background in the concepts. For many, the topic is brand new. They know there is something to analytics. They have heard colleagues talk about it and have heard the idea of data-driven marketing praised at conferences–and with good reason. However, when we hear a concept during a conference presentation, it can seem daunting to dive in and learn it on our own.
Steps by steps towards mastery in Web Analytics
In the Web Analytics for Higher Ed course I teach, I often find it most rewarding to see the “lightbulb turn on” around Advanced Segments in our Week 3 discussion. The students begin in Week 1 with the core concepts and foundational principles, progress into applying website goals within the larger institutional objectives in Week 2, and then fully explore how to give context to the numbers in Week 3. Week 4 is then focused on how to analyze and present the data in a digestible way to others.
Note that the student’s own ability to analyze the data grows over that time period until their mastery of the concepts allows them to teach others around them.
I see similar progressions in the other classes I teach. The multi-week nature of the classes makes it ideal for learning bite-sized pieces of information, letting it sink in, and applying it.
I feel lucky to be able to help students move through this process. Is it challenging? Yes. That is where the “experts” part of Higher Ed Experts comes in–learn from experts to become experts, which is not easy.
It takes effort, but it is possible and worth it. Most importantly, it is well within your reach.
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 teaches Higher Ed Expert’s 4-week online course on Web Analytics for Higher Education as well as 3 other advanced courses.