Get inspired by the Watch Report

07 May 2019

Highlights in this issue include:

• Study New Zealand – this consortium of institutions has a huge online reach, with over one million followers on social media. What helps their website to stand out is the sense of personalisation, including an excellent five-step toolkit and a “matchmaker” tool to help users find the right course and university. 
• Education disruptors are organisations that are changing the way we teach – such as Masterclass, an online host of the very best ‘celebrity teaching’. The website has attracted millions of dollars in investment and is seen as a beacon for future and lifelong learning, featuring over 50 celebrity teachers including Gordon Ramsay, Martin Scorsese and Helen Mirren. Their Instagram feed gives an overview of samples from their teachers.

Other innovations from universities in the UK and overseas:

• The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has used a host of events and different methods to share its expertise – most notably a week-long festival called New World Disorders. Here, global thought leaders discussed and explored how social science can tackle the world’s big issues.
• National University in America is a slightly unusual institution – students study one subject at a time for one month, either on campus or online, with the aim of finishing their degree faster. Their #MY30 campaign – inspired by the fact that their classes last for 30 days – travelled across the USA for 30 days to capture the stories of 30 very different students in a variety of professions.

Finally, from outside the HE sector:

• Diesel made marketing news recently with their Be A Follower advertising drive – a celebration of not being a social media influencer, but individuals being themselves instead, in a backlash against media stereotypes.
• The new campaign for apprenticeships launched in January with a blaze of publicity, rebranded as Fire It Up. The adverts use imagery of blue sparks across videos and stills, to symbolise the energy of apprentices and change the perceptions of apprentices (they can be of any age), aiming to appeal to potential apprentices and employers alike.

Read about all of these and more in the full report. Please note this is password protected.