The education industry is facing numerous challenges, from retaining valuable staff to managing the financial constraints of constant changes in government policies. However, these institutions must prevail, as their role in society is to push for economic growth and a high quality of life.
Unfortunately, competing with social media and the rise of AI is making it difficult for educational organisations to shift their attention to what truly matters — studying and continuous learning. Research shows that relying too heavily on AI can impact critical thinking skills, so relying entirely on external tools for mental labor might not be as beneficial as we initially believed when it became possible.
Overall, the educational system isn’t convincing enough in emphasizing the importance of writing, reading, and consulting resources for forming objective opinions. One of the reasons for that is their lack of digital presence, which could target young people and improve their feeds to recalibrate the focus towards education.
But how can businesses do this?
Increasing strategic partnerships
As a business focused on education, finding support and nurturing collaborations is crucial to our evolution. This includes attracting investors, professors, or speakers, as well as reaching out for internship opportunities. So, whether your organisation can work with other local businesses, NGOs, or even government agencies, the opportunities are limitless when it comes to improving the students’ lives.
These strategies can start as small as a partnership with a free business email tool that offers features like automating forwards, scheduling, and snoozing emails, as well as writing better emails. Of course, keeping in touch with potential collaborators also means attending special events to grow the business’s networking resources, so management should truly emphasize the need to connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs. For instance, programming schools might seek collaborations with tech companies for potential internships or the opportunity to utilise the latest software and hardware.
Expanding content creation across platforms
A growing number of universities are leveraging the benefits of social media platforms like TikTok to expand their audience and establish themselves as authoritative sources in their respective niches. The University of Oxford is one of them, whose content is relatable to Gen Z students, therefore boosting student recruitment and brand appeal.
Apps like TikTok are great for universities since they already target the demographic alignment by posting in an environment mostly used by people aged 18 and above. Moreover, by approaching authenticity and peer influence, schools can improve their recruitment numbers.
Therefore, having student-centric content with clips like “day in the life of a student”, or edutainment, the term outlining the mix of having fun and learning, are definitely strategies for each educational business to try.
Maintaining a responsive website
This aspect seems challenging for many universities and schools, whose students struggle to find the information they need on the official website. Most of these online ecosystems hadn’t been updated since the Ice Age, so they’re either slow at loading or lack responsiveness when clicking on a link.
This is a disappointing feature that minimises trust and reliance on an educational business, so investing in a fast-loading, modern, and useful website is a non-negotiable. Therefore, you may consider:
- Using a responsible design for desktop and mobile devices;
- Optimising speed by choosing the right hosting service plan;
- Using graphics and images to emphasise text;
- Improving the homepage with basic information for students;
- Linking all socials on the webpage;
There are numerous aspects that may need improvement on a website, so starting with an audit and conducting regular tests on its productivity is important.
What type of content should an education business create?
For those who are unsure about where to start with social media, the easiest and most approachable strategy is to write blogs and articles. Seeking subjects that students might find relatable, such as tips on how to study or guidelines for exams, is great for establishing a connection with the student.
Creating communities is one of the most frequent methods of connecting students with teachers, as it encourages engagement. Private groups on social media apps, such as WhatsApp, are an example of where generations can meet in the middle for conversations and ask and answer questions. This also makes teachers more approachable, as emailing can be somewhat formal in some instances.
By far, video tutorials are the most useful for students on social media, especially if they follow a subject they struggle with. Short and focused lessons are best for formats like TikTok videos, and they can be compiled into a series in which professors tackle challenging subjects. Introducing visuals, like diagrams, can help simplify certain concepts.
How much does entertainment contribute to learning?
We’re living in one of the most dynamic eras of human history, in which information is learned at lightning speed. In a way, we can say we’re bombarded with information, especially from social media, so why choose to learn when you can grasp a concept fleetingly from a TikTok?
The general opinion might be that students are not spending as much time learning as their previous generations did. However, they don’t need to, because they’re more used to attaining information in a unique manner. Therefore, instead of banning the use of social media, institutions, educators, and parents should learn to limit it, as well as guide children and teenagers towards educational content.
It’s essential that schools and educational institutions adapt their methods in response to social changes, while still providing students with a solid foundation on which to build for life. The use of social media could help improve the movement of lifelong learning, in which people deliberately pursue education for personal development, rather than solely for a diploma.
Final considerations
Having a digital presence as an educational business is imperative for connecting with younger audiences and establishing a genuine connection with teachers. However, being on social media as a school can help attract valuable collaborators, through which students might have more opportunities for the future. In addition, combining learning with entertainment is a successful way to help students thrive and still use social media.