Óbuda University e‐Bulletin Vol. 2, No. 1, 2011 Supporting Higher Education Marketing with
Results of Graduate Career Track System
Vera Göndör1, Zoltán Koczor2, József Gáti3
Óbuda University
1
Centre for Quality Management, gondor.vera@rkk.uni-obuda.hu
2
Centre for Quality Management, koczor.zoltan@rkk.uni-obuda.hu
3
Rector's Office, gati@uni-obuda.hu
Abstract: Marketing, a supportive process embedded in a network of
interrelationships, can support the goals of the organization. Managing the
organizational marketing requires that the relevant facts should be collected and their
effects and resource needs controlled. Important aims of quality management are to
evaluate process characteristics and to use the data for process development. In our
research we present the assessment and improvement processes of the graduate
carrier track system (GCTS) by connecting marketing activities in a conscious way.
In practice, we used for our statements the results of GTCS which was carried out in
recent years.
Keywords: higher education, marketing, goal setting, development, graduate carrier
track system
1
Introduction
We have carried out conscious quality development in our institution to maintain
the values of earlier decades. Our institution is ISO 9001 certified, which provided
the opportunity and the background for the developments. Today our institution
operates a TQM-based management system adapted to the education environment.
The basis of quality development is a multi-cycle assessment system. The internal
surveys have provided us with information for several years. Besides that, our
institution won an application which allowed us develop a new career track
system (CTS) for graduates. [1]
The measurements are implemented at different points of the education lifecycle
to receive proper feedback. The results of the different surveys are meaningful
also on their own, but their relationships also convey useful information. The
measurement and the acknowledgement through feedback of constant changes in
student needs can result in considerable success. The surveys are implemented at
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V. Göndör et al. Supporting Higher Education Marketing with Results of Graduate Career Track System different points of the four-cycle evaluation model, differing primarily in the
perspective of the participants.
The first element of the hierarchical examination system, and an important output
of student satisfaction and marketing efficiency, is to understand student’s ideas
about the PR processes. Besides their satisfaction, it is worth asking students’
opinion about the importance of certain elements. Similarly to a satisfaction scale,
importance can be demonstrated on an importance scale. [4]
Work success measurement (student career)
Alumni career tracking
Competitiveness of graduates
Labour market
Social judgments
Separate marketing processes
Final assessment of the educational process
Assessment during the educational process
Marketing
assessment
Motivation for choosing the institute
The efficiency of marketing work
Forums for publicizing the results Separate marketing processes
Educational methods, knowledge, service
Improving the curricula
• Carrier assessment of alumni • Evaluation of sectoral
graduated 1‐3‐5 years ago organizations
Improving majors and specialties
Figure 1
The place of marketing assessments and GCTS in the four-cycle assessment model
It is worth building marketing components into the student lifecycle. The ideas
and labour market status of graduates, however, should be surveyed in a separate
process. Graduates can be supported on the basis of the results, improving their
labour market success. In our institution, we compare the knowledge of our
graduates to that of their competitors in the profession. Our surveys show their
strengths, which convinces them that their educational institution deserved their
trust. Their weaknesses, on the other hand, provide us with information, on the
basis of which we offer further specialization courses for the alumni and keep
contact with them. The marketing of this can be planned on the basis of a graduate
career track system (GCTS). [4]
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Óbuda University e‐Bulletin 2
Vol. 2, No. 1, 2011 Quality Planning of the Content of Marketing
Processes
A practical methodology can be developed as part of policy deployment for a
more conscious goal setting. The basis of that is to search for the goals of certain
supportive processes in a hierarchical system. The organization can reach its
actual strategic aims through activities defined on certain process levels. The
management can raise efficiency by arranging the elements in a cause-and-effect
system, even though these elements are sometimes antagonistic, and/or against the
organizational interests.
Key indicators
Main organizational goals
Objectives of subfields
Objectives of different activities
Activity centered indicators
Figure 2
Policy deployment
Marketing activities can be implemented as independent processes, but other
activities, seemingly irrelevant to marketing, might also have significant
marketing impact. Managing the organizational marketing requires that the
relevant facts should be collected and their effects and resource needs controlled.
The different activities of different periods can be mapped, and by weighting them
we can measure to what extend they serve the organizational values. We can
provide an order of values by weighting each value to be conveyed the marketing.
The individual activities will not reflect the same order. Some elements will gain
more emphasis, and some will turn out to be of less importance. It would be a
problem if the marketing activities of an institute, boasting the scientific approach,
could only reflect the enthusiastic student community. If this happens, we should
eliminate the problem with supplementary actions. [2]
– 49 –
V. Göndör et al. Supporting Higher Education Marketing with Results of Graduate Career Track System “Pasta bridge building” competition
Socially useful Graduates of high
knowledge demand
Specialists appearing in the media
A high
Scientist lecturers
scientific level
Alumni gatherings
…
A stable way of A high level of
thinking infrastructure
Environmental protection design festival
A DVD introducing the institution
Student community Sport, culture
Historical roots
Open days
…
Emotional
attachment
…
Figure 3
Institutional goals on the map of marketing activities
2
Using gcts data in marketing processes
We used a questionnaire for the survey. Ensuring the representative sample of
respondents constituted a problem – we continuously work on solving this issue,
based on our first experiences. The questions collect data in a system for the above
mentioned aims. It was important for the evaluation that a large-scale survey about
graduates’ status (obtaining their degrees in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010) has been
carried out on a national level in Hungary.
More data will be available from these surveys in the forthcoming years. At the
end of this year’s survey, we will have enough data for a thorough evaluation. We
plan the first supportive analysis for this time as well. Besides analysing the fact,
we would give practical support in self-positioning and in defining what types of
specialization courses would be necessary in the future. For this, a proper
marketing plan should be made.
2.1 Response rates and representativeness
Students with active student status participated in our student motivation survey.
The survey ranged over every university year and every major. Students received
a message via the Neptun system about the survey, asking them to fill in an online
questionnaire. The survey was implemented in May 2011. Students received a
message before closing down the survey.
We received 2756 evaluable answers This means a response rate of 28 per cent
(total number of students is 9849).
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Óbuda University e‐Bulletin Vol. 2, No. 1, 2011 Response rate 2011
Rate of interviewed
Student motivation survey
Response rate
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Faculty BGK
Faculty KGK
Faculty KVK
Faculty NIK
Faculty RKK
Figure 4
Response rate in BA/BSc and MA/MSc education (active students)
Considering the specific indices and the distribution, the survey can be considered
representative. The results allow us to draw conclusions mainly about full time
education. The rate of students and graduates in different groups, which were
segmented by our factors, do not significantly differ from the rate of responses
received from the different segments.
We collected data about graduates years before making the present survey: we
asked them to participate in a career track system when they were taking their
final exams. As part of the survey, we asked graduates in an email to fill in an
online questionnaire. Response rate was lower then expected, presumable because
graduates were busy finding their place in the labour market. We received 513
evaluable answers (graduated in 2008 and 10). This means a response rate of 14,5
per cent (total number of students is 2613). Response rate can be considered
representative only in case of some majors.
Rate of interviewed
Response rate 2011
Response rate
Graduated in 2008 and 2010 100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Faculty
BGK
Faculty
KGK
Faculty
KVK
Faculty
NIK
Faculty
RKK
2008
Faculty
BGK
Faculty
KGK
Faculty
KVK
2010
Figure 5
Response rate in BA/BSc and MA/MSc education (graduates)
– 51 –
Faculty
NIK
Faculty
RKK
V. Göndör et al. Supporting Higher Education Marketing with Results of Graduate Career Track System Based on the results, our main objective throughout the survey development is to
increase response rate. For this we announce a competition between the faculties,
and expect that the competitive attitude which characterized the graduates when
they were still active students will constitute a strong motivation force. The
winner of the competition will receive support for organizing alumni events, and
we can use quality feedback to improve our results.
2.2 Evaluating plans about further education
As part of the student motivation survey, we also asked participants about their
plans about further education.
Do you plan to participate in further higher education or other forms of education in the next 5 to 10 years? (Student motivation survey)
Surely not
Unlikely
Probably yes
Surely yes
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Faculty BGK
Faculty KGK
Faculty KVK
Faculty NIK
Faculty RKK
Figure 6
Participating in further education (Student motivation survey 2011)
The most common idea for those who expressed their wish to continue education
was to enter MSc courses, company trainings and specialty education. Those
planning to participate in the doctoral programs were considerably high in both
groups.
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Óbuda University e‐Bulletin Vol. 2, No. 1, 2011 In the future, what type of education do you plan to participate in? ‐ Asked from those who wish to participate in further education. (Student motivation survey)
Percentage of all answers
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Company Other, not Vocational Specialty
BA/BSc
trainings accredited
higher postgraduate
and courses courses
education education
Five‐year
programme
MA/MSc
Doctoral Obligatory Other types
programs courses for of education
(PhD/DLA) specialty
exam
Figure 7
Active students’ plans about their further education (2011)
Needs concerning adult education
We also asked graduates about different fields of their profession. The responses
reflect two important aspects: the answers reflect both the needs for further
education and the actual level of knowledge.
Required abilities, skills for labor market
ABILITIES, SKILLS ‐
needs and results Performance evaluation by graduates (20008, 2010)
Needs of active students
Basic science knowledge
supporting logical thinking
100%
Economic and management
Ability to set goals
knowledge, skills
80%
Interpersonal and
communication skills
60%
Knowledge in one's special field
40%
20%
Written expression
0%
Effective team work skills and
creative techniques
Thorough practical skills in one’s special field (on the level of implementation)
Ability to learn, educate
themselves
Thorough, practice‐oriented IT skills in one’s special field
Oral expressive, persuasive
skills
Special foreign language skills in one’s special field
General IT skills
Figure 8
First results of the GCT system showing what knowledge types graduates consider important (2011)
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V. Göndör et al. Supporting Higher Education Marketing with Results of Graduate Career Track System The results serve as an important input for the institution’s adult education
development plans. The needs concerning the length of the courses are useful in
the development the content and form of education. Based on the results, the most
important are: the standardization of education forms, the development of the
modular system and the acknowledgement of personal needs.
Mark the three most important fields in which you think the institution should provide modern further education for its graduates
(graduated in 2008 and 2010‐ben )
Faculty BGK
One‐day courses conveying basic science
knowledge
Faculty KGK
2 to 10‐day long daytime courses
Faculty NIK
Faculty KVK
Faculty RKK
2 to 6‐month long correspondence courses
1‐2 year long correspondence or distance
courses with a certificate
Distance courses requiring a one day
preparation
Distance courses requiring a few days
preparation
The institution should find other forms of
education
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Percentage of all answers
30%
35%
Figure 9
Needs for further education II (Graduate career track 2011)
We expect to provide improved results on the following fields in the future:
− improve marketing efficiency in accordance with the strategic aims of the
university
− improve the results of the GCTS by connecting processes and marketing
activities in a conscious way
− we would like to improve respondent rate and the efficiency of GCTS
processes.
Conclusions
The analysis of career track data allows a critical view of the system, and serves as
the basis for improvement. In the next phases of our research we will make
corrections both in the contents and the format of the surveys in order to support
more efficient institutional developments. We wish to improve response rate by
using powerful motivating tools. The first phase of data collection and analysis
was successful, but there are several points where further improvements are
necessary. We started using the data in several ways, but there are some areas
where we need to collect more information. We can conclude, however, that the
surveys represent new opportunities in regulating the higher education system.
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Óbuda University e‐Bulletin Vol. 2, No. 1, 2011 Acknowledgement
Special thanks to our responding students and graduates for providing us with
useful information in the survey.
The works aiming the developments are implemented with support of the
application titled „Student and Institution Service Development in Higher
Education” as part of the Hungarian Social Renewal Operational Programme
(TÁMOP-4.1.1-08/2/KMR-2009-0005).
References
[1]
BUDAPEST TECH Politechnical Institution: Self-evaluation tender
document to Higher Education Quality Award (2009)
[2]
Koczor, Z., Gáti, J.: Minőségirányítás és marketing, Egyetemi marketing,
Edited by Töröcsik M., Kuráth G., 2010, pp 209-232
[3]
Koczor, Z.; Némethné Erdődi, K., Göndör, V.; improvements realized
using self-evaluation based on quality award in higher education, 45th
International Congress IFKT, Ljubljana, 27-29 May 2010., pp. 215 ISBN
978-961-6045-79-7
[4]
Koczor, Z.; Göndör, V.; Gáti, J.; Kertész, Z.: Supporting higher education
marketing with quality management tools, Autex 2011, pp. 711-714, ISBN
978-2-7466-2858-8
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