Team E Final Report

Marketing Research for

DeSales University ACCESS Program

MK-410 Marketing Research

Dr. Sue McGorry

Team E

By: Stanley Anton, Mark-Anthony Gaunt, Matt Houseal & Stefany Tranchitella

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary: ………………….........................................................3I. Introduction

A. Product/Services ………….……………………………….......5B. Mission & History …………...................................................7

II. Environmental AnalysisA. Market Profile

1. Target Size …………..................................................82. Market Leaders …………...........................................83. Demographics …………………..................................9 4. Political/Legislative Issues ……................................105. Economics ………….................................................126. Social-Cultural Patterns ………….............................137. Competition …………................................................148. Technological Issues ………………….......................16

B. Target Market …………........................................................16C. Demand Trend ………….......................................................16D. Strengths & Weaknesses ………….......................................17 E. Threats & Opportunities ………….........................................19

III. Research Objective ……..................................................................20IV. Research Design ……......................................................................22V. Sampling Plan ……….......................................................................25VI. Data Collection ………………….......................................................25

VII. Data Analysis ……………………......................................................26VIII. Results & Summary …………………................................................29

IX. Works Cited ..……………………………………………………....…....31X. Appendix …………………………………………………………….…..32

Executive Summary:

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Throughout the course of this research paper, we will walk the reader through

our process of collecting data from current DeSales ACCESS students in order to better

understand why they study at DeSales and while also discovering possible methods to

expand the reach of the ACCESS program. Since 1976, the ACCESS program has won

multiple awards and has been known for its flexible, yet fulfilling, session lengths.

Our environmental analysis enabled us to better understand the market and

formulate questions accordingly. We analyzed many different factors, such as

competition, demand trends, market size, political/legislative issues, etc. From this

investigation, we were better able to understand how to ascertain our primary goals and

the proper methodology necessary. This led us to start developing our survey questions

that would best apply to the ACCESS students that are relevant to the survey. We then

conducted a SWOT analysis in order to better gauge what exactly the ACCESS

program represents.

The research objectives of the project were to give us guidelines on what we

believe needs to be accomplished throughout the entirety of the project. These

objectives cover how we obtained both the primary data (by means of the survey) and

secondary data (by means of additional research). The design of the research was to

create an effective, short survey in order to properly comprehend the typical ACCESS

student’s opinion of the program. We planned to travel to multiple classes holding

ACCESS classes, as well as email a digital version of the survey to all ACCESS

students, in order to receive as many completed surveys as possible. This was due to

the fact that we wish to not find the data range too small or skewed in any shape or

form. There were also be interviews that we conducted to allow ACCESS students to

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answer questions more thoroughly than someone taking the survey. The additional

research came in the forms of discovering how much of a threat our current competition

poses, and whether or not there are any changes in the political atmosphere that would

affect enrollment in any sense.

The data collection lists our methods of delivering surveys to the classrooms and

the process of how we conducted the interviews. The obstacles, and any possible bias,

will be listed as well. When we analyzed all the data we collected, we found ourselves

better equipped to notice possible trends and correlations regarding what works in the

ACCESS program and the biggest reasons why people choose our program over other

competition. Throughout this case study, we will begin to list our results and possible

suggestions that DeSales could implement into the ACCESS program in order to

expand and become an even stronger player in the market.

We hope that the project will be able to answer any questions, both newly

discovered and existing, and provide enough strategies in order to plan the next step for

the ever-growing DeSales ACCESS program.

I. Introduction

DeSales University ACCESS Program markets an award winning adult learning

program that offers flexible class schedules. The Access program is for busy adults

looking to earn their degree, finish their degree, or complete a certification program.

ACCESS is an accelerated program that permits an adult to earn their degree within 4-5

years, contingent on their class schedule. Access students can choose from day, night,

weekends, or online classes to complete an accelerated degree or a certificate

program. DeSales’ ACCESS program has eleven different start dates throughout the

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year, and offers ACCESS students the option to register as a full or part-time student.

ACCESS students have the opportunity to choose from three conveniently located

campuses. The three locations include Center Valley, Lansdale, and Bethlehem

campuses. The different types of classes offered are in class, online, and hybrid forms,

which is a mix of online and one in-class day per week. Hybrid classes are a common

favorite because of the benefit of experiencing the different learning channels. ACCESS

features classes which are small and intimate, allowing the students to be in a

comfortable environment conducive to learning.

The ACCESS program offers many resources to their students in an effort to

support their many academic needs. ACCESS advisors are very responsive to the

needs of students that recognize the challenges and obstacles facing an adult learner.

Advisors can assist with scheduling classes and tutoring sessions. There are 180

adjunct professors for the ACCESS program, which are part-time instructors who are

still working full-time in their industry. Adjunct professors are able to bring in real world

experiences and apply it to specific subjects in the classroom. Full-time faculty are also

part of the ACCESS program and usually teach one class each semester.

The mission of the ACCESS program is to provide lifelong learners with a liberal

arts education and professional training in the Christian Humanist tradition emphasizing

excellence, individual attention and program flexibility. This mission is still being upheld,

considering the large enrollment each year and the dedicated professors that provide

great attention to their students and course material.

The history of the ACCESS program is captured in, In Drawing out the

Goodness: From Allentown College to DeSales University (2002). Allentown College

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continuing education evening degree program was the first evening accelerated

program in the Lehigh Valley and one of the first in Pennsylvania. The original evening

accelerated degree program began by offering only one degree – the B.S. in Accounting

and Business. It was the first 8-week session that started on August 30, 1976. The class

enrolled 50 students and the tuition was $55/credit hour. The program was given the

name ACCESS, which was invented by Father Gambet. The acronym stood for

Allentown College Continuing Education and Summer Sessions (p. 122).

Some of the struggles for the ACCESS program in the early 80s included

expanding the program, in terms of increasing staff, financial resources, and career

counseling. ACCESS made their faculty more aware of the different learning styles and

needs of their students. The faculty became more agile and creative in adapting their

courses and teaching strategies. In the late 70s, Allentown College also had a program

called Agile, which was for an independent and disciplined student who learned through

different channels, such as computer, videocassette recorder, television, and the

Internet. It was similar to the flexibility of what the online classes offer today. Throughout

the 80s and 90s, more resources became available for ACCESS students. For example,

library hours extended and DeSales also expanded some of the available food services,

in order to make the ACCESS experience better. In 1987, the ACCESS program was

approved by the Commission of Higher Education of the Middle States Association,

allowing the program to expand to Easton, Pennsylvania. In the Fall of 2000, ACCESS

enrollment was 1,869 full-time students and 471 part-time students. One of ACCESS

slogans in 1999 was, “Because the best way to get ahead, is to go back”, which

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promoted the new common trend of adults going back to school in order to further their

career.

In early 2000, Allentown College received their approval to change the name to

DeSales University. During the 2000s, competition in adult continuing learning became

an issue that ACCESS directors needed to address and begin to strategize. In 2006-

2007, ACCESS added 30 new online and hybrid courses, and in 2008, began the first

ACCESS evening/weekend BSN program.

Throughout 2005-2015, the program has changed a great deal. ACCESS has

three possible locations for their students, such as Center Valley, Bethlehem, and

Lansdale campuses. Courses are offered online, hybrid, and in class. There are 11 start

dates and 6 sessions throughout the year. ACCESS is geared to non-traditional

students because it understands their challenges and needs. ACCESS students are

commonly pursuing an accelerated degree in order to finish their degree, to gain a

degree, or a certificate program. Students who are finishing a degree are able to

transfer credits, or count working experience as credits. The tuition today is $459/credit

and $515/credit for nursing credits, which is significantly cheaper than traditional day

students cost per credit. ACCESS offers tuition deferment, financial aid, and military

benefits. There are a multitude of resources available to ACCESS students, such as the

library and accessibility to databases. The Academic Resource Center is where

students can find tutors if necessary, and ACCESS advisors that assist with selecting

classes and offer career counseling.

II. Environmental Analysis

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A. Market Profile

1. Market Size: The ACCESS program has 1,000 students and continues to gain

new students each semester. Dean Booros, who is the dean of the ACCESS program

was able to share with Team E an analysis of inquiries, new, current, and online

students. Over the past five years, the number of inquiries, matriculating, non-

matriculating, new students, and current total have fluctuated. The number of inquiries

from 2011/2012 to 2014/2015 has decreased. In 2011/2012, ACCESS had 1,145

inquires that matriculated into 917.with a current total at that time of 977 students. In

2013, the amount of total students increased to 1,124 students and 1,091 matriculating

students. In the school year of 2013/2014, the number of inquiries decreased to 961

and the number of matriculating only decreased slightly by 43 individuals, however the

current total was 1,102 students. In 2014/2015, the current total was at the lowest over

the last 5 years, at 940 students, which is a 162 student drop from the previous year.

2. Market Leaders: We found that the three market leaders besides DeSales

University are Drexel University, Strayer University, and online programs, most notably

University of Phoenix. Drexel University, located in Philadelphia, PA, offers a wide

range of entry-level and post-professional certificate programs. They have a large

selection of programs, including nursing, education, engineering, and about fifty others.

These programs are in the form of bachelor, graduate, and non-credit courses. This

coupled with their continuing professional education, which allows professionals to stay

up on the latest in industry, can be the reason why they are a strong leader in the adult

education arena. Drexel offers a considerably higher number of programs than the

Desales University ACCESS program does. Prices of courses vary depending on type

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of classes, major, and the program. They have over 120 graduate programs alone. Most

of these programs accept a variety of credits, but are not part of many financial aid

programs, which might be a big turn off for prospective students.

Strayer University, located in Herndon, VA, has a satellite campus in Center

Valley, PA. It is another market leader in adult education against DeSales. Strayer

University offers significantly less programs for bachelor degrees, but has a much more

user-friendly website than Drexel University and provides a better satellite location

offering than Drexel University. Strayer University price per course is $1,420 for

undergraduate courses and $2,450 for graduate level courses.

Another major market leader is Phoenix University, which can be attributed to

their extensive program offerings. They have a wide selection of business and

management, criminal justice and security, education, human services, humanities and

sciences, nursing and healthcare, social sciences, and technology majors. Phoenix has

one of the strongest and recognized adult education programs in the country. One

factor that makes Phoenix a market leader include the options for tuition payments,

reimbursements, and financial aid offerings for their programs.

3. Demographics of the Market: Market demographics include the number of

qualified individuals and user profiles, in terms of experience, income, background, and

other personal characteristics. The largest age group of the market, which happens to

reside in the DeSales ACCESS Program, is twenty-one year olds to thirty-five year olds.

This is second only to the thirty-six year old to fifty-five year old demographic. Females

represent 59.8% of the entire ACCESS Program population, while males represent

35.9% of the population. This means that females outnumber the males by more than

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50% of the original male population. The largest ethnicity consists of Caucasians, who

represent 70.5% of the total ACCESS population. The second largest ethnicity is

Hispanics, who encompass 12% of the program. As far as the students work life, 72.9%

of the surveyed students are working full-time as well as taking ACCESS courses, with

the remainder working part-time or not at all. The top three most common annual

household incomes are as follows: $25,001 - $50,000 being the most common, $75,001

- $100,000 being the second most common, and $50,001 - $75,000 being the third most

common. The most common reason for choosing DeSales over competitors was the

fact that the program and classes as a whole were flexible. The most common purpose

for enrollment was because the student wanted to pursue a different job in a different

field. The preferred choice of social media for all the ACCESS students was Facebook

by a strong majority poll.

4. Political and Legislative Issues: The legislative and political issues facing the

DeSales ACCESS program stem from internal obstacles within the organization. The

marketing strategy for the ACCESS program follows the overall marketing plan for the

University. Since ACCESS falls under this umbrella, it is impossible to form a separate

campaign from the rest of DeSales. With that being said, DeSales is faced with the

challenge of revitalizing and updating their marketing platforms in an effort to reach a

wider audience.

The number one dilemma surrounding the construction of a new marketing

strategy includes advertising DeSales as a Catholic university (“Big C”) or as a

university with Catholic values (“Little C”). Marketing DeSales as a blatantly Catholic

college would decrease the interest of our current audience and be significantly

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ineffective, as only 12.7% of ACCESS students chose DeSales for this reason.

Marketing ourselves as a private institution that exemplifies the Catholic values of faith,

hope, and love through a well-rounded, Salesian education would be a more reasonable

and successful approach.

As many ACCESS students have expressed concern over the lack of available

tutors, slight tuition increases have been recently approved to cover the cost of

additional assistance. This inflation, almost unnoticeable to some at an estimated 3%,

will definitely affect other students’ financial situations. At $459 per credit, DeSales’

tuition is higher than similar institutional programs. ACCESS students certainly get what

they pay for, exhibited through flexible schedules, caring professors, a wide variety of

majors, and a safe and friendly campus environment no matter what time of day.

Unfortunately, further cost hikes to our already high price per credit may discourage

potential students from applying to the ACCESS program. The administration must find

a balance between sufficient tutoring and manageable tuition.

Another issue facing the ACCESS program is the lack of interest in a few majors.

DeSales must decide whether to eliminate these offerings, replace them with new

majors, or try to refurbish the course load to hopefully gain new students. The education

major, in particular, is a growing concern. In an interview with Dean Deborah Booros,

she stated that 5 short years ago this major had 75 students. Currently, there are only 8

ACCESS students enrolled. When distributing surveys to gather information from

ACCESS participants, a class in the education major was included in our assignment.

Upon entering the classroom, we learned that only one student was enrolled. The

substantial decline of students in the education major is most likely due to the current

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economic environment. It is commonly known that most teachers do not earn an

enormous income, and nothing suggests that this trend will change in the near future.

Especially after the Great Recession in 2008, teacher layoffs, school closures, and job

insecurity disheartened many potential future educators. The decision to cut this major

would result in a better use of financial and academic resources, but would also prohibit

ACCESS from attracting anyone with future interest in the world of education.

5. Economics: Economics plays a key factor in how to market the ACCESS

program. In the Lehigh Valley, which is the biggest market, currently the per capita

income is $28,595. There are also about 335,000 people on the labor force in the

Lehigh Valley and there is a 5.2% unemployment rate. The GDP per capita of

Pennsylvania as a whole is $40,000 as of the year ending 2012 and an overall

unemployment rate of 5.3% in 2015. New Jersey is a market in which the ACCESS

program plans to make more of an effort to expand in. New Jersey has a GDP per

capita of $49, 430 as of the year ending 2012 and an unemployment rate of 6.5% in

2015. In comparison as a whole, the GDP per capita in the United States as of 2013

was $53,042.98. I think it is important to key in on the employment by industry in the

Lehigh Valley to see what programs we should market more and what programs

ACCESS should focus on adding. In the Lehigh Valley, the employment is as follows:

trade/transportation/utilities at 23.92%, education and health services at 22.72%,

professional and business services at 16.19%, manufacturing at 11.82%, leisure and

hospitality at 11.23%, financial activities at 5.13%, construction at 3.85%, other services

at 3.35%, and information at 1.80%.

6. Social-Cultural Patterns: In our findings, we noticed that leisure time and flexibility

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is a huge social and cultural pattern in the target area. In the survey results and through

secondary data, we discovered that flexibility was one of the key factors in choosing the

adult education program. People are generally moving towards wanting more leisure

time while trying to balance work and family. Specifically in the adult education industry,

we found trends through secondary research that we thought to be of significant

importance. One of these trends was the need of consistent and accommodating class

times and schedules which recognize the needs of each individual adult learner. This is

something the ACCESS department already does extremely well, but is important to

note to continue the exemplary ways in which DeSales structures the ACCESS classes

including in-class, online, and hybrid.

There is also a trend in adult education towards various tuition payment models

and options. There has been a movement toward customizable payment options that

can be tailored to the needs of each individual. The reason for this is because of things

such as military service reimbursements and company repayment plans. Also, because

of various financial aid needs and deferment of student loans, there are tending to be

more and more options for loan payment. Certain adult education programs are

beginning to offer tiered tuition service payment plans in order to cater to these needs.

These tiered payment plans offer a different rate and pay schedule for payments before

the program starts, during the program, and after the program ends. This is especially

important for the large group of adult learners who are working professionals. Due to the

fact that they might have to cut back or change certain hours it might benefit to have

one of these tiered payment plans. Also because of company repayment plans, it also

might benefit adult education programs to offer these tiered payments so students can

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defer the majority of payments until during and after the program ends. There is also a

huge move in adult education for programs accepting non-credit credentials to fulfil

certain classes or requirements. This is because a lot of adult learners have

professional or military experience which can substitute for certain classes. For

example, before entering a program, adult learners can submit a portfolio of

accomplishments and work history. These portfolios are reviewed by the proper

officials, who then determine whether or not the non-credit credentials will be accepted

and what those credentials will exactly fulfill. In America, 52.3% of working people are

unsatisfied or unhappy with their current jobs. This trend is a huge factor because these

people make up a majority of people who are entering adult education programs.

7. Competition: We have determined that the Wescoe School of Muhlenberg College

and Penn State Lehigh Valley are some of the strong competitors due to the location,

online presence, and course offerings. When we did a search of “adult education in the

Lehigh Valley” the top two programs that appeared in the search results were the

Wescoe School of Muhlenberg College and Penn State Lehigh Valley. We also did

variations on that search to see if the wording or phrasing made a difference but for the

most part we consistently saw these two programs at the top of the list. After this

finding, we decided to dig a little more into these programs to see how they match up

compared to the DeSales ACCESS program. The Wescoe School of Muhlenberg

College has an easy to follow website. When you get to the adult education program

page, it states that you can take fully evening/weekend classes to get a Bachelor of the

arts or Bachelor of Sciences in Accounting, American Studies, Business Administration,

English, Finance, History, International Studies, Political Science, and Psychology.

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Other adult learners can take a combination of day and evening classes to get their

Bachelor’s in art, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science, economics,

environmental science, film studies, language, mathematics, media & communication,

music, natural science, neuroscience, philosophy, physics, pre-professional programs,

religion studies, or sociology/anthropology. So, as you can see there is a more diverse

selection of classes that can be taken when compared to the DeSales ACCESS

program. For the accelerated programs, the cost is $1,675 per module with 17 modules

necessary for the degree (these costs include books). Tuition for night/weekend courses

are $1,525 and daytime courses are $3,220.

Penn State Lehigh Valley offers programs in arts administration, business,

childhood and early education, corporate communication, health policy and

administration, information sciences and technology, psychology, and rehabilitation and

human services. While there are less programs offered than Muhlenberg and close to

the number offered by DeSales ACCESS, they have unique programs that the other

adult education programs do not offer. Undergraduate is between $535 and $579 per

credit, while graduate programs are between $805 and $851 per credit, resulting in

costs that are slightly higher than the DeSales ACCESS program. Another factor

explaining the popularity of these competitors is because they are in the closest

proximity to DeSales campuses while offering more unique programs than that of the

ACCESS program.

8. Technological Issues: After the surveys were completed, the major technological

issues we came across dealt with Blackboard and the video recording systems for

multiple campuses. For Blackboard, the online teaching platform, there were some

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complaints about the discussion board and means of getting in contact with other users

was not always user-friendly. Unfortunately, with this issue there is not much DeSales

can do to remedy this, other than either issuing the complaints to the actual company

behind Blackboard, or switching to another teaching platform. For the video recording,

this was the most common issue. Sometimes for classes it would cost more to have the

same class held in the three separate locations with three separate professors. The

solution may be to broadcast the professor teaching to all three locations. Unfortunately,

the equipment used is unreliable and students at the campuses being broadcasted to

have difficulty learning in that fashion. A feasible solution would be to employ better

recording equipment and create a more secure broadcasting link.

B/C. Target Market/Demand:

Due to our findings, the largest target market is people who are unhappy with

their current job/career and want to change to a new industry. In the survey results, we

found that that was a main reason for people reaching out to find an adult education

program. The largest industry in the Lehigh Valley is trade, transportation, and utilities at

23.92%. This is possibly the largest market because they will be looking to either

change their job completely or become part of management or leadership in their

existing industry. These are mostly blue collar workers looking to enter the world of

white collar employment, something that the ACCESS program should target.

We also thought that the second target market should focus on the business and

healthcare professionals who make up a combined 43%. This is a section of the market

that DeSales effectively captures due to the well-recognized programs in these fields.

Continuing to target people interested in business professional and healthcare

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professional fields will be key for the ACCESS program. With the introduction of the new

supply chain management and healthcare management majors, it will be important for

ACCESS to keep targeting businesses and hospitals in the area to get professionals

interested in these focused areas.

D. Resources of the Organization

DeSales University ACCESS program has a plethora of strengths that makes

their adult continuing education a huge player in this market. Other schools in the

Lehigh Valley include The Wescoe School, Muhlenberg College, Cedar Crest College,

Penn State Lehigh Valley, and Strayer University. DeSales University’s ACCESS

program is still the largest adult learning program in the area, trumping other local

schools’ programs. ACCESS offers information sessions at Bethlehem and Lansdale

campuses, where potential students can learn about the program’s curriculum,

admission process, and their education plan.

DeSales’ ACCESS program is an award winning program and also awarded 3rd

for their online marketing program that contributes to their prestigious reputation. The

ACCESS program is well-known by their flexible schedules, allowing even the busiest of

working adults fit in a class into their schedule. There are 11 session start dates and

classes that are 6 and 8 weeks long. This winter ACCESS will run their first minimester

courses, taking place over winter break and lasting 3 weeks. It is a great chance for

ACCESS students and traditional day students to earn a few credits. ACCESS students

can choose from day, night, weekends, and online. Students can choose online, in

person, and hybrid classes. Hybrid classes meet once a week in person and the rest of

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the time it is online. The hybrid classes give students the chance to have the best of

both worlds and learn the class material in two different ways.

The ACCESS program offers 18 programs to earn a Bachelor degree in, also the

opportunity to design your own major, which gives you the autonomy to pick your

classes and career path. ACCESS Advisors are dedicated to helping their students find

their correct career path. Advisors will assist with picking classes and serve as a

knowledgeable resource. If a student needs a tutor, the advisor will contact the tutoring

coordinator and schedule a tutoring session for them.

Although DeSales’ ACCESS program has great strengths, they also have

weaknesses that create a barrier to be more competitive in their market. The ACCESS

program has a difficult time competing with large schools. Especially in the aspect of

awareness, the larger schools may be more popular, may have greater marketing funds

or feature larger programs. DeSales’ ACCESS program lacks new programs and may

not have a specific major the student wants to study, for example, engineering or

hospitality management.

A common frustration with ACCESS students is that not all courses are offered

when students want them to be, which could impact a student’s class schedule or

possibly their graduation date. Another challenge is not enough tutoring resources;

there may not be tutors for that particular course, or there are not enough tutors in

general. The most popular courses for tutoring are MA110, AB 217 and AB 219. The

tutoring coordinator, Bill Peterson, said these are common classes in need of tutors

because adults who have not been out of school for a few years may need additional

practice with math problems.

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In recent years, there has been less tuition reimbursement which is struggle for

ACCESS students who are working part time or full time and need to pay other bills.

The decrease of tuition reimbursement could possibly be a reason for the lower amount

of new students this year. The expansion of ACCESS is weakened by satellite campus

options. The technology at the satellite campuses can be unpredictable, which cause

students’ more frustration. Some of the Access program’s weakness can certainly be

improved in order to turn them into strengths.

E. Threats and Opportunities

DeSales ACCESS program has a few critical threats to their market share. One

is the increasing competition; there are 8 schools locally that have a continuing adult

learning program. It is common for colleges to offer a continuing adult program;

DeSales’ Access program does not stand out anymore, although it was the first in

Lehigh Valley when it began. Along with the increase of competition, colleges that offer

a more substantial tuition discount have become a greater threat to DeSales’ ACCESS

program. Drexel University is one of these schools that offer a larger discount to

businesses for tuition reimbursement. DeSales’ ACCESS students are not allowed to

create a payment plan, which is serious challenge for some students who cannot sign

up for their next class until they finish paying off their previous class.

Opportunities that the ACCESS program can take advantage of include the new

majors such as Healthcare Management, Supply Chain Management, Homeland

Security, and Project Management. These new additions will peak the interest of

prospective students and bring in new students to the program. By adding new majors

to ACCESS, it is increasing the program’s credentials. The ACCESS program offers

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42% of their classes online, which gives them the ability to expand their online

programs. The ACCESS program has the opportunity to expand their online search, by

using keywords to bring the program higher up on the search list of adult continuing

learning programs. The ACCESS program can work with Desales’ staff on Google

Analytics to increase its awareness. The Access program can also reach out to local

businesses, such as corporations and hospitals, and create partnerships with them to

increase the enrollment. The new “minimester” is a great opportunity for the ACCESS

program because it is a quick and convenient way for students to gain 3 credits within 3

weeks. Taking advantage of these opportunities can increase ACCESS’ market share.

III. Research Objectives

Research objectives are quintessential of any well-structured marketing research

effort. Without objectives, team members lack clear goal-alignment and mission

orientation. Once our team was familiarized with the challenges, costs, and competition

facing the ACCESS program, we knew it would be imperative to proactively go beyond

a survey and incorporate other methodologies into our assessment. From the

beginning, we knew that the survey would give us a reasonable comprehension of

demographics, complaints, suggestions, and noteworthy qualities of the program, but

more information would be required to generate a thorough understanding of how the

ACCESS program could adapt to satisfy the needs of all students. As members of

Team E, our objectives are as follows:

1. Use a carefully developed survey to get the general sense of how

ACCESS students feel about the program and what suggestions they can

offer through primary research

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2. Explore Trexler Library’s archives for pertinent information

3. Interview 2 ACCESS students to obtain a detailed understanding

4. Interview Dean Deborah Booros to talk about the future of ACCESS

5. Interview the tutoring coordinator to discuss feasibility of additional tutors

6. Use secondary research to see trends in adult education and competition

By implementing the survey, we were able to obtain a better understanding of

exactly what ACCESS students thought about the program. We evaluated this

qualitative and quantitative data, and turned to Trexler in hopes of finding answers as to

why participants provided certain responses. The archives of Trexler gave us a

behemoth of information on the history of the ACCESS program and suggested

possible explanations for survey results. We proceeded to orchestrate one-on-one

question and answer interviews with two ACCESS students to compare the traditional,

undergraduate experience to that of the ACCESS program. Afterwards, we were able to

sit down with Dean Booros where we discussed the future of ACCESS relative to our

competition, and what changes can be made regarding survey results, specifically

tutoring concerns. To learn more about the financial situation of the tutoring department,

we next sat down with Bill Peterson, DeSales tutoring coordinator. To familiarize

ourselves with our physical and viral competition, trends in adult education, and learn

more about the program, we turned to secondary research through the Internet.

IV. Research Design

To collect primary data, our marketing research class collectively formulated an

effective, short survey which was administered to 255 ACCESS students online and in

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the classroom. Numerous question and answer choice revisions, placement/ordering

suggestions, and quality assurance debates ensued, resulting in an efficient, direct

survey which took about 5 minutes to complete.

This survey gave us insight into participants’ background information and their

thoughts on the program. Open-ended and close-ended questions allowed each student

to provide honest feedback, with the option of anonymity or a chance to win an iPad

mini after giving an email address. It was distributed online, as well as in selected

classrooms. Our team visited Thursday evening classes in Dooling, Gambet, and

Trexler, with majors such as education, criminal justice, and marketing application. After

the entire class received written feedback from survey participants, responses were

entered into a spreadsheet, with each possible answer choice being assigned a

number. After the survey results were properly loaded by students, the information was

run through IBM SPSS software to show correlations, trends, outliers, and possible

input errors. Our primary research showed us similarities between demographics,

answer choices, suggestions, and complaints.

Once we had the survey answers, it was time to ask “why” and seek out

explanations which would explain certain commonalities. We spent time in Trexler

Library’s archives, digging through vast mountains of research and learning more about

the history of the ACCESS program. Its origins, success, failures, expansions, and

overall timeline of events over the past few decades gave us the ability to see how

ACCESS responds to student concerns in the past.

Though the survey results gave our team observable correlations and details

regarding the macro perspective of the ACCESS program, we felt the need to dive

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deeper by interviewing two ACCESS students, and asking our own questions. One

subject is a current ACCESS student, while the other is a traditional, undergraduate

who has previously taken ACCESS courses. The questions we posed were similar to

the survey, but we asked more follow-up questions and sought to get to the core

reasoning behind each answer for a more insightful understanding.

Interviewee #1, a traditional student, is taking an online ACCESS class because

traditional day options did not fit his schedule. He noted how informative the class was

for being offered in such a concise timeframe and how easy it was to get in-touch with

professors or class members. He pointed out that Blackboard’s Discussion feature was

not very user-friendly. He was also not able to easily access these online resources

through his smartphone, unfortunately.

Interviewee #2, a current ACCESS student, valued the program’s ability to

provide a healthy balance between education, work, and family life. This subject also

had difficulty with technology, specifically Blackboard and online testing procedures.

She enjoyed the amount of material that was presented, considering the short time

frame. Interviewee #2 firmly believes that the hybrid class provided the most effective

experience.

Two team members scheduled a meeting with Dean Booros to discuss concerns

within the program, competition, and what the future issues hold. We sat down in her

office and had a more detailed idea regarding how the ACCESS program operates. We

were provided with statistics on new students, inquires, and matriculating/matriculating

students between 2011-2015. There was a 16.3% enrollment decrease from 2013-2014

to 2014-2015, but a 5.93% inquiry increase in the same year. We brought up how

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tutoring was reported as a major issue on many surveys to get some insight from the

Dean. She said that future tuition increases will cover the need for additional tutors and

ease students’ concerns.

To further examine this popular complaint and the dean’s strategy, we

communicated with the DeSales tutoring coordinator, Mr. Bill Peterson. Mr. Peterson

was able to sit down with us and explain how the tutoring budget is allocated for the

year. Most of the budget is spent during sessions 1, 2, 3, and 4; which are the Fall and

Spring semesters. During sessions 5 and 6, the most requested classes are AB 217, AB

219, and MG 211. The most common age group requesting tutoring is 21-35 year olds.

Finally, secondary research gave us online means of obtaining a better sense of

the ACCESS program’s competition. We were also able to research macro trends by

looking into trends in the market of higher-education. Top competitors include: Drexel

University, Strayer University, online, adult learning programs such as Phoenix.edu, and

other universities in the Lehigh Valley. Secondary data represented that most students

are looking for flexible scheduling to accommodate busy lifestyles, various tuition

options for moderately easy payment/deferred re-payment of loans, and the acceptance

of non-degree credentials as transferable credits.

V. Sampling Plan

The sampling plan for our ACCESS project was relatively straightforward. We

interviewed over 250 DeSales ACCESS students. Aside from being distributed to

students online, teams were assigned a handful of classes to hand out surveys. These

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respondents were the obviously the ideal choice, because who can better judge and

critique a program than its participants? Any student who was in attendance and opted

to take the survey offered intuitive feedback.

In terms of interviewees, we wanted each subject to be different as much as

possible in terms of professional background, past educational experience, position/title,

income, specific relevance, gender, etc. This is exhibited in of choice of a male,

traditional-day student who has taken ACCESS class before, and a female, current

ACCESS student. Different dynamics offer varying, diverse viewpoints which are

equally important to consider. Interviewing Dean Booros seemed like a smart move in

order to ask follow-up questions, learn more about enrollment, and what plans the

University has for improvement. As the head of the ACCESS program, she is most

knowledgeable of the current and future of this higher-educational platform.

VI. Data Collection

When it came to how we collected the data, the group handed out surveys to in-

class access students during the days of November 16th to November 19th. Although

the survey went out to everyone in the ACCESS program, our team handed out the

surveys to ACCESS students on the 19th of November. We traveled to classrooms in

Gambet, Dooling, and Trexler to have the students take adequate time to fill out the

surveys. Some of the obstacles that we encountered while handing out the survey was

the fact that some of the classes did not have anyone attending the class for the time

allotted. Whether this was a confusion upon our scheduled times or the professor

canceled class without informing us, we do not know. Another obstacle was late comers

into the classes we handed out surveys to. This was not a huge obstacle, it was just

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bothersome to have the students finally finish the surveys, only to have another student

walk in to take the survey. A factor that could have biased our collection of data could

have been if Traditional Day students, who are also taking an ACCESS course, had

also taken the survey. This would have skewed the data due to the fact that a majority

of the questions on the survey would have had no relevancy to the Traditional Day

student.

When it came to how we collected our secondary data, we had quite a few

sources. We accessed the Trexler library’s archives in order to discover any trends or

important information regarding the history of the ACCESS program since its inception.

We had spoken with Dean Booros about new and current students enrolled, and

discussed who is our biggest competition. We referenced our Marketing Research

textbook if we had any concerns on where to head next for our project, and we

researched online onto what questions would be relevant to the students.

VII. Data Analysis

Through careful sorting and analysis of the surveys, we have come up with

certain conclusions we found quite interesting and important for the ACCESS officials to

take into consideration. Figure 1 asked the surveyees why they chose the DeSales

ACCESS program. The large majority chose DeSales for its location and reputation.

The fact that location was a major reason for choosing the program shows that

ACCESS has a strong grasp on the Lehigh Valley community. Also, DeSales has a

great reputation which is because of the word of mouth presence and marketing that

DeSales does so well. DeSales is known as a great institution and naturally people who

attend or have attended DeSales praise it. Like discussed in earlier sections, we noticed

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Team E Final Report

that other programs are first to appear when using Google search. This means DeSales

should put more focus on search engine optimization to get more views from online

inquires and generally build a better online presence for people who may not know of

the DeSales ACCESS program.

In figure 2, labeled PMAJ, we asked the surveyees what their primary major is.

This was necessary to see where the majority of ACCESS students fall into, which can

help determine what majors can be added and what facets of the ACCESS program

should be more focused on or heavily marketed. We saw that the top three majors are

as follows: 1. Business, 2. Social science, 3. Healthcare. This was a key finding

because where the healthcare and business programs are well recognized and have

many resources, the social science majors were second largest. This should be taken

into consideration when determining what majors to add. As discussed earlier, we found

that the trend was in healthcare and business sectors, so these areas should have a

high level of focus moving forward as far as adding majors and allocation of the

ACCESS department's resources.

As we have found in earlier discoveries, ACCESS students are returning to

school for a plethora of reasons. In Figure 3, labeled PURP, we asked ACCESS

students to answer what their purpose was for continuing their education. The highest

reason was continuing their education for a different job in a different field. In Figure 4, it

shows the frequency table for their purpose; 82 ACCESS students answered this was

indeed their reason and 66 students answered “other”. However, the data in the bar

chart and frequency table is skewed because the data was entered wrong. There is a

column that says, “looking to advance career” and “opportunities in field”, which neither

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were choices in the closed ended section. Although there was an opened ended choice

titled “other”, they should not be part of the bar chart. It is interesting to note that the

most popular answer was “different job in different field” because in Figure 5, it shows

the most common age group in the ACCESS program is 21-35 year olds. In Figure 6,

the frequency table shows 122 individuals in the 21-35 year old column and 96

individuals in the 36-55 year old column. These individuals may be working on a second

degree in order to change industries. These two large sections include students who

would need the most career coaching, in order to fully understand the new field they are

pursing.

The reason for pursuing a degree and the age demographics correlate to an

ACCESS students’ annual household income. In FigureS 7 and 8, it shows the most

common income level, $25,001-$50,000. Individuals who are pursuing a different

degree may be motivated by their current salary and aim to increase their salary by

pursuing their degree. Also, the second most common answer in Figure 3 (PURP), was

achieving a promotion at work. Promotion being an ACCESS student’s motivation could

also connect to their current salary and why they are seeking career advancement. The

ACCESS program can take a look at the bar charts and the frequency tables to have a

better understanding of the students and what to take into consideration when planning

new programs and adding resources.

VIII. Results and Summary

Our end results yielded some interesting facts regarding the ACCESS program

students. For starters, the bulk of the program consists heavily on Healthcare and

Business professionals. To attract more of the same demographic, we suggest adding

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more variation onto similar choices of majors, or even expanding upon the existing

majors. With the job market ever expanding in these areas, it would be best to cater to

our customers wants as best we can.

When it came to why people chose to take ACCESS courses, the most common

response was the fact that most of the surveyed students were looking to work in a

different job, or become promoted into a higher responsibility, pay, or position. We

suggest, in order to attract more students looking for the same change, ACCESS

promotes a “change of lifestyle” feeling to be associated with the DeSales ACCESS

Program. Through that, we want to have major specific advisors for these students,

even online students, so that they have guidance in their next chapter of their lives. We

also want to sponsor more networking events for these students in order for them to

gain new connections and insights into their new industry.

In order to increase enrollment, we suggest offering more benefits throughout the

program, so that the students feel more enriched taking classes through DeSales as

opposed to one of our competitors. One benefit that could have a positive impact would

be to increase the budget for available tutors. This was another big concern that was

discovered during our primary research stage. A lot of the students would like tutors to

help them work through difficult class concepts, since it is sometimes hard for these

students to learn when they only meet with a professor once a week, or not at all. There

are multiple clubs for the undergraduate classes that could develop an ACCESS

extension for the relevant majors. As mentioned earlier, we believe networking events

would be a great addition, so perhaps ACCESS can experiment with two networking

events each semester in order to see if the students would benefit from it.

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Our final suggestion comes from the concept that “DeSales Cares”. We want to

promote this fact which separates us from our competition. Professors really do care

about the development of their students’ abilities during classes, even wondering how

life outside of classes is for the students. These professors understand the balance of

leading a career and also being a student, so they are sympathetic to the ACCESS

students’ needs. DeSales is also a safe environment for learning, with one of the lowest

incident ratings in the country, which is something worth promoting to the students who

wish to learn in peace. Even though we do not want to outright promote that we are a

Catholic university, we still want the students to know that we still incorporate these

values into the curriculum for every class. “DeSales Cares” sets us apart, and

prospective ACCESS students will chose a university that cares about them as a person

other than just another statistic and paycheck.

Works Cited

Adams, Susan. “Most Americans are Unhappy at Work”. Forbes. June 20, 2014.

"Adult Learners." Penn State Lehigh Valley: The Pennsylvania State University, 2015. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.

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Team E Final Report

Edelson, Paul J. “Adult Education in the USA Issues and Trends”. State University of New York at Stony Brook. April 2000.

Lehigh Valley Economic Development Group. “Lehigh Valley Economy at a Glance”. Lehigh Valley. November 2015.

"Muhlenberg College." Muhlenberg College Adult Learning/Wescoe School:Tuition. The WESCOE SCHOOL of Muhlenberg College, 2015. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.

Pocetto, Alexander T. Drawing out the Goodness: From Allentown College to DeSales University (1964-2001). Center Valley, PA: DeSales, University, 2005.

Print.

"Three Trends Worth Watching for Continuing Education Leaders." The EvoLLLution Three Trends Worth Watching for Continuing Education Leaders

Comments. The EvoLLLution, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.

Appendix

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Figure 1: Why ACCESS students chose DeSales University

Figure 2: What is your primary major?

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Figure 3: What was your purpose for continuing your education?

Figure 4: Frequency table of students’ purpose for continuing their education

PURP

Frequency Percent Valid PercentCumulative

PercentValid 12 4.8 4.8 4.8

0 1 .4 .4 5.2Promo at current job 54 21.5 21.5 26.7New job same field 34 13.5 13.5 40.22 (looking to advance in career)

1 .4 .4 40.6

Diff job diff field 82 32.7 32.7 73.3Other 66 26.3 26.3 99.6opportunities in field 1 .4 .4 100.0

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Total 251 100.0 100.0

Figure 5: Age of ACCESS students

Figure 6: Frequency table for ACCESS students’ age

AGE

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative

Percent

Valid 20 or under 5 2.0 2.1 2.1

21-35 122 48.6 51.0 53.1

36-55 96 38.2 40.2 93.3

56-67 15 6.0 6.3 99.6

68 or older 1 .4 .4 100.0

Total 239 95.2 100.0Missing System 12 4.8Total 251 100.0

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Figure 7: Annual household income of ACCESS students

Figure 8: Frequency table for annual household income of ACCESS students

INC

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative

Percent

Valid 0 3 1.2 1.3 1.3

< $25000 26 10.4 11.1 12.3

$25,001 - $50,000

65 25.9 27.7 40.0

$50,001 - $75,000

53 21.1 22.6 62.6

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$75,001- $100,000

50 19.9 21.3 83.8

> $100,000 38 15.1 16.2 100.0

Total 235 93.6 100.0Missing System 16 6.4Total 251 100.0

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