Running an Online Program
The collaboration between the academic program and UTEP Online continues when the program is launched. This section illustrates the responsibilities of both UTEP Online and the academic program.
UTEP Online Responsibilities
Many of the services below are provided as an incentive to promote and support online programs. UTEP Online manages this work so that the programs can focus on what is most important: developing the curriculum and teaching the students who enroll. We encourage the program’s collaboration in these efforts to ensure that we provide the best services possible.
At present, there is no cost to the program for these services as they are funded through the Distance Learning Fee.
The UTEP Online marketing team manages digital marketing in collaboration with Anthology. This includes program-specific and brand paid search, paid social, display, retargeting and search engine optimization. All leads are directed to landing pages at online.utep.edu that have an inquiry form that directly feeds into our CRM, Ellucian Recruit, for processing with the recruitment team. Programs are also marketed as a suite in local and regional media like billboards, print, TV, radio, etc. While programs are not individually mentioned in these vehicles, they benefit from this exposure. We do not place advertising for specific programs in traditional media like print because of budget constraints. All programs are also promoted at events, via email, and in email newsletters.
Marketing for some programs is done in collaboration with UTEP’s central Marketing and Communications team.
Proactive programs/departments will also contribute to marketing efforts in a variety of ways including promotion at conferences, sharing information about the program on listservs, holding virtual (live and recorded) information sessions, and so on.
UTEP Online supports the recruitment of prospective students into online programs in two primary ways. The first is through the enrollment counselors who nourish leads through digital marketing. When a prospective student completes an inquiry form, enrollment counselors reach out and cultivate a relationship via email, phone calls, texts, or other means. Enrollment counselors typically respond to questions regarding program fit and program investment in terms of cost and time. They assist the prospective student in completing the application, collect and process transcripts (which may come from several institutions for UTEP Online students), and monitor the progress of the application.
Another recruitment strategy is to attend local and state recruitment events, sometimes in collaboration with a faculty representative from the program. These may include events at community colleges such as El Paso Community College and Doña Ana Community College as well as local industries and businesses. They may be specific to one program area, such as Nursing, or more general, such as all undergraduate programs.
Both of these require the involvement of the program to establish the messaging and responses to questions prospective students have. We encourage programs to stay in regular contact with their enrollment counselor to advise of any updates, changes, or ideas to increase enrollment in the program.
Once a student has applied and been accepted to a UTEP Online program, enrollment counselors then assist students in setting up their accounts (email, Blackboard, etc.), connect the student with the appropriate advisor, and remind students of payment deadlines.
Financial Enrollment Counseling
Annually, the UTEP Online team will provide an extensive program report to the dean of the college as well as to each online program director and/or department chair. This report illustrates the leads, applicants, accepted, enrolled, continuing, and graduate students over the last three years as well as the financial health of the program. This will be used to plan for the upcoming year.
UTEP Online staff are always available to review any of these details.
Program Responsibilities
The application process for UTEP Online students is the same as for face-to-face UTEP students. At the undergraduate level, applications are submitted through Apply Texas and processed by the Admissions Office. Students are notified of their status through Admissions. At the graduate program level, applications are submitted through the Graduate School and students are also notified through that office.
Some UTEP Online programs have an automatic admissions process. In other words, if the student meets certain criteria (GPA, appropriate undergraduate major), the application does not need to be reviewed by the program. Other programs, however, are more selective and review each applicant.
For online programs, timing is of the essence given that students may be applying to several programs and often decide based on the first institution to respond. We ask that, when possible, online programs commit to regular review of the applications and submit the decision within 3 days.
Only classes scheduled in UTEP Online parts of terms (POTs) will be counted in the enrollment and financial metrics for the online program. It is imperative that all courses belonging to the online programs be scheduled in 801/802/814 in fall and spring semesters and 701/702/714 in summer. (Nursing courses must be scheduled in NU1/NU2/NU14.)
At the undergraduate level, our Advising team completes a course inventory prior to every semester to determine the courses that UTEP Online students need to make progress toward graduation. This includes courses in the majors we offer as well as core and elective courses.
We often assist graduate programs to “reset” the course carousel to maximize efficiencies as well.
