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Functional analysis
Introduction
It is crucial to understand more than just the features of the target audience in order to build effective communication solutions. As addressed in the need analysis, the product will focus on delivering purposeful information to the prospective student. The product will reach the organizational goal of attracting top talents from different backgrounds and parts of the world. The product will be aimed at prospective students, eliciting their desire to know more about the university, its program and prospects. Within these settings, the product will aim to satisfy the need by providing complex and multilayered information targeted through different platforms and initiatives to reach the most prospective students. Featuring online events and other offline interaction, the product will deliver a message to everyone that is interested in the university. Implementation of the product will perform well in the current situation of hybrid learning, when both online and offline activities are combined. This trend is unlikely to reverse, therefore, the scenarios to fail the implementation are minimal.
The degree of flexibility in how this analysis will be put into practice reflects one of its primary advantages. Applying this methodology allows the study to select the degree of complexity to examine circumstances that are carried out in various institutions. In order to assess the influence of practices on the success of implementation, practices will be understood as set of actions that make up a portion of the activity (Baxter, 2018). As it examines if the practice has an impact on the outcome or not, this prevents subjectivity in the management sector.
Research Questions
Considering what are the salient characteristics of the service provided by universities while conducting a functional analysis will become a basis for further research. A functional study will look at three of them—NHL Stenden, Leiden University, and Utrecht University—to see how their initiatives and programs relate to prospective students. The research questions can be summed up as follows. What objectives should the product be built to meet? What habits and pastimes should the product be geared at in the target market? How does the product get the target market one step closer to living up to expectations or accomplishing the objective? What characteristics ought the product to have? What conditions will the product function well in? When is it most unlikely to work properly? What messages do these communication goods deliver? What are the benefits and drawbacks of comparable communications products offered by other businesses?
Research Strategy
The collection of desirable requirements and constraints and the detailed set required to develop and implement programs are separated by functional analysis. To assist the synthesis of solutions in terms of people, goods, and processes, as well as to assure identification and management, it is imperative to sufficiently study the component under these circumstances. Iterative in nature, it engages with and reacts to ongoing action. It is important to consider how to optimize the message and improve the content depth. In order to draw in prospective students, it is crucial that these improvements take into account the fundamental duties of these educational institutions and their cutting-edge concerns. This will offer context to make it easier to design products and incorporate modified best practices. Therefore, three top universities of Netherlands were chosen – NHL Stenden, Leiden University, and Utrecht University. The analysis of the best practices and considerations from secondary sources will provide a rationale for conclusions and considerations.
Identifying the design and characteristics required to produce the desired results is the first stage. As a result, functional demands are created, and system requirements are assigned. These actions may be monitored and coordinated such that, as the specifics emerge, they continually cross-reference one another (Conway, 2019). These universities can offer an in-depth understanding of the issue, as well as its potential and suitability for execution under specific circumstances. Within these settings, websites and secondary were employed to distinguish the best practices for adaptation and implementation. These functional solutions, which address all anticipated operating modes, will be put out and assessed to see which ones best satisfy the fundamental criteria and strike a good compromise between competing demands (Conway, 2019). The findings and specifications will be outlined at the conclusion to aid in choosing the ideal strategy and guarantee that all suggested solutions adhere to the desired standards.
Results
NHL Stenden, Leiden University, and Utrecht University offer different functional products to their prospective students aimed at facilitating interest in academics and university social life. Employing innovative solutions and a multidisciplined perspective allows the functionality of these initiatives to develop constantly. The design and functional characteristics of these initiatives and activities are key for consideration in order to adapt best practices from the leading universities (James, 2021). This will aid in attracting prospective students from different regions of the world in an easier and more advanced way.
Universities’ informational initiatives can aid prospective students in selecting the appropriate course of study. The university of Leiden organizes a number of events to keep students interested and provide them with the knowledge they want for their upcoming courses. An internet presence is encouraged first of all. The student has access to all undergraduate and graduate program presentations, as well as comparison presentations. The potential student can then select the programs they wish to learn more about and ask questions at the online Open Days that often happen throughout the year (Leiden University, n.d. (A)). Future students may discover more about Leiden University, its programs, the student cities of Leiden and The Hague, as well as student life at the Open Days. The university must offer opportunities for interaction with students, and staff interaction, and immersion in the academic environment (James, 2021). This can be especially true for foreign students who have decided about their academic path.
Leiden University additionally enables prospective students to immerse themselves in the curriculum of their choice and become familiar with the university’s style of learning. Two noteworthy projects that should be highlighted as leading examples of excellent practice to be followed support this. First, there is the Student for a Day program, which enables one to enroll in a course for a day while pretending to be a student in order to assess the program’s suitability. A prospective student will devote his entire day to a particular program if he enrolls as a day student (Leiden University, n.d. -c). Additionally, it offers the chance to attend one or more first-year lectures and interact with other program participants to get a look of what it is like to study in the program and the city (Leiden University, n.d. -c). The best method to learn about the school and the curriculum and determine whether it is appropriate for a potential student is to do so. For prospective students who have previously been to Open Days and read about the program in the brochure or on the Internet, enrolling as a day student is the best choice.
Secondly, certain undergraduate programs provide the so-called Online Experience, which not only covers the fundamentals of the course material but also offers in-depth and extensive knowledge in the event that the prospective student does not have the chance to visit the Leiden University campus. Online courses that are designed to mimic genuine freshman-level courses often include reading and a few assignments (Leiden University, n.d. (B)). The main advantage is that prospective students may take part in this online activity all year long. The amount of time and effort a prospective student may devote to it is totally up to him; there are no deadlines. This enables testing various programs, seeing their architecture, and becoming acquainted with prospective tasks and issues to be resolved, which might improve ideas for future study.
Another useful program that promotes contact between the institution and students and links procedures is the NHL Stenden promising student system. The institution maintains a network of professionals who are either professional organizations or people with in-depth knowledge of the university’s programs and admissions policies as agents and representatives (James, 2021). Prospective students have the option of contacting the institution directly or contacting one of these agents, who are spread throughout more than 15 nations (NHL Stenden, n.d.). This approach may also be used to evaluate the application procedure and acquire the first impression of programs that might pique interest.
Utrecht University offers a similar range of programs and activities aimed at providing detailed information about the academic programs, social life, and prospects of being a student in this institution. There is, however, one particular functional activity that should be considered for adaptation and development. Student ambassadors are a distinct concept created by university officials. Current University of Utrecht students can be contacted by prospective students, being reached by prospective students either online or, if accessible, offline (University of Utrecht, n.d.). The main practical advantage of this endeavor is that it enables direct connection with ambassadors. With the use of this information, prospective students can get in touch with people from their own countries or with people who share their academic interests.
Conclusions
The results from the functional analysis indicate that universities’ activities and initiatives to provide prospective students with detailed information are diverse. The functional benefits of these innovations are undoubtedly beneficial in the long term due to the global reach and the possibility to attract the most talented prospective students all over the world. Moreover, bureaucratical procedures such as visas or travel necessities can be avoided by virtual activities, which enhance the functionality of these initiatives. This is particularly relevant for prospective students outside of the EU, with little possibility of traveling to the university for Open Day or Campus Tour. Enabling students to immerse themselves with a program of their choice or to enroll for it for a day are great examples of the beneficial functional development.
Design Requirement
If the university’s endeavors concentrate on digital information utilizing various design specifications, it will improve communication between prospective students and management. First of all, the prospective students’ needs are not always taken into consideration by the current communication channels. The product needs to be more immersive to bring the experience of their desired program more specific, making it responsive and variable as a result. According to a functional analysis study, the use of various technological developments has improved prospective students’ experience at universities. Initiatives must be multi-user in these circumstances.
Context Analysis
Introduction
Context analysis of the product will consider the internal as well as exterior environments, which is a crucial component of planning. Its major objective is to conduct an environmental analysis in order to create a plan of action for a product (Krippendorff, 2018). The institution will have a greater understanding of the product’s exterior and internal aspects, the market, consumers, and rivals after doing this sort of analysis. The results of this analysis should be used to determine any problems that must be solved and to create a strategy for achieving the objectives.
Research Questions
Within the settings of content analysis, it is vital to consider the following research questions. What are the organizational systems and the macro factors for the external context environment? What are the trends in the current settings faced by institutions to attract prospective students? What are the key historical and political developments of the structure and considerations for the nearest future of the education in the Netherlands? This will provide context on facilitating product development and predicting the key necessities for its future directions.
Research Strategy
It is vital to establish the precise subject matter of the study in order to comprehend the procedures and techniques required for contextual analysis. It will be future students’ services in this instance. There will be a trend study on this subject after that. Macroenvironmental aspects of the external environment, such as social, political, economic, technological, and demographic developments, must be considered employing the content analysis of different sources, such as scholarly articles. This may be also achieved by identifying the pertinent criteria and rating each one in terms of relevance (Turner & Machalek, 2018). It will be feasible to identify the variables that will impact the product in this way. In spite of the fact that certain elements are beyond the control, one may nevertheless adjust to the current situation.
Analyzing the competitive factors, conduct, and strategy of rivals can help with this. Competitive forces such as the strength of the product, the threat of new competitors, the threat of replacement products, and the significance of complementary products are the aspects that must be considered and examined. Analysis of other players’ strategies is also critical. This speaks to their product differentiation strategy and how they design their product in comparison to the competition (Turner & Machalek, 2018). Additionally, the collection of trends—both good and negative—that are discovered after researching trends and rivals may be categorized as either opportunities or dangers.
The contextual analysis includes the internal environment of the enterprise as a key component. This stage’s goal is to ascertain the product’s technological, intellectual, and skill capabilities. For example, how the product will be adjustable to meet the technological needs of the prospective students. The advantages and disadvantages of a product on the market are determined through internal study. While flaws result in a disadvantage since the good or service cannot satisfy the demands of the market, strengths might result in a competitive advantage (Krippendorff, 2018). An organization’s competencies are the information, skills, and technology that offer it a competitive advantage over its rivals (Turner & Machalek, 2018). This collection of variables will shed light on how the product should be modified and improved in order to benefit the experience.
Results
While colleges are making every effort to fulfill the demands of the job market, things are changing so quickly that it is difficult for them to stay up since, by their very nature, institutions move slowly. When big businesses teach their personnel in-house without the aid of colleges, this is standard procedure. Universities are attempting to be more proactive and fight back under these circumstances, which is shown in their different efforts to draw prospective students (James, 2021). Digital and online learning will undoubtedly be much better incorporated into traditional schooling. Without COVID-19, this would not have taken place since universities are by nature resistant to change and conservative when it comes to innovation. This procedure has advanced more than it would have without the help of COVID-19. Therefore, hybrid learning and online activities are emphasized in many events targeted at promising students. The best examples of this digitalization are video chatting, virtual campus tours, and online open houses.
The context analysis also takes into account how education is developing internally in the Netherlands. It provides one of the greatest educational systems in Europe as a result of accessible finance, widespread governmental support, and strong business sector participation. The quality of the Dutch system has historically been less distinct from that of the UK and the US, which also implies that the student experiences less favorable variances (James, 2021). When viewed from the outside, the Dutch system provides a high return on what society invests in it. In some other nations, private funding is used to pay for education.
From a macroeconomic standpoint, education represents a move of savings from the poor to the rich. Tax funds are used to pay for educational programs, and in general, those with low and intermediate incomes contribute the most. For instance, institutions in the UK have already made a complete transition to a credit-based system devoid of public financing (James, 2021). Of course, there are cons to this, such as graduating with a lot of debt, which might prohibit people from starting their own business or make them give up on education altogether. Despite several issues, the Netherlands maintains a clear and consistent policy, and this is what matters most.
Several important features of the product in development can be found after the trend analysis. First and foremost, education aims to enhance business outcomes. Educational institutions are focusing more on efficient and economic programs that improve student results. Knowledge, people, and technology are strategically used in ways that are in line with possible company goals, fostering innovation and increasing employability. Organizations assess expenses, reorganize and integrate intense learning across the enterprise, establish learning management systems, global databases, and global curricula, as well as monitor the effect of learning on results (Yip, 2020). Strategic talent management has become crucial in the modern environment. The strategic development, recruitment, inclusion, and retention of brilliant prospective students are all receiving increasing amounts of attention (Yip, 2020). Organizations invest in human capital, which is shown in succession management, adaption systems, and people databases and networks and can boost organizational efficiency.
A unique and individualized experience that is concentrated on a particular pupil is another crucial element. The student-specific materials and additional information are created. In these circumstances, the learning material relates to the learner’s preferences, knowledge, abilities, and skills while also being in accordance with his or her goals, interests, and talents. Future pupils acquire greater independence and responsibility for their own growth. The focus is on creating students’ own career routes, as well as selecting their own course materials and teaching strategies. For their part, institutions are in charge of students’ employability, mobility and transferability, acquisition of experiences, and ability to study continuously. Under these circumstances, businesses deploy employee self-service environments to encourage and assist informal learning or to enable self-directed learning.
The combination of the university and the possible job as a learning environment is a crucial factor that emerges through trend analysis. Organizations frequently support on-the-job training and collaborate with several programs inside colleges. Using non-formal learning methods and technology, learning is integrated into daily tasks and job processes. Experiential, practice-based, and on-the-job learning have all been shown to be effective methods for luring prospective students. Institutions are concentrating on boosting information sharing and team learning as part of these advancements (Yip, 2020). More and more people are using digital and individualized knowledge-sharing platforms to exchange information, learn from one another through dialogue, and assess their own practice. Institutions help to provide these settings for conferences, social networking, information exchange, and other types of engagement. This shows itself in the activity of luring in prospective pupils and working to quickly integrate them into society in order to ease their preparation for competition. They link the student to the learning content after organizing and structuring the content and technology accessible.
Conclusion
The content analysis allowed to comprehend the functional analysis and get a deeper understanding which may be crucial in developing and testing the systems of products. When analyzing the initiatives’ content and functioning, macro-factors of the external contextual environment were crucial to take into account. This was realized after looking at the patterns in the circumstances that institutions are dealing with right now and their efforts to draw in new students. This allowed for the projection of the necessity for technological advancement and self-learning principles as crucial factors for potential pupils. Giving pupils information from academic viewpoints should also take into account these subjects to make sure they are engaged and knowledgeable about the macroeconomic environment at the time. This might be facilitated in light of significant changes to the educational system and its implications for the near future. Although they are outside the purview of this study, policy changes must be taken into account to ensure the advancement of the educational system through efforts aimed at prospective students.
Design Requirement
A contextual study revealed that prospective students are more inclined to interact with students who are already enrolled and utilize modern technology. The institution will achieve this product objective if the more creative initiatives on the Internet and through online channels will be utilized. The positive outcome will be achieved by placing a strong focus on self-learning and employment possibilities. Communication channels will improve while meeting these conditions at both online and physical events, interacting with organization representatives.
References
Baxter, M. (2018). Product design. CRC press.
Conway, J. B. (2019). A course in functional analysis. Springer.
James, E. (2021). The Netherlands: Benefits and costs of privatized public services-lessons from the Dutch educational system. In Private Schools in Ten Countries (pp. 179-199). Routledge.
Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Sage Publications.
Leiden University. (n.d. (A)) Experience Days. Universiteit Leiden. Web.
Leiden University. (n.d. (B)) Open Days. Universiteit Leiden. Web.
Leiden University. (n.d. (C)) Student for a Day. Universiteit Leiden. Web.
NHL Stenden. (n.d.). Study Dive. Stenden University of Applied Sciences. Web.
Turner, J. H., & Machalek, R. S. (2018). The new evolutionary sociology: Recent and revitalized theoretical and methodological approaches. Routledge.
University of Utrecht. (n.d.) Students Ambassadors. Universiteit Utrecht. Web.
Yip, J. W. (2020). Evaluating the communication of online social support: A mixed-methods analysis of structure and content. Health Communication, 35(10), 1210–1218. Web.
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