To remain competitive in the global market for lifelong learning trade and professional associations must invest in creating and demonstrating impact through their educational offerings. This was the message of education market expert Jeff Cobb today in his presentation at the Association Global Growth Conference in Washington, DC.
"It is more important than ever that associations show the education they offer actually 'moves the dial' when it comes to learner knowledge and skills," Cobb told the audience of association executives. "Given the wide range of choices now available to learners - many of them free - revenue will increasingly be tied to value delivered."
Cobb focused on five key areas in which associations should invest to enhance the impact of their educational offerings:
Technology "In many ways, this is the easiest area," said Cobb. "Maybe too easy." Rather than simply throwing money at complex software systems, organizations should take advantage of the possibilities that low cost technologies like Webinar platforms and social media platforms offer for experimenting with new products and assessing market needs.
Staff According to research conducted by Cobb's firm, Tagoras, associations dedicate only about 12 percent of their staff to education, on average. At the same time, most organizations cite education as a major part of their mission.
Process Less than half of organizations use professional instructional design resources - whether staff of contract - for developing online education, according to Tagoras research, and less than half measure whether learning occurs at their major meetings.
Presenters Just over half of associations provide training for their speakers to help them improve their presentations. Most speakers know their subject matter very well, Cobb noted, but may have never received any training in how to effectively teach adult learners.
Learners In addressing the idea of investing in support of learners, Cobb quoted Malcolm Knowles, one of the pioneers of adult lifelong learning. "It's a tragic fact," wrote Knowles, "that most of us know only how to be taught; we haven't learned how to learn." Associations have an opportunity to help their members brush up on basic learning skills like note-taking and goal-setting while also helping them effectively use new tools like search and social media to enhance their lifelong learning efforts.
In closing, Cobb noted that while the investments he outlined will require significant effort and resources, the opportunity represented by a growing lifelong learning market is large. "One of the keys to success with any type of investment is timing," said Cobb. "If you want long term growth for your education business, now is definitely the time to invest."