DEOSNEWS Vol. 6 No. 8, ISSN 1062-9416.
Copyright 1996 DEOS.
Director of ACSDE and Editor of AJDE: Dr. Michael G. Moore.
DEOSNEWS Editor: Dr. Melody M. Thompson
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EDITORIAL
 
The practice of distance education embraces a number of activities
beyond those that directly involve instruction. Although the distance
education literature increasingly is reporting on "ancillary"
educational activities, such as student support, little, if any attention
has been paid to the possibilities offered by distance education
techniques and technologies in the area of student recruitment. This
issue of DEOSNEWS offers a description and discussion of a
program at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale that used
interactive video teleconferencing as a recruitment tool for minority
graduate students in the field of Mass Communication and Media
Arts.
 
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RECRUITMENT OF MINORITY GRADUATE STUDENTS WITH
VIDEO TELECONFERENCING
 
 
Anita Fleming-Rife, Assistant Professor
Department of Journalism and Mass Communications
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, 80639
aflemin@bentley.UnivNorthCo.EDU
 
Charles H. Ingold, Associate Professor
Department of Journalism and Mass Communications
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, 80639
 
Beverly Love-Wallace, Doctoral Student
School of Journalism
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL 62901
 
William W. Woodward, Instructor
Department of Journalism and Mass Communications
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, 80639
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION
 
Distance education as an objective and as an overall process for
providing educational opportunities is often recognized as being
more than course delivery. For example, Garrison and Shale write
that "provision of student support services" is a characteristic of
distance education (1987, 7-8). Rudich's (1991) discussion of
marketing distance education focuses on the importance and
practicality of communicating "want-satisfying attributes" of
distance education to potential markets. Use of techniques and
technology in a variety of interactive endeavors focusing on course
content, class discussion, and evaluation has been documented and
researched as the practice of distance education has grown.
However, the literature sheds little light on how the techniques and
technology may serve what might be called "ancillary" needs and
functions such as recruitment of students and support services for
students.
 
Garrison and Shale (1987) refer to the specialization possible with
current distance education systems. They call such specialization the
"de-massifying" of delivery, and argue that a "future task for
education at a distance is to design and direct personalized
information to specific target audiences" (p. 13). These authors
discuss specialization primarily in relation to program delivery, but
the concept of specifying target audiences logically extends
to recruitment, which is part of marketing, and to support
service needs of distance education, as well. Similarly, Rudich
"suggests that satisfied customers (students) are won one at a
time" (1991, 37).
 
 
USING DISTANCE EDUCATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR
RECRUITMENT
 
How might these philosophies of marketing and specialized targets
be applied to recruitment and support service needs of distance
education, in practical terms? Recent teleconferencing by a large
Midwestern university provides some insight into this question,
specifically in terms of recruitment. In 1995, Southern Illinois
University at Carbondale (SIU-C) conducted a teleconference with
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) aimed at
recruiting African-American graduate students for its College of
Mass Communication and Media Arts. The objective was to address
the problem of how to cost-effectively reach target minority
populations in a manner that allowed maximum interface between
the institution and potential recruits in lieu of direct personal
contact. In particular, teleconferencing was explored as a way that
many institutions of higher education might efficiently 1) reach a
target minority population, 2) campaign for recruitment among that
target population, 3) provide opportunity for interaction between
potential students and institutional representatives (for example,
enable questions to be answered in a mediated "face-to-face"
manner), and 4) provide an opportunity for potential students to get
the best view of the campus and its faculty, administrators and
students without actually traveling to the campus.
 
Distance education with satellite video transmissions and interactive
telecommunications is used to teach students at a distance. But
"distance recruiting" using these increasingly available technologies
appears to be unused. While the SIU-C graduate program in mass
communication is a campus-based program rather than a distance
education program, the distance recruiting utilized by the SIU-C
program illustrates the marketing and support service functions that
can be served by distance education techniques and technology.
 
 
IDENTIFYING AND REACHING THE TARGET AUDIENCE
 
Minority student recruitment has become a high priority in higher
education. In the case of SIU-C's College of Mass Communication
and Media Arts, standards of the Accrediting Council on Education
in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) state that
"minorities . . . are vastly underrepresented in American journalism
and mass communications student bodies, and direct journalism
educators to make effective efforts to recruit, advise, and retain
minority students . . . ." (1993, 29). Numerous recruitment
activities by schools have been documented in the literature. Morton
presents a list of two dozen specific activities used to recruit
minority and female students by 49 journalism/mass
communications units accredited by ACEJMC (1993, 29). These
activities range from minority scholarships and administrative
functions such as special faculty meetings on minority recruitment,
to interpersonal contacts as provided by workshops for students and
special "minority days" or events. Some of these activities bring
potential recruits to campus, and some provide contact between
students and representatives from the institution. Some provide for
direct interface between college or university representatives and
potential recruits. But many are what might be called "one-way"
tactics: grant-writing, "flags" from admissions offices, and
institutions imposing goals and quotas on themselves. Notable is
the little direct mention of the use of communications technology.
 
There is little evidence from Morton's survey that programs in
journalism/mass communications employ the very technology
that plays such an important part in their study and their
professional preparation to meet recruitment objectives. Given the
prevalence, in particular, of satellite linkages and teleconferencing
opportunities available at many colleges and universities, use of
those opportunities to meet recruitment objectives might be expected
to figure more prominently than is indicated, at least in mass
communication disciplines, by the Morton data. Continued trial of
new approaches is thus warranted. Innovative approaches at least
should be sought and explored.
 
HBCUs with journalism and mass communications programs were
identified from a study conducted by Paddon and Cobb (1990). By
1982, 70% of the nation's African-American college students were
enrolled in predominantly white institutions (PWIs). But despite
this marked increase in enrollments, HBCUs still produced more
than half of the degrees earned by African Americans in engineering,
mathematics, computer science, physician science and biological
science, and 38% of first professional degrees in law, medicine and
dentistry. While PWIs produce the majority of African-American
graduate students in liberal arts, humanities and social sciences, the
trend is reversing as HBCUs are now enrolling African Americans
in record numbers and across all academic disciplines. While target
populations might be found at other institutions, and for recruitment
of minorities other than African-Americans, SIU recognized and
targeted this finite set of identifiable schools as a rich source of
recruits.
 
>From a total of 115 HBCUs, potential participant institutions were
selected from among those with journalism and mass
communication programs which had previously been identified by
SIU-C's College of Mass Communication and Media Arts from the
Paddon and Cobb (1990) study. From the _Downlink Directory_
(1994), it was determined which of the schools had downlink
satellite capabilities. Because this was a pilot teleconferencing
project, the number of participating schools was kept to a minimum.
All of the HBCUs with downlink capabilities were initially contacted
by telephone in order to ascertain their willingness to participate in a
recruitment teleconference by providing an audience of prospective
journalism mass communications graduate students. It was
explained during that initial phone survey that SIU-C would bear all
costs. Ten schools were selected from among the schools with
journalism mass communication programs which also had downlink
satellite capabilities. Of the ten schools selected, three declined.
One of the declining was originally an HBCU; however, because of
changing demographics in that school's vicinity it has become
predominantly white. Another school said its students did not need
graduate school and it simply did not feel the teleconference would
benefit its students. The third declining school offered no reason,
leaving seven schools as the initial participating pool.
 
Upon finalizing a participants list, confirmation of interest and intent
was made by telephone, after attempts by mail (via a stamped, self-
addressed return postcard) were abandoned because of a low return
rate. Answers to three basic questions were obtained by the
telephone survey: (1) How many students do you expect to have in
the audience? (2) What satellite band (C-band or KU band) are
you on? (3) Which of two possible teleconference air dates would
be best for your school? A subsequent mailing provided
participating schools with information about admissions
requirements for the two departments and one school within the
College of Mass Communication and Media Arts; financial
assistance (fellowships, assistantships and loans); and housing
information.
 
Based upon input from the participating schools, January 27, 1995,
was set as the air date. While that date was late in the school year, it
still preceded admissions and financial aid application deadlines.
Information had been disseminated to the schools early in the fall so
that the students would be aware of deadlines and would not have to
wait until the air date to make application. However, even if they
waited until the air date to apply, they did not have to wait for the
application materials to be sent; they had them in hand. As that date
approached, follow-up telephone confirmation calls were made and
letters were mailed.
 
The hour-long live program was co-hosted by the dean of the
College of Mass Communication and Media Arts and a journalism
doctoral student. The vice-president for Academic Affairs also
served as a co-host. The live program incorporated pre-recorded
segments interspersed throughout the teleconference. At the
beginning of the program, the audience was told that they would
have a chance to call in during the second half hour. Periodically,
during the first half-hour, the toll-free contact number was flashed
on the screen. The pre-recorded segments included vignettes of two
former SIU-C African American graduate students and one current
graduate student. One of the students profiled was a former
journalism doctoral student, now an assistant professor at a
medium-sized southern university. Another was a former Radio-
Television master's degree student who now owns her own
management consulting firm in a major midwestern metropolitan
city. The current master's degree student is in cinema and
photography. All of the academic units within the College of Mass
Communication and Media Arts were represented.
 
The profiles were produced by a graduate assistant, a doctoral
candidate in journalism who worked with the production component
of the Department of Radio-Television. The production component,
R-T Productions (that team included under-graduate Radio-
Television students), provided the footage filmedat remote locations.
File footage of the SIU-C campus, College of Mass Communication
and Media Arts facilities. and the surrounding community providef
scripted pre-produced packages. The profiles were between two-
and-a-half minutes and three minutes long.
 
The panel was comprised of the head of the School of Journalism,
chairs of the Radio-Television and Cinema and Photography
Departments, the director of Broadcasting services, the dean of the
Graduate School, and the vice-president for Academic Affairs. The
panel composition illustrated the level of commitment and interest in
minority recruitment at all levels of the university, while at the same
time showing the relationship between the recruiting departments
and the overall university. The teleconference was thus not only a
department or college effort, but a university effort. This unified
effort was an indirect show of support of the college and the
departments by upper administrative levels.
 
Minority graduate student representatives of the departments within
the college comprised another panel. They articulated their graduate
school experiences and responded to the phone-in questions. The
prospective students asked questions about the opportunity for
hands-on experience, financial aid availability, and even the climatic
conditions in the region.
 
 
COSTS
 
The costs of this project were not prohibitive. The largest outlay of
money was for R-T Productions to film at the remote locations, both
of which were out of state. There were food, lodging and
transportation expenses for this aspect of the production. However,
this was a one-time expenditure (the vignettes have a shelf
life of several years). Other costs incurred included satellite
time, telephone bridge, pre-production, long-distance telephone
calls to the schools, and postage. The total costs were a little more
than $5,000. To further point out the cost-effectiveness of
teleconferencing as a tool, the broadcasting site can reach 10, 20,
30 or more schools, all for the same $5,000.
 
While cost is one consideration, reach is another. By having the
interactive capability, it was clear that students were on the other
end. Because they asked questions, they probably were interested at
a basic level, at least.
 
 
SUMMARY
 
Systematic analysis of the effectiveness of the teleconference in
increasing inquiries and actual applications for the graduate program
is not available. Generally, the video-teleconference organizers and
panelists believe that the pilot project operated as planned and met
objectives of disseminating information, presenting the components
of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, the campus
and the surrounding community, and of providing for interaction
between potential recruits and university representatives.
 
Recruiting at a distance no longer needs to be confined to visits by
a single representative to campuses, or to expensive, sometimes
unaffordable, visits by interested students to institutions, or to
mailed information and recruitment literature. Communications
technology makes it possible to have a much more encompassing
reach. In the SIU-C project, video teleconferencing made it
possible to simultaneously reach students at Alcorn State University
in Lorman, Mississippi; Jackson State University in Jackson,
Mississippi; Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama;
Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and Howard University in
Washington, DC to name several.
 
Because of communications technology, schools can now
communicate with target populations all across the nation and,
potentially, the world. This can be accomplished simultaneously
with a large number of prospective students at different locations or
through a series of teleconferences. Although many schools do not
have satellite technology, an increasing number do (_Downlink
Directory_ 1994), and the trend is for that number to increase. As a
result, schools of moderate means may be able to compete more
effectively with larger schools that have an established tradition of
funding recruitment efforts that involve extensive travel and print
media use.
 
The level of participation of the Historically Black Colleges and
Universities in SIU-C's first-ever recruitment video teleconference
may be an indication that the use of communications technology for
distance recruiting is an idea whose time has come. Applications for
the graduate programs processed in the spring of 1995 will provide
evidence of the impact of the recruitment video-teleconference. It
may be possible to determine (1) whether applications from targeted
minorities at HBCUs are significantly greater than in prior years and
(2) the role of the video-teleconferencing in any documented
increase in applications from the participating HBCUs. As it is
possible to tape record teleconference programs, further utility of the
recruitment effort can be attained. The participating schools can use
the tapes at a later time for viewing by students who were not
available for the original programming. The vignettes and much of
the pre-recorded, pre-produced material will have a "shelf-life" of
several years, thus minimizing the initial cost and time.
 
SIU-C's pilot project is an example of what Sulton (1991) said is
needed in the way of minority recruitment efforts: extraordinary
means. But on the other hand, these means may not be
extraordinary at all, just overlooked. Distance recruiting via satellite
is simply utilizing the means that for the most part are readily
available in journalism and mass communication programs.
Teleconferencing programs have promise as a method of
empowering schools to compete for recruits generally, and minority
recruits specifically. By utilizing video-teleconferencing as a means
to recruit minorities, institutions can meet accreditation standards
and, more importantly, can achieve the inclusion of underrepresented
populations in higher education.
 
 
REFERENCES
 
_Accredited Journalism and Mass Communication Education_.
1993-94. Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication.
 
_Downlink Directory_. 1992. Littleton, CO.: Virginia Ostendorf,
Inc.
 
Garrison, D. R. and D. Shale. 1987. Mapping the boundaries of
distance education: Problems in defining the field. _The American
Journal of Distance Education_ 1:7-13.
 
Morton, L. 1993. Minority and female representation plans at
accredited schools. _Journalism Educator_ 48:28-36.
 
Paddon, A. and L. Cobb. 1990. Overlooked faculty resources in
Historically Black Colleges. _Journalism Educator_ 45:64-70.
 
Rudich, K. S. 1991. Marketing the telecommunications-based adult
continuing education Program. _The American Journal of Distance
Education_ 5:37-42.
 
Sulton, J., Jr. 1991. Design for diversity. In L. Sievel-Otten
(Ed.), _Proceedings of the First Conference Enhancing Minority
Attainment: A Multicultural Perspective in Higher Education_, 26-
27. Kokomo, Indiana: Indiana University Press.
 
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