The emergence of online learning has created new opportunities for expanding enrollment and improving retention. Traditionally, universities have concentrated heavily on local recruitment. However, online programs are by definition not bound by geographic limitations. Simply converting a program to online delivery does not necessarily attract exclusively new students. In fact, it can “cannibalize” the school’s classroom-based students. The fundamental question is how does a university change its marketing and recruitment practices to secure highly committed, online students? For universities catering to adult education, the historical approach has been to establish local articulation agreements with community colleges to help manage the general education requirements.

Articulation agreements address the inherent concerns of universities:

negatively impacted student retention caused by the likelihood of adult learners to procrastinate or drop out of the degree program; the risk of attrition that arises from managing adult learners with one provider throughout the entire program; and the need for adult learners to achieve early successes and accomplishments. Completing a lower degree (or its equivalent) with another provider allows the university to focus its resources on delivering the major and provides positive reinforcement for the student. Although local articulation agreements will continue to be used, a new model for recruiting serious students has emerged.

The National Education Alliance was formed to establish national and regional articulation partnerships with universities to increase the enrollment of students fully prepared to pursue their major. Acting as an articulation partner, National Education Alliance

offers universities a nationwide audience through its marketing efforts. In this model, the National Education Alliance brings qualified students to the university at no expense. The National Education Alliance’s promotional investment is augmented by leveraging the branding of the university partner. Using this approach, allied healthcare educators can expand delivery of services beyond their traditional geography and provide competitive methods for students to participate in their courses. Increased student enrollment and retention are a natural byproduct of matching these front-end articulation services with degree-granting institutions.