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Higher Education: How To Gain Internal Support For Purchase Of A Software Platform For Learning
December 7, 2022

In Fall 2020 - the year the COVID 19 pandemic started - 85% of SARA-participating higher education institutions switched to emergency remote learning [1]. This meant a big shift from mostly all in-person classes to online (or mostly online) instruction.

With such a major movement, almost overnight, from in-person to online education, there were bound to be problems. The higher education sector is, historically, one of the last institutions to upgrade their digital technology. Yet, as a result of the pandemic, the market for online courses and degree programs has ballooned, and so has the need for the software to run them [2].

If your university is planning to continue offering remote education, you need software that can deliver learning programs that actually meet your organizational goals. It must be scalable, hassle-free for faculty and students, and easy-to-use, so that you don't have to hire out an IT or a software team to support it.

The only thing you have to do now is gain internal support, in a sector that is traditionally slow to make or invest in digital products.

Learn how to gain internal support for making a change at your university online learning software with these three effective strategies.

1. Emphasize The Need To Stay Current In Online Learning

One way to gain support for new and up-to-date software for your learning programs is to emphasize the need to stay technologically current.

Staying current with ongoing tech trends is an absolute must from an IT perspective. Yet universities are always behind in this arena. According to a 2017 EDUCAUSE report, higher education institutions typically only allocate 5% of their budget to IT [3].

Choosing a SaaS Partner ensures that you are always able to receive technical support, the most robust security services and the latest and greatest technological capabilities – without having to hire an internal team.

2. Engage With Stakeholders To Bring Them Along

Your next priority should be to engage with your stakeholders. This includes your university presidents, deans, department heads, faculty, and philanthropists.

To increase your chances of success, Forbes recommends following these four steps: provide as much information on the software as possible, show them what they will get out it, be honest about all the pros and cons, and maintain an open dialogue [4].

According to BestColleges’ 2022 Online Education Trends Report, 60% of students who were already engaged in remote learning said they planned to continue their studies online, even after their university resumed its normal activities [5]. Learners will surely be more invested to keep attending your institution if you maintain well-functioning, intuitive learning programs for them to use – and your stakeholders need to know that this investment is worth their while.

3. Involve Your Vendor In Making A Case To Your Stakeholders

Another step you can take to gain internal support is to involve your vendor in making a case to your stakeholders.

This is a strategy that has seen enormous success from a sales perspective. In fact, managers who prioritize the customer and work with them to create value – which is, in essence, collaborative selling – increase their sales and profits twice as fast as their peers who sell using a more traditional method [6].  That means you have a better chance of aligning your internal teams to purchase the new learning program software to your stakeholders if you have the vendor pitch to them directly.

Amesite Will Be Your Partner In Advocating For New Learning Software

Amesite is more than just a software provider or a vendor; we are a Partner. We’ve already collaborated with several universities, most notably the Wayne State University College of Engineering, with great success (read the case study here). Let us work with you, too, and be your advocate while you’re building support to upgrade your learning software.

[1] https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/09/16/new-data-offer-sense-how-covid-expanded-online-learning

[2] https://hbr.org/2020/09/the-pandemic-pushed-universities-online-the-change-was-long-overdue

[3] https://library.educause.edu/resources/2018/11/2017-educause-core-data-service-cds-benchmarking-report

[4] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/12/05/four-tips-to-encourage-stakeholder-buy-in-for-new-it-projects/?sh=2532de057f7f

[5] https://www.bestcolleges.com/app/uploads/2022/03/BestColleges-2022-Online-Education-Trends-Press-Release.pdf

[6] https://hbr.org/2022/05/stop-selling-start-collaborating

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