Students seem to be swayed by the tutor ’ s personal views and experiences . They trust their judgement and value their perspectives due to the relationship that they have with them ( Giles , 2011 ) and this can be a powerful cursor to a decision particularly if they have a positive perception of that member of staff ( Karpouza & Emvalotis , 2019 ). From a marketing perspective , this suggests that if universities invest time in educating college tutors in terms of their institution ’ s offer , activities and experience for students , that may result in more positive exposure for their establishment .
If the tutor ’ s views are out-dated , biased or they do not have a full picture of the options available , then students may make decisions without all the correct information . Therefore , it can be recommended that universities look to provide updates , and specific training or experiences for college staff ( both teaching and careers based ) so that they can impart a current and valid narrative , from potential universities that their students may be considering .
Whether it is before speaking with tutors , or after , the university website is normally the first way that students interact directly with an education provider . Having a website that not only attracts new students but services the needs of current students , staff and other stakeholders is seen as essential in Higher Education where usability is considered the key credential of effective higher education website design ( Iqbal , 2012 ). Adam gives examples of his experience ,
I went to the X webinar for strength and conditioning , and it was a pretty good course , and I was actually really wanting to do that .”...” It was very informative . It gave all the info I actually wanted . It gave me a bit of like … a view of the timetable and see how the courses [ inaudible ], the different semesters and I actually kind of … it was maybe more what actually goes on at X .
The importance of an easily navigable website cannot be understated and can be the difference in a potential applicant choosing an establishment and not . Lisa ’ s said ,
Then their website had like the course finder which I found really easy to use . Whereas I went onto X ’ s website and I just kept getting lost in the website and I couldn ’ t find any courses and that , so I just applied for four courses at Y .
The detail within specific course webpages also has a bearing on an applicants ’ decision whether to apply or not . For example , Kevin , in his third interview told us ,
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