Increasing enrollment in current classes

[Former Member]

For many the challenge is how to get more students into the SAP classes we offer. What are the best ideas to increase enrollment in existing classes?

[Simha_Magal · Accepted solution]

Our table came up with the following ideas for increasing enrollments in SAP related classes.

1. Show value in terms of getting internships and jobs

- show a list of SAP-related jobs from major job placement sites

- compare SAP related jobs with other IT related jobs, especially with regard to $$$ differential and positions available

2. Peer to peer marketing. Get current students and alumni to share their experiences with SAP related internships and other experiences.

3. Ensure that companies come and recruit these students.

- partner with university career services

- partner with ASUG

- partner with an advisory board for your program

- pound the pavement, visit companies, and convince them to come and recruit

4. Market SAP-related courses to other majors/colleges

- offer "bolt-on" programs such as minors and emphasis that students in various majors can take advantage of

- offer a stand-alone SAP certificate program

- offer SAP consultant certification (TERP10), which will attract both students and companies

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Great answers Simha. Thanks for posting. There have been 2 studies that I know of that actually documented the market value of SAP related education. One was in the October 2006 issue of Journal of Information Systems Education, volume 17, Number 2. Another is more recent by Frank Andrea -- not sure of the exact citation -- hopefully Frank will see this and add the cite as well.

Thanks again.

Gail

[Former Member]

Gail asked in a thread response for the citation:

Andera, Frank, A. Dittmer, K. Soave. Salary Comparison Study of SAP Vs. Non-SAP Business Graduates. ISSUES IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS, Vol IX, No. 1, 2008, 607-613.

ABSTRACT:

SAP is an enterprise resource planning information system (ERP) and is a comprehensive, packaged software integrating a complete range of business processes and functions in order to provide a broad view of business within a single information system. Today, over 850 of the Fortune 1000 run SAP as their ERP system. In 1997, Central Michigan University (CMU) signed an alliance with SAP becoming one of the first universities to begin educating its students about ERP by using the SAP software to support various business courses. CMU has offered more than eighteen different SAP supported business courses in its business curriculum as well as offering the SAP Certification Academy to its business students. This study surveyed CMUu2019s business graduates on three separate occasions over the past eight years to determine if there was a difference in starting salaries for those who had taken one or more SAP supported classes versus those business graduates who had not taken any SAP classes. The results of the study indicates business graduates with SAP classes received substantially higher starting salaries than business graduates who had not taken any SAP classes. The average starting salary of SAP business graduates was $4,056 greater than non-SAP business graduates, and for some business majors, the differential was as great as $9,562.

I hope this helps others sell SAP in the classroom.

frank

[Former Member]

I think for students at ungergraduate level there is often a confusion over who exacftly SAP are, whereas MSc and MBA students know exacftly who SAP are and the ease with which students can be attracted shifts accordingly. In soe MScs held by my schools they have seen their recruitent go from around 15/20 students to 60/65 by promoting SAP. Whereas at U/G level the promotion of SAP has to go hand in had with some form of communication about who SAP are and why it is important. That and of course the fact that it may be perveoced as 'difficult' by some students - particularly yhose with no operations or IS background.

One anecdotal example that shopws how it can be used: One university begins each year with a set number of spaces in its labs for SAP and s set number of places, defined by the lab spaces, on its SAP-related courses. Each year it gets around 60 students doing one particular course which has a significant SAP element - one which discusses implementation, engineering, and all the elements that a consultant might get involved with.

Each year there is a gradual spreading of word of mouth as their friends begin to realise exactly what SAP is and what it coud mean in their careers and certainly initial job searching. By the end of the year the lab is always filled with around double the number of students that are originally envisaged - just with students who have asked to join their friends to see how to use the software even if there is no acccreditation. For a year or two this was allowed until the numbers got so high that they had to allow only the official students. The course gets requests at theend of the year that are between double and triple the number of places - but by this time the coiurse is over. However each year the universityv finds it cannot attract that number initially to the course - it is always around te 60 mark.

This just shows the power of word of mouth and demonstration (and a little knowledge).

Martin

Martin Gollogly

Director, University Alliances

United Kingdom and Ireland