13 Implementation
This section has covered some specific concerns about branding and communication for course marking initiatives. This chapter will dive into the communication process for a course markings initiative, from pre- to post-launch. The considerations and examples here are presented to serve initiative coordinators as they brainstorm plans for marketing for their course markings initiative.
Pre-Launch
The initiative coordinator should first consult the administration on campus before reaching out to other departments about marking courses. At this meeting, coordinators should prepare a pitch and an explanation of the benefits of open and affordable course markings for students, instructors, and the university. Chapter 6 (Talking Points) discusses how to assemble the pros and cons for presentation to campus shareholders and decision makers. The “big picture” plan—where open and affordable course markings are found, how they look, and who can see them—should be approved by the administration throughout the design and implementation process. This support can be leveraged later on when sharing information about the markings. Administrators are important partners for marketing campaigns because they have access to campus-wide mailing lists and high-level meetings that the markings implementation team may not be able to access.
Central advising center staff, division/department advising staff, and any other staff members who are in a position to help students select courses should receive regular messaging about the course materials affordability initiative and course markings throughout the implementation process. These partners will be incredibly useful both at the beginning of the course marking initiative as plans for integrating markings are made and later on when students begin to ask questions about what the markings mean.
As discussed in the Section I (Policy), in some states, open and affordable course markings are being implemented due to a legislative mandate. For example, in Texas, SB 810 requires state colleges to institute course markings for courses that use open or affordable resources. Explaining that the open and affordable course markings are being implemented because of a law can help mitigate pushback; however, it is also important to emphasize the benefits of course markings.
Before the open and affordable course markings are officially launched, coordinators prepare frequently asked questions (FAQs) and marketing materials that can be used to explain and justify the initiative’s goals. Additionally, it is important to ensure that all members of the initiative team are well versed on what is happening, where, and why so they can answer questions effectively. A great example of a static FAQ page is the one provided by California State University’s Affordable Learning Solutions (California State University n.d.; fig 13.1). The webpage FAQ makes it clear what the benefits of the open and affordable course markings are and