Inducements: Heavy & Light

Inducements to learn about assessment. Higher education assessment is not a big-draw topic on most campuses. Unless your institution holds Assessment Days or similar high profile events, chances are that you have to work very hard to pull in a crowd for training or professional development. Rotating crowd-pleasers from the categories below will keep inducements fresh.

Leadership endorsement
President's or Provost's attendance as often as you can swing it
Either person's signature on an email invitation

Pay per day
Stipend or task payment for attendance or service
Token stipend of $25
Gift certificate of $10 (to just about anywhere)

Promotional product
USB drive with school logo
Tape measure with logo
Desk fan unless that's a bad joke in your buildings
Good quality highlighter set (affordable pens don't work, figuratively and literally)

Food
Outstanding treat like Chocolate Fondue (advertise it)
Box lunch that attendees can take away at end (advertise it)
Full meal in middle of day (advertise it)

Faculty and staff will also come for new information. When eportfolio software was new, I saw a crowd of 72 gather for a webinar. Following a SACS Institute one year, a panel discussion by 4 attendees drew a standing-room-only crowd. A gift is not always needed, obviously. The best strategy is to provide genuinely new information or service but to have a few rewards planned, too.

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as legal or professional advice. Bold is the co-author of Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. She is a consultant and speaker on assessment, distance learning, and technology.