Use of marketing and gamification to promote participation in extracurricular experiences focused on transferable skill development

Abstract

The DegreePlus program at Western Carolina University is a newly developed initiative to help students develop transferable skills, including professionalism, cultural responsiveness, leadership and teamwork, by attendance at specific extracurricular events. The program was first implemented in the 2017-2018 academic year as a pilot with Honors College students, conditionally admitted students and students in specific living-learning communities. Participation by these student groups was encouraged through targeted marketing, transition courses, required attendance at DegreePlus events, and gamification. This research addresses how these methods impacted student participation. We concluded that requiring early participation influenced some students to continue their involvement in DegreePlus, and gamification helped students get interested in the program, but students also recognized the intrinsic value of the program and planned to continue their involvement. Targeted marketing helped to increase awareness and understanding of the program and how it works.