Meeting Notes (11/15)

Hive/Bootcamp Meeting III (11/15)

- Different levels of access – public, private for alumni, different year groups, admitted incoming students?

Alumni –

Creating an online platform – looking for the best
Online forum too complicated –
Looking for information about how to start a business, searching for a business plan – first looking for online courses, then Edx, then stuff related with business – what made him choose MIT Bootcamp – high energy, high quality of videos/production + quality of information – simple, well-produced
Good examples, interviews with Erdin

Discussion forum – trying to extract information that was more related to my topic, understand a little bit about who was behind
Social innovation, “looking for more,” “it’s not enough,” – had an account with EdX, but didn’t really do anything because there wasn’t really any content

Wanted to come to MIT himself, “see if it’s true,” – branding power of MIT; wanted a different perspective – self-validation -- worth 5 or 6/10 thousand dollars? But then you get to share the MIT logo and you feel like it’s worth it – force someone to work faster and be more committed to my project; they’ve stopped full scholarships
I’ve done this vs. I’m on the way to doing something

- didn’t really use the discussion form, kind of messy, low response time; UX was really bad

2. Networking side – once you stepped away from the course – was it easy to contact people?

Tried using LinkedIn – the forum, changed to Twitter, followed where the communication was faster/more efficient – a response time issue (from both alumni and Bootcamp)

How do people try to get in touch now? LinkedIn is big; Twitter – mostly prospective students – students are trying to figure out, reach out independently – What do they want to know? Ask about the experience, what were the results (tangible output), what did you learn, looking for backdoor admissions

Why contact via LinkedIn? Probably the one-on-one connection – someone to really talk with – want to engage with people behind the scenes –

*Important feature – being able to search users by country; a lot of people run local meet ups

3. Coaches now – about the process, how it could be better – Why did you decide to be a coach?

- How they’d benefit

- What’s their message

- Soft skills

How are they having that communication? Sometimes in person, sometimes through Skype – redirected them to Facebook messenger
How does the matchmaking process work? –> First day people form team of 5, coaches selected base on experience and subject matter expertise, also cohort – pair coaches based on complimentary skill sets – coaches who can learn from other coaches – coaches are a mix of MIT graduates and Bootcamp graduates – then assign coaches to a set of six teams

Do coaching connections last after the Bootcamp? Sometimes – depends on subject, location, personal connection – Bootcampers also approach individual coaches as well –
Any follow up? Sometimes, depends
Badging? Definitely need staff and alumni distinction; what year; – coaches who aren’t alumni of the program it’s a little bit more of a transient role, and aren’t always the same coaches at every Bootcamp

Lecturers (varies) – coaching support staff (varies)

Coaching is valuable – real-life experience, pick someone’s brain, brings a different dimension to any other projects; personal attention and care

What’s App group for coaches; professional networking/development that happens in coaching relationships

Part 2: Post-it Note Exercise (see pictures)

How can we harness alumni excitement for prospective students?