Competing in the e-learning environment-strategies for universities

Recent developments have increased competition in the sector for higher education, thus creating an educational market. Companies from the hardware and software industries, the media industry, and professional training institutions are trying to enter the market with corporate or virtual universities, with learning software, computer-based training, and other e-learning products. Many successful universities are trying to enter the e-learning market using different strategies. In this contribution, we describe recent trends in the educational market. We then identify and classify a university´s portfolio and introduce branding as an appropriate means of marketing a university´s offer. A brief history and several definitions of e-learning are presented, before we illustrate e-learning market entry strategies and give examples. We conclude with further considerations for universities and an outlook.