Portfolio Management
In a previous role, I managed a portfolio of higher education art, humanities, film, and theatre titles and focused on carrying out the following responsibilities:
▷ Research and Analyze (a continual process)
▷ Propose, Test, and Manage
▷ Partner with Sales and Marketing
▷ Support Customers
Throughout, collaborate and communicate across internal teams and with external customers
Research and Analysis
To know my audience, I:
Researched market trends and products in use
Analyzed sales edition over edition, and year over year
Set up advisory boards of instructors to review digital offering
Created proposals with sales estimates and plant spending budgets for print and digital development
Conducted webinar focus groups with instructors and created mock-ups to explore new product opportunities
Carried out user satisfaction surveys and student focus groups and class tests
Theatre Appreciation Proposal. To test a new Theatre Appreciation proposal, I set up focus group webinars to present the company’s research findings about learners, and followed up with a survey and possible approaches using existing MHE material. View mock-up one, mock-up two, and mock-up three that went out with the survey.
Student Focus Group Survey. Following a discussion with current student users of Connect Art for an Art Appreciation title, a survey was sent to capture satisfaction and other general usage information. View the questionnaire.
Proposals, Testing, and Management
As part of my day-to-day responsibilities, I:
Discussed assessments, challenges in understanding concepts, and solutions to address challenges with instructors and students
Drafted ideas and assets to support digital development/visions
Brainstormed and approved cover ideas that embraced program messages/stories and approach
Guided editorial coordinators through product development (mentorship)
Connect Film Asset Planning. In preparing a proposal to include a digital component for a Film Appreciation title, I thought about assets that would provide interactive understanding of concepts and guided questions, and address the main course challenge: developing strong analytical skills. View the plan submitted with the proposal.
Art Appreciation Message. In revisiting the message of an Art Appreciation title, the team and I conducted a taste test of messages along with a focus on course outcomes. View the survey questions.
Partnership with Sales and Marketing
Working closely with colleagues is key for portfolio management. I:
Presented and conducted sales sessions of new editions and features
Collaborated with marketing on opportunities/adoptions
Connect Art Demo Webinars. In an instructor webinar series to demo and promote our new Connect Art product, I put together a deck for the webinar host to use that outlines course outcomes, assessments, a demo link, and how Connect Art can address these outcomes. This webinar series was a part of our marketing plan, and similar resources were provided to our sales team. View the presentation.
Customer Support
To support internal and external users, I:
Held author-led webinar sessions to discuss pedagogy
Guided and trained instructors on best practices for using art and humanities Connect products
Assisted in setting up courses and sections in McGraw Hill’s Connect platform
Art and Design Author Webinars. To have a conversation about how a text can benefit Art Fundamentals and studio courses, I worked with an author on putting together a webinar series about the author’s pedagogical approach and having a discussion with the market about this approach. View the presentation.
