EMPOWERING EDUCATION
Welcome to ForgeQuest, your partner in education consulting. We specialize in market research, program design, and course design services for higher education and workforce education. Our commitment to excellence ensures that we go above and beyond to provide quality solutions that meet your needs. Take a look at our site to learn more.
OUR SERVICES
Your Needs Come First
ForgeQuest is here to provide you with exceptional education consulting services. We understand that your needs can change quickly, and we are always ready to adapt to ensure your success. Our services include market research, program design, and course design for higher education and workforce education. Explore our offerings to learn more.
Market Research
At ForgeQuest, our market research services are designed to provide you with deep insights into the ever-evolving landscape of higher education and workforce education. We gather and analyze data, ensuring that you have the most accurate and actionable information at your fingertips. Our expertise includes market scoping, market placement, and competitive set research, along with pricing research, learning outcomes, and curriculum analysis. Whether you're launching a new program or refining an existing one, our comprehensive market research services will guide you in making informed decisions that drive success. By understanding emerging trends and the needs of students and the workforce, we help you stay ahead of the competition and meet your educational goals.
Program Design
ForgeQuest excels in both program and course design, offering solutions that align with your institution's goals and the needs of your learners. We partner with your subject matter experts and/or faculty to create new programs or update existing ones, ensuring that every aspect of the design process benefits from deep expertise and collaboration. We specialize in creating scalable programs that thrive in the online environment, enhancing student engagement, and learning outcomes. From conceptualization to implementation, we ensure that every program and course we design is impactful, sustainable, and capable of meeting accreditation standards. Trust us to deliver high-quality, learner-centered, and outcome-focused educational experiences that inspire and empower your students.
Retention Strategy
ForgeQuest understands the critical importance of student retention in achieving educational success. Our retention strategy consulting services are designed to help institutions create supportive and engaging environments that keep students on track to graduation. We analyze data to identify at-risk students and develop strategies around targeted interventions to address their needs. Our holistic approach includes an inter-departmental approach that includes enhancing academic advising, improving student support services,, fostering a sense of community and belonging, and academic support. By implementing our retention strategies, you can improve student satisfaction, reduce dropout rates, and ensure that more students achieve their academic goals.
Sales Enablement
ForgeQuest's custom research fills a critical gap in sales enablement, providing the data-driven insights your team needs to succeed in the education market. Our tailored insights help identify opportunities and align offerings with market demands. This empowers your sales team to craft compelling, value-driven messaging that resonates with prospective clients, institutional partners, and stakeholders. With actionable insights at their fingertips, your team will navigate the competitive landscape more effectively, build stronger relationships, and deliver solutions that address your clients' most pressing challenges.
ABOUT US
Dr. Andrea Kolasinski Marcinkus, owner of ForgeQuest Education Consulting, uses programmatic expertise and data to inform academic program selection, expansion, and optimization. Her expertise includes researching higher education trends and academic markets, developing future-casting models, assessing programmatic readiness for online development, facilitating academic change management, advising on program optimization and scheduling, and monitoring accreditation changes. She develops trusted relationships with colleges and universities to lead, co-create, and implement efficient and effective programs and manages the quality assurance of that implementation. Marcinkus has guided the creation of emerging and first-to-market online programs. Through program optimization services, she delivered student-centered models, while saving partner institutions millions of dollars in program operation costs.
Dr. Marcinkus started her academic career as a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, then moved to Mt. Mary University as a tenured Assistant Professor. She spent 10 years at The Illinois Institute of Art, where she held roles in academic administration including Academic Director, Cross-Campus Director of Student Retention (for a 5-campus group), and Dean of Academic Affairs (Chief Academic Officer for 3 campuses). During her tenure as CAO, Dr. Marcinkus increased student retention to a 20-year high on the campus (nearing 90%), established 37 new community college articulation agreements, launched a campus-wide service-learning program that provided non-profits with design services, and co-lead the development of a national entrepreneurship program and incubator for the Arts Institutes.
Dr. Marcinkus’ areas of academic expertise include education market strategy and research, curriculum research and design, student retention and persistence, programmatic assessment, regional accreditation, change management, and faculty development. She is also skilled in design thinking, analytics and business storytelling, and data visualization. During her time at The Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg, she was a leader in the teams developing national curricula for the Arts Institutes. She also successfully led the conversion of traditional courses to hybrid and online courses at Mt. Mary University and The Illinois Institute of Art. Through her work as Director of Academic Strategy at Pearson Online Learning Services and Boundless Learning, she has partnered with 12 universities and 54 departments over the last 5 years to create innovative new programs and optimize existing programs’ market performance. Outside of academia, Dr. Marcinkus has expertise in developing corporate curricula and learning assessments in conjunction with human resource departments.
Dr. Marcinkus has published in peer-reviewed journals, led webinars, and presented at national
conferences. Dr. Marcinkus has a Doctorate in Human Ecology and a Master of Science in Textiles & Clothing from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and a Bachelor of Science in Textile Design & Engineering from Philadelphia University (now Thomas Jefferson University). She also holds certificates in Design Thinking from Rochester Institute of Technology, Data Visualization from Davidson University, and Analytics Storytelling from Microsoft.
At ForgeQuest, we are dedicated to building lasting relationships with our clients throughout the US. We believe that exceptional service is the key to success, and we are committed to providing the highest level of service possible. Explore our site to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your goals.