The College of St. Scholastica :

1. 2013 CAEL Conference The College of St. Scholastica: Weaving Threads of Innovation into the Tapestry of Tradition: One College’s Story

2. The College of st. scholastica • Workshop Presenters: • Rick Butte • Teresa Ipina • Lesley Kleveter • Cindy Olson

3. Over 100 years of learning!

4. Our benedictine values • Community: Sharing responsibility to create and support community • Hospitality: Create a welcoming atmosphere personally and institutionally • Respect: Cherishing and promoting the worth of all human life • Stewardship: Utilizing human resources responsibly • Love of Learning: Preserving the intellectual and material heritage entrusted to us by past generations

5. Direction of Presentation Agenda – Non-Traditional Students • Recruitment • Retention • CSS Complete Initiative • Updated PLA Process • Conclusion – Take-Aways

6. Recruitment Recruitment Process Inquiries Web Driven Marketing Driven B2B & other direct selling Other

7. Recruitment • Key Elements of Recruitment Process • Help potential student reveal core goals for earning degree. • Serve as initial advisor to demonstrate pathway to achieving core goals through degree completion. • Seamless transition to advisor once the student is admitted through a well documented recruiting summary.

8. Recruitment • Help potential student reveal core goals for earning a degree This step is a discovery process where the goal of the “Recruiter” is to develop a partnering relationship with the potential student in order to identify their previous academic work, the motivation for seeking a degree as well as any concerns or barriers that may imped successful degree completion. This can be accomplished using a base set of question: • Why is earning a degree important to you? • Who else will be impacted by this decision and available to support you? • What things stand in your way to achieving your goal? • When would you like to start, finish? • Where do you see yourself heading after you complete your degree?

9. Recruitment EXAMPLE: • Recruiter… Why is earning a degree important to you? Student… So I can advance my position with my employer. The questions should not stop here, Recruiter follows up with…What new opportunities do you see happening when you advance with your employer? Student… I will get a raise that will allow me to better care for my family. • This answer brings the emotional connection to the discussion and more than likely reveals the student’s true reason for seeking the degreeand a key motivator.

10. Recruitment • Recruiter serves as initial advisor to demonstrate the academic pathway to achieving core goal through degree completion. • Describe how any transfer credits may be used towards degree. • Describe the variety of course offerings and modalities that are available. • Describe the different ways to obtain credits towards course/degree completion. • Ask the question, can you see yourself at graduation? With any other answer than yes…

11. Recruitment With any other answer than yes… Continued: The Recruiter will need to probe more deeply to identify remaining barriers and concerns, while at the same time be able to recognize a mismatch between CSS and the potential student. And when a mismatch occurs, serve as a resource by offering different ideas to help the student reach their goals.

12. Recruitment • Provideseamless transition to advisor once student is admitted through a well documented recruiting summary. • Recruiter’s summary becomes part of student file so that the advisor can review the file and know the student before making contact. Advisor’s role • Review recruiter’s summary to understand student history, prime motivators and barriers.

13. Recruitment Advisor’s role continued: • Contact student to formalize the transition to the advisor. • Set a date for near-term advising appointment (virtually or in person) • Maintain ongoing partnering relationship with student until graduation.

14. Retention • Top 20 Reasons for Dropping Out • (Report by Classes and Careers, 2012)

15. Retention • Theme 1: Campus-wide Communication of Retention Goals and Rationale • Invite dialog between Institutional Reporting and Advisors/Departments • Identify areas where data collection and reporting can be strengthened • Establish core retention team comprised of cross-functional representation (including students and faculty too!)

16. Retention • Theme 2: Enhance Student Support • Develop financial literacy training that can be delivered online • Modify New Student Orientation program to incorporate a student on-boarding portal • Build Peer Networks

17. Retention • Theme 3: Enhance Academic Advisement and Tracking • Engage in Intrusive Advising Techniques • Partner with IT Department to analyze characteristics of students with high persistence and graduation rates • Develop dashboard analytics

18. Retention

19. Retention • Theme 4: Enhance Student Experience Inside the Classroom • Increase active experiential learning opportunities • Provide early and frequent feedback for students • Host Fall Adjunct Faculty Kick-off and two professional development events per academic year

20. Retention • Retention Take Aways • Assess current reality • Determine largest barriers and address those first • Tailor action items to specifically address barriers • CELEBRATE successes! • Continue to assess and adapt

21. CSS Complete Initiative What is CSS Complete? • Affordable degree completion pathways • Assessment options available for prior and new learning • Up front mapping of prior learning as it relates to the program of study • Completion Coach

22. CSS complete initiative Role of the Completion Coach • Discuss previous education, work and other experience, and long term personal and career goals • Explore degree completion options with a student • Map it all to a degree completion plan and outline next steps

23. CSS Complete Initiative Credit for Prior Learning • Direct transfer • Certifications • Military Training and Experience • Standardized Assessment (AP, CLEP, DSST) • Institutional Challenge Exam • Prior Learning Portfolio Credit for New Learning • Post secondary courses – at CSS or another institution • Assessment of new learning gained through self-study (MOOCs, open online content)

24. CSS Complete Initiative Degree Completion Example

25. CSS Complete Initiative Degree Completion Example

26. Updated PLA PORTFOLIO Process Overview of Old Process • Offered since 1981 • PLA Workshop New Process • Reasons for Change • Blackboard - Courses

27. Updated PLA Portfolio Process PLA Orientation – 1st8-week Term • Guide/Coach • Assignments • Accomplishment • Segments for Portfolio: • Educational Plan – complete within 2 weeks • Autobiography – complete within 2 weeks • Factual Narrative – practice one Learning Outcome • Documentation – prepare in 2nd 8-week term

28. Updated PLA Portfolio Process Educational Plan: Example of how student with seasoned and substantial workforce experience was able to package her learning into an Educational Plan: • Student states her educational goal and why it is a goal • Student clarifies what the advantage is of that goal • Student then explains the anticipated result of her educational goal

29. Updated PLA Portfolio Process PLA Faculty Review – 2nd8-week Term • Students register for PLA Portfolio Course • Pay prior to term start – can withdraw during 1st week of term • Faculty evaluator works with student • ‘P’ or “NP’ at end of term

30. Conclusion – Take-Aways • Focus: Flexibility for student • Transparency: Recruitment through graduation • Communication is key! • Review current processes for transfer credits and update as necessary to best assist student • Advisor role crucial • Adapt to meet student needs • Student-centric Questions?

31. Thank you • Rick Butte rbutte@css.edu • Teresa Ipinatipinia@css.edu • Lesley Kleveterlklevete@css.edu • Cindy Olson colson2@css.edu