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How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management. SEM 2008, Session ID: 100 Ann Tierney, Vice-Provost (Students) David Johnston, Associate Vice-Provost (Enrolment) and Registrar University of Calgary. Agenda. Introduction Strategic Enrolment Management Context

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How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

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  1. How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management • SEM 2008, Session ID: 100 • Ann Tierney, Vice-Provost (Students) • David Johnston,Associate Vice-Provost (Enrolment) and Registrar • University of Calgary How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  2. Agenda • Introduction • Strategic Enrolment Management Context • National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Survey • Connecting NSSE to Recruitment • Connecting NSSE to Retention • Conclusions and Observations How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  3. About The University of Calgary . . . • Only university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (population of ~1 million) • ~28,000 students • Public medical/doctoral, research-intensive • Full range of undergraduate and graduate programs • Professional schools: Medicine, Law, Architecture, Veterinary Medicine • 16 academic faculties How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  4. How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  5. Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) • “. . .strategic enrollment management is as much about managing educational processes and resources as it is about managing enrollments. In addition to traditional recruitment and retention strategies, enrollment managers have expanded their tool kits to include efficiency and effectiveness strategies such as geodemographic research, student outcomes assessment, student aid leveraging and institutional financial modeling.” • Bob Bontrager, Director of AACRAO Consulting and the AACRAO SEM Conference. How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  6. National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) • “ . . .obtains, on an annual basis, information from hundreds of four-year colleges and universities nationwide about student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college. Survey … reflect(s) behaviors by students and institutions that are associated with desired outcomes of college.” nsse.iub.edu/ How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  7. SEM in Canada • Changing demographic characteristics • Declining 18 – 24 age group • Increasing competition for all students in general, and good students in particular • Increasing national recruitment amongst peer institutions • Increasing involvement of Government in accountability measures How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  8. SEM at the University of Calgary • Student focused President • Very engaged Provost, committed to measurement • Institutional priority to become student-centric • Financial challenges around budgets increasing at a rate less than costs increasing How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  9. SEM at the University of Calgary • Recently reorganized for integration • responsibility for enrolment services, student services and student success resides in Vice-Provost (Students) • Complex institutional admission practices • Senior level commitment on managed enrolment • Shared institutional goals on retention • Funded enrolment growth in government defined strategic areas How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  10. SEM at the University of Calgary • Current Emphasis in Enrolment Management • Effective and efficient recruitment and admissions • Improving student engagement • Linking traditional enrolment management with student success • Improving retention • Creating a culture of data driven decision making • Initiating strategic change How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  11. Surveys at the U of C • Existing use of NSSE to measure the engagement of our students. Conducted NSSE in 2004, 2007 and 2008. Have also used BCSSE • Use other surveys to verify, understand, examine trends: • CUSC (Cdn Undergraduate Survey Consortium) • CGPSS (Cdn Graduate and Professional Student Survey) • Graduate Follow-up (Province of Alberta, 2 yrs after grad) • 2008 Extensive Applicant Study How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  12. National Survey of Student Engagement • Large, research supported, student survey • USA and Canadian Schools • Designed to provide information colleges and universities can use to improve the quality of undergraduate education • Measures what students say they do • Connecting NSSE data over time and across institutions allows improved ability to monitor trends and patterns How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  13. National Survey of Student Engagement • Creates 5 Benchmarks • Level of Academic Challenge • Active and Collaborative Learning • Student – Faculty Interaction • Enriching Educational Experiences • Supportive Campus Environment • Benchmarks consist of series of questions related to the topic • Administered to first year and senior students only • Normally administered on a schedule, not annualy How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  14. National Survey of Student Engagement • Provides year to year data for analysis • Within Canadian comparators • U of C scores are in line with our Canadian counterparts • Within USA comparators • U of C scores are consistently lower than our U.S. Research Extensive counterparts • Internal cross faculty comparators • High variability across programs How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  15. How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  16. How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  17. National Survey of Student Engagement • At U of C, there are a range of results between faculties – richness of results • We are equally as interested in comparing between faculties as we are between institutions • The real information/strength of NSSE lies in the underlying questions that comprise the benchmarks How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  18. National Survey of Student Engagement How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  19. National Survey of Student Engagement • What we found: • Need to focus on our first year students in order to improve their experience • Need to focus on overall efforts to increase student engagement for all students • Need to work on course and classroom issues • Need to communicate with our students around supportive campus environment issues How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  20. Action from NSSE Results • Create NSSE Action Team: Results oriented • Provost • Senior Student Affairs leaders • Academic representation • Students’ Union • Planning/Institutional Analysis analyst • NSSE Project Coordinator How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  21. Action from NSSE Results • Communication of NSSE Results: • Newsletters (5) - Benchmark results to campus • Faculty-specific results – presentations to faculty councils • Overall Results to Deans’ Council, etc. • Creation of internal NSSE website How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  22. Enrolment Management • What we thought • Are we able to leverage what we know from NSSE to assist in Enrolment Management efforts? • How to use NSSE (and other) data to support recruitment, admission, registration and retention How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  23. Enrolment Management • Moving away from traditional way of using data • Not connected to students as “people” • Must focus on usual metrics • Focused on meeting goals • Must also focus on understanding what attracts and keeps students • Must be aware of what they are thinking How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  24. Enrolment Management • Recruitment: Highlight positive aspects of the experience our students say they’re having; thus recruiting students who best fit our institution • Retention: Working to change parts of the experience students say are problematic; thus retaining students to successful completion How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  25. Active and Collaborative Learning NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  26. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  27. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions • RESULTS in the Active and Collaborative Learning benchmark are high; U of C values this, as do our students • ISSUE: to keep recruiting students who value active and collaborative learning and who best “fit” our institution • ACTION: U of C Viewbook • Has student profiles focusing on this issue • Recruit students who are best suited to our institution: combination of BCSSE/NSSE data shows us who our students are/what they want • “truth in advertising:” our Viewbook helps us reach out to students who best fit; also assists in setting expectations How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  28. “Business is obviously a lot of collaborative work. All the introductory courses pretty much have group projects. We are getting together, with groups, for at least two classes each semester.” • (2nd Year Commerce Student) How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  29. Enriching Educational Experiences NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  30. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  31. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions • RESULTS for Enriching Educational Experiences are good, but still needs to improve. • ISSUE: To offer our students a wide range of excellent educational experiences • ACTION: U of C Viewbook highlights: study abroad programs; research opportunities with professors; practicum/co-op experiences; volunteer experiences • Worked with faculties to ensure the Viewbook highlighted their strengths in enriching educational experiences How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  32. “Most of the program is based on a practicum. They do a really good job in our faculty including agents from Calgary and surrounding area. They tailor to different types; adolescents, seniors,…case work, child services. They pretty much cover every type of category you want.” (4th yearSocial Work Student) How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  33. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions • RESULTS: show that our students are very career-focused; faculties require assistance in offering advice to students • ISSUE: Students need information regarding career paths, hands-on opportunities to explore job markets • ACTION: • Viewbook has an “explore” page – circles of areas of study and career; shows students different academic paths to reach their career goals • Career Services – staff shared between specific faculties and Career Services • Career Fairs by faculty and/or theme How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  34. How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  35. Enrolment Management • How to use NSSE (and other) data to support retention How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  36. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and ActionsCommunity Service learning, Volunteering How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  37. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions • RESULTS: show that U of C needs to offer more volunteering and service learning opportunities • ISSUE: There is a disproportionate number of students who want to have a community service experience versus those who actually complete the experience • ACTION: Community Service Learning; Leadership • Established a new office to work with entire campus on increasing the visibility and experiences available for CSL • Created a Student Leadership program How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  38. How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  39. Sense of Community How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  40. Sense of Community How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  41. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions • RESULTS: from NSSE (and all other surveys) show that we have a weak sense of community • ISSUE: • Most of our students are commuter students and spend substantial amounts of time travelling to class • Our students work many hours off-campus • Many of our students spend very little time on campus outside of their classes How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  42. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions • ACTION: • Orientation redesigned to: • Provide a better connection to campus and the people • Focus on providing opportunities to learn about involvement • Provide a more engaged atmosphere • Commuter Lounge (proposed) • Provide a space on campus where students can meet, work together on projects, and study How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  43. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  44. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  45. Course Availability, Academic Advising How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  46. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions • RESULTS show that our students are concerned about the lack of courses & quality of advising available to them • ISSUE: U of C students expect to get the courses they need to graduate • ACTION: • We have introduced the 4-year Graduation Guarantee: piloted for 4 large faculties this year (1/2 our students); • Considerable interest from other faculties • Enhanced advising – also initiate campus advising network How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  47. How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  48. Research Opportunities How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  49. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions • RESULTS: Students are interested in research • ISSUE: First year students say they want a research experience but not enough graduating students say they’ve had the opportunity to have this experience • ACTION: Created Research In Action program showcasing undergraduate research. Is used as a retention and recruitment tool How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

  50. NSSE Data: Results, Issues and Actions How NSSE Can Help With Strategic Enrolment Management

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