Big Meeting
March 19, 2010
Goals 1 and 2 Table Discussion Notes
Table: 1
Objective: 1.1 - Partner with others to increase the college going rate of students from every high school and the percentage of those graduates who apply and enroll at Valencia.
Recorder: Victor Collazo
· Do we still do Counselor Day? – Yes
· Transition Team – Keep fresh and up to date
· “College is possible” message
· High School Assessment – now mandated
o Difference since mandated – too near to tell #1908
o Significant – more being tested
o Effect on mandated high school program – the Summer/Fall
o Seminole model
§ Meeting with OCPS about #1908 – interpreted differently
§ Schools offering remedial
o Faculty concerns about high school remediation
· No increasing DE at high schools but encouraging to come to campus
· Home school students increased DE on campus
· CJ program – Boone Magnet High School DE model 50% vs. 50 % Boone
· High school programs to increase numbers
o Enrollment progress – revise confusing information
o Requirements to come to campus to unlock Atlas Accounts
· Things you have to come to campus?
o Orientation
o Students don’t want everything on line
o People doing on line orientation then coming to campus
o Our assumption that everyone can do it on line
o Older students and Atlas
o Easy to get lost on our web site
o Trans Team on campus – soft skills
o Getting parents to campus for orientation
o Don’t simplify “College is Possible”
· Don’t like wording – change “college” to post secondary
· OVC pathways now requires some college
· Various non-college related reasons for attending
o Family expectations
o Parents paying insurance
o School or work
o Assessments to help create goals
· Reaction
o Communication – strategic brining to our students preview of “In the Making”
o Venting process on marketing – purposeful misspelling
o Education Is In concerns – not professional – “time Out Corner” on web page
o Additional collaboration when creating marketing
o Increase Valencia hard sell
o Direct Connect impact on enrollment
o Do we really need to increase enrollment?
o Are we able to support increased enrollment?
o How does enrollment management plan fit into the goal?
§ Target market for specific programs
o What is impact on enrollment management plan?
§ Effect on non-related classes, i.e. prep, pre-registration
· Missed
o Just because a student has completed develop e dreg prep classes there are other “soft” skills like timeliness, prep work, bring books to class
o Want the focus to be more than numbers when transition to college
Table: 2
Objective: 1.1 - Partner with others to increase the college going rate of students from every high school and the percentage of those graduates who apply and enroll at Valencia.
Recorder: Jeff Cornett
· Discuss:
o Questions/concerns
o Comments/envisioning
o Challenges/opportunities
· Pluses
o We do so much as a college
o We don’t know all we are doing
o State Bill 1908 – work with high school to do prep in high school
o “Go Higher and Get Accepted” initiative
o Bill – students must now select their major in high school
o High school guidance counselors invited to Valencia
o Web Technologies – Live Chat, social networking, etc.
o Dual Enrollment
o Our math professors are working with high school math recharging prep training
· Problems
o Lots of first generation students – need help
o In focus group – community college is perceived as second choice
o Need to work on our branding at Valencia to sell to students that community college is a best choice
o Scalability of initiatives (Bridges is such a small percentage of our students)
· Drivers working in our favor
o Direct Connect – make Valencia a preferred choice
o Financial aid trend – means to focus on education
o Increasing rates of fulltime students – show students are more serious
o Capacity restrictions may be filtering out weaker, less organized students
§ Works like a defacto admissions process
· Challenges
o Capacity issues at Valencia
§ Funding for faculty and staff – both needed
o Students who can’t make their schedules will discourage easily
o Students, schools and principles need to be “flooded” with Valencia
o We may not be marketing our workforce programs enough to high school students
§ Including AS, certificates and skill enhancement that does not lead to going on to a bachelors somewhere
§ Should do a Valencia person at the highs school similar to how UCF has a person on our Valencia campus
Table: 3
Objective: 1.2 - Increase the percentage of students who persist at Valencia through key academic thresholds.
Recorder: Erin Smith
· Persistence
o Change in literature – “showing up” isn’t enough we need progression
o Measure what’s been accomplished in the semester
§ Classes complete rather than just the returning next semester
· Attempted vs. complete – completion ration
o Deeper meaning that “persistence”
§ Completion
§ Momentum
§ Progression
· Measure why students are not completing courses
· Before a student drops a course, create a checks/balances
o Checklist “have you”
§ Talked with your advisor
§ Consulted your LifeMap Plan
§ Talked with other students
o It is too easy for students to just drop a class with no intervention – just a “click” of a button
o Student awareness of what dropping a class will do - why they are deciding to drop the class
· Raise student’s awareness of their progress
o Ceremony of completion (15 credit hours, etc.)
o Mile stones developmental students
o Celebrate thresholds
o Book store credit (20% discount on materials to prep for next semester)
· No one should withdraw without consulting their professor first
o Atlas notifications
o Student survey
o Only the professor can drop a student
o Students cannot drop themselves
o Facilitate conversation between students and professors
· Have former students talked with current students regarding:
o Projects
o Success in class
o How they progressed
o “If I can do it, you can do it”
o Build momentum/drive in students to complete courses
o Add momentum to persistence
· Making progression more visible!!
· Making consequences know for dropping a class
· Make a graphic in Atlas to show their completion status – very visual
· Show steps to success – visual representation
o Be careful not to show negative – discourages students
· Measurement should improve performance not only at Valencia, but of the student as well
· Track students through BA completion (past Valencia) to see where we may be able to improve our courses
· Provide professors with information so they can better advise students
o Key people to talk to
o Department/division meetings
o Cross-departmental meetings
o Online tools
· We all have a role in helping students complete their degree
· More cooperation between campus within disciplines
o Meetings on discipline level (cross-campus) to bridge communication between professors, to coordinate ideas, share information, curriculum alignment
· Educating faculty to better serve students needs to keep them on track and complete courses
· Online collaboration, social media
· Share and coordinate efforts
Table: 4
Objective: 1.2 - Increase the percentage of students who persist at Valencia through key academic thresholds.
Recorder: Liz Justino
· JC – Once outreach to students, Pathway Valencia presents to them is two-fold without too many directional signs, but directions are specific as to what to do and cored, i.e. homeless students , how does information get to them? Structured marketing or word of mouth (friends of friends)?
· TB – How easy is it for student to get enrolled and know what to do in process. Is information clear enough? Because students will asking what next when show up. Is there a communication barrier?
· JMF – anything for the first time is difficult, so how to do it.
· MP – Map out key thresholds, 15, 30 45 hours of completion and developmental education completions which are thresholds. Maybe a certification of recognition that completed program, i.e. developmental courses, would be a targeted communication to keep them moving forward
· TC – How to give guidance to non-traditional students, older than 18 years old, more mature because they may not know college procedures. Dissemination of information is important (because communication with college is difficult).
· TB – Breakdown happens because incoming students want to tell a story, but everyone is busy, so can’t really listen.
· JMF – Like welcoming person at Wal-Mart, need to take the time to listen (we do, but need more).
· TB – This is an area that can be improved.
· LT – Welcome students and NSO, SD increased welcome back activities. Do we need more than that?
· MP – Not just what we do when they get here for first, but after first and second semester, how we guide them: Think about our next contact with them in addition to the first contact.
· LJ – As advisors, we do developmental advising, help them with Education Plan and guide them towards MEP and LifeMap.
· MP – Similar to Career Program Advisors model for general studies students.
· TB – AA advisors do not have same opportunity to do CPA model because students do not come to them and if they do, don’t see same advisors. Maybe more personalization to be able to develop relationships with students by checking in to ask where they are and here is your next step. Following developmental advising mode. Students don’t feel like a number). The teaching element, although all is on-line, want to have the teaching element.
· MP – Utilize ATLAS Labs better with targeted information activities to advise them.
· JC – Students talk to students, i.e. in Recycling Film. So using ATLAS Lab for activities is a good idea. Hard to keep students captivated. Constant renewal of recognition.
· TB – Students without connections, i.e. club, professor, advisor, are those who are lost.
· SC – Benchmarking here, do we contact students regarding benchmarks? Career oriented students have goal, GE students are walking around. How do they get that information? Is there anything done for them to ensure they are following path to benchmark?
· TB – Direct Connect to transfer and advisor guides them, but not specific; sent them to UCF advisor, but not ideal.
· TB – Students not required, but encouraged to use LifeMap tools.
· JMF – Incentives possible once student reaches a benchmark, i.e. 20% discount certificate for bookstore, etc. Event certificate to acknowledge when completed program, i.e., developmental math, Integrate LifeMap skills within first 15 credit hours.
· MP – Increase usage of tools, i.e. LifeMap, but make tools as effective as can be.
· JC – What feedback are we getting from students as they reach the threshold? Make tool more interactive at key points, i.e. registering for second semester, information to op-up saying “you are in term two and here is what you need to do.”
· TB – Need to be pro-active not reactive. Ongoing early contact before a problem arises because students do not seek help until problem occurs, i.e. Purdue University has pop-ups, does not go to e-mail, but on their “ATLAS” account to communicate what student needs to do. It has been effective. (Pop-up is in amber color.) Could be an incentive or a pop-up (or both), but needs to be a communication that reaches the student to inform them to see someone to make sure they are following benchmarks to reach key thresholds. Also, personal relation with field advisor at Nova Southeastern.
· MP – Look at using “Live Chats” a pop-up that allows a student to speak with them via computer when advisor is available.
· LJ – Reach students through media/technology. A position that was discussed for the coordination of MEPs maybe can be the “Live Chat” advisor for quick advising and direct student to appropriate advisor/counselor.
· GT – Can faculty help with this?
· MP – Faculty are cautious about program advising because they do not want to give incorrect information. Give faculty canned information to help with the advising.
· SL – Even if faculty tell student to see advisor, at times are hostile to the idea.
· MP/SC – Analysis of enrollment trends that when reach key thresholds/benchmark to know that this is what you should have done by this time.
Table: 5
Objective: 1.3 - Increase the course and program completion rate of Valencia students by
decreasing the withdrawal rate.
Recorder: Dennis Weeks
· What is the current graduation rate
o Where are we in that range
o Are we there
o Can we do better
· Will decrease rate equal better graduation rate
o Reasons
o Is it successful completion
o What is success
o What is completion
· Is it sometimes better for students
· Online failure of late is increasing in perception
· See online course
o Are you an online student
o Need lots of hand holding
o Point to success
o More advising, better advising (remember online)
o Orientation for online
· Percentage of failure in online courses
· Number of online courses
· Too many courses signed up for
· Too many flex and short time load (overloaded)
· Reasons they drop out
o Money
o Time
o Work
· Reality (Nursing) Check – can I really do this
· Help – let students know about resources
o Tutoring
o Better communication to tools
· Require orientation to helpful tools – not just prep or SS
· No able to understand value of tutoring (students)
· Faculty not able to share resource options (communication)
· “Online Campus” with administration, provost, dean
o To increase standard of class
o Many do not need quality
o How would this help
o We are not equal to the standard classes now
o We have an honors director, works well, students
· “Online College” disconnect – a different group not equal to regular students
o Obstacles with faculty
o More staff to support online - not equal fulltime
· Quality matters
· Perfection is a reasonable goal
· Not equal to allow with before a discussion with teacher
· Restriction
· Why withdraw to begin with
· Different target and measure
· What measures are need to move needle
· A study to see why withdrawing
· A new short-term target, to see what we need to know and why before fixing
o Information from study = directions to look at
o Information why ($), helpful with scholarships, etc.
o We do not know what to do – no answers yet available
· How much does culture influence equal withdrawal, first year college, no supportive family
· Overtime family support declines – gets old
· Language barriers – impact on withdrawal, 5 years to grasp language
· Under prepared impact, plus language/cultural barriers
o How do we address this
· Are we already in top 5%
o What does to 5% mean
o Criteria to be up 5%
· Not sure goals are __________