ECC Excels – Completion Task Force Minutes

January 21, 2016 Meeting

Attendees: Dave Arlington,Meg Barbalato, Gary Bellagamba, Joan Castro, Joanne Colmerauer, Heather Cruz, Michael Delaney, Fabio Escobar, Petrina Hill-Cheatom, Ed Holmes, Kim Iannucci, Francine Kubik, Charnelle Mason, Ben Packer, Eleanor Paterson, Verlaine Quinniey,Mike Rio

Absent: Ken Barnes, Dave Bochynski, Julie Fusani, John Godert, Mark Hoeber, Donna Malczewski, Rick Washousky

Introduction of new committee members: Kim Iannucci, Charnelle Mason and Julie Fusani.

No feedback from:

  • Completion
  • No action taken place yet - reverse transfer, withdrawal processes, change of major, graduation workflow.
  • Communication
  • Has come up in other subgroups (support) – best way to communicate with students, no meeting or group-wide communication yet.
  • Data
  • Nothing to report - haven’t met yet but will soon.

Reported In:

  • Distance Learning(DL) Success
  • Intake
  • Support Group

Distance Learning Success

  • 7 major ideas –
  • Increase of full-time professional staff.
  • If need increases in this area, will have to take from another area.
  • Retirees will need to be replaced or reassigned to another area.
  • Increase enrollment of on-line and part-time students.
  • Stress on facilities relieved by on-line courses.
  • Students get most out of on-line courses due to schedule manipulation.
  • Support full evening courses (not weekend or evening college).
  • Offering degree and certificate programs that can be entirely completed on-line.
  • SUNY defined it as 50+ or more.
  • Offer a full complement of ECC courses that can be taken in entirety.
  • On Institutional side must commit resources to on-line program. Run courses at certain level (even below desired number) within a major to build programs and departments can count on being able to offer them.
  • Adopt and implement OSCQR as base-line for course creation and delivery. OSCQR is SUNY-wide quality rubric for DL courses – quality of instruction rubric (based on national standards, best practices and DL) and accessibility rubric (compliance focused).
  • Standing committee of DL (GAP) has fully recommended use of these. Spent 3 full days with SUNY doing quality assessment of DL.
  • Incorporate DL into ECC’s overall plan of participation in Open SUNY.
  • Provide WFD offerings via DL delivery used for degree credit courses.
  • Ed Holmes setup discussions with John Slisz.
  • Need expressed for more faculty professional development and technical support.
  • DL committee is endorsing OSCQR and departmentally based peer review.
  • Need to get DL teaching faculty on this committee.
  • Orientation of DL in the START orientation process.
  • Training incoming students about DL.
  • Providing orientation for DL students.
  • Student orientation to coursework and class expectations to take on-line courses.

INTAKE GROUP

  • How are we ensuring students select best major?
  • How does START and orientation as a whole evolve over this 5-year period? How can orientation best support student completion?
  • How can START or the rest of intake process promote readiness?
  • How can advisors be useful to the intake process?
  • How can we reach the point of a consistent, detailed and student-focused communication management plan that misses none of the students and delivers completion-relevant information during intake?
  • What are the current obstacles to completion in the intake process?

Comprehensive enrollment management plan. Department Chairs and clerical support need to be made aware how they fit into the process. Enrollment management is a term and a process. Articulate to faculty the comprehensive role have with students.

SUPPORT GROUP

  • Academic Readiness
  • Introducing students to the idea of what it means to be a student and what the expectations are. Chance to improve and acquire skills.
  • Giving students opportunity or “right to fail”.
  • Assessing all skills not just math and English.
  • Study of Late Admissions/Start Term
  • Establish panel to make recommendations to Board.
  • For all students not just first semester Freshman.
  • Scheduling –
  • Diminish number of course offerings of original start to cover faculty?
  • Having the physical ability to handle these sections.
  • How do you figure what demand would be?
  • Sinclair Community College implemented late-start initiatives.
  • FCCC survey – Michael Delaney offered to take.
  • Electronic Attendance
  • Begin in Fall 2016.
  • Enforcement?
  • Starfish –
  • Compatible with any technology (computer, phone, ipad, etc.).
  • 6 instructors piloting in Spring 2015.
  • Needs to be negotiated due to change in working conditions. Management needs to put on agenda for Labor Management meetings.
  • Electronic Graduation Application
  • Attendance and Outcomes Tracking
  • Value of midterms as early indicator. Michael Delaney advised midterm grades were eliminated by administrative decision many years ago.
  • If student is referred to tutoring via Starfish are they actually attending?
  • Is intervention helping?
  • Use swipe system for feedback.
  • Early Assessment and Remediation
  • Early Career Counseling
  • Need for helping students choose a major.
  • Academic Success Plan
  • Development of a plan for students that can be individualized according to needs and scoring.
  • Starfish has file attachment tool to upload.
  • Student can see academic success plan. Encourages student to interface with plan and understand they have a plan for their success. Can be modified.
  • Challenge: If doing for all students, not just a small population, how does ECC generate plans and what is process for building and uploading them?
  • Counseling?
  • Mix of counseling and Chairs?
  • Mix of different types of staff, how?
  • Automated process to develop plan?
  • Begin with probationary or START students and lead that into a larger college-wide process over time?
  • Probation/dismissal process
  • Student Affairs is addressing with financial aid probationary students.
  • Develop a “good standing” code in system.
  • Reform of Transfer Credit Process
  • Cleanup how efficiently the faculty side of transfer credit process is managed.
  • Change triplicate form to an electronic workflow management system.
  • Transfer matrix needs to be cleaned up.
  • Possibly better utilize ImageNow to send transcripts to faculty?
  • Need process changes on the way ECC takes in credit. Departments take different positions regarding transferring credit and some department policies are against SUNY policy.
  • Students moving from one major to another are being advised not to take certain sections of classes offered based on instructor.
  • Being discussed with appropriate department chairs.

Next meeting scheduled for February 4, 2016 at 11:00am.