Transcript STRATEGIC ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT Core Concepts and …

Deans of Arts & Science
“Climate Change” on
Canadian Campuses:
Issues & Trends Affecting Enrolment
Western Canadian Deans of Arts & Science
September 23, 2008
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
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Deans of Arts & Science
Presenters
Susan Gottheil
Associate Vice-President, Enrolment Management
Mount Royal College, Calgary
[email protected]
Dave Hannah
Associate Vice-President, Student and Enrolment Services
University of Saskatchewan
[email protected]
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Deans of Arts & Science
Introduction
 Review several broad issues and trends
affecting higher education
 Consider the possible impacts of these on
university enrolments
 “S.E.M.”: A new framework for thinking
about enrolment
 Begin discussion on how to respond to
these trends
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1. Enrolment? No Problem!
 Too many students for too many years
we haven’t had to worry much
about our enrolments
• Monopolistic organizations – limited competition & little
incentive to innovate
• Demand > supply
• Offer same old programs in same old ways
• “ Culture of Service” leaves a lot to be desired
• Philosophy of “weeding out” rather than supporting
student success
• Limited experience with managing enrolments
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Deans of Arts & Science
2. The demographic bubble is going to burst
 Aging population
 Traditional-age student base will decline significantly
over the next 20 years
 Geography is destiny: variability across Canada
• Atlantic Canada: demographic decreases coupled with large
number of institutions
• Ontario: strong demand in Toronto GTA
• Alberta: changing high school demographic, in-migration,
hot economy
• B.C.: increased demand for seats; university-colleges created
as high school population declined – now more universities
while province cuts funding to PSE system
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Deans of Arts & Science
3. Thank goodness –
participation rates will save us!
 AUCC (2007) suggests increased participation
rates will offset declines in traditional college age
population
 The impacts will vary by region
• AB and SK have historically low participation rates –
will they really increase?
 Increasing participation rates saved us the last
time (late 80’s/early 90’s)
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Deans of Arts & Science
But . . .
 In 2003, 76% of Canadians aged 22 – 24 attended
a PSE; in 1999 proportion was 62%
 Proportion of high school graduates increased
from 75% in 1999 to almost 90% in 2003
 How much higher can participation rates go
(especially in a hot economy)?
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Deans of Arts & Science
. . . and who participates?
 81% of 18 to 24 year olds whose parents have a
university education participate in PSE,
compared to 53% for young people whose
parents didn’t go past high school (CMSF)
 Lower income students overestimate cost of
postsecondary education, underestimate
benefits (CMSF)
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Deans of Arts & Science
4. The Economic Wild Card
 Economic factors may help (or hinder) participation
rates
 Strong (and well-paying!) job market for those
without postsecondary education is already being
felt in some regions
 Will the retirement of the Baby Boomers create a
labour shortage & reduce the educational
qualifications required for some jobs?
• would this differentially affect jobs that currently require more
“general” university degrees (such as a BA or B Sc)?
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Deans of Arts & Science
6. “Son, I Hardly Know ‘Ya …”
“This year will come as no exception,
and once again the faculty will remain the
same age as the students get younger.”
-Ron Nief
Director of Public Affairs, Beloit College
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Students and the composition of the student
body are changing
• Still predominantly “traditional age”
• Females outnumber males 2-1
• Greater diversity
 Aboriginal and international students
 immigrant , first generation & low income students
 students with disabilities & mental health issues
• “Millennial” students (and parents)
• Many are working & juggling multiple commitments
 more difficult to fully engage in university life
• Half carry significant debt
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 Fewer students interested in
education/learning “for its own sake”
• Increased “careerist” & “employability” orientation
• Students less willing to explore & experiment with
program/course selection
• Liberal arts becoming a luxury for a small minority
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Students’ interests, goals & learning styles are
changing:
• Taking fewer courses/term and longer to complete degrees
• Less well prepared academically (?)
• “Swirling” enrolment patterns
• Looking for more flexibility in scheduling & delivery methods
• Increasingly looking at the “whole package” (?)
• “Customer “ orientation
expectations of high levels of
service
• Accustomed to active engagement, not passive receptivity
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Deans of Arts & Science
7. The Networked Generation
 Today’s PSE applicants are the first generation
to grow up with the Internet
 Networked – connected, mobile, multi-tasking
 Social networking, on-line communities are
hugely important in their lives
• 15-18 year olds spend 88 minutes per day on social
networking websites (10 hours per week) (Academica)
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Deans of Arts & Science
Implications for universities?
 Development of the “stealth” marketplace
• Secret shoppers
 People get information directly from each other,
not from institutions
• Growth of WOM, “viral “ marketing
 CRM systems, Web portals & enhanced Web sites
• Information “just in time”, when I want it, how I want it
• Example: Customized print-on-demand viewbooks
 Expectation of 24/7 e-services
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Deans of Arts & Science
8. It’s the end of the world as we know it
 Increasing Competition
• Tradition of attending the “local” University in W. Canada –
students now see themselves as having choices
• Expanding capacity, especially in AB and BC
• Competition is escalating (especially for the “brightest and
best”)
• Recruitment and Scholarship programs ramping up
• Increasing competition from non-university sectors
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 Blurring of institutional boundaries
• Blending/ overlap of college & university roles,
offerings
 What is a university? A college?
 What’s national? What’s regional?
 Pressure for more seamless pathways, collaborative programs
• Re-conceptualization of post-secondary education:
tiering of PSEs
 New Brunswick & BC: polytechnics
 Saskatchewan – degree granting for SIAST?
 Alberta: baccalaureate, polytechnic & community-based
institutions
 BC: regional universities
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Differentiation
• Long history of relatively few universities, almost all
public, relatively comparable & of relatively high quality
undergraduate education (especially compared to US)
• Emerging trend towards increasing differentiation
among institutions (Macleans, G-13)
• This will increase as competition increases
• At the same time, how different are our core programs,
functions, delivery mechanisms?
• To date, differentiation has been “at the edges” rather
than at the core of our Universities
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Accountability
• Increased scrutiny by government, parents, students
• Are we delivering what they are paying for?
• Introduction of accountability measures
• Growing focus on identifying and measuring learning outcomes
• Questioning of high attrition rates and longer times to degree
completion
 If 50 per cent don't complete, what happens to them?
 What is our responsibility to these students?
 Why should the public pay for so few “outputs”?
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Online Learning
• Double digit growth figures in recent years
• Distinctions between on-line and bricks & mortar
institutions are blurring
• Moving from the fringes to the centre
• Why?
 focus on high demand programs with strong career
orientations
 more convenient & flexible delivery mechanisms
 increasing price of oil (transportation costs)
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 Fiscal Pressures
• Decreased government funding
• Targeted funding with more strings attached
• Heavier reliance on tuition revenues
• Increasing costs (food, energy, construction)
• Deferred maintenance, crumbling buildings and infrastructure
• Fixed costs are high and difficult to reduce (e.g. faculty and
staff levels, salaries)
Maintaining /expanding enrolment becomes necessary
from a financial perspective
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Responding to the New World Order
 Many institutions have been slow to adjust to the “new world”
 We continue to function as we always have
 Lack of a strong "culture of service“
• Students seen as interrupting more important activities
 Antiquated policies, procedures, programs, delivery methods
and organizational culture that developed during the period of
student abundance continue to function
 Bicameral governance structures and collegial
decision-making processes make it difficult to respond quickly
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Deans of Arts & Science
9. Summary
 We’ve come through a generation where demand
(from students) exceeded supply (of postsecondary
seats)
 Supply-side approach & limited competition lack
of incentives to develop new, innovative programs
& delivery methods
 The tide is beginning to shift – soon supply will
exceed demand
 This shift
pressure on institutions to become
more sensitive to the interests, needs & demands of
students
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Deans of Arts & Science
“When the waterhole dries up,
the animals start looking at
each other differently”
African Proverb
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10. Attrition, Retention & Student Success
 Although 4 out of 5 Canadians take some sort of
PSE by their mid-20s, 1 in 7 drop out (Statistics
Canada, 2007)
 Nearly 1 in 4 high school grads with A averages
are at risk for AW/DQ in first year (lack of
structure, loneliness, inadequate preparation,
uncertainties about academic majors)
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 U of S Study - 75% of leavers were academically
eligible to continue - so why do they leave?
• dissatisfied with their program (quit or transfer to another
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institution)
institution/program “not a good fit”
financial concerns
career indecision
personal circumstances
academic difficulties
unprepared - workload, expectations, external demands,
financial costs, learning environment, academic
standards
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Retention programs & planning not well developed
at most institutions
 Use of NSSE & Canadian University Survey
Consortium (CUSC)
• Emphasis on “student engagement” in & out of class
• Investing in improving student experience
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Deans of Arts & Science
Retention
The success of institutional retention
efforts ultimately resides in the institution’s
capacity to engage faculty & administrators
across campus in a collaborative effort to
construct educational settings, classrooms
& otherwise, that actively engage students
(all students, not just some) in learning.
- Vincent Tinto
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Retention Best Practices
• Bridging & transition programs
• First-year programs, orientation & transition programs
• Early feedback & pro-active intervention
• Intrusive academic advising, educational goal-setting
• Learning communities
• Academic supports; Supplemental instruction
• Non-academic supports
• Family & community support
• High tech, high touch, seamless support services
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SEM…
A Framework for Thinking
About Enrolment
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Prospects
The Classic
Admissions
Funnel
Inquiries
Applicants
Admits
Matrics
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Promoting Student Success:
The Student Success Continuum
Recruitment /
Marketing
Orientation
Classroom
experience
Co-curricular
support
Degree/goal
attainment
Student’s college /university career
Admission
Financial
support
Academic
support
Retention
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Deans of Arts & Science
The Student Success Continuum
Traditional Enrolment Perspective
Recruitment /
Marketing
Orientation
Classroom
experience
Co-curricular
support
Degree/goal
attainment
Student’s college /university career
Admission
Financial
support
Academic
support
Retention
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Deans of Arts & Science
The Student Success Continuum
The SEM Perspective
Recruitment /
Marketing
Orientation
Classroom
experience
Co-curricular
support
Degree/goal
attainment
Student’s college /university career
Admission
Financial
Aid
Academic
support
Retention
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Enrolment Management
Enrollment management is an organizational concept and a
systematic set of activities designed to enable educational institutions
to exert more influence over their student enrollments. Organized by
strategic planning and supported by institutional research, enrollment
management activities concern student college choice, transition to
college, student attrition and retention, and student outcomes. These
processes are studied to guide institutional practices in the areas of new
student recruitment and financial aid, student support services,
curriculum development and other academic areas that affect
enrollments, student persistence and student outcomes from college.
- Don Hossler, 1990
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Deans of Arts & Science
The Enrolment Funnel is Different for
Different Students
Student Type:
• Aboriginal Students
• New Canadians
• International Students
• First Generation Students
• Northern Canadians
• Rural Students
• Students with Disabilities
• Dislocated Workers
• Francophone Students
• Sole Support Mothers
• Low-income Students
• Visible Minority Students
• High-Achieving Students
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Enrolment Goals:
The Classic Conundrum
 All may want better students
 Administration may want more
students
 Faculty usually want fewer students
 Access vs. Quality
-Adapted from Henderson (2005)
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Enrolment Management System
Student
Characteristics
Environmental
Factors
Member of
underserved
student group
Student
enrolment
behaviour
Beliefs &
values
Demographic
trends
Academic
preparation
Competition
Motivation to
learn
Educational
aspirations
Public
Accountability
(loan default
rate,
graduation,
Accessibility,
retention)
Self-discipline
Adaptability
Interpersonal
skills
Peer
involvement
Ability to pay
Study habits
Family & peer
Support
Student
geographic
draw
Institutional
Goals
Quantitative
Goals
Qualitative
Goals
Diversity
Goals
Institutional
Objectives
Student
headcount
Admission average
Transfer GPA
Visible minorities,
Aboriginal,
international
Persistence
Goals
Retention rates,
Student
Satisfaction,
graduation rates
Capacity
Goals
Classroom
capacity,
adequate sections,
Class size
Net Revenue
Goals
Financial aid
discount rate,
international
enrolment
Economic
Trends
Off-campus
employment
availability
Federal &
provincial
polices
Institutional
Strategies
•Marketing
•Recruitment
•Admission
•Financial
aid/pricing
•Orientation
•Residence
•Athletics
•First Year
•Experience
•Advising
•Supplemental
instruction
•Service learning
•Learning
communities
•Academic
support
•Peer support
•Teaching &
learning
approaches
•Student
engagement
•SEM
organization
•Data mining
Desired
Outcomes
Awareness
Enduring
Effect
Institutional
Loyalty
Enduring
Behaviour
Institutional
Image
Interest
Commitment
Enrolment
Persistence
Satisfaction
Education
Relationship
Source: Kuh et al , 2007; Black, 2003
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12. What to do? Some ideas . . .
 Institutional identity and distinctiveness
• “What are you known for?”
• Institutions (and Faculties) will need to more clearly identify
who they are and what makes them different from other
institutions
• Increasingly important to develop a distinctive identity
(“brand”) that will have an impact on your ability to attract
students
• Why should a student attend YOUR institution rather than
another one (especially their local university)?
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 Institutional identity and distinctiveness (cont’d)
• Is it possible to develop a central defining institutional
identity at institutions that offer a dizzying array of
programs & courses?
• How can we work together collaboratively across
organizational boundaries to develop a common identity ?
(this is EXTREMELY difficult)
• Can we identify our distinctiveness in terms that are
meaningful to prospective students (rather than just to us
and our peers)?
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Develop innovative programs that reflect student
interests
• Consider student/prospective interests, needs, desires &
market demand when designing new programs
 connect your programs to their goals (e.g. career
advantages)
 demonstrate and communicate the “ROI”
• Increasing interest in programs that cut across traditional
departmental boundaries - innovative, inter-disciplinary,
theme-based, combining degrees/majors/minors
• Consider new markets - post-degree career focused
programs (not necessarily traditional graduate progs)
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Implement innovative & engaging pedagogies
• Not only about what we offer, but also about HOW we offer it
• Web 2.0 & desire for increased flexibility (scheduling, course
offerings, mode of instructional delivery)
• Engaging pedagogies:
 on-line
 small groups
 problem-based learning
 experiential learning opportunities
 research opportunities
 work/study
 Community service learning
 volunteer & community outreach opportunities
 e-portfolios
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Explore and develop partnerships, articulation
agreements, transfer credit arrangements
 Enhance Academic Advising
• expand beyond course advising (“talking calendar”
approach)
• should include career/life exploration & planning as well
as program and course advising
 Focus on Student Success
• Move from “weeding out” to “supporting success”
• Proactive, intrusive retention strategies (e.g. early
warning & academic support systems)
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Deans of Arts & Science
 Build relationships & engage with your students
• First year is critical – focus efforts there
• Passive approaches no longer sufficient
• Be intentional about getting students engaged and
making connections (with faculty and each other)
 Understand the importance of the “whole student
experience”
• Partner with others - connect your activities to the “whole
student experience” (e.g. Learning Communities,
activities in Residence, working with support service
areas, etc.)
• Formally recognize student involvement in other
university activities using “co-curricular transcript”
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Deans of Arts & Science
Discussion
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Deans of Arts & Science
The End
For a copy of this presentation, visit
http://uwindsor.ca/sem
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