The goals of this project are to: 1) increase applications, yield, and retention of
student cohort groups identified in Western's Enrollment Management Strategic
Plan; and 2) increase student engagement as directly measured by the National
Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and indirectly by improved retention.
This action item involves many other of the seven components of Western's
strategic planning processes, including branding and marketing and three
national initiatives connected to student engagement, the National Learning
Community Project, The American Democracy Project, and Foundations of
Excellence in the First Year.
Related AQIP Criteria
Primary
1-Helping Students Learn
Related
2-Accomplishing Other Distinctive Objectives
Related
3-Understanding Students' and Other Stakeholders' Needs
Related
8-Planning Continuous Improvement
Related
9-Building Collaborative Relationships
Related AQIP Principles
Principle
A - A mission and vision that focus on serving students and other stakeholders
Principle
D - A learning-centered environment
Principle
H - Planning for innovation and improvement
Principle
I - Fact-based information-gathering and thinking to support analysis and decision-making
Rationale for Action
Western has strategically combined the academic and student affairs divisions to
emphasize the seamless nature of the student learning inside and outside of the
classroom as one means of increasing student engagement. The Citizen-
Scholar concept is employed to introduce first year students and other
constituents to this holistic nature of the Western learning community—one that
has two distinctive signatures—applied learning and service to the region.
This action project combines components of the campus strategic plan and three
national projects. Two of the three national projects are through the American
Association of State Colleges and Universities: the American Democracy Project
(ADP) and the Foundations of Excellence™ in the First College Year Project
(Foundations). The third national project is participation in the National
Learning Community Project (NLCP). Each of these projects has an
engagement emphasis and is relevant for first year students.
This action project will address student engagement as a developmental
process beginning with the marketing/branding of an engaged learning
community to prospective students and continuing with the intentional
educational programs provided for enrolled first year students. Further,
Western seeks to improve recruitment and retention of students through the
deployment of a strategic enrollment management plan called Assets and
Aspirations.
Areas Affected
Primary involvement is with the Academic and Student Affairs Division,
including Admissions, Student Development, Academic Departments, and
Student Services. Secondary involvement is with branding initiatives associated
with the Image and Advancement sector of the strategic plan.
Processes Affected
The processes involved include engagement branding/advertising directed
toward prospective students and their families, opinion leaders influencing
college choice, recruiting activities, orientation programming, and curricular, co-
curricular, and extra-curricular offerings related to engagement.
Process Measures
Western will employ existing strategic planning implementation teams and
committees associated with the three national projects to establish process
measures during the Spring 2004 semester.
Outcome Measures
With respect to outcome measures, Western will begin to use the NSSE survey to monitor changes in students’ expectations and attitudes toward their college experience, including:
· Level of academic challenge
· Student-faculty interactions
· Active and collaborative learning
· Enriching educational experiences
· Supportive campus environment
Both ADP and Foundations allow some peer group comparisons using NSSE results.
In addition to NSSE, the College will employ the faculty version of NSSE from the Center for the Study of Higher Education or CSHE, which measures:
· Background and demographic information
· Professional activities (e.g., preferred teaching methods, research activities, advising duties, professional development activities, informal interactions with first-year students)
· Perceptions of various aspects of their institution’s policies, practices, and values as they relate to first-year students and one or more of the Dimensions
With respect to measuring enrollment management related engagement goals, application numbers, yield rates, and retention of student cohort groups identified in Western’s Enrollment Management Strategic Plan will be used as an indirect measure of student engagement for prospective and current students.
Performance Targets
Year
Quantitative and Qualitative Stretch Targets
One
Administer NSSE (March 2004) and CSHE instruments (February 2004)to establish baseline results for measuring student engagement improvements. Enrollment management measures of application numbers, yield rates, and retention of student cohort groups identified in Western's Enrollment Management
Strategic Plan will be used as an indirect measure of student engagement for prospective and current students.
Two
Design, develop, and implement any campus specific measures using strategic planning implementation funding and participation in the ADP, Foundations, and NLCP national projects. Evaluate NSSE and CSHE results to establish stretch goals based on comparative results from other campuses.
Reflect on results from campus measures and implement continuous
improvement efforts as needed. Track progress of enrollment management measures such as application numbers, yield rates, and retention of student cohort groups identified in Western's Enrollment Management Strategic Plan for prospective and current students.
Three
Evaluate progress on NSSE and CSHE stretch goals. Reflect on results from campus measures and implement continuous improvement efforts as needed. Track progress of enrollment management measures such as application numbers, yield rates, and retention of student cohort groups identified in
Western's Enrollment Management Strategic Plan for prospective and current students.
Keeping Focus
Campus teams such as the Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management
Strategic Planning Implementation Team and the Foundations committee
continue to meet regularly to monitor progress on engagement initiatives.
A series of student engagement community forums were initiated in 2004 to
stimulate dialogue on engagement issues outside of campus teams and to
disseminate information about the work of campus teams.
Contact Person Information:
First Name:
David
Middle Initial:
J.
Last Name:
Arnold
Title:
Vice President for Academic and Student
Email:
arnold@missouriwestern.edu
Phone:
816-271-4234
Annual Update: 2004-09-13
A.
Describe the past year's accomplishments and the current status
of this Action Project.
The goals of this Action Project are to: 1) increase applications, yield, and retention of student cohort groups identified in Western’s Enrollment Management Strategic Plan; and 2) increase student engagement as directly measured by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and indirectly by improved retention rates.
With funding from the Strategic Planning Implementation Fund, Western engaged the national firm of Noel-Levitz to assist the college with the development of a tactical/operational annual recruitment plan from June 2004 to December 2004. These planning efforts focus on formulating a recruitment plan, based on market research, for the matriculation class of 2005. To date, three site visits by Noel-Levitz consultants have involved more than sixty faculty and staff and resulted in a draft plan that is currently being reviewed.
Western continues its active involvement with three national initiatives connected to student engagement, the National Learning Community Project (NLCP), The American Democracy Project (ADP), and the Foundations of Excellence™ in the First Year Project.
NLCP involved a site visit in fall 2003, ADP involved attending two national meetings, and the Foundations of Excellence™ in the First Year Project involved two site visits during the spring 2004 semester.
Review ():
B. Describe how the institution involved
people in work on this Action Project.
Between 100 and 200 faculty, students, and staff attended a series of five forums held during AY 2003-2004. One forum was associated with the a site visit and workshop about the National Learning Community Project; two sessions involved guest speakers from the Foundations of Excellence Project, John Gardner and Edward Zlotkowski, who addressed first year programs and service learning respectively; and two involved identifying student engagement strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats at Western.
The fourteen member Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management Strategic Planning Implementation Team continues to be the primary vehicle for addressing recruitment and retention issues. The membership of the committee includes members from the faculty, deans' council, admissions, athletics, the registrar, and the directors of financial aid and public relations/marketing.
Review ():
C. Describe your planned next steps for
this Action Project.
Assessment data for the ten implemented learning communities will be collected this fall.
Consulting with Noel-Levitz will result in an annual operational/tactical recruitment plan for the matriculation class of fall 2005. This plan will include specific enrollment management targets.
Early in calendar year 2005, Western will develop an annual operational/tactical retention plan parallel to the operational/tactical annual recruitment plan.
In fall 2004, Western will begin to analyze its first set of NSSE survey results, monitoring changes in students’ expectations and attitudes toward their college experience, including:
Level of academic challenge
Student-faculty interactions
Active and collaborative learning
Enriching educational experiences
Supportive campus environment
The college also will examine the survey designed by the Center for the Study of Higher Education for the Foundations of Excellence™ in the First Year Project, which measures faculty activities and perceptions of various aspects of policies, practices, and values as they relate to first-year students and one or more of the Dimensions.
The capstone meeting for the Foundations of Excellence™ in the First Year Project will be held in October 2004—the President, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, the campus project Director, and Institutional Research Analyst of Western all will attend this meeting.
Review ():
D. Describe any "effective practice(s)"
that resulted from your work on this Action Project.
The college participates in national enrollment management benchmarking efforts through Western’s involvement with Noel-Levitz and its participation in the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange (CSRDE).
Participation in the ADP, Foundations, and NLCP national projects provides access to best practice models from other colleges and universities. After the college evaluates NSSE and CSHE results based on comparative results from other campuses, faculty and staff will reflect on results from campus measures and implement continuous improvement efforts as needed.
Review ():
E. What challenges, if any, are you still
facing in regards to this Action Project?
The richness of the NSSE data will require substantial internal analysis and reflection to determine which areas to prioritize in terms of action items related to continuous improvement efforts.
Review ():
F. If you would like to discuss the possibility
of AQIP providing you help to stimulate progress on this action
project, explain your need(s) here and tell us who to contact and
when?