Great Regional College (GRC) was founded in 1950 and is the third largest college in the Midwest serving approximately twenty thousand students a semester. It is an urban institution serving a diverse population of students such as traditional, adult learners, occupational, online, urban and rural students. GRC is a major feeder to the university in the region. GRC has multiple campus locations throughout the various counties it serves. Great Regional College is an open admission college which means that most anyone is admitted. Applying to GRC is similar to other colleges where students must be admitted, take entrance exams, consult with an advisor, apply for financial aid if needed, register for courses, and attend student orientation.
Isabella is a student who recently went through the process of starting her college career at GRC. Isabella selected GRC for its reasonable cost per credit hour and small classes. She intends to transfer to a university where she would like to earn a bachelors degree in psychology. Isabella is somewhat proficient with a computer and has access to the internet from home. Isabella went to the GRC website to get information on how to enroll to the institution. While there she realized she could apply to the college online. Excited, Isabella went through the registration process for becoming a GRC student. She completed the registration process and was instructed she would receive an acceptance letter in the mail within days which contained next steps to getting started.
The next day she had learned from a friend who attends GRC that registration had began for fall semester and that she needed to schedule right away to get the classes she needed. Isabella remembered that she hadn’t received her acceptance letter telling her what to do next. In an attempt to expedite the process she called GRC and was transferred to admission where she waited over 30 minutes to speak to someone. After explaining her situation she was told that the letter was just a formality and that she needed to come to main campus to complete the process. Isabella got off the phone and headed right down to main campus as instructed. Once on campus she realized she did not ask where she needed to go. Fortunately, she encountered signs that directed her to the registration room somewhere the middle of campus.
While in the registration room she observed how busy it was with people waiting in line to get on a computer. This confused Isabella because she had already enrolled to the college online. She located someone to assist her and was asked what she needed to do. After explaining her situation she was directed the testing center three building away to complete her entrance exams. Isabella was not sure what all this meant but she headed off to take her exams. When getting to the testing center she was asked by the counter staff what she needed. After explaining yet again her situation, she realized that she wasn’t really sure what she was doing at the testing center. She was then asked what she planned on taking. Isabella felt quite off guard by the question and said she had not really decided and that she thought someone at the college could help her decide. The testing center staff explained that she would need to speak to an advisor and then administered the full battery of tests just in case they were needed. After two hours of testing Isabella learned that she met the required score for college courses, even though she didn’t know what all that meant. She was then instructed to go to advising where she’d receive help selecting her major and courses.
Relieved that she could now start her classes, Isabella went to the advising center down the hall. After entering the room she learned that the only way to speak to an advisor was to make an appointment, sometime the following week. This was a big letdown for Isabella because her goal was to register for classes as soon as possible before they were full. Not sure what to do next Isabella asked if there was another way to go about talking to someone today. She was directed to a peer advisor who was able to help her get some direction on her courses, though not all her career questions were answered. At this point she had everything she needed to register. She returned to the registration room three buildings away and began registering for her classes.
After completing her class registration Isabella realized that in order to pay for her classes she would need to apply for student aid. She was told that she needed her parents financial information and that the process would take anywhere from one to two hours to complete. And, that she will not know her award for about two to five days. Not having her parent’s financial information, and being forced to wait a number of days, she stopped what she was doing and began to head home. When asked what would happen to her classes she had registered for she was told that they would stay on her account for three days until paid otherwise, they would drop from her account and she would need to add them again. Asked if the courses could be held for a longer time due to her financial aid situation she was told they could not and that she would need to add them again after her financial aid is completed. Discouraged and frustrated Isabella returned home defeated on her attempt to schedule her courses. She returned a week later to meet with an advisor and to complete her registration.
Isabella had to go through three to four iterations an numerous trips to campus before she was able to start her course work for fall semester . A little discouraged and somewhat exhausted, Isabella began the fall semester just in time.
Isabella is one of many students who experience the inertia of a disjointed and fragmented system for enrolling at GRC. GRC is aware of the hurdles encountered by students and is also aware that these hurdles elevate student’s frustration, and the feeling of being overwhelmed. Students feeling overwhelmed are a major influence to low academic success in higher education. In many instances students have given up altogether trying to enter GRC because they are overwhelmed with the enrollment process.
Although GRC understands how these disjointed processes adversely affect student success, there is no clear course of action or a comprehensive way to improve this systemic issue. Departments do attempt to work interdependently however are so consumed with their own operations that they fail to recognize the gaps created between their process and the rest of the student services group. However, a large degree of success is achieved in tightening up the gap during special enrollment events, such as one stops, when everyone is highly focused on working together to get students enrolled, but only during these events. Once the events have concluded each area returns to their respective corners and continues to do their own thing.
Root causing this issue there seems to be a lack of clear strategic objectives in addressing the gaps in the student services process. Although GRC recognizes this as a problem for some reason it does not seem to be bad enough to make the necessary changes for student success. For example, in recent years focus groups have been created including key stakeholders of each student service area to address this issue. Recommendations have been consistent with the need to have one location for students be serviced. There has been no action to date on these recommendations. Just recently when the Dean of students asked what major renovation should be considered for the upcoming year, a combined services area was mentioned. But in this case it was for the sake of facilities improvements and not process improvement.GRC is an innovative institution with competent staff and leadership with an expanding student population. What then will it take to address and overcome the student services issue?
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Applying for college, enrolling in classes, applying for financial aid- All of these activities can be stressful for first time students. GRC sounds as if it is a college that allows students from all walks of life to gain an education. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, the average age of these students is 29, most are employed on a full-time or part-time basis, and 47% receive financial aid. (AACC, 2008). Based on these figures, the average student has a lot on their plate. Adding the hassle of just enrolling, could be enough of a discouragement to forget about enrolling all together.
While ideally, the solution would be for a one stop, this is not necessarily affordable, or something the college is willing to back at this time. A cost effective solution would be to utilize the internet. Currently, students can enroll online. Before the enrollment process, the college could use a survey. During the survey it could ask questions of the prospective student, to determine what steps the student will need to take to be ready for classes. Once the survey has determined what steps the student will need, the student will be able to print off a checklist of steps that they need to complete before being able to enroll for classes.
It seems that when the departments work together, during the One Stop events, there is satisfaction is achieved by both the college and the student. This should not be a onetime event. If the college is not willing to create a permanent one stop center for students, they should aim to have a one stop event during the month before enrollment rather. Rather than having the all of the departments working the event, only send a portion of the staff from each department. By having it for an entire month, there will not be as many students per day, so there will be less chance for the students to be overwhelmed. The college also needs to advertise this service. It will not be successful if prospective students are not aware of the event happening. This event will cost money, and exhaust resources more than what the college is looking for, but would be a suitable substitute until the college made a permanent area for new students.
Resources
American Association of Community Colleges. 2007. AACC Research and Statistics. Retrieved on September 5, 2008 from: http://www2.aacc.nche.edu/research/index.htm
Time is the most precious possessions in today's world, particularly for working adults. Generally speaking, people do not want to waste valuable time navigating a physical campus to obtain a form or conduct routine business. How they learn, transact business, communicate, and initiate and sustain relationships changed forever with the popularization of the Internet and e-mail (Black, 2001).
An assumption that I made from the writing is that the separate student service operations do not report same top administrator. With a global thinker at the top and all student services functions reporting to that individual, who is communicating the ideas of how these services function toward a common goal. The organization would realize that real gains come from changing mindsets. Challenging the organization and staff to begin to view their work through the eyes of the students, their might attitudes change and new possibilities emerge. Including separate buildings housing different functions of an operation or incompatible software can prevent the integration of services. The alternative is that with fully integrated services, the institution's organizational structure is invisible. This would create an ideal environment for the student who does not care how systems are organized. They simply want to complete their business transaction or find information painlessly. So, student service organizations that blur the boundaries between departments and the jobs that exist within them are most likely to have satisfied students.
Efficient student service organizations that can blur the boundaries or appear seamless are most likely to have satisfied students. Student expectations will continue to increase. To meet or exceed their expectations, institutions must leverage technology to provide mass customization and real-time responses. Speed itself must become a strategic direction (Schnaars, 1998). Not only must responses be immediate at any time of day or night, but they also must be tailored to a single individual.
Resources:
Black, J. (2001). Students in the dot com world: Implications for enrollment management. In J. Black (Ed.), The SEM revolution. Washington, DC: American Association of Registrars and Admissions Officers.
Schnaar, S.P. (1998). Marketing strategy: Customers & competition. New York: The Free Press.
Synthesizing the comments from Karen and Dennis, I would be interested to here further discussion on the possibility of making a more student-centered method for meeting these specific needs. More directly: what way might students be brought in to the communication process to improve their condition? Who (what stakeholders) would be needed to facilitate this?
Many students are in the same situation as Isabella, at many institutions across the country. Many schools try different things to try and accommodate and assist student in becoming successful. Isabella on the one hand is genuinely trying to navigate a system that is unfamiliar to her, and on the other hand GRC is making efforts to ease the process but many times it is hard to look at yourself from the inside out. GRC sounds like it has the Silo syndrome, where each department is working for itself and not concerned how it is aligned to GRC as a whole. Isabella sounds as though she is a first generation college student with not much guidance as to what it takes to go to college. These are both things that can contribute to students not being successful. Student face barriers that hinder there chance of success but when the institution itself is a barrier, then the institution has to do an assessment of itself. In order to best accommodate the students, GRC should be looking at doing a few different things.
Get a climate check of different departments that are housed under the Students Services Division that much work together in order to admit, assess and advise, and provide financial assistance to a student. Find out what are the policies and procedures in place for assisting students and for how and when to refer students. Students have to be seen as customers and we have to keep them happy in order for them to persist at GRC. According to Noel-Levitz student satisfaction surveys says that, “Tracking student/employee satisfaction and priorities plays a critical role in using those resources efficiently and effectively. Student satisfaction is a key component of student life and learning, a gauge of whether an institution is providing an experience that students deem worthwhile. By simultaneously assessing satisfaction and priorities, campuses can determine which areas demand their greatest attention and make decisions that will have the greatest impact on the student experience.” (Noel-Levitz) This would help the GRC in prioritizing and understanding where the need is and reinforce to administration that the procedures in place are not working in assisting students. Another suggestion would be to hold registration meetings cross departments to put names with faces but to also try and build some community feeling within the student services department. Cross training individuals cross campus could benefit the GRC in the registration process. “Cross training is good because it provides more flexibility in managing the workforce to get the job done. However, done right, cross training is good for the employees too. It lets them learn new skills, makes them more valuable, and can combat worker boredom.” (Reh) This also provides the students with consistent information and does not bounce the student from one office to another which can be frustrating.
The final suggestion would be in making sure the marketing materials are clear in concise in letting the student know important dates, where to look for registration information via web or other medium, and a “how to” guide to make it easier for first generation student understand the process.
Noel-Levitz National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report (2008) Retrieved September 8, 2008 https://www.noellevitz.com/NR/rdonlyres/1F082DB7-6D9A-4238-BEF1-9CB4B099B8FF/0/NatSatisfactionReportExecutiveSummary08.pdf
Reh, F John (2008) Cross Training Employees. Retrieved September 8, 2008 http://management.about.com/cs/people/a/crosstrain.htm
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