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MiraCosta CollegeGuidedPathwaysTechnologyOpportunityAnalysis
May14-16,2018
ContextforToday’sPresentation
• Foundedonthebeliefthattechnologyisnotasilverbullettoanyproblem,butwiththerightplanningandimplementation,softwarecanplayanimportantroleinadvancingstudentsuccess
• SupportsnationalinitiativessuchastheBill&MelindaGatesFoundation’sFrontierSet,AchievingtheDream,AACCPathways,andtheAspenInstituteCollegeExcellenceProgram
• Developsresearch-basedresourcesforthefieldandworksdirectlywithcollegesinneedoftechnologystrategy,purchasing,andimplementationsupport
AdaLovelace
FounderofScientificComputing
MeetTheAdaCenter’sNamesakeHigher Education Technology and Process Support
Learn more at theadacenter.org
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AcrossMay14-162018,TheAdaCenterconductedanassessmentofMiraCosta College’sstudentsuccesstechnologiesandassociatedbusinessprocesses.Thiswasaccomplishedthroughaseriesofinterviewswithcollegefacultyandstaffinthebelowareas,alongwithsupplementaldocumentreview.
ThegoalofthiseffortistosupportMCindetermininghowitcanbetterleveragetechnologytosupportstrongaccess,completion,equity,andpost-graduatesuccessgoals.
OpportunityAssessmentGoalsandMethodology
AdmissionsandMarketing
OrientationandOnboarding
StudentSupportOffices
PublicRelations
Counseling
InstitutionalResearch
InformationTechnology
Faculty
TableofContents
I. SummaryofTechnology-RelatedStrengths
II. GuidedPathwaysToolInventory
III. MiraCosta ToolWishList
IV. OverviewofGuidedPathwaysTechnologyOpportunityAreas,by‘EstimatedImpact’and‘ImplementationDifficulty’
V. RecommendationsforTacklingOpportunityAreas
VI. FacilitatedNextStepPlanning
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BeforeHighlightingOpportunityAreas,AMomenttoRecognizeExcellence
• DeepCommitmenttoAdvancingEquityandStudentSuccessGoals
• ServicesforSpecialPopulationsCurrentlyModelingGuidedPathwaysApproach
• StaffandFacultyAdeptatCreatingHacksintheAbsenceofFormalizedTools
• ITDepartment‘PunchingAboveTheirWeight’withLimitedCapacity
• StudentsHighlyAttachedtoMCCampusandCulture—StrongCommunity
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ToolInventoryAcrossGuidedPathwaysStudentSuccessSoftwarePurchasedbyMiraCosta College
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HelpStudentsChooseandGetonaPath
SupportStudentLearning
ContinuallyImprovetheStudentExperience
EngageandPrepareProspectiveStudents
HelpStudentsStayontheirPath
ClarifythePathtoStudentEndGoals
PeoplesoftCampusSolutions
Canvas
Blackboard
CareerCoach(EMSI)
DegreeWorks andEducationPlanner(Ellucian)
CollegeScheduler(Civitas)
SARS
DataWarehouse
Tableau
Maxient
I-Link
CraniumCafe
CampusLabs
currIQunet
TES
Assist.Org JAIN,GradLeader,careerresources
PearsonMyMathLab,hostdigitallearningtools
SURF(Peoplesoft)
Sling
GrowingWishListofTools
2007 2012 2017
HigherEducationSoftware
StudentSuccessSoftware
Vendors(#)
Over300 vendorsnowsellingtoolsthatclaimtosupportstudentsuccess
NoShortageofStudentSuccessTech MCWishListofSoftwareCapabilities
CaseManagementandEarlyAlertSystem
PredictiveAnalytics
QueueManagementSystem
BetterAppointmentSchedulingSystem
BetterEducationPlanningSystem
StudentMobileApp
BetterEventManagement
AdmissionsCRM
OnlineOrientationBetterWebsite
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OverviewofStudentSuccessTechnologyOpportunityAreas
EducationandCareerPlanningProcessMap
Formationof‘DataStewards’
Team
OpportunityforImpact
ImplementationDifficulty
Medium
VeryHigh Medium
Easy Medium
High
*ImplementationDifficultyestimatescostsassociatedwiththeactivity,thenumberandcomplexityofstepsrequiredfortheactivitytoproduceresults,andestimatesofculturalreadiness.
*OpportunityforImpactestimatesthepotentialoftheactivitytoimproveMC’sabilitytoexpandaccess,strengthencompletionandequity,andenablestrongpost-graduateoutcomesforallstudents.
High
High
StudentCommunication
Audit
CaseManagementandEarlyAlert
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Medium-TermTechnology
Plan
CaseManagementSoftwareMC’sGreatestTechNeed,ButPlanningExercisesLikelyMoreUrgent
High
Medium
LikeManyofMC’sPeers,StudentInteractionManagementaVeryThornyButWorthyChallengetoTackle
• Students‘tellingtheirstory’manytimestodifferentoffices
• Acrossadmissions,administrativeoffices,studentsupportoffices,andacademicdepartments,differentprocessesexistforcapturingstudentinteractions:ü PeoplesoftNotesü I-LINKSScanü SARSü Canvasü Nothing
• Historyofsendingstudentsmultipleemailsforthesame‘calltoaction’,withslightlydifferentinformation
• Hardtopersonalizethestudentexperiencewithoutaccessible,holisticviewofstudent• Moststudentcommunicationis
generalratherthanpersonalized
• EachMCdepartment(andsometimeseachindividual)hasdifferentstrategiesforoutreachingtostudents.
CurrentProcesses DocumentedChallenges CommonStudentReactions
• Confusionandsubsequentmistakesduringkeymilestones
• Disconnectfromcollegecommunicationsand,attimes,thecollegecommunity
• Surpriseandshockwhendiscover‘offtrack’,attimesfollowedbystop-outordrop-out
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• Languageusedforstudentcommunication(e.g.,matriculationguide)isoftennotstudentfriendly
CaseManagementandEarlyAlertSoftwareIsOnePieceofFixingthisStudentExperienceChallenge…
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• Casemanagementandearlyalerttoolsenablefaculty,studentservicesstaff,andcounselorstomonitorstudentprogressandcoordinateinteractionswithstudents.Severaldozenvendorsoffercasemanagementandearlyalerttools,eachwithvariancesincapabilities,user-interface,andworkflow.
• Themostrobustcasemanagementandearlyalerttoolsaredesignedtomanageandcoordinateallstudentinteractionsacrossthecollege.Thetoolsincrementallybuildprofilesofeachenrolledstudentandlogstudents’interactionswithstaff,participationincampusactivities,andperformanceintheclassroom.
• Moresophisticatedtoolscreateautomaticnotificationsforstaffwhenastudentisdeemed‘atrisk’ofdroppingout.Manyofthesetoolsalsoincludebuilt-incommunicationsmechanismsthatenablestafftosendtargetedcommunicationstostudentswhocouldbenefitfromoutreach.
…TheOtherEssentialPieceisProcess
Recommendation#1Forcasemanagementsoftwaretoimprovethestudentexperience,eachdepartmentmustcommittologgingstudentinteractionsinthetool,inastandardformat.Theymustalsocommittostreamliningandprioritizingstudentcommunications.
BecauseMChasalargenumberofspecializedprocesses,implementingastudentinteractionandcommunicationsoftwarewillrequiresignificantdepartmentfeedback,businessprocessupdating,case-making,andtraining.
• Conductathoroughauditofstudentcommunications,documentingactivitiesinamastercommunicationsmatrix.
• Usingauditresults,determineaframeworkformanagingstudentcommunications
• ReviewstudentfriendlinessoflanguageonSURF,CollegeWebsite,andotherstudent-facingmaterials(RecommendGunningFogIndex)
• Solicitdetailedinputfromeachstudent-facingdepartmentaboutkeycomponentsofastudentinteractionstool,alongwiththeirperspectivesonpoliciesforensuringutilization.
• Documentingtrade-offsinthisprocessiscritical.Forexample,iftutorsareexpectedtotakenotesaboutstudentprogress,theymustshortentutoringsessionstoallowfornote-takingtimeonthepartofthetutor.
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BestPracticeistoCompletetheFollowingActivitiesBeforePurchasingaCaseManagementTool
WhyProcessMatters Recommendation#2
CommunicationsMappingMatrix(Step1)11
SearchRecruitingthroughApplicationProcess
OnboardOrientation throughFirstSemester
AdvanceFirstSemester to75%Complete
Realize75%CompletetoGraduation
Whatinformationisbeing communicatedtostudents?
Whichstudentsare receivingthatcommunication?
Whenare studentsreceivingthatinformation(e.g.,temporalortrigger)
Whoissendingthatinformation?
Howisthatinformationbeingshared?
CommunicationsMappingExercise(Step2)12
SearchRecruitingthroughApplicationProcess
OnboardOrientation throughFirstSemester
AdvanceFirstSemester to75%Complete
Realize75%CompletetoGraduation
Whatisthemostcriticalinformationtocommunicatetostudents?List nomorethan7items.Whoisresponsibleforcommunicatingthatinformationtoday?Whoshouldberesponsiblemovingforward?
Whatmethodsofcommunicationsarebeingused?Should ideallybeused?
Howareweassessingimpactandeffectivenessofthecommunication?
Howiscriticalinformationaboutthestudentinthisstagebeingtransferredtothenextstageofthestudentjourney?
ProcessMappingforEducationandCareerPlanning
…ButStrongCommitmenttoWorkThroughChallenges
• AcademicandCareerPlansgeneratedforincomingstudentsaredisplayinginaccuratecoursedata
• TransfercreditandequivalenciesnotalwaysreflectedinAcademicandCareerPlan
• ClunkyUIthatcanbedifficulttouse,especiallyfor‘WhatIf ’scenarios
• Staffinvestedlargeamountsoftimeandresourcesintolearningthetool,andit’sabigimprovementoverthepriorprocess
• Faiththatcurrentimprovementsintransfercreditprocessingwillimprovefunctionality
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StudentEducationPlannerNotWithoutChallenges…
RecommendedNextSteps
• ConversationwithIT,CareerServices,SSSPCoordinators(Orientation),andCounselingaboutwhenandhowtointroduceEducationPlanner,howit’sconfigured.
• OpenQuestion:CanacademicandcareerplanningconversationsfornewstudentsleanoncareerplanningresourcesratherthanEducationPlanner?
Formationof‘DataStewards’CommitteetoHelpPrioritizeDataConnectionsAcrossTools,SteerFutureSoftwareInvestment
Toeffectivelyevaluatecurrentandfutureguidedpathwaysoftware,it’shelpfultohaveacomprehensivepictureoftheconsumabledataanddataconnectionsthecollegecouldhaveaccesstowithexistingsoftware.
Notonesingleindividualhasthedepthofknowledgetofullyunderstandwhat’spossiblewithchangestoeachtool’sconfiguration,use,datastorageandextraction,andadditionalconnectivity.
Thiscommitteewouldincludenon-technical‘toolexperts’fromstudentservicesandacademicaffairsinadditiontoleadersfromITandIR.
RationaleforCommittee
• Createawishlistof‘consumable’dataanddataconnections
• Evaluatecurrenttechnologycapabilities(andplannedtechnologycapabilities)againstdataanddescriptiveanalyticswishlist
• Makedecisionsaboutwhichdatatoextractfromcurrenttools,supportdecisionsabouttoolconfigurationandimplementation,andhelpguidefuturesoftwareinvestment
• Clearinghouseforquestionsondataaccessandsoftwarecapabilities
CharteroftheDataStewardCommittee
OtherSuggestions?
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CreateaPrioritized,Medium-TermTechnologyPlan15
Rational• MC’scurrenttechnologyprioritizationprocesshasnotkeptpacewiththecollege’sevolvingtheoryofchange.Currently,regulartechnologyprioritizationconversationsoccuronamicro-levelbetweenstudentservicesandIT.
• GivenMC’sstrongcommitmenttoguidedpathwaysreform,softwarestrategyconversationsshouldbelinkedtothecollege’sguidedpathwaysrolloutplanandMC’sbroadervisionforthestudentexperience.Aguidedpathwaystechnologyplanshouldbedevelopedbyseniorleadershipfromstudentservices,academicaffairs,IT,IR,andbusinessaffairs.
• Thetechnologyplanshouldarticulatemajorcollegegoalsthatcanbesupportedbysoftwarecapabilities,theestimatedcostofachievingthosegoals(includingtechnicalandnon-technicalstafftimeforimplementationandmaintenance),andhigh-levelactionitemsassociatedwiththosegoals.
• ThisexerciseisespeciallyimportantgivencurrentMCprogrammercapacity.PlannedsoftwareprojectssuchasthePeoplesoft9.2upgradehavetheteamfullyaccountedforwithcurrentorplannedprojects.MCstaffarelookingata1+ yearlistforticketitemssuchaskeyformcreation.
Collegeswhoaremosthappywiththeirvendorcontractstypicallyworkthroughaprocesssimilartothebelow:
Leadershipteamarticulatestheoryforhowsoftwarewillhelpthecollegemeetitsgoals
Inconsultwithdatastewardscommittee,leadershipteamcreatesasoftwareevaluationrubricandassignsasoftwareevaluationgroup
Softwareevaluationgroupexaminesatleastthreevendors,seekingbidsandleveragingtherubrictoformarecommendation
PresidentorChancellornegotiatesfinalvendorcontractwithsupportfromsoftwareevaluationteam
IdealSoftwareDecision-MakingProcess
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• Twotypesofcostsfromsoftwarevendors– implementationfeeandrecurringannualfee
• Dependingonthevendor,thefollowingfeesmaynotbeincludedinthequotedprice:• Necessaryintegrationwithyourexistingdatasystemsand/orthecostofmanuallyloadingpaper
informationintoanelectronicdatabase• Changemanagementsupporttoaligncollegebusinessprocesseswithtechnologyprocessrequirements• Trainingofkeyendusers
• Thestickerpriceneverincludesthecostofredeployingleadership,staff,andfacultytimetoimplementandintegratethenewtechnology
AccountingfortheRealPriceofSoftware
Averageone-timeimplementationcostfor‘multi-solution’software
$60,000 $120,000Averagerecurringcostof‘multi-solution’studentsuccesssoftware
$40,000Averagerecurringcostof‘pointsolution’softwaresuchasanEarlyAlerttool
$550,000Averageyear1staffredeploymentcostofimplementing
a‘multi-solution’studentsuccesssoftware*
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SeparatingFactfromFiction
VettheProductRoadmapStudentsuccesssoftwareshouldneverbestatic—itshouldconstantlybeevolvingtomeettheneedsofitsusers(youandyourstudents)—andyouhavearighttoknowwhat’scomingnext.
Ask:Whichcapabilitiesinyourdemoarecurrently‘live’atmultiplecollegesandwhicharestillindevelopment?
Ask:Canyougivemeanexampleofhowfeedbackfromoneofyourcustomershelpedguidethedirectionofthesoftware?
Pointer:Ensureyouspeaktoamemberofthevendor’sproduct,implementation,ordevelopmentteambeforefinalizingthecontract.
DefinetheTermsLanguageusedbyhighereducationadministratorsisoftenuseddifferentlybyvendors.Ensureyouclearlydefinethemeaningoftermssuchas’integration’and‘pilot’.
Ask:Whatwillthespecificimplementationphaseslooklikeintermsof(a)demandsonandtheresponsibilitiesofcollegestaff?(b)whenwilldifferentfeaturesbeliveandatwhatscale?(c)thebiggestchallengesthatothercollegeshaveexperienced during implementation?
Ask:Specifically,whatdataandsystemaccessdoyouneedfromthecollegetoensureeachpieceoffunctionalitycanbeimplementedaccordingtoschedule?
.
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RecapofDiscussedNextSteps
EducationandCareerPlanningProcessMap
Formationof‘DataStewards’
Team
StudentCommunication
Audit
CaseManagementandEarlyAlert
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Medium-TermTechnology
Plan
Addressprocessmappingnextstepsandcasemanagementexplorationaftertacklingtechnologyplancreation,datastewardscommitteeformation,andbroaderGuidedPathwaystrategyquestions
ShareTechnologyOpportunityAssessmentwithcollegeleadershipanddiscusshowtoproceed
Appendix:NotesfromNextStepsFacilitationMay16,201820
• AgreementthatfirstnextstepissharingtheTechnologyOpportunityAssessmentwithcollegeleadership.Recommendationsinreportresonate,butmustgetleadershipinvolvedtohelpguidekeyprocessandprioritizationquestions.
• Inpartnershipwithcollegeleadership,discussthefeasibilityofgeneratingastrategictechnologyplanforthecollege.Someinstitutionsdeveloptechnologyplansforeachofthreefunctionalcategories:(1)studentsuccess,(2)Admin/HR,and(3)digitallearning.BecauseMC’sprogrammersarecentralized,itmaymakesensetodevelopasingletechnologyplanthatspansacrosseachofthesethreefunctionalareas.
• GroupalsodiscussedtheimportanceofdeterminingtheroleofGuidedPathwaysasaframework.DotheGuidedPathwayspillarssupplantotheroperationalpriorities?OrareGuidedPathwaysinitiativesanadditionalsetofactionsandactivities?Toeffectivelyprioritizesoftwareinvestmentsandassociatedbusinessprocessupdates,itwillbeimportanttoaddressthesestrategyquestions.
• AsapossiblenextstepfortheGuidedPathwaysworkinggroups,wediscussedthecreationofacomprehensiveinitiativemap(inadditiontothisreport’ssoftwaremap)acrossthepillars.
Appendix:GeneralSoftwareImplementationandScale-upGuidance
• Clean-upsourcedata(e.g.,degreeaudit)beforeimplementinganewtechnologyinitiativethatrequiresthatdata
• Setmeasurableandattainablegoalsforeachstageofthesoftwareimplementation
• Ensurethereisacleartrainingandcommunicationplanforallendusersofthetechnology– thiswilllikelybeamulti-yearendeavor
• Bepreparedtocommitamemberofyourseniorleadershipteamtooverseetheinitiative
Bepreparedforthegreatestgainsinstudentsuccesssoftwaretocomefromaccompanyingprocesschanges.
Examplesinclude:
• EnsureyourCIOisfullybroughtintothe‘why’and‘how’behindyourstudentsuccessstrategyandguidedpathwaysreforms
Buildingnewandmeaningfulcommunicationchannelsamongadvising,tutoring,careerservices,financialaid,registration,andfaculty
Creatingaclearcommunicationplanforwhenandhowdifferenttypesofstudentsarecontacted
Embeddingaconstructiveattitudetodataintoeverydayconversationsacrossthecollege
Creatingastudent-focusedcourseschedulingandprogramplanningprocess
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Appendix:AdmissionsCRMNotatTopofMCWishList,ButRealGapinStudentInformationManagement
Duetonewcomplexityintoday’senrollmentclimateandafocusonstudentreadinessatintake,mostofMC’speershaveinvestedinaCustomerRelationshipManagement(CRM)softwareforAdmissions.
TheseCRMstypicallymanagestudentinteractionsfromthefirstpointofcontactwithprospectivestudentsthroughapplicationandnewstudentenrollment.
AdmissionsCRMshelpensurethatprospectivestudentcommunicationistailoredtoindividualizedstudentneeds(e.g.,missingforms,directingstudentstotestpreparation).StudentsatcollegeswithAdmissionsCRMsreportlessconfusionandheightenedreadinessinthecollegetransition.
MostCommonHigherEdCRMs:• EllucianRecruiter• Salesforce• HobsonsRadius• Symplicity(Ascend)• MicrosoftDynamics
Admissions-FocusedCRMs:• Liaison• TargetX
AdmissionsCRMAnticipatedImpact• IncreasedOverallConversionsand
TargetPopulationConversions• DecreasedTimetoConversion• ImprovedStudentReadinessand
AttachmenttoInstitution
LicenseFeeEstimate:• $20,000through$80,000annual
StateoftheField
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