Closer Than You Think!
Collaborating for Student Success
MNSCU Presenters
• Diane Dingfelder, Winona State University executive director of outreach and continuing education [email protected]
• Carol Lacey, Metropolitan State University professor of interdisciplinary studies [email protected]
• Paul Wasko, MNSCU Office of the Chancellor eStudent Services (CENTSS/eFolio) [email protected]
Associate/Baccalaureate pathway
• The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education identifies two/four transfer as the “single most important means for low-income and minority students to attain their baccalaureates”.
• Effective state policies are critical to make this happen
Graduate Minnesota: Lumina initiative
• Target audience: adult students (25+), primarily with 20 or fewer credits left to complete their degree, recruited to return to MNSCU and University of Minnesota campuses.
• Graduate Minnesota designed to connect former students with advisers who can help them find the best and fastest route to complete their associate or bachelor's degree.
• In the first two years of the program, a statewide media campaign featured radio spots, online advertising and newspaper ads.
• In addition, letters and emails were sent to more than 35,000 individuals who recently attended a Minnesota state college or university and earned a significant number of credits but did not earn a degree.
Associate degrees: stepping stones
• Completing an associate’s degree is often an intermediate steppingstone to a baccalaureate degree.
• The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education identifies two-four transfer as the “single most important means for low-income and minority students to attain their baccalaureates.”
Individualized degrees
• Individualized B.A. options build on what students have completed (including associate degrees, articulation agreements, etc. as well as experiential learning.)
• MNSCU procedures for individualized degrees require specific program plan (guided by faculty)
• Plans can be thematic, interdisciplinary or disciplinary
Examples of existing options
• Metropolitan State Individualized B.A. (CIS)• University of Minnesota Inter-College Program• St. Cloud State University
Bachelor of Elective Studies• Winona State University Professional Studies
degree
Ramp up CPL (credit for prior learning)
• CPLA or PLA hallmarks of Graduate MN lead institutions (Inver Hills/other CCs-credit by exam, Metropolitan State-SDL/PLA/theory seminars)
• MNSCU Board of Trustees policy• CPL survey of institutional practices/policies• Subject Matter Experts (SME) expansion campuses
and statewide• Veterans/Military initiatives (Congressional award)
Graduate MN Accomplishments
Enrolled/Earned Degrees• 1833 (8.9%) of the 20,566
contacted re-enrolled.• These students completed
8,387 credits.• 19% of the above
completed degree.• Veterans: 99 enrolled, 16
earned degrees.
Collaborator with New Ventures
• Dual or joint admissions• Smart Transfer• Reverse Transfer• Veterans’ CPL/PLA
Initiatives
Catalyst for broader initiatives
• Streamline admission and transfer processes• Improve retention and completion of both
associate and baccalaureate degrees is particularly critical in a state such as Minnesota, which has the third highest transfer rate in the nation (1:5 students)
• Expansion of individualized baccalaureate degrees and adult-learner opportunities
An evolving initiative: Winona
• Recognized for exemplary traditional undergraduate, residential education on Winona campus
• 10.4% of undergraduate enrollment of 8,700 is age 25+
• Urban Rochester, MN branch campus, co-located with the community/technical college, serves as a hub for adult learners
Evolving initiative continued . . .
• Need to provide academic and career pathways for associate degree graduates from MnSCU community and technical colleges
• National/state initiatives addressing workforce needs and serving adult learners throughout their life and career stages
• Shrinking high school enrollments and declining population in our service region
Incentives for change
• Internal: “Next Chapter” grants -- small grants provided by administration to build upon HLC self-study report and to spark innovation
• External: Increasing competition from other higher education institutions to serve adult learners
• MNSCU Graduate Minnesota and other initiatives
Adult Learner Focused Institution (ALFI) Toolkit
• Institutional Self-Assessment Survey• Adult Learner Inventory (ALI) by Noel-Levitz
assesses adult learner priorities and satisfaction in 8 key areas:– Academic instruction and advising– Registration, financial aid, admissions– Campus climate, safety/security, services
AFLI Toolkit continued
• Used together, the ISAS and ALI compare faculty and administration perceptions with adult learner perceptions
• National benchmarking data to compare results with other adult learner institutions
• Noel-Levitz research
“Next Chapter” Emerging Efforts
• Repurpose/redesign the Professional Studies degree with more online courses and services for adult learners.
• Assess current PLA practices through formal report and consultation with CAEL.
• Improve online student services in response to CENTSS “audit”.
MNSCU 2012 Strategic Framework
• Dramatically increase retention, transfer and completion, and reduce time to completion.
• Continue implementation of the “Smart Transfer Plan” to significantly improve transferability of credit and eliminate barriers.
• Create clearer and easier pathways for degree laddering within MnSCU and with other institutions.
MNSCU 2012 Initiatives
• Implement a reverse transfer initiative to award students the degrees they have earned. Recognize (systemwide) completion of Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (gen eds)
• Improve process for granting credit for military training (PLA, etc.)
• Reconsider articulation agreements for certain associate degree programs.
MNSCU inter-institutional cooperation
• Universal application process• Dual or joint admissions • Improved inter-institutional advising• Articulation agreements• Pilot efforts establish quality nursing
curriculum standards across the system• Improved transfer procedures including
reverse transfer
“2+2” to “2 within 4” advising
• Students pursuing associate degrees earn many lower division credits that approach the maximum that can apply toward a bachelor’s.
• Improved advising tools GPS Lifeplan, Uselect, eFolio) help students make more informed curricular choices (prerequisites for upper division work, upper division curricular options )
Smart Transfer
• Access to course outlines on institutional websites facilitates evaluating transfer credits.
• Evaluate and encode all courses into the degree audit reporting system (DARS) for display in uselect accurate transfer planning.
• Provide information on institutional and system-level appeal processes and transfer on institutional websites.
$500,000 new Lumina grant leverage
• Establish system-wide steering committee for centralized reverse transfer
• Enhance u.select to technology automatically import courses.
• Upgrade DARS (degree audit reporting system) to u.achieve to allow search for courses needed to complete a degree.
• Advise students identified as early transfers.• Train advisors and transfer specialists.
Reverse Transfer
• MNSCU institutions are piloting development of transparent reverse transfer procedures while also pursuing their baccalaureate degrees.
• Developing a fully automated reverse transfer system has been shown (Texas, etc.) to increase reverse transfer and graduation rates dramatically.
Reverse Transfer Stages
• MNSCU: Focus first on early transfer students within MNSCU state universities (which receive 73 percent of college transfers to public universities).
• UM: By spring, 2013, execute memorandum of understanding with University of Minnesota and state colleges in the Twin Cities.
• Privates: Then, build on existing articulation agreements among MNSCU and private Minnesota colleges.
Lessons learned/best practices
• Effective “You are closer than you think” message
• Centralized call center provided accurate information and referral to campus advisors.
• Financial incentives did not make significant impact on response/reenrollment.
• Graduate Minnesota website including Tools for the journey (with links to MNSCU/UM campuses)
Questions?
• What options or challenges regarding interdisciplinary degrees do your campuses experience?
• What cross institutional collaborations are in the works in your state?
• Sustainability: how do we keep these going? (changes in institutional practice and/or culture, working smarter and better)
Top Related