FULL YEAR REGISTRATION AND TRANSFER
STUDENTS: IT CAN BE DONE!
Steve Shablin
OAKLAND UNIVERSITY
One of the 15 MI public universities
Founded in 1957
Located in the city of Rochester, Oakland County
Fall 2013 Headcount—20,169
20% increase in enrollment over the past ten years
Over 2,000 new transfer students every year
55th in the country for the most transfer students per 2013 US News/World Report
Ellucian BANNER client/Golden Grizzlies
Initiating Full Year Registration
2008
OU made the commitment to have full year registration
2009
Students were able to plan for one year
Summer 2009, Fall 2009 and Winter 2010 schedules were viewable in February
Summer and Fall 2009 registration in March
Winter 2010 registration in October
2010
Summer 2010 registration in February
Combined Fall 2010 and Winter 2011 registration in March
2011
No changes (repeat 2010)
2012
Summer, Fall and Winter registration in March
The Ultimate Question: WHY?
Viewed as a retention tool
Benefit: students know their schedule for a full year
Anticipated an increase in retention
Commitment by students to return
Enhanced student services
Across Campus
Processes Needed to Change:
Course Scheduling
Registration
Orientations
Academic Advising
Admissions
Financial Aid
Due Dates
Schedules
Catalogs
Publications
It Takes A Campus “Village” To Create Change
Office of the Registrar
Provost Office
Associate Deans
Department Schedulers
Student Services
Financial Aid
Academic Advising
Orientation
Academic Affairs
Finance and Administration
Student Affairs
Advising Subcommittee
Problem Forecasting and Solving Issues:
Time
Provide ample time for notification and training
Technology
Restructuring technology in place for overrides, transfer course reviews, and prerequisite reporting
Personnel Resources
Question need for more resources due to potential new work load
Course Scheduling
Decentralized Scheduling:
Department Difficulties In Planning
Faculty availability/sabbaticals
New hires
Part time faculty availability
Begin Building Schedules A Year Out
New programs in review/acceptance process
Program changes not approved yet
Schedule Books Out Of Date
Decision to discontinue printed schedule books
Advisers supplied with “Open Class Lists” Database
Populations Unable To Use Full Year Registration
– Major restricted courses and students achieve standing mid-year
– Department restrictions due to requirements
– Advising/department deadline dates mismatch with registration dates
Advising Holds Preventing Registration
– Students had more time to comply
– Hold not as effective to communicate with student
Advising Concerns
Registration Overrides
Department Owned Overrides
Increased who can authorize overrides
Overrides were referred to department or school
Some departments re-evaluated their restrictions
Ensure Following Repeat Policy
Override for which semester?
Student need to state a semester
EXPECTED AN INCREASE IN AMOUNT OF OVERRIDES
Advising Processes Changed
Major Standing
Some departments redesigned program requirements
Time Demands Changed For Advising Units
Two yearly peak appointment times changed to one larger peak
Pre-requisite And Overrides
Implement a process for students enrolled in two institutions throughout
the year
Administrative De-registration
Drop Students For Non-payment
Decided to only drop for one semester
Academic Dismissal
Dropped from all registered semesters
Student Myth
Registering for winter now means pay now
Communication plan had to dispel myth
Orientation Changes
Advising Sessions Merged With Registration In Computer Lab
Advisers became registration agents
Registration staff unable to provide in person assistance due to multiple
locations
Implementation of instant messaging structure
Loss of cross campus collegiate advising support
No Time Increase For Full Year Course Planning
Larger units forced to divide
Implement faculty advising program with incentives
New Students Could Register For 1 Year Without Talking To Advisers
Put hold on all new students, released at Orientation
Registration Pre-requisite
University Questioned If System Could Handle Pre-
requisites In Multi-terms
Advised students to register for Fall semester first, than
winter
System does handle pre-requisites
What If They Fail A Pre-requisite
Office of Registrar supplies departments with failed pre-
requisite list
Student Notification
OU Website
Student Newspaper
Local Newspaper
Student Congress
Postcard
Fliers
Banners
Multiple touch points to notify students of new full year
registration:
Advising Conversation
Longer Conversation
Plan for up to three semesters at a time
Post graduation discussions happened sooner
Undecided Majors
Push for major selection earlier
Difficult to course plan undecided student
Change In Touch Points
Lost registration as a touch point
Redesign communication plan to bring students into office
Difficulty Accepting Change
Reluctant to change
“We’ve always done it that way!” No longer works
Can not see the forest through the trees.
Help departments to let go of processes
Step 1, Step 2, Step 3
Evaluate why the process was created
Had to re-think Why?
Work with them to see big picture and create new process to meet
the needs
Registration
Increase In “I Forgot I Registered”
– Increase messaging to “check” your next term schedule
More Students To Drop For Pre-requisite Issues
– Students dropped (never completed) the pre-requisite course
Change of Major Restrictions
– Caused registration restrictions
– Per advisers, override the restrictions
Registration Errors
Students Circumvent Repeat Policy
Registered for classes in Winter first, then fall
Allowed them to repeat without an override
Fixed by checking repeats in future terms in Banner
Class Standing Restrictions
Bigger issue than anticipated
Add in attempted hours for registration (March 2012)
Advising Services
Former Model
– 48% of time spent on registration issues
– Always in registration mode
Full Year Model
– More time to focus on students’ career and academics
– Focus on additional outreach services
• Registration issues don’t bring students into the office
Admission
Cancelled Applications
– Dropped from Fall semester
– Questionable attendance in Winter
– Created workflow to notify registration to drop students
– Admissions asks students about attendance
Cancelled Applicants Which Later Transfer
– Student have a cancelled registration for their first transfer semester
• Causes difficulty in new student experience
Surveys
Open for 6 weeks
Started with registration
1,406 surveys started
1,255 completed
115 incomplete
36 declined
Open for 6 weeks
Started with registration
1,788 surveys started
1,604 completed
146 incomplete
38 declined
Year 1: 2010 Year 2: 2011
Year 1 – “I Like Combined Registration”
155
239 241
467
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Strongly Agree
(14%)
Agree (22%) Disagree (22%) Strongly Disagree
(42%)
Year 2 – “I Like Combined Registration”
403
634
373347
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Strongly Agree
(23%)
Agree (36%) Disagree (21%) Strongly Disagree
(21%)
In year 2, preference shifted to more positive feedback
Year 1 – “I Find Combined Registration Beneficial”
153
264289
372
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Strongly Agree
(14%)
Agree (25%) Disagree (27%) Strongly Disagree
(35%)
Year 2 – “I Find Combined Registration Beneficial”
382
636
422
263
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Strongly Agree
(22%)
Agree (37%) Disagree (27%) Strongly Disagree
(14%)
Year 1 – “I Like The Two Weeks of Priority
Registration”
103
668
168127
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Strongly Agree
(9%)
Agree (63%) Disagree (16%) Strongly Disagree
(12%)
Year 2 – “I Like The Two Weeks Of Priority
Registration”
273
921
275
1360
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
Strongly Agree
(17%)
Agree (57%) Disagree (17%) Strongly Disagree
(17%)
In year 2, preference shifted to more positive feedback
Year 1 - How Would Your Rate Your Experience
Registering For Two Semesters?
163222
268
400
Excellent Good Fair Poor
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Year 2 - How Would You Rate Your Overall Experience
With Registering For Two Semesters At Once?
326
549
475
312
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Excellent (20%) Good (33%) Fair (29%) Poor (18%)
In year 2, preference shifted to more positive feedback
Year 1 – “I Am Confident I Will Not Change My
Schedule After I Register”
134
306324
269
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Strongly Agree
(13%)
Agree (30%) Disagree (31%) Strongly Disagree
(26%)
Year 1 – “I Cannot Plan My Schedules One Year In
Advance”
159
319
260
293
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Can Plan Cannot Plan
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
Year 1 – “I Prefer The Old Registration Periods”
422
278
223
99
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Strongly Agree
(41%)
Agree (27%) Disagree (22%) Strongly Disagree
(10%)
Year 1 – “I Am Confident Courses Will Be Available If I
Change My Schedule”
25
211
378
417
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Strongly Agree
(2%)
Agree (20%) Disagree (37%) Strongly Disagree
(41%)
Year 1 – “The New Registration Structure May
Persuade Me To Enroll In Other Institutions”
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Will Stay May Leave
203
421
261
131
Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
Year 2 – “Summer, Fall, And Winter Registration
Should All Begin At The Same Time”
150
365
589
513
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Strongly Agree
(9%)
Agree (23%) Disagree (36%) Strongly Disagree
(32%)
Enrollment Is Up!
Campus Culture Has Changed
Everyone thinks, “How will full year impact this?”
Would We Do It Again?
No hurdle has stopped us yet
Results . . . Was It Worth It?