student learning and the registrar: acting with intent · session rules of etiquette •please turn...
TRANSCRIPT
Student Learning and the
Registrar: Acting with Intent
AACRAO 2013 Annual Meeting
San Francisco, CA
10:45 AM
April 15, 2013
Session ID: 223
Presenters
Jennifer Suchan and
Marissa Timmerman
University of
Northern Iowa
Reta Pikowsky
Georgia Institute of
Technology
Session Rules of Etiquette
• Please turn off your cell phone.
• If you must leave the session early,
please do so as discreetly as possible.
• Please avoid side conversation during
the session.
• Thanks for your cooperation.
Introduction
• This session will focus briefly on the evolving role of the
registrar and how that evolution has spurred us to look at
our services and functions from a different point of view.
• This session will provide some insight into how we will act
with intent with it comes to our interactions with students
as they learn and develop necessary skills.
• This session will provide some insight into how two
different institutions are approaching the role of the
registrar in student learning outcomes.
• This session will provide some food for thought as to how
and why the registrar’s office will continue to redefine
itself and its role in the development of students.
Learning Outcomes
• Participants in this session will gain some insight into how
the role of the registrar has evolved over time reaching a
current state that requires new thinking.
• Participants in this session will gain some insight into
different ways of looking at how and where the registrar’s
office intersects with student learning and what that
means for how services, information, and programs are
delivered.
• Participants in this session will gain some insight into how
two different institutions are acting with intent to ensure
that the registrar’s office views its services and programs
through the lens of student learning outcomes.
Topics
• Evolving role of the registrar
• Registrar as “educator”
• Learning outside the classroom
• Student learning outcomes
• Different approaches for the
Registrar’s Office
• University of Northern Iowa
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Closing Thoughts
How did we get here?
• Presentation at AACRAO 2012 annual meeting
• Subsequent conversations with Jennifer and Marissa
about what they were doing at University of Northern Iowa
• Realized that we were approaching the subject from two
different points of view and with different perspectives
• Came to the conclusion that a presentation where we
shared our experiences in this area could be very
interesting
• Liked the idea that one view is more “macro” and the
other more “micro”, but we have the same ultimate goal
• Feel that this subject matter is important now and for the
future
Georgia Tech Basic Facts
• Public
• Located in Atlanta, GA
• Fall 2012 enrollment: Undergraduate – 14,527; Graduate – 7,030 (21,557 total), slight increase from Fall 2011
• Programs/presence in France, Ireland, China, Korea, Italy
• 27 staff members in the Registrar’s Office
• RO reports to Vice Provost for Enrollment Services who reports to Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
• Usual array of functions, with the exception of classroom scheduling
Evolving Role of the Registrar
• Partnership with Faculty • Development and delivery of academic programs
• Course sequencing
• Student progress toward graduation
• Retention
• Providing data for decision making
• Actively engaging in discussions and decision-making
• Defining our role through the lens of student educational outcomes • Requires faculty, and registrar’s office staff, to change their perspectives about
the role of the office within the institution
• In a practical sense, this is already occurring
• In a psychological sense, we may still have more work to do
• Movement from tactical to strategic partner in the delivery of education
Source: http://consulting.aacrao.org/publications_events/the-strategic-role-of-the-registrar/
Evolving Role of the Registrar
The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education Self-
Assessment Guide for Registrar Programs and Services includes a statement on
the role of registrar programs.
• “The overarching role of the registrar is increasingly that of an educator,
defining student needs through learning outcomes and identifying
assessment strategies that involve innovative learning techniques including those
provided through distance education. The registrar wears multiple hats and must
juggle many roles on a daily basis, serving as collaborator, connector, initiator,
and a prominent leader within the institution. The standards that follow, in addition
to providing basic functional guidelines, are designed to assist the registrar to
navigate and respond to the complexity of issues and ever-challenging assigned
duties.”
What is an educator?
• An educator is a person who teaches, informs, or
inspires others.
(http://www.yourdictionary.com/educator)
• The task of the modern educator is not to cut down
jungles, but to irrigate deserts. (C.S. Lewis)
Learning Outside the Classroom
WHAT CAN ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATORS DO?
• Senior institutional officers help create an ethos of learning when they:
• send consistent messages about the complementarity of in-class and
out-of-class experiences,
• establish strong working relations with each other and communication links with the faculty,
• translate what the institution values into behavioral terms for student performance outside the classroom,
• disseminate data about students and their experiences, and
• ask students to think about, and apply, what they are learning in class to life outside the classroom, and vice versa.
Source: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED394443.pdf
So, where are we?
• Learning outside the classroom takes on new meaning
and significance when viewed alongside the evolving role
of the Registrar.
• The evolving role of the registrar has resulted in new
focus on:
• Partnering with faculty and others on campus
• Playing an active role in the development and delivery of academic
programs
• Being a strategic rather than tactical partner in the delivery of
education programs
• Redefining our role through the lens of student educational
outcomes – which is necessary for us to be effective partners with
leaders on campus
General Education Learning Outcomes
Brigham Young University
Communication
“*Students will+ think clearly, *and+ communicate effectively.”
“Effective communication—language abilities that enable students to listen, speak, read, and write well; to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences in one’s area of expertise as well as in general subjects. For many students this includes communicating in a second language.” (Intellectually Enlarging)
Communicate effectively with diverse audiences using written, oral, visual, and digital media.
Source: http://ge.byu.edu/ge/content/ge-learning-outcomes
Core Curriculum (General Education)
• Georgia Tech’s Core Curriculum Learning Outcomes
include the following areas:
• Communication
• Quantitative
• Institutional Options
• Humanities, Fine Arts, and Ethics
• Natural Sciences, Math, and Technology
• Social Sciences
• US Perspectives
• Global Perspectives
• Critical Thinking
Source: http://www.registrar.gatech.edu/students/gened.php
Lens for the Registrar’s Office
If we think in terms of which learning outcome areas might serve as
an effective lens for the Registrar’s Office, the choices are fairly
clear:
• Communication
• Quantitative
• Institutional Options
• Humanities, Fine Arts, and Ethics
• Natural Sciences, Math, and Technology
• Social Sciences
• US Perspectives
• Global Perspectives
• Critical Thinking
Georgia Institute of Technology
• Thinking framed around the Core Curriculum (General
Education) Learning Outcomes for the Institute
• Using two of the Core Curriculum Learning Outcomes as
a lens for delivering registrar’s office services and
programs
• Not trying to serve the same function as faculty, or
instructors, rather trying to filter thinking through a rubric
that is common for all undergraduate students
• Using this lens to look at how we are utilizing:
• our “teaching moments” with students
• our student employees
Communication: Intersections
• Petitions to the faculty
• Service on standing committees, work groups, ad hoc committees
• Student Government initiatives regarding new rules or regulations
• Students with entrepreneurial interests (technology related)
• Work study or student employment in the Registrar’s Office
Critical Thinking: Intersections
• Work-study employment in the Registrar’s Office (interpreting questions, helping problem solve)
• Involving student employees in our assessment activities (walk-in survey)
• Involving student employees for input on such projects as web site redesign, developing training and informational videos and materials, and technology innovations
Student Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
• Students will know about all of the services we provide and how to access them.
• Students will know about staffing in the office and specific resources to go to for specific questions and assistance.
• Students will know about important dates on the academic calendar.
• Students will know about archived and future term calendars.
• Students will know about important academic policies through easy access to the Rules and Regulations section of the General Catalog.
• Students will know about the Schedule of Classes.
• Students will know about registration dates, procedures, rules, and policies including specifics such as how wait-lists operate.
• Students will know about degree requirements and how to access the on-line degree audit.
• Students will know how to apply for graduation and where to find information about commencement.
• Students will know about Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and their rights to privacy.
• Students will know about academic resources on campus, including how to find their academic advisor contact information.
• Students will know about final examination schedules and policies.
• Students will know how to order a transcript and other procedures regarding their records.
• Students will knowhow to order a diploma.
• Students will know about the grading scale at Tech.
• Students will know about the transcript legend.
• Students will know about enrollment requirements and readmission policies.
• Students who receive VA benefits will know where to find information.
• Students will know about the enrollment verification request process.
• Students will know about BOR’s Tuition Classification policies and procedures.
• Students will know about the change of major policies and procedures.
• Students will know the processing time for verification forms and other requests.
Student Learning Outcomes
Skills
• Students will be able to access the registration system and navigate through it efficiently.
• Students will be able to produce a degree audit report and use it to plan progress to degree completion.
• Students will be able to use on-line services to order transcripts and conduct other forms of business.
• Students will be able to utilize the resources provided by the Registrar’s Office, primarily the web site, to understand how business is conducted at Tech and how to request assistance.
• Students will know how to communicate with the Registrar’s Office through its various means of access.
Student Learning Outcomes
Values
• Through interactions with staff in the Registrar’s Office, students will experience mutual respect and will carry that impression forward with them.
• Through interactions with staff in the Registrar’s Office, students will experience clear and cordial communication and will pass that along to others on campus.
• Through interactions with staff in the Registrar’s Office, students will experience respect for their time and effort and will carry that forward with them.
• Through interactions with the technology in the Registrar’s Office, students will value efficiency and the commitment at Tech to deliver the best possible service, if not delivered by humans, delivered effectively by our systems.
Staff Learning Outcomes
• We are currently working on staff learning outcomes for
the Registrar’s Office.
• What do we want them to learn from?
• Internal training
• External training
• Attendance at professional meetings
• Other activities
• What skills do we want them to have (this relates to our
competency modeling activities)?
• What values do we want them to have (this relates to our office
charter)?
Specific Actions
• Redesign of our web
site
• Complete rethinking of
how we are “informing”
students and focused on
what we want them to
know from using the site
• Platter of “training” and
“tutoring” materials to be
included on the web site
• Interactions with
students
• Managers are coaching
staff on “deliverables”
• Student employees
• Job descriptions
• Meaningful work
• Performance evaluations
• Feedback mechanisms
• Training
Envisioning and Managing
Planning & Assessment 12-13, Registrar’s Office,
Georgia Tech
Goal #3: Evaluate all aspects of our interactions with
students and develop a framework for developing and
delivering services and informational materials that are
viewed through the lens of communication and critical
thinking/problem solving learning outcomes.
• Objective: Implement by the end of Summer 2013 a
comprehensive plan for how we intend to support student leaning
in these areas. Develop and implement internal learning outcomes
that address what we hope students will be able to know and do
from interacting with us.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA
• Established: 1876
• Type: Public, Four-Year
• Location: Cedar Falls, IA
• Undergraduate: 11,408
• Graduate: 1,760
• IA Residents: 11,915
• Full-Time: 10,951
• Live On Campus: 4,300
• Academic Plans: 120+
• Average ACT: 23.3
• Apps/Admit: 4,133 / 3,505
• Average Class Size: 32
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF US….
The Interlude Dance, created by UNI students,
“takes the nation by storm!”
Visit by the Dalai Lama
UNI Men’s
Basketball
team makes
it to the
“Sweet 16”,
Captures
ESPY for
Best Upset
First Lady Michelle Obama
delivers Spring
Commencement Keynote
Jennifer Suchan and Marissa Timmerman
University of Northern Iowa
Office of the Registrar
Sample Questions – REALLY!
• What is one thing that you
think would delight most
customers?
• Did you make a difference
today?
• Why are man hole covers
round?
• Who is your hero/role
model and why?
Hiring and Promotion Processes
Hiring
• Find – Let Freds find us & discover our dormant Freds!
• Reward – “We get the behavior we reward.” What you do is IMPORTANT!
• Educate – What is being taught and how well?
• Demonstrate – TEAM FRED! Inspire & Acknowledge Freds for their contribution
Promotion
• What area needs more attention?
• Who is excelling in this area?
• Offer Student Opportunity and Raise in Pay
• Reception Leadership Team comprised of managers and those overseeing projects
Promotion Processes
Student Manager
Outreach and Social
Programming
Coordinator
Imaging
Coordinator
Student Employee
Student Employee with Professional
Development Time
We’re Registrar Folk…We Policies
• Be Punctual
• Work Entire Shift
• Cannot Work During Scheduled Class Time
• Three Strikes
• Swap at Training
• Illness
• Emergencies
Attendance Aren’t They Great?!
• Attire
• Dress Code Policy
• Social Media
• Office of the Registrar
Affiliated
• Interactions
• Think “Fred”
We’re Registrar Folk…We Policies
Professionalism Cute
• Student Conduct Code
• Could Result in the
Termination of Employment
• Academic Standing
• One-on-Ones
• Reduce Hours
We’re Registrar Folk…We Policies
Responsibility Student Success
We’re Registrar Folk…We Policies
Employment Contract Dress Code
We’re Registrar Folk…We Policies
Student Strike Form Termination Letter
Job Responsibilities
• Answering Phone (P)
• Counter Help (C)
• Imaging Documents (I)
• Floater (F)
• Filing
• Shredding
• Other
• Assisting FT Staff w/ Projects
• Professional Dev. (PD)
Student Roles • Student Worker
• 13 Positions
• Student Manager
• 2 Positions
• Document Imaging Oversight
• 2 Positions
• Provide training
• Programming & Outreach
• 1 Position
• Performs outreach; Coordinates developmental and social
opportunities for students; Creates communications
Student Managers
• Function:
• Trainer/Mentor
• Facilitate Good
Communication
• Improve the Quality of
Customer Service
• Responsibilities:
• Lead Meetings
• Attend Staff Meetings
• Ensure Adherence to Policies
Council for the
Advancement of Standards
• FALDOs stem from CAS Standards
• Bridge Standards & Learning
Assessment (Intro Guide)
• 16 Learning Domains
• Assessment of Achievement Examples
and Resources Available
SLDO Frameworks
• Effective Communication
• Realistic Self-Appraisal
• Leadership Development
• Professionalism
• Independence
• Collaboration
• Appreciating Diversity
• Meaningful Interpersonal Relationships
SLDO 2: Realistic Self-Appraisal • “As a result of their employment with the Office of
the Registrar, Student Employees will…
• Seek out feedback from others and learn from past
experiences; and
• Recognize personal strengths that can be used to enhance
performance and construct ways to improve personal
weakness.”
Criterion Exemplary Proficient Marginal Unacceptable
Responsibility I am a part of a team
that focuses on
success in this office.
I am accountable for
contributing my
outstanding efforts to
the overall goal. I
accept responsibility
for all that I do-both
the good and the
bad.
I feel that I am a part
of a successful team.
I accept
responsibility for
most everything I do.
I do not believe that
my skills are
proficient enough to
warrant taking on
additional
responsibility at this
time, but still feel I
am a part of a team
that focuses on
success.
Everyone else can
worry about helping
the office succeed. I
have other
responsibilities.
Self-
Assessment
I have made a
significant impact on
the office with my
contributions, and I
am able to clearly
articulate my
professional
strengths when
asked.
Most of my
contributions to the
office are noticeable,
and I am able to
articulate some of
my professional
strengths when
asked.
I am able to
recognize my
contributions and
professional
strengths, but I
struggle to articulate
them when asked.
I do not recognize
my contributions to
the office, and I am
unaware of what my
strengths are, and
moreover, how they
can be used.
Realistic Self-Appraisal Rubric
• Self-Assessment
• Office of Career Services at Monthly Student Meetings
• Clifton StrengthsFinder
• Feedback
• Student One-on-Ones
• Responsibility
• Student Manager Interactions
• Job Request Forms
• Fred Awards
SLDO 2: Realistic Self-Appraisal
• One-on-One’s
• Review E-mail(s) and Website Postings
• Student Meetings
• Scenarios
• Brief Presentation
• Customer Service
• Fred Factor
• Social Media
SLDO 1: Effective Communication
Professional Development
• Tailored to Interests
• Holistic
• Structured
• Regular Meetings
• Violence Intervention and
Defense Strategies
• Student Engagement and
Advisory Committee
• Registration Demonstration
• Training Simulations/Activities
• Your Educational Experience
• Communications
• Creating Resources
• Fred Factor
• Discrimination and Sexual-
Harassment Training
Approach Example Activities
Students as Paraprofessionals
• Customer Service
• “Face of Office”
• Expectations and
Responsibilities
• Leadership/Mentoring
• Training
• Office Buddies
• Articles to Read
• Projects
• Continuous Quality Improvement • What do you see that’s not
working? How can we fix it?
• Performance Appraisals • One-on-One Meetings
• Student Perspective at Staff Meetings
• Conference Attendance
• Listservs
Student Education and Follow-Up
• One a Month
• Two-Hours
• Mandatory Attendance
• Topics Covered:
• Timely Events
• Schedule Swaps
• Simulations/Education
• Imaging Updates
• Issues
• Once a Month
• 30-Minutes
• Complete a Self-Evaluation
• Critique Performance
• Discuss Issues
Monthly Education One-on-Ones
Our Mission
• We provide educationally purposeful
experiences that:
• Promote student learning and development;
• Compel students to make the most of their
employment; and that
• Foster opportunities that allow students to:
• Apply what they are learning to practical, real-life situations;
• Understand the world of professional work; and
• Develop a sense of collective responsibility.
• “You add value to people when you value them.”
– John Maxwell
• “People rarely exceed their own expectations
without being challenged.”
-George Kuh
References
• Article on the importance of student learning outcomes • http://pathwaystocollege.net/pdf/student%20learning%20outcomes_7%2026%2012.pdf
• The Mission of the Registrar – a Ten-Year Retrospective (David C. Lanier)
• http://190.202.102.245/mic/sites/default/userfiles/file/manual_prosecdoc/bibliografia/ten_year_retrospective.pdf
• AACRAO’s consulting services web site related to enrollment management and the role of the registrar
• Source: http://consulting.aacrao.org/publications_events/the-strategic-role-of-the-registrar/
• CAS Self-Assessment Guide download page
• https://store.cas.edu/catalog/itemlist.cfm?catid=15&compid=1&pcatid=0
• In Their Own Words: What Students Learn Outside the Classroom, George D. Kuh, American Educational Research Journal, Summer 1993, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 277-304
• Student Learning Outside the Classroom: Transcending Artificial Boundaries, J-B ASHE Higher Education Report Series, Kuh, Lund, Douglas, Ramin-Gyurnek
Contact Information
Jennifer Suchan Assistant Registrar
University of Northern Iowa
115 Gilchrist Hall
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0006
Phone: (319) 273-2278
E-Mail: [email protected]
Marissa Timmerman
Assistant Registrar University of Northern Iowa
115 Gilchrist Hall
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0006
Phone: (319) 273-2296
E-Mail: [email protected]
Reta Pikowsky
Registrar
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0315
404-894-4181
Knowledge-How to destroy my home
Skills-Mass destruction
Values-Living life to the fullest