Project Title:Multi-term Registration: Course Scheduling for Student Success Institution Name:Cleveland State University
Innovation Category:Student Success
Project Director:Carmen A. Brown, Vice President for Enrollment ServicesContact Information:(216) 687-5353,
carmen.brown@csuohio.eduWebsite:http://www.csuohio.edu/registrar/multi-term-registration Project Description:Since
2009, the university’s priorities have focused on developing and implementing
strategies aimed at improving student success and outcomes. Multi-term
registration is an academic planning tool that allows students to view courses
in advance, plan courses sequentially and register for an entire academic year
at once. Each March, registration opens for fall, spring and summer
simultaneously, allowing students to enroll in any or all of the terms. This has provided students, as well as
faculty, the avenue to plan both their academic and personal schedule three
semesters at a time. It provides students with more options when choosing their
courses and allows for better planning of classes, determining sequences of
classes, and guidance to students regarding the courses that are most optimal
for them. This model, implemented at Cleveland State University in March of
2012 for registration for the 2012-13 academic year, is the first of its kind
in the state of Ohio and a rarity among most public colleges and universities
across the nation.
Objectives:
- Provide
students with the opportunity to plan early and register for a full academic
year at one time.
- Increase
retention by encouraging enrollment for the full academic year.
- Develop
a course schedule and registration model to support 4-year degree maps.
- Improve
course offerings by conducting a full year schedule analysis to meet student
course demands.
Outcomes:
- Multi-term
registration has been positively received by students. We currently have 82% of
all undergraduate students and 78% of all graduate students taking advantage of
this service. Though our overall usage has remained stable, we have increased
our early usage (students who take advantage of registering for the full year
by June 1) by 4% from year 1 to year 2.
- Our
goal in the very near future is to achieve at the very least a 90% usage rate.
- Fall
to Spring retention rates increased 3% in year one and Fall to Fall retention
increased 2%
- As
other enrollment success initiatives are introduced and solidified (new class
scheduler, new time grid, updated Degree Audit, waitlist), our intention is to
use the data from all of these initiatives to produce an even stronger set of
course offerings within the multi-term registration system.
Challenges/Problems Encountered:The main challenge encountered is the mindset of
faculty and staff when this concept is being introduced. Most universities’
class scheduling processes have been in place for decades and to introduce this
change creates challenges. In an effort to
ensure this initiative was a success, we introduced communication and outreach
activities to all stakeholders. The University Registrar, along with the
Associate Registrars, met weekly with Associate Deans. A university-wide
campaign was also rolled out with Powerpoint presentations focusing on the
intended outcome and services to students.
Evaluation Approach: The
University Registrar is responsible for closely monitoring the success and
further enhancement of this new enrollment tool. Our evaluation is based on
multi-term registration outcome, the number of students that are using these
services and the trajectory pattern that is being established.
Potential for Replication:Every
university has a process for scheduling classes. It is a time-sensitive process
within the enrollment cycle where all academic stakeholders proceed within
their schools and colleges’ norms. The scheduling of classes needs to be
thoroughly reviewed before rolling out the multi-term registration concept. The
biggest challenge to overcome is that individuals in most universities are used
to planning one semester at a time. When this concept is first introduced, they
are taken aback by the amount of time they must spend planning three semesters.
They quickly realize that it is the first-time rollout that is the biggest
challenge. Once they have gone through the first cycle of planning three
semesters, future scheduling is much easier and much more effective in terms of
time and staffing.
Additional Resources:See article in Inside Higher Ed, Registering
Toward Completion (April 11, 2014).
Additional contact person: Janet
Stimple, Assistant
Vice President/University Registrar, (216)
687-3831, j.stimple@csuohio.edu
CEO-to-CEO Contact:Ronald Berkman
, Presidentronald.berkman@csuohio.edu
(216) 687-3544 Date Published: Monday, April 28, 2014