2. Building a Continuing Education
Enrollment & Retention Model
from Scratch
Matthew Hendrickson
Associate Director – Strategic Enrollment Research
June 5, 2012
Session ID: 2592
3. Contents
• NEU & CPS
• Need - Higher Ed
• Need – CPS
• Building the Model
• Predicting the Future
• What We Learned
• Next Steps
5. Need – Higher Education
• need for training
• Lack of “non-traditional” models
• government $ support
6. Lack of models
• Current expectations for Continuing Ed
– Required reporting
– Tracking capacity
– Net revenue & enrollments
• What is available:
– Beginning to focus on models
– Federal & State pressures
7. Tinto (1975)
Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from Higher Education: A Theoretical Synthesis of Recent Research. Review of Educational
Research, 45(1).
8. Look familiar?
• “Fit”
• 1st year programs
• HS GPA
• SAT/ACT
• Proximity to home
• Financial situation
• First generation
9. What’s the problem?
• Returning years later
• Years to degree
• Transfer / Swirling
• Drop- & stop-outs
• No SAT/ACT
• Employed
• Career change
• Changing
demographics
10. Need - CPS
• Understand & stabilize enrollment
• Prioritize recruitment & applications
• Determine predictors for success
• Programming & current student assistance
11. Building the model
• Canvas available data
• Best tracking method
• Handling drop-/stop-outs
12. Data problems / challenges
• Systems
– Legacy 2003 - 2009
– Banner 2009 - current
• Inconsistent coding & collection
• Cohort identification challenges
– Multiple field limitations to approximate cohorts
13. How did we determine the cohorts?
• Not traditional Fall – Fall enrollment cycle
• Inconsistent enrollments & entries
• Financial and budget planning
24. AIR Presentation Info
Title: Building a Continuing Education Enrollment & Retention Model from Scratch
Track: Students: Enrollment and Experience
Format: Building IR Capacity: IR in Practice (40-minutes)
Presenter: Matthew Hendrickson, Northeastern University
Abstract: Due to a lack of retention and enrollment models for continuing
education students, a new institutional model is created. Student counts and
registrations are combined from multiple data systems, determining “cohorts”
of new students by fiscal year that are tracked throughout their enrollment
lifespan. Predictions for future enrollment and expected retention are made
and revised regularly. This information serves not only for enrollment
purposes, but also budgetary and strategic planning purposes. Participants gain
insight into the entire enrollment and retention projection process from the
start through implementation and first revision. Questions about the process
will be answered.
Notas del editor
Here are the topics that will be coveredBrief description of NEU & CPSNeed – Higher Ed in generalLack of models – although some are being createdNeed – CPSBuilding the modelData Issues – Problems & InconsistenciesSample reportPredicting the futureWhat we have learnedNext steps
NEU is an institution on the moveRise in rankingsPushing the envelope of distance educationCampus expansionCharlotte online / Seattle operational later this yearCPSHoused within NEUSupports regional campusesGoal to educate non-traditional studentsPractitioner/applied programsFlexible to meet market demands
Increased need for training:President’s 2020 Completion goalUnemploymentChange of careersLack of models other than traditional modelsUniqueness of non-traditional institutions makes creating a model difficultDecreased governmental monetary supportCuts to Pell fundingSpending consolidations in Higher Ed (national)With less money, what services can we offer to help our students attain degrees?http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budgethttp://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/budget.pdfhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/education.pdfPell p.106 // Higher Ed p.132
Current expectations:Federal reporting often isn’t required beyond federalfinaidreq’sEx: IPEDS – Less if attached to major university – lumped with “main campus” // EthicsSimply don’t have the capacity to track the studentsExplosive growth in online & continuing educationNo physical rooms – capacity increased with enrollmentsStrained staffStill exploring best-practices for online & adult learnersFocus on revenue generation and sheer enrollments“Greed” of institutions – padding of budgets, etc.Increased retention would help with increased revenuesThe ability to help students succeed is tantamounthttp://www.jmhconsulting.com/continuing-education-retention-analyticsAvailable: List of links from Kansas State Universityhttp://www.nacada.ksu.edu/clearinghouse/advisingissues/retain.htmFed & State pressures: reporting, accountability, & learning outcomes
Can’t talk about retention without mentioning TintoIf not familiar – tons of ink has been spilled on this topicYet this model is difficult to translate to adult & continuing education, particularly:Pre-College schooling – no longer relevant?How long since these students have taken classes?Peer Group Interactions – most have families and work full time and have a lessened need for peer interactionsOnline students may lack these interactionsSome ability for interaction – web chat, etc.Social IntegrationStudents can complete a degree without ever meeting other students
I am sure you have all seen theseTypical traditional student success concepts“Fit”First year programmingHS GPASAT/ACTProximity of home to campusFinancial situationFirst generationWhat do you do when your student base doesn’t represent the typical traditional student?
Many have been out of school for yearsSheer time to degree1-2 courses a term = 10+ years for Bachelor’s degreeStudents in and out of the pipeline (swirling)Accounting for this flow can be difficult with current data systemsHow do you accept transfer credits?How do you account for dual enrollments?Differentiating between drop & stop outsWhen do you consider them “out” of the systemCurrent CPS policy is 4 terms of inactivity (1 year)Many don’t have standardized test scores, or they aren’t representativeMany of our students are employed full timeOften looking for a career change, so must start from the beginningCharacteristics of students in non-traditional degree paths
Growing pains - entrepreneurial spirit - grew rapidlyUnderstanding what happened // Create benchmarks // Program effectivenessStabilize enrollmentCPS had trouble managing the influx (student support, tracking, etc.)Create a comprehensive retention strategy for enrolled studentsPrioritize recruitment & applicationsWhile remaining accessible (core value) http://www.cps.neu.edu/discover/mission-vision-core-values.phpDetermine predictors for successIsolate inputs that indicate success and failureUse this in the application processEnsure programming & current student assistance improvesThis is the main focus – “Accessible”Not just seeking “the best” students, but helping those wishing to enroll & complete their degreesHow can we support current & future students?Policies and interventions to remove barriers to success
Canvas available data:Understand data limitationsInconsistent codingChangeover of data systemsBest method for tracking:Define cohorts (will do shortly)Degree seeking only – because of degree completion programmingNot including special students (longitudinal data issue)Special students = those taking classes who aren’t registered as degree seekingHandling of drop-/stop-outs
Changeover of data systems in 2009Inconsistent coding between systems and within current systemLack of data – some is simply not collectedNo easy way to identify cohort – no indicatorsHad to merge data tables and force through numerous filters & logicTough to determine a first time degree seeking studentMany were excluded in the early data reports due to lacking data
Students in continuing & online education often don’t follow a fall-fall enrollment cycle like traditional higher edNot the first-time full-time enrollmentsOften enroll, stop, return, etc. and can enter at multiple points (4x) during a yearSo how do we define a cohort? (next slide…)
Everyone has their definition of retention & graduation ratesCohort:Fiscal Year to Fiscal Year based on year of entranceAny new degree seeking student beginning in any term during one Fiscal YearExcludes non-degree seeking students since degree seeking students selected for strategic purposesReturning:Any student beginning in a previous cohort taking a course at any point during a consecutive FY is considered returningStudents may be counted in a cohort, not return for 2nd FY, return for 3rd FY and not be “returning” in the 2nd but are “returning” in the 3rdThis gets at the issue of stop-/drop-outsGraduation Rate:Any student completing a degree within a consecutive FYStudents graduating during that FY are counted as graduating, not returning
Cohort definition to date is the first attemptThis is open to refinement & additions at a later timeThe plan is to add models and views rather than to replace this viewThis view is a starting point and has given a great deal of strategic assistanceCurrently useful as it aligns with the fiscal year – useful for budget planningOther possibilities:Term to term trackingTracking at the specific student level
Bachelor’s Degree seeking (NOT REAL DATA)This table is a short look (full extends to 7 years – the end of our longitudinal data)Looks at the first 3 years of the report for illustration purposesFull version has counts corresponding to the percentagesExample: FY08Start with 50065% returned for 2nd year while 5% graduated = 70% returned or graduatedCan sum return and graduated because they are not double counted40% returned for 3rd year while 20% graduated = 60% returned or graduated (rounding)Interesting – inverse are those who are unaccounted for
First StepThis is the first step of a long processUnderstanding student populationData show the trends of the student base of CPSReference and shows what has happened to dateConfirm hunches of student dataHad no data to support this in the pastVisualize student enrollment behaviorLongitudinal data provide an understanding of the enrollment pipelineGraduation and returning rates are increasing overallBenchmarkTrack significant changes after new projects, programs, or initiatives are put in placeCurrent data are great, but a reference and benchmark are key
Two prong approach:1. Create simple formulas in the excel report to give a rough estimation of future enrollmentCurrently in this approachRolling averages, weighted averagesGenerally 3 years since these are the classes that resemble most closely our current enrollments2. Statistical modeling:This is our idea approachRegression analysisPredictors of successSeeking early warning signs
Rates climbing:Introduction of degree completion programsAlso a different student baseData consistencySee gaps in data collection & inconsistenciesKnow where to reinforce this infoNew data elementsFinding gaps in analysis and items we would like to addTalks are occurring with admissions for better coding and entryBenchmarkingLook back for comparisons as discussed before
Enrollment management purposes:Track studentsUnderstand student flowStrategic planningPredict future enrollmentsBudgetingHelp set budget expectationsProvide better and (ultimately) faster budget predictionsTake out SOME of the guessworkProgram evaluationWhich programs are going strongWhich programs could use some attentionAre we offering what is needed to help our students complete their degree in a reasonable time
Goal to increase returning and graduation rates – educating studentsTargeted recruitment strategies – determine locations and institutionsApplication process:Recommend additional data elements to be collectedCodify data input (what is available) & new collection itemsCreate processes to identify students for admission without decreasing qualityKeep access and create higher qualityImplement policies & proceduresKeep it easy to re-enroll for stop-outs, but find better ways of monitoring & entering dataIncrease student support offeringsTrue understanding of how students flow in and out of enrollment
Data doesn’t exist in a usable form for retention analysis – if it exists at allData consistency & not measured the same waysNo true model (that is shared) as a standard among higher education institutionsSo we need to create our ownIdentify predictorsDetermine risks specific to CPS studentsCreate and early alert system and/or contact programContinue thought and industry leadershipNon-traditional, adult, and online higher educationLack of data and models for this populationPresent findings at national higher education conferences
Thank you for having me come and share this study with youAny questions, comments, or feedback to help with this study are welcome