1. Registration Strategy Team Patti Cantrell Mike Cook Sharon Fisher Jerry Ramey

2. Areas of Study Student Backout for Nonpayment Late Enrollments Registration Process

3. Research Methods Flowchart of Registration Process Faculty Focus Group Student Surveys Review of Literature Review of Peer Colleges’ Practices Data Analysis

4. Findings Student Backouts for NonPayment Daily backouts do not provide for timely notification to students Widespread perception of faculty and staff that daily backouts negatively affect student enrollment Greatly increases workload on Admission, Financial Aid, and Business Offices Faculty required to print class rosters daily for accurate class enrollment list

5. Recommendation Eliminate daily backouts and change backouts to following schedule: –One week prior to regular enrollment/ advisement period for early enrollees –First day of classes –First day of second week of classes –First day of third week of classes –Every two weeks or as needed

6. Status Recommendation supported by Academic and Student Services administrators Recommendation approved by President Implementation to begin Spring 2005

7. Findings - Late Enrollments “… retention and student performance significantly improve once the policy (late registration) is abolished.” Roueche and Roueche 1993

8. Findings – Late Enrollments Studies show that students who enroll after classes begin have a lower retention rate. Examples: Moraine Valley CC - Indiana Sinclair CC - Ohio Smith, Street, & Olivarez a study of a Texas cc

9. Findings - Late Enrollments 21 of 23 Virginia community colleges allow one week of late registration without dean/ instructor permission. MECC and SVCC are the two colleges which allow two weeks of late registration without dean/instructor permission.

10. Findings – Late Enrollments MECC Faculty Focus Group identified late enrollments as negatively affecting student success. Comments from focus group: “It is setting them up for failure.” “I had four do that. They are now gone.” “Web students are doing that.” “They have to get their financial aid, then books. Sometimes they can be three weeks late.”

11. Findings – Late Enrollments Faculty Focus Group comments: “We need to shorten the add period to no more than one week.” “They register late because they can.” “They would find a way to get registered if they had to.” “Perhaps we could make some exceptions with instructor’s permission, rather than a fixed rule.” “I heard one faculty member say they needed the second week to get more students in the class or it would be canceled for everyone.”

12. Findings – Late Enrollments Orientation Student Survey – 230 responses 87% enrolled prior to 1 week of classes 7% enrolled within 1 week of classes 2% enrolled the first day of classes 1% enrolled within 1 week after classes began 3% enrolled within 2 weeks after classes began Sophomore Student Survey – 147 responses 32% stated that enrolling after classes began helped them to continue at MECC.

13. Findings - Late Enrollments MECC’s old SIS system did not document date of enrollment during add period Peoplesoft has “add date” of enrollment, but data can be misleading An indicator of number of students affected: –30 took Compass the first week of classes –18 took Compass the second week of classes

14. Recommendations MECC should consider limiting the add period to the first week of classes. Student enrollments after the first week of classes should be only by instructor’s permission.

15. Findings – Registration Process Literature: Disconnect between high schools and colleges related to academic preparation High school students may see community college as “second chance”

16. Findings – Registration Process Orientation Student Survey: Completing first schedule –60% had no problems –36% had minor problems – 4% had major problems

17. Findings – Registration Process “Sophomore” Student Survey 93% responded that MECC Online (access to schedule, grades, etc.) helped them to continue at MECC.

18. Findings – Registration Process Fall Class Schedule mailed to household is not accurate (some classes are filled) Do have have good communication for students, faculty/staff for classes added late or changed Students are given “run-around” – going from one office to the next

19. Recommendations Review distribution time for fall class schedule - Improve communication of late- added classes and class changes Conduct further studies to determine problems students have with scheduling of classes Create one-stop center during peak enrollment periods Study ways to work closer with high schools to prepare students for college transition

20. Recommendations Increase the recruiting efforts aimed at younger students (entry at middle school) and early high school. Emphasize the availability of financial aid to re- entry adults. Develop a closer relationship between the CC faculty and HS faculty. Begin a marketing campaign at dispelling the myths about going to college. Re-evaluate the open-door policy being attentive to the message it sends.