Developing a retention plan, Tim Copeland, CEO, DemandEngine

CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013

Developing a retention plan

Tim Copeland

Thursday, July 18, 2013


• We don’t value it … really.• We fail to intentionally manage a business

process that is remarkably predictable.• We haven’t applied “what works” to non-

traditional populations.• “Sink or swim” is alive and well.• Most institution’s lack a “secret sauce” for the

classroom experience … • At the same time, faculty are an easy target

The Office of Retention Prevention

04/11/2023 | 2


Research on student retention is voluminous … despite all the research that has been conducted to

date little work has been devoted to develop a model of student persistence … to enhance student success.

Vincent Tinto

04/11/2023 | 3

CONFERENCE ON ADULT LEARNER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT 2013 04/11/2023 | 4

Likes…

“Conversations”Online videoMobile apps

Likes…

… generally whatever her brother likes!

They both love Daddy’s learning and work hub!


The Copeland Learning and Work Hub

04/11/2023 | 5









• A customer was retained …

• A customer was satisfied …

• A customer will generate positive word of mouth …

• A little boy and a little girl can continue learning and exploring with their Daddy!

Let’s review …

04/11/2023 | 14


WE DO THE OPPOSITE.

04/11/2023 | 15



• Let’s talk retention and student success• Guiding principles to establish or strengthen

your retention efforts• Effective strategies to implement on your

campus

Agenda

04/11/2023 | 17


• Socio-economic status and level of high-school academic rigor are significant background factors

• No delay between high school and college• Successful completion of “gateway” courses• Completion of at least 20 hours by end of 1st year• 1st year GPA• Few course withdrawals or repeats• Continuous, full-time enrollment (vs. part-time or stopping out)• Involvement in campus life (student organizations, leadership

positions, study abroad, community service/service learning, living on-campus)

• Affiliations with peers and faculty• Enrollment in first-year seminars and learning communities• Use of campus resources (academic, advising, career, library)

Write these retention secrets down …

04/11/2023 | 18


• A delay after high school• Non-continuous enrollment• 1st year GPA is impossible to calculate in a non-

credit program• Not interested in the Thursday night mixer with

Phi Mu• Little involvement on-campus … in fact, may

not step foot on campus• Go to school IN ADDITION to other day-to-day

involvements and obligations …

Wait … the post traditional student is characterized by:

04/11/2023 | 19


“Over the years, colleges and universities have designed programs and services to help retain

students … yet even with the implementation and strengthening of these programs and services, the

retention data reveal that students are not retained at a higher rate than they were twenty

years ago.”

Alan Seidman

04/11/2023 | 20




campus

Agenda

04/11/2023 | 22


• What does retention mean to you?• Student success?• Same? Different?

What are we talking about?

04/11/2023 | 23


• Traditionally, the path way to a 4-year degree, but …

• Retention as an outcome of the experience• Different perspectives– Is it a societal issue?– Is it an academic quality?– Is it a financial issue (e.g., ROI)?– Is it a marketing performance issue?

Retention – what is it?

04/11/2023 | 24


Set annual student retention or persistence

headcount goals?

Written retention plan that includes

student persistence goals and the

strategies to achieve them?

Have a proactive advising function for our student?

Communications to currently enrolled students are well-coordinated across

departments?

11% 3%

Professional, Online, and Continuing Education Units

Respondents that indicated “practice was fully deployed.”n = 91 institutions

Source: Enrollment Management Practices Survey. July 2013.

33% 14%


“But given that we have to improve persistence and degree attainment rates across the board,

we need to better understand why colleges and universities typically ignore the body of

literature about ‘what works’ produced by higher education scholars and social scientists”.

George Kuh

04/11/2023 | 26


• Growth• $$$$$$$• Leadership– Institutional– Professional

Why?

04/11/2023 | 27




campus

Agenda

04/11/2023 | 28


• It’s intrusive.• It requires leadership.• It requires structure.• It requires integration.

1. Retention programs must be intentional

04/11/2023 | 29

We can’t simply hope that our students will succeed because we are nice people.


• Tools• Identify behaviors that may

predict “risk”• Alert someone• And then what?

“Early Alerts”

04/11/2023 | 30


• The learning environment is the one thing all of your students have in common … it’s the basis of community.

2. Quality academic experiences are a must

04/11/2023 | 31

“Classroom instruction has to be superb not theoretical,

but more applied, with teamwork. Adult students

are making particular sacrifices of their time to be there … and are savvy buyers

as consumers.”

Carol Aslanian


3. It must be empower students to develop relationships

04/11/2023 | 32

• Internal and external to the learning environment.

• Onboarding processes.• Ways you accomplish

this today?




campus

Agenda

04/11/2023 | 33


1. Baseline what you know

04/11/2023 | 34


"When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when

you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.“

Lord Kelvin

04/11/2023 | 35


• Persistence data– Course-to-course– Enrollment term-to-term

• Additional questions to ask– What is the D, F, W, etc. rate for each course?– What is rate of students who begin one

enrollment term and return during the next available one?

What do we need to measure?

04/11/2023 | 36


• Progression rates– Year-to-year enrollment– Milestone

• Completion rates– Years

• Student surveys• Compare to new

enrollment targets (needs) if they exist

What do you need to measure?

04/11/2023 | 37


2. Experience “you” as a student does

04/11/2023 | 38


• External– Secret shop– Research all messages

sent to students (proxy)

– Focus groups– Surveys

• Internal– Map the journey

Strategies

04/11/2023 | 39


• What are the student touch points?• Where are the pain points in your relationship

with students?• What happens backstage?– People– Processes– Policies– Technology

Nothing shines the light on more on “pain” …

04/11/2023 | 40


3. Review the evidence

04/11/2023 | 41


4. Build the “burning platform” for change

04/11/2023 | 42


A systematic and comprehensive approach

04/11/2023 | 43

Enrollment Planning Hierachy

Institutional Strategic Plan

Division Strategic Plan

Annual Enrollment Marketing Plan

Annual Retention Plan

Clear goals and objectives

Key enrollment initiatives

Road mapSource: DemandEngine


• Executive Summary• Narrative• Situational assessment• Planning assumptions• Retention/success goals

and objectives• Key initiatives• Road map (e.g., action

plans, accountability)


1) Identify factors that indicate a student's "retention" risk.

2) Set annual student retention or persistence headcount goals.

3) Designate an owner.4) Write an annual retention plan that identifies the

objectives (what you must do well) and the initiatives to achieve them.

5) Develop effective (and efficient) onboarding and service processes.

6) Develop an intrusive advising function for our students.

12-point planning inspection

04/11/2023 | 45


12-point inspection

04/11/2023 | 46

7) Coordinate communications across departments.8) Dedicate academic support services specifically to serve

the needs of our adult students.9) Define key reports and use a retention "funnel" to monitor

the persistence of our currently enrolled students.10) Optimize our student-facing enrollment processes and

policies to minimize barriers.11) Assess the efficiency and quality of staff interactions with

prospective and current students.12) Define clear competency standards and response

expectations are in place to guide staff follow-up with students (e.g., Level 1, 2, & 3 questions, time to return calls).

Developing a retention plan, Tim Copeland, CEO, DemandEngine

Marketing

faculty enrollment

fulltime enrollment

retention data

retention secrets

set annual student retention

written retention plan

student persistence

office of retention