a course by any other name.v3

A Course by Any Other NameJesse ParrishAssistant Registrar, Elon University

NAASS 2016 Annual MeetingNovember 7th, 2016

Agenda

Introduction Background The Components of Course Selection Our Study Study Results Recommendations for Study and Practice

Introduction

Elon University Small, private liberal arts university in NC 6,000+ undergraduate students, 700+ graduate HIPs (AAC&U) embedded into Core Curriculum

Office of the Registrar 8 full time staff Culture of innovation Research focus

www.elon.edu

http://www.elon.edu/

Agenda


Background

Four-year planning and course selection Elon 101 Themed Winter Term Summer College Academic catalog

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Background

Motivation Conversations and anecdotal evidence Winter term experimental courses Student-developed “Burst the Bubble” courses

Examination of registration trends Analyzing Marketing Forecasting Monitoring

Agenda


The Components of Course Selection

Course selection is a decision-making process

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Course selection is a decision-making process

Important features of course selection: Sequential, but disorganized Latitudinal and longitudinal interdependence Delayed impact Students seek shortcuts“Sometimes one salient characteristic overshadows all other aspects (a charismatic or witty instructor, an easy grade, filling a hole in the schedule, etc.) and often students ignore the fuller and more valid sources of information, preferring relatively informal (and often unreliable) sources instead.”

-Babad and Tayed, 2003


Risk What are the expected benefits/returns this course will give me, and what is

the risk that I will not receive those returns? Based entirely on perceptions

Risk factors Personal interest in the course or subject matter Intellectual challenge/rigor Demand on their time Grade potential Alignment with career goals Enjoyment of the classroom experience

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Risk Mitigation Speaking with the professor Previewing the syllabus and reading the course description Reviewing course evaluation scores Consulting friends and peers

“Students in a class will have varied expectations, all of which cannot be met in full. For example, even if a student were guaranteed an “A” in a course, thereby eliminating the risk that their grade expectation would not be met, their expected ‘subject matter is interesting’ or ‘relevance to career path’ return may not be met.”

- Zocco, 2009


The student as a consumer The concept of risk plays an important role in the decision-making process of

consumers

Some in favor of this conceptual framework“the practice of student evaluations of teaching…is clearly designed to position students as consumers”

- Singh, 2002 Others argue against it

“assumption that students are informed consumers making rational choices of higher education courses and institutions” is misplaced

- Baldwin and James, 2000


Other significant findings Work avoidance is a salient characteristic Strong preference for high learning value Course selection evolves over time Marked differences between major and elective choices WOM has a significant impact

www.elon.edu

http://www.elon.edu/

Agenda


Our Study

Blind study Survey designed using Qualtrics platform Distributed to all undergraduate students Less than 10 minutes Gift card incentive Followed by a qualitative component

Our Study

Our Study

Over 1,000 responses from a pool of 5,500 Approximately 850 valid (complete) responses

Agenda


Study Results

Study Results

Question 2: Please rank the following courses by your preference for taking them, with 1 being the most preferred and 5 being the least preferred.

Study Results

Study Results

Mean position of each course (values assigned as 1-6)

Two courses with “signal words” ranked higher on average than those without

1 PSY 2XX2 ENG 2XX3 SOC 2XX4 HST 2XX5 REL 2XX6 PHL 2XX

Study Results

Questions 3-15: Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements I have previous knowledge of this course or subject matter I have a friend that has taken this course or a course like it This course has an interesting title This course aligns with my interests

Study Results SOC 2XX: Deviance and Social Control

Study Results ENG 2XX: From Fiction to Film: Movie Adaptations

Study Results PSY 2XX: Social and Personality Development

Study Results Top rank, regardless of respondent’s choice

Study Results

Question 17: Please rank the following course qualities by importance during registration The course satisfies a degree requirement The course’s professor has a good reputation The course fits into my schedule without making any changes The course has an interesting title The course is popular among my friends

Study Results

Study Results

Question 18: Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements I would take additional courses of interest if my schedule and four-year plan

permitted I would take additional courses of interest if there were no additional costs

(tuition, fees) If Elon offered non-credit-bearing continuing education opportunities, I would

take advantage of them Elon should offer tuition-exempt exploratory core courses to help students

choose a major I take time to research course descriptions before registering

Study Results

Study Results

Question 19: Please share with us any other thoughts you have about selecting courses (multi-line text field)

Major themes uncovered in analysis: 1. Students perceive a limited availability of required courses2. Students would prefer greater access to courses of interest3. Students use input from other students, but prefer “official” channels4. Students prioritize satisfying major requirements at the cost of personal

interest

Study Results

Registration = stress

“It is a really stressful experience for many students”

“The process of registering is slightly stressful”

“This makes the process very stressful for students”

“For me, registration has always been a stressful process”

“The process itself is very stressful”

“Selecting courses is extremely stressful”

“Registering for courses is very stressful”

“Registration is often very stressful”“Registering for classes

is one of the most stressful parts of every single semester”

“Very stressful!”

“Registration is very stressful”

“why doesn't Elon try to lighten the controllable stresses?”

“It is super stressful”

Study Results

1. Students perceive a limited availability of required courses

“I have problems signing up for the courses I'm required to take for my major because they get filled up with upperclassmen who want to just take them because they sound fun. I would like Elon to have a course selection program where people within the major got to sign up for their courses first and then people from other majors can sign up.”

“Selecting courses at Elon is certainly a stressful process. As Elon students, we are all incredibly busy so finding courses that fit into your schedule, have valued professors, fulfill a requirement, and are enjoyable/interesting can be a lofty goal. Overall, it can be overwhelming, especially because of the lack of availability in courses offered at popular times with good professors.”

“I know Elon prides itself on its small classes, but I think adding another 5 spots to each course would really help people get into the classes they need.”

Study Results

2. Students would prefer greater access to courses of interest

“Sometimes there are classes that I am very interested in but wouldn't specifically count for something so I can't rationalize taking/paying for it.”

“I wish I had more room in my schedule to fit classes such as philosophy courses that would teach me to think in new ways.”

“I absolutely love the idea of having tuition-free courses available for students to discover their passions. As an undecided incoming student, I have a two strong considerations for a major and am lucky enough to have classes that correspond to those interests, but I think this is an excellent opportunity for those who truly have no idea about their major or career paths. I also think this opportunity will allow for the "learning for learning's sake" mentality that a liberal arts education is supposed to foster to take root.”

Study Results

3. Students use input from other students, but prefer “official” channels

“…the evaluations we use to judge the quality of teaching at the end of the semester should be revamped. I spoke with my entrepreneurship class about this. We feel that the evaluation does not reflect how much students get out of the class (did we learn anything?). Just something to keep in mind! Hope this all was helpful. Many thanks.”

“I think small comments/quotes from students that took the class you are thinking about selecting should be included in the course description. I think too many times students rely on "Rate My Professor" or other ways to learn about how a class is, but I think if the registrar's office had little blurbs from students that took the class, it would be helpful and make the registration process less stressful. And maybe if it was more advice comments on how to succeed in the class rather than positive/negative quotes about the class or teacher itself, that would avoid the degradation of the class and teacher.”

Study Results

4. Students prioritize satisfying major requirements at the cost of personal interest

“I definitely prioritize my required courses and 4 year plan, and then make decisions about additional courses based on not only what sounds interesting, but what types of courses will strongly compliment my major and academic path.“

“It is almost impossible to explore different classes that fit into your schedule while satisfying requirements, and not just taking all classes that are required for your major but don't necessarily interest you.”

“I choose courses based on what I need to graduate. Not necessarily because I want to take them.”

Study Results

Causality dilemma

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Study Results

Many students express an inability to register for the courses they need However, this does not correspond to the four year graduation rate of

78% Workarounds to course unavailability

Closed course waivers Departments hold sections of courses for students that absolutely need them

by setting capacity to zero (students can see them, but cannot add themselves to it)

Exceptions on degree audit

Agenda


Recommendations for Study and Practice Ongoing investigation

Transition to qualitative phase Potential for further inquiry Experimental design

Recommendations for Study and Practice Learn about your students

“the mainstream U.S. high school experience is woefully deficient in developing the study patterns and academic skills essential to undertake real higher education. Excellent secondary school grades, coupled with little effort and minimal achievement, establishes an ‘irrationally exuberant’ foundation for college learning.”

Milliron, Exploring Millennial Student Values and Societal Trends: Accounting Course Selection Preferences

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Recommendations for Study and Practice Learn about your students’ needs

Monitoring registration patterns Forecasting course demand Survey when appropriate Work with academic departments to understand curricula

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Recommendations for Study and Practice

Recommendations for Study and Practice Ensure clarity and consistency of information

Academic catalog and registration portal should present the same information Elon is currently updating its curriculum management and academic catalog

systems

Recommendations for Study and Practice Course names have a greater influence on first-year students

First-year students desire more exploratory courses Summer sessions often offer courses that are lower level, required for a

variety of majors Experiment with titles of courses that have traditionally low enrollment Summer (and winter) sessions are shorter, allowing for more rapid collection

of feedback

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Recommendations for Study and Practice Equip students with effective decision-making tools

Encourage the development of a 1-hour first-year exploratory course Encourage departments to offer “open house” or group meetings Link sample syllabi to course entries in catalog or registration portal Advance publication of course schedules and academic catalogs Reevaluate the assignment of registration priority

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Discussion/Questions

Thank you!

Jesse [email protected]

a course by any other name.v3

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