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Enhancing Student Engagement: Aligning Technology with Institutional Goals

This publication delves into the case study of Gettysburg Portal's evolution, highlighting the transition to web-based forms for student orientations, resulting in increased participation rates and streamlined processes. It discusses the challenges faced, sales pitch strategies, outcomes, and subsequent enhancements, emphasizing benefits like cost savings, improved data reporting, and higher student satisfaction.

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Enhancing Student Engagement: Aligning Technology with Institutional Goals

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  1. Portal Growing Pains: Aligning to Your Institutional Goals William P. Wilson Director, IT Strategic Planning & Assessment Mark Albert Web Programmer/Analyst

  2. Institutional Goals • Overview • Exemplary Use of Technology • First-Year Orientation Support • Life-Long Connections • Career Connections • Classroom Connections • Student Services

  3. Gettysburg Portal History • Launched in 1997 for students, employees, and faculty • Alumni added in 1998 • Parents added in 1999 • Accepted students in 2001 • Applicants in 2002

  4. Orientation Process • IT recognized First Year Orientation process as a candidate for change • Approached College Life with concept of electronic forms and information • Convinced Office of Student Activities and First-Year Programs to try web-based forms on a trial basis. Paper formed mailed with an web option.

  5. First-Year Orientation • Goals for 2004 • Web-based forms as option for paper (10 forms) • Web-based forms automatically populate fields we already had information for • Increase accuracy, improve participation rates (e.g., Volunteering), get 60% returned electronically, more timely access to information to offices

  6. Customer Concerns • IT would not be ready in time • It was new and therefore scary • Office was convinced web-based was the way to go but felt students would be slow to adopt this approach resulting in more data-entry for the staff

  7. IT Sales Pitch • Pre-populated data where available provided better data and service • More web-based than paper • More timely reporting of data • Better data (fewer data entry issues) • Forms located in portal that students were already using for other communications

  8. Orientation 2004 • Mailing sent to all new students in May with a June 20th deadline • Packet contained • Five required formsCourse Registration, Advisor Letter, Housing, Grade Report, Advising Worksheet • Nine optional formsVolunteer Day, Ascent Trip, Music Interest, Purchase options including t-shirt, newspaper, and more

  9. Orientation 2004 Results • 98% of forms returned via web • More forms submitted by deadline • Higher participation in optional activities • Data reporting became more timely • Integrated Credit Card payment option increased revenue • Trust established & improved process

  10. Orientation 2005 • No paper forms • Would use data to populate our ERPs • Collect more information • Better reporting • Improved user interface • More campus-wide involvement spearheaded by College Life

  11. Orientation 2005 Changes • 100% web-based forms • Cost savings in form printing allowed for upgraded quality of printing of other materials • Increased communications with College Life and new students because of web-integrated communications within the module – including Instant Messaging

  12. Campus Benefits • Students use the portal for more things during the summer, reducing training needs • Information to offices sooner • Provided an impetus for better business process for data collection • Student use of College e-mail prior to arrival on campus

  13. Student Satisfaction • I really enjoyed sending my forms on-line because then I didn't have to face the frustrations of papers being here, there, and everywhere. I thought the way the forms were organized was wonderful and it was really easy to figure out how to fill them in. • It was really easy to fill out the forms and was really well planned out and simple. • Overall, I found CNAV to be easy to use and very convenient. It is a much better alternative to paperwork.

  14. Student Criticism • Make the online registration for classes easier to navigate and understand. • Please make it more Firefox compatible. I had a lot of problems saving forms, etc. • There were a lot of technical problems at first and it was frustrating when the site wasn't running at the time they said and I was not able to get some of the forms, but all of the tech people were very helpful and encouraging.

  15. Orientation Overall Results • Increase in participations 2003-2005 • Ascent Trips: up 75% • Senate T-shirts: 28%  64% • Charge Authorization: 60%  80%* • Music Interest: 3%  23% • GIV Day: 34%  57% • Newspaper Subscriptions: 9%  26% • Yearbook added 2005  56 orders

  16. Highlights • Went from scary experiment to integrated with College processes • Changed communications model between first-year students and office • Model of non-IT unit seeing benefits and allocating resources to do some of the work • Achieved IT goals of partnering, improving a process, display intelligent use of tech

  17. Other Strategic Initiatives • Other offices with strategic implications also contacted us (vs the Orientation model of IT going to them) • One such strategic direction was the call to find ways to keep our alumni in a life-long relationship with the College • So, when Career Development approached us, we came up with …

  18. Career Connections • Idea was to have parents and alumni volunteer as mentors to current students • Volunteer for various activities (e.g., shadowing, resume review) • Selected students search for mentors based on location, profession

  19. Career Connection Results • 160 students participating • 83 volunteers contacted by students • More than 230 volunteers have expressed interest in participating • Improved process for alumni and parents to volunteer

  20. Classroom Connections • Similar program to partner parents and alumni with faculty • Enrich the classroom • Maintain strong connections to Gettysburg

  21. Classroom Connection Results • Soft-launch early 2005 • Over 70 volunteers to date, with very little advertising • No end results yet; waiting for Provost on how to introduce this resource to the faculty.

  22. Strong Student Services • Services and FAQs • Timesheet (1800+ active users) • HelpDesk and Inventory • Dining Balances • Psychology 101 experiment module

  23. e-Portfolio • Fall 2004 – college implemented new curriculum • Required postings in an e-Portfolio • Letter to First-Year Advisor (FYReg) • First-Year writing • Social Science, Natural Science, Art, and Humanities • Capstone • Cluster

  24. Current Work • Portal Integration with Web • Chose open-source CMS • Work with developer to modify it for our web and portal • Allows for some CRM features • Launch in January 2006

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