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You have worked hard to move your leads and prospects through the enrollment funnel, but don't stop now! Helping new students onboard early and successfully demonstrates your brand commitment, helps them understand how to do business with you, and confirms their enrollment decision. Student orientation is critical.
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Onboarding Adult Learners
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
2:00 pm
*Evaluation Keyword: brsutton
2014 CALEM, All Rights Reserved.1
Brenda Sutton
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Northern Arizona University – Extended Campuses
2014 CALEM, All Rights Reserved.2
By the conclusion of today’s session, participants will:
• Appreciate how onboarding is part of the enrollment management process
• Understand the importance of maintaining momentum after the learner is admitted
• See onboarding as the first step towards learner retention
Onboarding Adult Learners
It’s not just about getting them admitted.
Effectively onboarding adult learners allows you to maintain the learner’s
motivation through to enrollment, and begins the retention process.
2014 CALEM, All Rights Reserved.3
Onboarding Adult Learners
How many of you here today already have an onboarding process for newly admitted learners?• If so, when do learners participate in it? • How is it delivered?
Onboarding Adult Learners
How many of you here today are thinking about implementing an onboarding process for newly admitted learners?
If so, why?
It’s Not Just About Getting them Admitted
Complete
Admission
Application
Learn about
next steps
It’s Not Just About Getting Them Admitted
You are working your enrollment funnel
Prospects are applying
Prospects are getting admitted
Your work is done, right?
WRONG!
Does this look familiar?
Prospect
Lead
Applicant
Complete Applicant
Admit
EnrollSource: DemandEngine
71%
50%
98%
78%
Enrollment is all about helping learners make
decisions.
Maintain the Momentum
• Need to help learners maintain positive
emotions about their decision
• Help them confirm/solidify their decision
• Begin to understand how to do business with the institution
• Live the ‘brand’ you shared with the learner; begin the retention process
Learner Onboarding Strengthens your Enrollment Success
• Learners experience your ‘brand promise’
• Learners become excited about becoming a “Lumberjack” (or whatever your mascot is)
• Reduce new learner anxiety early on, not days before the start of the semester
• Learners appreciate your commitment to help them be successful early on; begins retention
Some Background
• 35 geographically distributed locations around the state
• Fulltime staff at 28 locations, each possibly conducting new learner orientation 1-2 X’s per yr. (hit or miss)
• No consistent, standardized onboarding/orientation sessions; when we did do this, we did it just shortly before the start of the term – bad timing
Who We Serve
• Median age of 32
• 75% female
• 60% part-time
• 73% work full-time
What to Do?
Research Current Best Practices
Outside Groups and Organizations
WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies – Student Success Common Interest Group (CIG)
National ACademic ADvising Association – Best practices in student onboarding and orientation
Outside Groups and Organizations continued
(formerly the National Orientation Directors Association)
“A successful orientation program minimizes anxiety about the college transition………. This is the institution’s opportunity to demonstrate how it will deliver on the promises that were made during the recruitment phase.”
“Orientation is the bridge that connects recruitment and retention strategies together. Without an effective orientation program, efforts to bring the right students into the institution, as well as the ability to retain them, will be jeopardized.”
What We Did
• Assembled a work group
• Identified essential goals
• Determined features of
onboarding experience
• Outlined deployment plan
Onboarding Models Continuum
Wide Range of Options
Required before enrollment
Online Access 24/7
Standardized
NoOnboarding
RequiredCredit BasedFee Charged
In-Person
Onboarding – Phase I
Features• Welcome Video• Interactive/Engaging• No more than 60
minutes in length• To include information
that all students need to know
• Narrated throughout • FAQ’s/Vocabulary
General Information Module - All
Learners
Goals of Onboarding
1. Available for learners to complete
at their convenience 24/7
Goals of Onboarding
2. Standardized information that was applicable to all learners
Goals of Onboarding
3. Required of all learners
Goals of Onboarding
4. Provided information that helped a learner understand how to do business with us
Goals of Onboarding
5. Confirm that a learner completed the online orientation and attended to the information presented
Completed
Goals of Onboarding
6. Provided for learner evaluation of program as part of our continuous improvement process
Goals of Onboarding
7. Embedded into our LMS
8.
Provided immediate direction as to learner’s next step
Goals of Onboarding
9. Appealing to a cross-section of
learners
10. Allows the learner to return at any time
Goals of Onboarding
What other goals can you think of that we didn’t identify or are unique to your institution?
Deployment of Onboarding
• Share with all of our staff• Start out small • Optional but recommended• Review early results and feedback from learners• Determine start date• Communicate ‘step’ to learners• Watch the process• Monitor the learner engagement/timeline
Results
Based on over 400 learners who have completed the
onboarding experience so far, the learner evaluation tells us:
•
• 91% of learners strongly agree/agree that the subject matter was relevant and useful to them as a new learner
• 84% strongly agree/agree that the time spent completing the orientation was appropriate
• 89% strongly agree/agree that the content was well explained
Learner Comments
“I can’t wait to get started. I know I made the right decision to continue my
studies with NAU.”
“I think the orientation did a great job of addressing all the basic information. Since we are directed to speak with advisors next, they would cover any
additional questions we have.”
Onboarding – Phase 2
Program/Learner Specific Modules
• Online learners – LMS • Military learners• Career Development • In depth, success skills
Features• Student Testimonials/Tips• Faculty Remarks/Tips• Possible “live chat” or webinar
feature
Learner Specific
Modules
Onboarding Adult Learners
QUESTIONS?
Contact Information
Brenda SuttonDirector of Strategic Initiatives
520-836-0183 (office)520-705-8023 (cell)
*Evaluation Keyword: brsutton
