Onboarding Adult Learners

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

Brenda.Sutton@nau.edu

520-836-0183 (office)520-705-8023 (cell)

*Evaluation Keyword: brsutton