Student-centric scheduling breaks down barriers and keeps students on the path to completion.

October 17, 2022
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Corinne MacIntire 
Communications@aacrao.org 

 

Survey Results Released: Using student-centric scheduling breaks down barriers and keeps students on the path to completion.

Undergraduate-class scheduling is one of the building blocks of student success.

AACRAO is pleased to announce the release of its most recent report, A Comprehensive View of Undergraduate-Class Practice, Policy, Data Use, and Technology. This report, and the research supporting it, represents a continuation of AACRAO’s partnership with Coursedog to investigate and benchmark institutional practices related to back-office academic operations and student success. 

The benchmark report shines a spotlight on factors related to building the class schedule, characteristics of student-centric schedules, and how data is used to inform the class schedule. All of these factors are critical to understanding how the class schedule does or does not serve students. Data indicates that class scheduling remains one of the last holdouts in higher education to embrace student-centric practices. This report will help institutions evaluate where and how their scheduling processes can be improved and optimized for student success.

Key Findings: 

  • At 78% of institutions, faculty preference remains a strong influence in determining when, where and in what delivery modality undergraduate classes will be offered.

  • Only 27% of respondents agree or strongly agree with the statement, “Our institution engages in student-centered class scheduling.”

  • Fewer than half of respondents have, and use, an undergraduate class-scheduling software.

For most undergraduate-serving institutions, class scheduling is a complex process that involves numerous factors contributing to when, how, and where a class is scheduled. Furthermore, overcoming the driving forces of faculty availability and preference means surmounting a great deal of inertia tied to historical practice, policies, and the limited use of available data to understand student class-scheduling needs. AACRAO advocates for the use of data-driven decision making and recommends the use of data to initiate discussions to move toward student-centric undergraduate-class scheduling practices.

Download the full report to learn more key insights and recommendations to ensure your institution is operating in a way that truly benefits students.

AACRAO
AACRAO IS A NON-PROFIT, VOLUNTARY, PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MORE THAN 11,000 HIGHER EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS REPRESENTING APPROXIMATELY 2,600 INSTITUTIONS IN MORE THAN 40 COUNTRIES. ITS COMMITMENT TO THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ITS MEMBERS INCLUDES BEST PRACTICE GUIDANCE ON ADMISSIONS STRATEGIES TO MEET INSTITUTIONAL DIVERSITY OBJECTIVES, DELIVERY OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMS IN INNOVATIVE WAYS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF A CHANGING STUDENT BODY, AND EXEMPLARY APPROACHES TO STUDENT RETENTION AND COMPLETION.

 

Coursedog 

Coursedog is on a mission to bring people, processes, and data together to break down student barriers in higher education. Our Academic Operations Platform empowers over 140 institutions to operate more efficiently and elevate the academic operations lifecycle from just-in-time, error-prone delivery to a streamlined engine that accelerates student success. 

The platform enables institutions to leverage integrated academic operations analytics, curriculum & catalog management, academic & event scheduling, and student pathway planning & advisor dashboard solutions. Bi-directionally synced with your student information system to empower administrators, faculty, advisors, and students to focus on what matters most: on-time completions.