Admissions and Faculty....
Both must be on the same page. It is silly to have the reps sell a program and the faculty teach it if they are not on the right page. We have a student now going through the program who works in admissions as a rep. She decided to take the course so she could understand it better. This is key!
Karen,
Product knowledge is important. Experiencing what the students experience should give them more insights. Good suggestion.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
We typically have all new admission reps meet with program directors to learn about each program. I think taking it a step further and have the reps meet with instructors and sit in classes will make them more aware of the program and a better feel for the classroom environment is like.
That would be so incredibly helpful. It would really get the admissions folks to thoroughly understand the program and subject matter to ensure a better fit for the student.
I think that is a great idea. I would welcome the opportunity to have our reps meet with us regularly. We are constantly having the pressure placed on education in regards to retention. We need to be united more as a team in order to get effective results.
Nancy,
Sitting through an Admissions interview with a prospective student and following on the tour will probably give you a truer perspective. In return, your department should provide product knowledge sessions with admissions.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
As an instructor, I'm considering scheduling a time where an admissions rep can walk me through the entire admissions process as if I was a potential student. Since all of the reps know me, I fear that I will not get a real experience. do you think it would still be helpful in understanding how students are enrolled?
I feel that Admissions and Graduation personel need to spend time in each progam on campus. As it can give them more of an understanding of the complete process involved in turning a student into a technician.
I love what you say about an honest picture. I suggest that the key is to all "tell the same school story."
Dr. B
I agree that it is a two-way street. Most comments have addressed the importance for admissions to know the curriculum and academics. It is important that the admissions portray an honest picture about the academics, but it is also important for the academic people to know something about the student. The admissions people are generally pretty knowledgeable about student personalities. They are generally pretty good judges. Knowing what characteristics made the student a good academic candidate can help the instructor to be on top of the needs and concerns that the student has about school. The instructor can use this knowledge to be more effective and to personalize the education experience. This will lead to better retention.
Perfect. Linking really helps to create relationships that matter and that can resolve issues.
Dr. B
As with many organizations, there is animosity between departments. Usually, due to lack of communication and opinions of those who assume they know what their talking about. I believe it is imperative that academic and admissions departments form a committee to resolve any issues and open the lines of communications between them. I do believe we can learn fron each other so a successful program can be built to enroll the student in the program that will make them most successful.
Faculty definitely need to bond with admissions reps and vice versa. We should shadow them for an hour or two to fully understand the process. This will eliminate the question from faculty-"How did he/she get here?" or "Who let him/her in?" Conversely, admissions reps should check out what we instructors do in the classroom to make our college a good choice for the student. I welcome them!
Insteresting idea. I love it. The idea is to link all departments. Sounds like you are doing this.
Dr. B
This is true. Our college has "brunch and learns." Our program chairs will attend a morning admissions meeting, give a presentation about their programs, and answer any questions the reps have. This helps them get on the same page.
Agreed! We also have an admission rep who went through our certificate program not only to gain knowledge and experience but also to better help explain the process to prospective students with first hand knowledge.
This is a great way for the admissions representatives to really know their product. I understand they cannot take every program but to see how the school operates and is presented, from the students perspective, would give important information and could help in retention and accurate information delivered to the potential students.
We have regular inservices with our Admission Reps and review our specific programs, what will be expected of the students, the academic rigors, the employment opportunites and full job description upon degere completion. The more admissions knows about our individual programs, the better they are to place or encourage a student in the program that is best for him/her.
This is very key, it let's the admission rep see what the class is like and what the program has to offer.This also helps by letting the admissions rep see what the faculty has to deal with on a daily basis, plus it helps the rep know what each class is for and that helps them explain what they do in each class. They can tell the future student that they sat in that class and had a good experince and learned a lot. God selling point.
It is silly to have the reps sell a program and the faculty teach it if they are not on the right page.
