SUNY Online Summit 2021 Day 1 Presentation Speaker: Dr. Marni Baker Stein, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Western Governors University. Presentation: It’s all about the Student https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/2021/02/13/baker/ https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/tag/day-1/ Annual conference for the SUNY online teaching and learning community of practice. https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/ February 22-26, 2021 Virtual Event Conference website: https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/ Program: https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/program/ Speakers: https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/speakers/ Recordings/ Materials: https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/live-recordings/ Program Tracks: https://sunyonlinesummit2021.edublogs.org/program-tracks/

1. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE STUDENT
a Introduction

2. Nontraditional Students are the Majority
Nontraditional Students = Contemporary Students
• Flexibility
• Access
• Affordability
• Ability to leverage knowledge and
skills already acquired
• Opportunity to advance career,
not just begin or change
…and they have different needs

3. WGU Student Profile
11%
73%
35%
70%
are active-duty military,
veterans, or military
family members
work full time;
12% work part time
of student receive
financial aid
of undergraduates
receive Pell Grants 16%
29%
23%
71%
40%
first-generation
college students
ethnic
minorities
low-income
families
rural area
residents
Average
student
age:
37
are in one or more
underserved
populations

4. WGU and the Student-Centric Model
Reinventing Higher Ed from Ground Up
• Programs; not individual courses
➤ Aligned with workforce needs
➤ Personalized assessment traverse
• Fundamentally a teaching institution
➤ Best third-party; measure outcomes
• Specialized faculty roles with regular 1:1 support
• Technology-enabled, 100% online
• Data-driven, adapted to individual student needs

5. Quality of Academic Support Would Attend Again Rating of Entire Experience
Job-Related Knowledge
WGU
80%
69%
Challenging Work
WGU
71%
55%
Quality of Faculty Interactions
WGU
72%
56%
WGU
84% 71%
WGU
92% 83%
WGU
92% 86%
Source: National Survey on Student Engagement
Delivering a Better Student Experience
= National Average

6. US Avg: $12,000
WGU Grads: $21,200
Employed Full-time Employed in Field
WGU
87%
WGU
89%
WGU graduates advance in or find jobs
they seek . . .
Within 4 years
of graduation
. . . and earn more.
100%
91% 90%
98%
50
60
70
80
90
100
Employers are highly satisfied . . .
Prepared
Performance
Technical Skills
Overall
. . . and 97% would hire again.
Rated
Very
Good
/
Excellent
91%
Exceed
Source: Harris Poll Online
High Value for Graduates & Employers
US Avg
84%
US Avg
71%

7. Perfect School
for Me
Mentor Who
Encouraged Me
Passionate About
My Success
Academically
Challenging
Worth the Cost
WGU
69%
35%
WGU
66%
34%
WGU
82% 61%
WGU
83%
77%
WGU
72%
37%
Great Experience, Great Jobs, Great Lives
Source: Gallup
Percent who strongly agree:
WGU
41% 36%
Engaged at Work
Relevant to Work
WGU
72%
39%
WGU
74%
44%
Recommend to Others
= National Average

8. PROGRAM DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

9. § Full-time faculty team
(terminal degrees/deep industry experience)
§ Market driven and industry informed design
§ Defined competencies mapped to marketable skills
§ Modular approach to building out instruction and
assessment traverse
§ High-end content and high impact pedagogy
§ Data-driven continuous improvement
Program Design & Development

10. COMMUNITY OF CARE

11. ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
PROGRAM MENTOR
COURSE INSTRUCTOR
EVALUATOR
SUPPORT SERVICES
STUDENT

12. ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
§ College and Program Specialists
§ Align Student Path to Career Goals
§ High-Impact Relationship with
Students Begins Early
§ Setting up the Student for Success

14. I enjoyed the orientation modules.
I feel like I am better prepared for
Term 1, day 1. The orientation
exercises are a great addition to
the introductory period. I was a bit
overwhelmed with the first day
fast approaching but now I feel
much more confident and ready to
begin my experience with WGU!
Makilah Curtis
B.S. Accounting

15. PROGRAM EXPERIENCE

16. ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
PROGRAM MENTOR
COURSE INSTRUCTOR
EVALUATOR
SUPPORT SERVICES
STUDENT

17. PROGRAM MENTOR
§ Masters or PhD in Program Area
§ 1:1; 360-degree Support with the Student
§ Insightful Connection to Program Competencies
§ Coaching to Program Pacing and Success Markers
§ Subject Matter Experts with Industry Experience

19. My Program Mentor is
amazing! He always
knows just what I need
and keeps me motivated
and going in the right
direction.
Camila Pérez
B.S. Accounting

20. COURSE EXPERIENCE

21. ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
PROGRAM MENTOR
COURSE INSTRUCTOR
EVALUATOR
SUPPORT SERVICES
STUDENT

22. COURSE INSTRUCTOR
§ PhD Educated in Course Subject Area
§ Offers Individualized Instruction
§ Hosts Live Events
§ Responsible for Student Course Completion

26. I love my students! It is so
rewarding to be able to help
them work through their
challenges. When they
succeed I feel like I’ve
succeeded!
Amanda Denison
Course Instructor - Accounting

27. COMPETENCY
EVALUATION

28. ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
PROGRAM MENTOR
COURSE INSTRUCTOR
EVALUATOR
SUPPORT SERVICES
STUDENT

29. Evaluator
§ Masters or PhD in Course Subject Areas
§ Evaluates and Validates Student Competencies
§ Provides Rich Individualized Feedback
§ Rubric Driven
§ Responds with 72-hours
§ Part-time and Full-time

31. I feel so supported by
the feedback I’ve
received, I cannot even
begin to tell you how
much it has helped me.
Thank you so very
much.
Brenda Kotal
B.S. Accounting

32. FIELD EXPERIENCE

34. I really enjoyed working
through my field
experience. Everyone
was so helpful and
encouraging. I couldn’t
have made it on my own!
Rachelle Benson
B.S. Nursing

35. SUCCESS SERVICES

36. ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
PROGRAM MENTOR
COURSE INSTRUCTOR
EVALUATOR
SUPPORT SERVICES
STUDENT

37. SUCCESS SERVICES
§ Focus on Quality Student Care
§ Wide Variety of Services
§ Financial Aid, Technology, Student
Wellness Support
§ Academic Services
§ Career & Professional Development Services
§ Coordinates Closely with Program Mentors
and Course Instructors

39. I really appreciate that the
Student Success Center is
available. Having the Student
Success Instructor help me
work through the challenges
of the past six months has
been extremely helpful and
productive! Thank you!
Jackie Benoit
B.S. Business Management

41. THANKS!