Committee working to simplify administrative academic process systems

A major effort is underway to help students, staff, and faculty by improving the administrative academic processes at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

The Standard Process Lifecycle for Student Success committee has been working for four years to make changes to how the university interacts to direct students through their academic careers. Previously, there was not an overall process in place, according to committee member David Cochran, professor of systems engineering and director of the Center of Excellence in Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science.

“People were working very hard,” Cochran said. “Since the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing, it was easy to blame another unit for my unit’s issue. Our work was to first shift the tone from the blame game to the practice of thinking that if all units understood the work and the interaction with students, then the work could be improved.”

The ongoing implementations emphasize how to consistently interact with students and make future improvements, the committee members said. Previously, the university processes from admissions, new student programs, and advising—all the way through graduation—worked without cohesive coordination.

“The typical PFW employee, according to conversations we have had in the working group, encounters small challenges every day that become obstacles to getting their jobs done easily,” said Noor Borbieva O’Neill, professor of anthropology and a member of the working group. “For example, there is a simple piece of information that I need, but I don’t know where to find it or who to call to ask.”

A standard process results in providing the right information at the right time for students, committee members stressed.

In many functions throughout the university, assumptions were made that faculty and offices were following the same playbook when, in fact, there was no playbook.

“The story is `It’s not them, it’s us,’” said Kent Johnson, executive director of academic accountability and student success. “In other words, when we look inwardly to determine if we are putting students in the best possible position to build and succeed, we discover there’s this morass of activity that went on and units were not working together successfully to help students.”

Cochran said work on the overall plan is approximately 30% complete. They’ve focused first on the beginning of the student experience, including programs and offices such as admissions, new student programs, the bursar’s office, financial aid, career development, the registrar, and first year advising.

The primary goal is to make the functions work together to serve students better and make their overall experience smoother and more productive. Eventually, students will be provided a progressive checklist to follow throughout their academic careers and even after graduation. The hope is not to simply hold the door open for students but, to walk alongside them to make sure they succeed.

Previously, different units often had incongruent answers to the same questions. Simplifying systems, along with standardizing the language and culture, works for everyone, committee members said.

“The idea is that these processes improve the university,” Cochran said, with the overall aim to improve student success so everyone is happier with the functions.

As an example, the committee hosted two meetings where students demonstrated what it was like to go through the old and current processes. There was a marked improvement and enthusiasm for the new ideas because it was making everyone's work easier and more effective.

The next focus will be the student academic experience semester by semester . This includes further development of an early alert and intervention system that helps faculty and advisors reach out sooner to students who are struggling in individual classes. A new web page helps faculty better understand how to support the process.

Faculty input is critical as organizers ask members to test the system and provide feedback. As Joe Smith, associate director for the Center of Excellence in Systems Engineering said, the function of the group is to design, communicate, and improve standard processes.

“The main idea now is that we are now a team of students, staff, and faculty that are working together to design, communicate, and improve these standard processes that are defined by the lifecycle,” Cochran said. “This is no longer a committee, but the desired pattern for sustainability.”