The Solution:

Use data to establish a baseline to construct a master schedule

Dr. Trump and Dr. Tomko understood the insights from Ad Astra demonstrated significant off-grid waste, indicating room for improvement. To create lasting change, Drs. Trump and Tomko established key groups to discuss what would be necessary to build a vision for an organized and efficient scheduling process. This included members of the All College Forum, Faculty Senate, Chairs and Coordinators, and Deans.

“We wanted people to feel a sense of empowerment complemented by staff training to maintain the momentum,” Dr. Tomko said. “You don’t want to force change on people. It takes continuing and ongoing discussions to get feedback and continuous improvement.”

Ad Astra provided recommendations based on historical data (previous fall course enrollment numbers) and predictive data on the number of students in the pathway expected to take the course in Fall 2024. Information from campuses in Paramus and Meadowlands and online and hybrid classes provided a draft for the master schedule. The resulting implementation of a standardized course grid has helped reduce overlap and waste and has become a way to increase inclusivity with a student-centric approach.

“This software is powerful,” Dr. Trump said. “You can get so much information about your students, and it takes the guesswork out of scheduling.”

The changes are proving to be successful. There are nearly 5,000 total students already enrolled for Fall 2024, and full-time continuing credit loads are up 14%. Bergen is also rolling out a 15-to-Graduate marketing campaign to support student completion goals and boost Degree Velocity®.

“It’s a continuum of change...thoughtful and considered change,” Dr. Tomko concluded. “We want to keep the stakeholders involved and work from a centralized perspective. The human element is extremely important to this process.”