CASE STUDY | GERMANNA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Creating scheduling efficiency to remove barriers and create equal opportunity to succeed
Fast Facts
percent increase in Degree Velocity® in one semester
percent increase in total credits in one semester
The Challenge
Rectify the disparity between high headcount and lowers FTEs to increase performance-based funding
Germanna Community College, Locust Grove, Virginia, had strong headcount. It’s a problem many institutions of higher education would like to have. But Germanna also had a disparity between headcount and full-time equivalents (FTEs). In a performance-based system such a disparity becomes a problem because FTEs are what fund a community college. Students who can’t take the classes they need cannot become full-time students.
As an Ad Astra client, Germanna has seen the benefits of using data to improve classroom utilization and the institution wanted to explore the use of Ad Astra data to address the disparity between headcount and full-time equivalents. Data from Ad Astra indicated the institution did indeed have a scheduling problem, but it was a challenge that could be solved with data-driven analytics and collaboration.
“We wanted to move beyond scheduling by feeling,” said Cheri Maea, Dean of Academic and Workforce Operations, Germanna Community College. “The data from Ad Astra allowed us to myth bust and create the student-centric scheduling that is so important to the health of an institution.”
With Ad Astra, we’ve been able to move the needle to receive the funding for the FTEs. It’s helped us to address an area where the institution was lacking and has allowed us to improve funding in a performance-based system.
The Solution:
Use data to determine the efficiencies needed to create a student-centric schedule
These findings led the institution to discard the practice of rolling the schedule forward and instead start from scratch with several objectives in mind — a desire for daytime and nighttime classes, in-person options, online options, and the effective use of available spaces — to build a schedule that worked for more students.
To achieve this, Germanna formed a joint task force between academics and student services, because the schedule can’t just live in one place and be effective, according to Maea. The schedule must straddle both areas. The institution also reworked its onboarding approach to help students determine the right path.
The One Front Door* policy unifies the onboarding experience to ensure all students receive access to the same comprehensive advising and holistic support, regardless of whether they are pursuing traditional vocational training or a degree program.
With Ad Astra as a strategic partner, Germanna continues to explore the many ways student-centric scheduling is important to the health of an institution. By using Ad Astra tools in strategic scheduling initiatives, the institution has seen Degree Velocity® jump from 41% to 47% in one semester, a 15% increase. Total credits in one semester have also grown by almost 2%, helping to address and improve the discrepancy between headcount and FTEs.
The improvements in scheduling efficiency have also become a springboard for the Chancellor’s larger initiative of integrative planning, which offers an opportunity for the institution to take a closer look at what is beneficial to the college and to the community Germanna serves.
“With Ad Astra, we’ve been able to move the needle to receive the funding for the FTEs,” Maea concluded. “It’s helped us to address an area where the institution was lacking and has allowed us to improve funding in a performance-based system. It also speaks to our mission to increase access and equity and remove barriers to help students succeed.”
School Background:
Germanna Community College, Locust Grove, Virginia, serves campuses in Locust Grove, Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Culpepper. Established in 1970, the institution is one of the 23 community colleges in the Virginia Community College System. The institution offers more than 70 degrees and programs, and it is an Aspen Institute Top 150 Community College. Germanna Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
About One Front Door
The One Front Door policy unifies the onboarding experience to ensure all students receive access to the same comprehensive advising and holistic support, regardless of whether they are pursuing traditional vocational training or a degree program. One Front Door is the onboarding approach of Dr. Tiffany Ray-Patterson, Vice President of Student Services and Dr. Shashuna Gray, Vice President of Academics and Workforce Development. The departure from traditional bifurcated onboarding is helping break down institutional silos to connect more students to the guidance they need.