Delta College’s administration has begun drafting out a plan to enroll students into classes in a more efficient manner.
The Equity Infused Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) plan will utilize new technology to plan out class and student schedules.
“It doesn’t matter if a student is taking three units or twenty units, we want to make sure they are on the most efficient path to transfer or otherwise achieve their goals,” said Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Instruction Dr. Charles “Kale” Braden.
Delta has used some smaller enrollment strategies in the past, according to Braden, but none will have a scope as large as this new plan, which includes clear enrollment targets and streamlining the paths needed to transfer to a four-year institution.
“We will be taking a closer look at the data to create more specific enrollment goals for Delta,” said Braden.
The biggest difference will be the introduction of new technology and software to better monitor the choices students make when selecting classes.
“Delta has been using PeopleSoft for several years, now we will be using FlexIt in conjunction, to make the data more accessible to deans. We are also using Ad Astra, which monitors data in real-time and can make suggestions based on what it has collected,”he said.
The software will be monitoring what classes students are enrolling in, what semester they are enrolling in those classes, and whether those classes are being filled or not.
Braden stresses that though this data is useful, it will not be the technology that makes the final decision.
“What we are using is not A.I., it is an algorithm that gives suggestions based on previous data,” said Braden. “All data has caveats. For example, some classes may fill up irregularly. The instructors will know that, but the software won’t. It’s important that the instructors have the final say in what the schedule looks like.”
SEM plans have been used in other institutions, and they have had positive results.
“I have worked at college’s previously who practiced Strategic Enrollment Management, and it seemed to work well for both faculty and students,” said Academic Senate President Becky Plaza. “My hope at San Joaquin Delta College is that we can implement a data-driven SEM process and plan that have many more positives than negatives for both faculty and staff.”