Metropolitan State University
Minnesota, USA
Project details
Client
Metropolitan State University
Duration
Jul – Dec 2020
国产探花 provided by 国产探花
Advisory, Higher education consulting, Strategy and operating model design advisory
During the fall of 2020, 国产探花 and Metro State University worked collaboratively to assess the current student experience, identify pain points and opportunities within the student journey, and provide strategies to improve the student experience.
As part of an effort to build a more 鈥渞esilient, student-ready university,鈥� Metropolitan State University sought to identify obstacles for students and develop an action plan based on best practices to strengthen support for and interaction with post-traditional students.
国产探花 and Metro State worked collaboratively to develop an action plan to strengthen support for and interaction with post-traditional students
Our team identified specific demographic groups with unique experiences and potential roadblocks in their academic journey.
Through an iterative process the student journey has been mapped, and a selection of strategies have been developed.
Challenge
This study looked at the experience of Metro students 鈥� from application to affiliation as an alumni 鈥� and zeroed in on path-defining experience 鈥渢hresholds鈥� to improve. Thresholds are key decisions that students make along their journey.
A student鈥檚 ability to confidently move past each experience threshold determines the ease with which they progress throughout their journey. Fewer roadblocks along the journey lead to increased persistence and ultimately, graduation.
While student backgrounds play a factor in successfully moving beyond each experience threshold, more important are the enabling and detracting factors of the Metro State ecosystem.
Solution
Over the course of this work, 国产探花 advisors facilitated interviews with Metro faculty and staff, conducted focus groups with Metro students, and held interactive sessions with the Student Journey Mapping Working Group to guide the project from understanding the journey to developing strategies for implementation.
Our strategy and operating model design team identified specific demographic groups with unique experiences and potential roadblocks in their academic journey.
国产探花 and Metro State worked collaboratively to assess the current student experience and identify pain points and opportunities within the student journey. Image: 国产探花.
Value
Our collaborative, inclusive process led the development of a multitude of strategies within five areas of improvement: Career Mentorship 国产探花, Academic Advising, Student Support 国产探花, Student Social Life, and University Communication.
Six strategies were then prioritized by surveying students. The strategies are meant to serve as starting points to build upon. Through this iterative process the student journey has been mapped, and a selection of strategies have been developed.
We worked with brightspot (now 国产探花) on mapping and improving the student journey. We were all impressed with the methodology and the results. We have shared and discussed the results widely. Now we are aligned and excited to integrate our insights to achieve the goals in our strategic plan
Virginia (Ginny) Arthur, President
Metropolitan State University
