Standard(s):

Standard 8: Student Admissions
The institution seeks to admit students whose interests, goals, and abilities are congruent with its mission.

Standard 9: Student Support Services
The institution provides student support services reasonably necessary to enable each student to achieve the institution's goals for students.

Student Admissions and Student Support Services

Student Admissions

1. What does the mission statement imply about the type of students it wants to attract?

2. Describe the institution's admissions policies? How were they developed? How are they implemented? Do current admissions criteria predict persistence and degree completion?

3. Do policies and criteria exist to assist the prospective student in making informed decisions? How are these policies and criteria developed and by whom? How are policies and criteria to assist the prospective student in making informed decisions disseminated? Is the process of dissemination easily accessible?

4. How are potential students informed about the institution, its expectations, its programs, and its admission and placement processes? Is there an opportunity for a student to obtain individualized information about the institution and its compatibility with the student's educational objectives and abilities?

5. How does the institution determine the interests, goals, and abilities of its students? Is placement or diagnostic information used by students or advisors in structuring the course of study?

6. Does UMUC have a generally accepted set of student learning outcomes for all its students? What are they? How are these student learning outcomes communicated to prospective students (i.e., open houses, college fairs, publications such as admissions material, catalog, website, etc., interviews)? Are these media effective? How do you know?

7. Does the institution have policies and procedures that reflect accurate and comprehensive information about financial aid, scholarships, grants, loans, and refunds? Describe these policies? Where are they published? How are policies and procedures that reflect accurate and comprehensive information about financial aid, scholarships, grants, loans, and refunds communicated to students? When were these policies and procedures last revised?

8. Describe the UMUC policies and procedures for transfer credit and credit for extra-institutional college-level learning? Where are they published? How are UMUC policies and procedures for transfer credit and credit for extra-institutional college-level learning communicated to advisors? How are UMUC policies and procedures for transfer credit and credit for extra-institutional college-level learning communicated to students? When were these policies and procedures last revised?

9. What does the UMUC mission statement imply about the students it admits? How does UMUC go about collecting data about its students, from an admissions provirtual, through retention, and finally through graduation? What are the actual attributes of incoming students?

10. What are the retention rates of students in the first year? Second year? Third year? Fourth year? Fifth year? What percentage of students graduate? What percentage of UMUC students go on to graduate school? Do UMUC graduates obtain jobs in their chosen field? How do you know these students are successful? Does the institution achieve its mission?

11. How is attrition information utilized to affect change in policies, practice, and support services?

1. What does the mission statement imply about student development? What are the strengths of UMUC’s student body? How are the needs of the student body assessed? How does UMUC utilize assessment findings to improve student support services?

2. How are student support service defined at the institution? What are its component parts (services, programs, and facilities)?

3. How do support services, programs, and facilities contribute to student learning? Are they communicated to the student body effectively?

4. Are student support services consistent across the various UMUC educational sites?

5. How does student affairs support and enhance the academic mission at UMUC? What are these student affairs support functions with UMUC’s mission and student learning outcomes?

6. Who uses student services, programs, and facilities? Are these students described by gender, race, ethnicity, age, class standing, and/or other variables? Are students satisfied with the services provided?

7. What are the qualifications of the student support staff? Do the qualifications of the staff match the roles and responsibilities being requested? If not, what tools are being given to staff to carry out their roles and responsibilities?

8. How do staff members keep current in their field? Are the resources sufficient for professional development activities?

9. Does the current organizational structure support the broad range of services, programs, and facilities provided to students?

10. Describe, in general terms, the student body at this institution. What kinds of support services are particularly important to this student body? How are the special needs of students addressed at UMUC?

11. What kinds of services, programs, and facilities do students need, based on student and staff perceptions, institutional expectations, and research on student needs? Are students regularly queried as to their needs and their satisfaction with services provided by the institution, or, upon referral, by others?

12. Describe, in general terms, the student advisement procedures and processes? How are student advisement needs assessed?

13. How does UMUC assess the effectiveness of the student advisement process? Are students, faculty, and staff satisfied with the student advisement process?

14. Are resources sufficient to carry out an effective student advisement process? Are the advisers trained? Are the advisers knowledgeable? Are the advisers effective? Do advisers have the necessary tools to carry out their roles and responsibilities? Are advisors aware of cultural differences and special needs of students?

15. Do policies and procedures exist which address student complaints or grievances? Describe the policies and procedures? How were they developed and by whom? When were they last revised? Are they current? Do they reflect current higher education trends?

16. How are they communicated to the student body? Are students aware of these policies and procedures? Is there general buy-in from staff, administration, and students?

17. What are the institution's procedures for maintaining records of student complaints or grievances? Are they confidential? Does the institution abide by State and Federal laws pertaining to privacy? Where are records maintained in a secure manner? How long are the records kept before being destroyed? Are there contingency plans should records be compromised?

18. Do policies and procedures exist which ensure safe and secure maintenance of student records? Describe the policies and procedures? How were they developed and by whom? When were they last revised? Are they current? Do they reflect current higher education trends? How are they communicated to the student body? Are students aware of these policies and procedures?

19. Who is responsible for overseeing the release of student information? Do policies and procedures exist which dictate the release of student information? Describe the policies and procedures? What types of information about students are available and to whom?

20. What is considered public and private information? How were they developed and by whom? When were they last revised? Are they current? Do they reflect current higher education trends?

21. How are policies and procedures regarding the release of student information communicated to the student body? Are students aware of these policies and procedures? Are students satisfied with procedures for accessing their records?

22. Describe how student support services utilize ongoing assessment to enhance service delivery? What is the level of assessment activity? What resources are dedicated to assessment? How often does assessment occur? What types of instruments are used? What is the process by which the results are applied to the organization to affect positive change?

23. How does assessment of student support services contribute to institutional strategic planning? How does assessment of student support services affect policy development and decision-making?

24. What types of professional development activities occur to educate staff about how to do assessment?

25. What are the UMUC’s strengths and limitations with respect to student support services?

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