Speaker Series: Dynamic Enrollment for Adult Higher Education

In this webinar, we will share Bethel University's experience of shifting from a cohort model to a rolling entry or dynamic enrollment model for 14 adult undergraduate and graduate student programs offered in face-to-face and online delivery modalities. A cohort model admits a single group of students into a program, and those students take classes together from entry to graduation. A dynamic enrollment approach offers entry into programs every six to eight weeks.

Our presenters will begin with an explanation of the institutional context and rationale for the decision to change the student entry model. Their focus will be on the strategy to implement the change and the processes used to implement that strategy. Organizational structures and critical sub-projects will be discussed. These projects included changes in course prerequisites, course scheduling, degree requirements, enrollment systems, reporting, academic advising support, and software systems. The changes, implications, and challenges related to each project area will be presented. The presenters will also review results from the first nine months after the change was implemented.

The purpose of this webinar is to assist other institutions in managing the challenges and intricacies of a similar process.