Grow Theme Initiative Updates

This fall, significant work has taken place with our Strategic Plan and preparations for the spring 2022 semester. I'd like to highlight the objectives and deliverables for each of the projects that are a part of the Grow Theme. At the end of each initiative is a link to see more information about what work has taken place this fall and what the planned next steps in the spring will be. Your prayers for this important work and for the teams involved is appreciated.

Academic Programs

• Create a compelling program portfolio that reflects institutional mission and achieves strategic enrollment growth.
• Strategically developing a compelling program portfolio is critical for institutional growth that is:
• • Mission centric/based•Relevant and market driven/informed (leverages clear metrics)
  • Viable and sustainable (provides favorable margin)
  • Distinctive (creates competitive advantage)
• Because of the challenge of creating a strategic program portfolio, we must have a process to assess program opportunities that
  • Is supported by the university
  • Is outcomes based
  • Includes offices from across the institution
  • Provides recommendations on current or future programs to launch, grow, maintain, and sunset
  • Is efficient and effective
    • Conducts a holistic analysis to understand true impact on mission and financial viability, current and future
    • Combines growth and elimination processes around programs to be effective
• More information about the Academic Programs initiative is available on Confluence.

Global Online

• Strategic analysis of academic, marketing, and enrollment needs completed 
• Analysis of student needs and program models  
• Three-year strategy with goals, objectives, and measurables 
• Program rollout plan with phases;  
• Program launch strategy 
• Plan for ongoing partnership development and growth 
• Assessment of program roll-out and program launch plans and implementation processes 
• Identification of new marketing strategies for implementation by May 2022 
• Implementation of new enrollment recruiting and communication strategies 
• More information about the Global Online initiative is available on Confluence.

Unifying Modalities

• A model for appropriate cross-venue flexible student registration for existing courses and modalities.
• A model for courses and modalities that are available to students in multiple venues/programs by design.
• A model for appropriate use of emerging modalities, including the following:
  • Hyflex/Multimodal: one course section with multiple modalities (face-to-face, virtual synchronous, and virtual asynchronous) available.Students can choose their preferred modality each week.
  • Multivenue: a course offering that is intentionally designed to be offered to students across multiple venues/student populations (e.g., Trad, AU, and DE).
  • Multivenue Dual Degree: a “multivenue” (see above) course offering that also includes a cross-listed graduate level option.
  • Trad Online: a “Trad” venue course offering that is 100% virtual.
• A model for universal non-degree student engagement with Northwestern.
• More information about the Unifying Modalities initiative is available on Confluence.

Evaluating COVID Protocols

I am grateful for the dedication of the teams involved in supporting our students in Health Services, Student Life, and Academic Achievement. With the fall semester wrapping up, there is an opportunity to evaluate the state of our current COVID-19 protocols. Throughout the pandemic, we have tried to use internal data to inform our decision making process as we seek to mitigate risk while maintaining campus experiences and operations. As our Fall 2021 data indicates, a significant number of students have needed to go into isolation or quarantine. Looking at the number of times when a student in quarantine converted to a positive COVID case we have seen this number if very low, especially when looking at times when the close contact originated in a classroom. Because of this fact, our teams are reviewing potential protocol changes including opportunities to shorten quarantine windows for the spring. The desire of the SLT is to communicate spring plans with the community before final weeks. Thank you colleagues for continuing to uphold the current protocols to support our community and institution.

Preparing for the End of theSemester

Final Exams

As we approach the end of the semester, you may have questions about preparing for and administering final exams. Please review the communication sent earlier this week in regards to support available for you in delivering and for students in completing final exams. Remember, you may have students unable to attend final exams in person. 

Commencement Attendance

Attendees to commencement on Friday, December 17 (i.e., full-time faculty, academic administrators, and others who have volunteered to attend) can participate either in person or virtually. You are encouraged to attend this important academic event in person if you are comfortable doing so; face coverings are encouraged, and there will be enough reserved seating so attendees may choose to space themselves every other seat. For those who prefer to attend virtually, we are pleased to be able to offer this option for you. The virtual livestream will be available through this link.

If you choose to participate in person, please accept the invitation sent by Academic Affairs by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7, to allow enough time for our teams to finalize preparations for the event. Additional details can be found on the Fall Commencement Planning web page. We look forward to celebrating the success of our students together!

Submitting Final Grades

As you are preparing for the upcoming winter break, please be aware of the deadline for submitting final grades. As the communication from the Registrar's Office stated, Monday, December 27th, at 10:30 PM is the deadline for submitting Quad 2 and Full Semester grades. Thank you for ensuring grades are submitting prior to this deadline.

Professional Development Spotlight

What Goes Wrong in Moodle Gradebooks: TA Mistakes and Other Misunderstandings to Avoid

"My gradebook is not calculating correctly!" This webinar will cover common mistakes, frustrations, and misunderstandings with the Moodle gradebook. Watch this webinar before throwing your computer out the window. Watch Recording (50:16)

Share Your Thoughts

Moving through the end of the semester can be a time of joy, anticipation, stress, and more. For this week's feedback, I'd love to hear how you're feeling as we approach the end of the semester. Please use this anonymous form (feel free to include your name if you'd like) to share your thoughts. Grateful to be on this journey together with you Colleagues!