2014 UNT Advising Conference #UNTAdv14 May 22, 2014 Collin College - Preston Ridge Campus

1. Graduation 101:
Am I Done Yet?
Presentation to UCAN/NTCCC
Presented by:
Janet Cassidy, M.A. email: janetcassidy@dcccd.edu
Cecilia Flores, M.F.A. email ceciliaflores@dcccd.edu
Elisa Garcia, M.B.A. email engarcia@dcccd.edu

2. Overview
• Icebreaker (one liners) / Activity
• Story of how and why we developed the Graduation 101 workshop
• Goals
• Preview of workshop content
• What went well
• What needs to be tweaked
• What never to do again
• Project accomplishments and highlights
• Recommendations and Future Planning
• Questions and Answers

3. Instructions for Activity
•Pick one M&M package out of the bowl (do not eat)
•Open it and Pull out one M&M
•See what color you have chosen
•Match the color with the questions on the following
slide
•Write down your response according to the
question next to your M&M color
•Paper and pencils are provided, if needed

4. Icebreaker Activity
What Color is your M & M
• Red – Think about 1 thing you remember (ah ha) moment when you
realized you were going to graduate with a degree or certificate
• Yellow – Think of someone instrumental, such as a mentor, who helped
you in attaining your graduation goals
• Orange – If you walked across the stage during commencement, what
were some of the emotions that welled up in you
• Blue – Think of a professor that left an impression on you
• Green – What was the most difficult thing for you during your completion
process (websites, timelines, following degree plan, class availability)
Navigating the system
• Brown – Think about what rewards education can give you: you gain a
grounded educated opinion with merit, critical thinking skills, opportunity,
sense of accomplishment, better jobs, respect, recognition

5. Story
We want to Identify with our students including their needs, thoughts and
feelings about the road they travel to graduate from college.
Since funding has now switched from the total number of students in seats
on certification date to the number of students completing a certificate or
associates degree. Eastfield developed a team of advisors to focus on this
particular new requirement
We found out that our students were not graduating as quickly and
seamlessly as possible. They didn’t understand that there was more to
graduation than just finishing all of their course requirements
Many of them didn’t understand the difference in graduation and the
commencement ceremony and they didn’t know the steps required to
actually receive their degree/diploma
So we developed a workshop to help our students complete the process.

6. Goals
•Expand interest in attending the Commencement
Ceremony
•Advise students with 45 credit hours or more
•Teach the difference between
Graduation/Commencement
•Expose student to life after Eastfield College

7. Introduction of Workshop Presentation
• Importance of following program of study (degree plan). Each student
was seated at a computer and followed along with their own program of
study
• Teaches graduation requirements
1. When to apply for graduation and commencement
2. How to apply for graduation and commencement
3. When and how to receive certificates or degrees after graduation
• Expose student to life after Eastfield College
1. When and how to start the transfer process (DCCCD transfer website is
one tool we use)
2. Career and Job Search including SIGI3 website

8. What Went Well
• Eventbrite sign-up process showed implications of ease and
accessibility
• Classroom presentations showed implications of students setting
up appointments with our completion team
• Preparation and rehearsals with management allowed for clear
expectations
• Inclusion of designated non-grads (those who signed up for
graduation, but didn’t complete) in the workshops, showed sincere
interest in learning how to complete
• Completion Sheets (advisor filled out with courses still needed)
• Workshop Title aided in more hits and student viewing & signing up

11. (Based upon the data from Eventbrite on who visited the site
through the provided button, the title and marketing of the
workshop seemed successful.)
Chart E

12. What Needs To Be Tweaked
• Follow-up with students who no-show
• Faculty involvement – Ex: Incentives for students who attend. This may
aid in potential workshop growth
• Completion sheets are time consuming and a better process is needed
since we expect the workshop to grow
• Starting early – there were a number of needed improvements made as
the project progressed. Some of these improvements could have been
avoided with some extra preliminary planning
• Standardized sessions – based upon some candid feedback, on occasion,
during a random audit, the quality of sessions began to lapse
• Eventbrite training – specific components were not utilized, due to lack of
preparation and exposure to the team

13. What Never To Do Again
•Plan late – although the results of the
workshops are very strong based upon the quick
formulations by the team, more planning would
be beneficial
•Schedule classroom sessions late – more timely
preparation will allow for more team members
to cover more sessions

14. Project Accomplishments and Highlights
•Student Attendance (30 sessions at 6 sessions a
week) 202 signed up and 139 attended or 69%
•Preparation Time/Rehearsals
•Eventbrite System allowed for student to sign up
for the workshop, as well as advisor ability to
provide sign up sheets, information for
completion sheets and to tally numbers for charts
needed
•Completion Sheets were successful because we
wanted to identify each student and the classes
still needed for completion

15. Project Accomplishments and Highlights Continued
•Surveys - Students took a survey that out of 139
students who attended – 50% completed Survey
•Appointments - students who attended the
sessions were more likely to make an
appointment with an advisor
•Quality - Overall Quality of Sessions were good
•Information provided was needed to aid in
successful completion

16. Recommendations and Future Planning
1. To provide additional time for team members
involved to prepare for sessions and presentations
2. An online option to the workshop for students
who cannot attend (The Eventbrite chart showed
where we had 800 hits with students showing
interest)
3. Designate a Project Manager/Committee Chair
to oversee progress and changes