Request No. | 2014-40 | ||||||||||||
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Date of Request | December 31, 2014 | ||||||||||||
Requester | CCCApply Steering Committee | ||||||||||||
Status | Approved | ||||||||||||
Application(s) | All Applications | ||||||||||||
Section / Page | In-Progress Applications | ||||||||||||
Steering Approval | APPROVED March 2017 | ||||||||||||
Steering Hearing Date | June 16, 2016 | ||||||||||||
Change to Downloads | No | ||||||||||||
Change to Logic | No | ||||||||||||
JIRA |
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Table of Contents |
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Problem / Issue
Colleges have requested access to the In-Progress application database for the purpose of identifying students who have started an application but never completed or submitted one. Outreach to students who appear to have abandoned the application process is a high priority to colleges. In addition, they claim that the legacy Xap system allowed them tthis access and they are requesting CCCApply be modified to allow them access to these applicants for recruitment purposes. Bottom line: colleges want to support students and help them get through the admission application process.
Per discussions during Steering Committee meetings, Tim Calhoon, CCCTC Exec Director, adds, "Note: If we (CCC) do the notifying to the student about an unfinished/unsubmitted application, then we are all good. BUT the COLLEGE CAN NOT LEGALLY NOTIFY THE STUDNENT and therefore cannot see data or know anything about an unsubmitted application."
The purpose of this change is to implement a way where the system can generate a generic email to all students who have started an application but have not yet submitted it for processing. It is not legal for colleges to have access to the details of the application for the student has provided Consent by electronically signing their application and hitting "submit"; therefore, we will need to gain an understanding of what is permissible and what is legal in order for this generic email to go out to students who have not submitted an application. Patty plans to meet with the Steering Committee to finalize requirements.
Response from CCCApply
When a student starts an application with CCCApply, they are establishing a legal agreement / contract with the CCC Chancellor’s office. When they complete their application and submit, at this point, they are entering into an agreement to release their information to the college.
Steering Committee Response 11/1/16
After discussing the content of the emails (many colleges want to provide the content with links to their site) Tim suggested that a few different options:
- Use the Admissions contact fields i n the Administrator to merge in specific contact information to the emails (colleges had issues with this process as these only include Admissions contacts and they have other support services in mind);
- Use the functionality in the Rules area: email messages and email rules that would enable the college to create their own email content;
- Create a generic email message for the colleges who don't create an email message.
Proposed Solution
Send a system-generated, generic email from CCCApply (on behalf of the CCCCO) to Applicant who starts an application to a college but does not submit the application after 24 hours. The email "nudge" would be repeated after 7 days, providing links to the My Applications to "sign-in, resume app, and submit" or "delete/remove the unsubmitted application";
- Create two generic, merge-field Emails which will be sent to student's email address <email> , using <firstname>+<lastname>
- System logic is implemented to send Email #1 is sent to student if the application has not been submitted after 24 hours of starting app.
- Logic is implemented to send Email #2 to Applicant if after 7 days the application still has not been submitted (7 days since start of application and no submission).
- Phase I: Email Content
The content of the emails would serve several purposes:- Remind the student that they started an application but have not submitted the application to the specific college
- Provide links back to OpenCCCApply for use cases: :
- Link to My Applications page and RESUME the application process.
- Return to My Applications page and delete the application in-progress.
- Provide links and information to - alternately - contact the college directly for assistance (to College Admissions contact information that currently appears on the confirmation page, including College name, college URL, Admissions Contact and Admissions phone and email)
- Provide links to OpenCCC Helpdesk and CCCHelp.info
- If after 7 days from start of application process the student still has not submitted the application, send Email #2 with similar links and information.
- Phase II: Allow colleges to submit custom language for the generic email on behalf of their college support services.
Technical Change Specifications
# | Description | Notes |
---|---|---|
1 | Create logic to send up to 2 reminder emails to the student regarding an unsubmitted, in-progress CCCApply application | Technical tasks to be determined |
2 | Create and send "Email #1" IF application has not been submitted (to any college) after 24 hours of starting and not submitting a new application. | Content of Email #1:
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Message Content for Email #1 | See Change Requirements below. | |
3 | Create and send "Email #2" IF in-progress application has still not been submitted (to any college) after 7 Days of starting an application | Content of Email #2 Slightly stronger encouragement language to drive the student to either complete the application or remove/delete the application from their My Applications page after 7 days;
What else? |
Message content for Email #2 | See Change Requirements below | |
4 | Create ability to track emails? | Add Google Analytics to email links |
5 | Use new CCCApply Logo |
Message Content for Email #1 - 24 hours
REPLY TO: <please use same one as OpenCCC Account Confirmation email>
SUBJECT: Reminder - Your CCCApply Application To <college_name> Has Not Been Submitted
BODY:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
< Insert CCCApply logo here >
Resume Your CCCApply Application in "My Applications".
Hi Patty <firstname>,
This is a friendly reminder that the CCCApply application you started yesterday for <college_name> is still waiting to be submitted.
Don't wait...click here to return to "My Applications" to resume and submit your application today.
Need help completing your application? Support reps are standing by to take your call.
OpenCCC Helpdesk
Call Toll-Free: (877) 247-4836
Email: support@openccc.net
Did you forget your OpenCCC Account password?
Click here to recover your username or reset your password.
Need help paying for college?
Financial Aid is available. ICanAffordCollege.com will help you streamline the process. Get started today.
Ask any question here about...
- Financial aid
- Online courses
- Transfer
- Applying to college
- Degree planning
- and more...
Having trouble completing the application online?
Click here to download the paper application and submit directly to the Admissions Office at <college_name>:
<college_name>
<admission_contact>
<admission_phone>
<admission_email>
Thank you for considering <college_name>. Visit us at <college_URL>.
Message Content for Email #2 - 7 Days
REPLY TO: <please use same one as OpenCCC Account Confirmation email>
SUBJECT LINE: Final Reminder - Your CCCApply Application to <college_name> Still Needs To Be Submitted
LOGO: < Insert CCCApply logo here >
HEADLINE: Your CCCApply Application Still Needs To Be Submitted
(Hyperlink: take applicant back to My Applications)
BODY: (see below)
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Your CCCApply Application Still Needs to Be Submitted
Hi Patty <firstname>,
The CCCApply application you started a week ago for <college_name> still needs to be submitted. How can we help?
If you're ready to resume, click here go back to "My Applications" click on the application link, and submit today.
Did you forget your OpenCCC Account password?
Click here to recover your username or reset your password.
Need help completing your application? Support reps are standing by to take your call.
OpenCCC Helpdesk
Call Toll-Free: (877) 247-4836
Email: support@openccc.net
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Be sure to report this information on the Residency page.
24/7 Online Help
Ask any question about...
- Financial aid
- Online courses
- Transfer
- Applying to college
- Degree planning
- and more...
Click here for People-Powered Support for the California Community Colleges
Need help paying for college?
Financial Aid is available. ICanAffordCollege.com will help you streamline the process. Get started today.
Having trouble completing the application online?
Click here to download the paper application and submit directly to the Admissions Office at <college_name>:
<college_name>
<admission_contact>
<admission_phone>
<admission_email>
Thank you for considering <college_name>. Visit us at <college_URL>.
Steering Needs (Nov 1)
- Confirmation of the legalities that colleges can not access student in-progress application data (which federal or state law, is it FERPA for sure?) (Steering)
- Content of the generic email message(s) (Steering)
- Content of the college specific template (we create the template and allow colleges to complete the template) (Steering)
- Confirmation of the number of days or amount of time that the in-progress app sits before the email goes out (Steering)
- Need to understand the use case for wanting the <app id> shown in the email. Perhaps it would be useful for help desk reps. We could also modify the table in My Applications to show the appid as well.
Suggestions for language in the email from CCCApply...
Email subject line: Action Required: Submit Your CCCApply Application
(Patty rec'd an email from a website (Resume builder.com) where I had started a resume on their site, but never finished it. The email nudged me to return to the site and finish the resume. The body of the email included 4 bullet point reasons why it's a good idea to finish the resume, link to the resume, contact information for questions, etc.
For un-submitted applications we want to make sure we include <college_name> <app_id> personalized email <firstname>+<lastname> and snippet of information to contact the college if they have any questions about college-specific application or registration information.
What benefits do we want students to know during nudging?
- No "application" fee to apply to the California Community Colleges
- Help available for applying for financial aid - Financial Aid is available
- OpenCCC Helpdesk / Call Center Toll Free Number and Email address
What do we want our "Email nudges" to convey and include?
- Link back to My Applications to resume application
- Link to Account Recovery
- Link to CCCApply "Help" page?
- Your application can be resumed at any time
- Once your application has been processed,
Research & Supporting Documentation
http://www.ideas42.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Nudging-For-Success-FINAL.pdf
Awesome article from EducationWeekly eZine about "Nudging Students" to stay on task for various college deadlines:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/high_school_and_beyond/2016/10/using_texts_to_nudge_students_on_financial_aid.html?qs=Nudge+Students
<<Research has shown that simple text reminders can help ensure that students who've been accepted to college actually take the steps to enroll. Missing that crucial step can mean a missed connection to higher education. Educators are now experimenting with using texts to send reminders about a variety of college-related tasks.
The White House has gotten on board, too. First lady Michelle Obama's "Better Make Room" campaign includes a feature called "Up Next," which allows students, families, and counselors to request a series of text messages that will prod them with questions about how they're doing in their search for colleges, applying, and getting financial aid. Once they've enrolled in college, they get messages that try to connect them to helpful campus resources. And after they graduate, the messages shift focus on helping them work out their loan repayments.
Data on Text vs. Email
9_Castleman_SummerTextMessages.pdf
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<<Text messaging is a promising approach to inform students of college-related tasks and to connect them to professional help when they need assistance. It is the predominant means by which young people communicate with each other. Whereas only six percent of teens exchange emails and 39 percent talk via mobile phones, 63 percent send texts on a daily basis (Lenhardt, 2012). Further, counselors who staffed the prior summer interventions cited texting as the most effective means of contacting students (Arnold et al, in progress). In addition, texting is a potentially cost-effective means to provide information and connect students to assistance. In the text message intervention discussed in this paper, for example, the marginal cost of each message was $0.01. Moreover, text-based outreach may increase counselors’ efficiency. >> Research on Student Behavioral Challenges Related to Attending College << Recent behavioral research suggests that people often over-weight immediate costs, both monetary and non-monetary, and forego investments that would be in their long-term interest (see, for example, Chabris, Laibson, & Schuldt, 2008). Faced with the time and cognitive burdens associated with college and financial aid applications, for example, students may delay addressing or abandon a key step in the admissions process — particularly if the alternative is something more enticing in the present moment (Madrian & Shea, 2001; Beshears et al, 2012; Scott-Clayton, 2011). Thus, even minor cost and process barriers may deter qualified students from successfully applying to and enrolling in college, despite a high probability that the lifetime benefits of higher education would far outweigh short-term investments. With a text platform, message delivery can be automated and content can be personalized to individual students and their postsecondary plans, Castleman – Summer Nudging EdPolicyWorks Working Paper Series No. 9. April 2013. Available at http://curry.virginia.edu/edpolicyworks/wp Curry School of Education | Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy | University of Virginia 7 eliminating the need for counselors to invest substantial time conducting student outreach and ensuring that outreach can occur on a schedule that aligns well with when students are available (e.g. nights and weekends). Personalized text messages could improve successful matriculation among college-intending students via several potential mechanisms. As we note above, it may be an efficient strategy for connecting students to counselors who can assist them to address summer obstacles that arise. Enabling students to request assistance via text mitigates several potential barriers to help-seeking. For instance, in schools where counselors have large caseloads and minimal time to focus on college planning, students may lack personal relationships with counselors (Civic Enterprises, 2012). Without a personal connection, students may be unlikely to initiate contact over the summer. In contrast, taking up the offer of help by responding to a text message may require considerably less interpersonal effort. Personalized text messages may also inform students of required tasks about which they were unaware and/or may simplify the steps required to complete these tasks. With a modest investment of time to assemble the required tasks and deadlines for institutions most common among each partner district’s graduates, we consolidated the set of required summer tasks into a series of ten institution-specific text message reminders. Most of the messages included institution and task-specific web links that guide students directly to the web page relevant to a given task (e.g. registering for orientation). Finally, the text messages may impact students’ college outcomes simply by nudging them to complete required tasks at the appropriate time during the summer. Personalized messaging effectively may turn adolescents’ greatest liability during the college choice process—their impulsiveness—into an asset.2 By providing simplified information and task-specific links, each message potentially allows completion of required steps in the moment, before students’ attention is otherwise diverted. For several reasons, socioeconomically disadvantaged students may be particularly prone to behavioral challenges related to attending college.
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