A Synopsis of Winning by degrees

Ross Woods, 2018

Degree productivity is essentially the total cost to the institution per graduate. Low productivity is a combination of high costs and high dropout rates. Improved degree productivity is the achievement of more graduates for the same investment without compromising educational quality or restricting access to higher education. Universities can improve degree productivity in the following five ways.

1. Systematically enable students to reach graduation

Universities can do this using the following methods:

• providing structured pathways to graduation,
• providing effective student supports and effective placement,
• giving college preparation, as well as preparing students for work after graduation.

2. Reduce nonproductive credits

Nonproductive credits are credits in which students enrol but which don’t help them graduate. They include extra credits that students passed but didn’t count toward the degree, failed credits, and credits from which students withdrew. They are not productive because they add to the cost of a degree and reduce completion rates.

Universities can reduce nonproductive credits through by the following methods:

• closely monitor student progress toward a degree,
• have policies that prevent students from becoming overcredited,
• improve developmental education and tutoring,
• track students' progress and intervene to support their completion,
• implement transfer policies that conserve credits if students continue to a higher qualification,
• follow competency-based models: students must demonstrate mastery in a set of competencies in order to progress, regardless of the time taken.

3. Redesign the delivery of instruction

Universities can:

1. use technology to become more cost-effective,
2. substitute full-time faculty with part-time faculty or course mentors,
3. augment online teaching materials,
4. centralize the development of courses, and/or
5. run three semesters per year.

4. Improve the efficiency of core supports and services

Core supports and services include:

1. institutional supports: HR, IT, and finance,
2. student services: financial aid, counseling, and enrollment,
3. academic support services: libraries, museums, audio/visual services, and
4. plant operations [presumably meaning campus and equipment]

Methods include converting paper-based systems to electronic systems, cross-training staff to eliminate staff downtime, and using self-service online portals for administering financial aid.

5. Optimize non-core services

These include public services (radio stations, institutes, and conferences) and auxiliary enterprises (athletics, housing, and dining). Overall, non-core services run at a loss; only a few are profitable business units.

The way to optimize non-core services is to maintain them only when they are mission-critical.

Four essential elements for transformation

The study also identified four essential elements for transforming degree productivity:

1. efficient and effective operational processes supported by appropriate technology and tools,
2. effective management systems to ensure progress, build capabilities, and manage implementation,
3. leaders and staff who are committed to achieving degree productivity gains alongside high-quality educational outcomes, and
4. support from state and institutional policies that allow them to choose how to achieve their quality and efficiency goals.

Reference
Winning by degrees: the strategies of highly productive higher-education institutions: Executive Summary, November 2010, Byron G. Auguste, Adam Cota, Kartik Jayaram, Martha C. A. Laboissière
Published at http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/Winning%20by%20degrees%20execsum%20v5.pdf Viewed 3 January, 2018.