milestone 2

HEA 560 Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric Policies can be developed to provide recommendations for courses of action to be taken, allocate (or re-allocate) resources, develop solutions to counteract or resolve problems, or grant authority to individuals. Policies can also be created to develop formal collaborations or partnerships between agencies, create new rules or regulations, or guide strategic efforts in new directions. Whatever the purpose, the intended outcomes of policies are often to remediate a problem or take advantage of a new opportunity through a course of action. In the context of higher education, high-level critical issues associated with students’ preparation for college-level academics, access to educational institutions, and success in terms of retention and degree completion need to be considered in policy development. As you draft your proposed admission policy, it is important to consider the intended and unintended outcomes of the admission policy. It may be useful to research how other admission policies have been enacted at other institutions to gauge the potential outcomes that may occur at your institution as well. While it may appear as though administrations at institutions would be excited to see dramatic increases in enrollment figures, consider the short-term and long-term effects of increased headcounts, including impacts on class sizes, the availability of courses for students, whether students have the ability to enter into the academic majors of their choice, and whether there is sufficient capacity in residential housing for students. Additionally, consider the constellation of services traditional institutions offer to their students—dining services, counseling and academic advising, medical care, and so on. How will those types of services and facilities be impacted by increases in enrollments? Alterations to admission requirements may lower institutional selectivity and prestige, lower student satisfaction (especially if they cannot register for required courses because the courses are at capacity), or lead to decreases in retention and graduation rates. All of these factors need to be considered by higher education administrators when developing policies associated with students’ enrollment. At this stage, begin brainstorming some of the unintended consequences of your admission policy for the institution. In Module Four, you will research admission policies, and select and develop an admission policy. As you do so, consider the intended outcomes of the policy and whether the policy impacts the mission and vision of the institution. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Proposed Policy a. Describe the proposed policy on student attainment, retention, and completion. How does the policy articulate the intent that admissions

become less selective in order to increase student enrollment, while maintaining compliance with higher education regulations? b. Devise and explain your proposed admission policy and include a minimum of two peer-reviewed references justifying your selection of the

policy. Defend your selection of this policy above other possibilities. c. This critical element will require a minimum of one-page following APA format.

II. Intended Outcomes a. Describe the intended outcomes of the policy on student attainment, retention, and completion. Consider the current state of the institution:

What are some reasons for implementing this policy? What are the potential impacts to the institution if the policy is not implemented? How might the policy alter the current state of the institution?

b. Predict the intended outcomes of the policy and include a minimum of two peer-reviewed references that provide supporting evidence for these forecasted outcomes.

c. This critical element will require a minimum of one-page following APA format.

III. Mission and Vision a. Articulate evidence of how elements of the mission and vision were considered when recommending the policy. Consider: What is the

relationship between the mission and vision of the institution and the crafting of policy? Why is it necessary to consider the mission and vision when crafting policy?

b. Describe the mission and vision of the higher education institution (as outlined in the written policy proposal guidelines). Justify how the proposed policy does not conflict with the mission and vision of the institution. Provide one example (at minimum) of how a policy similar to that which you are proposing has impacted a higher education institution with a similar mission and vision.

c. This critical element will require a minimum of one-page following APA format.

IV. State and Federal Regulations a. Describe how variables of state and federal regulations were considered and included in the development of the policy. What are the state and

federal regulations that apply to enrollment, retention, and completion in higher education? Considering the policy, do the regulations seem logical? Why or why not?

b. Identify two federal regulations and two state regulations that apply to students’ enrollment, retention, or completion in higher education that are connected to your proposed policy.

c. This critical element will require a minimum of one-page following APA format.

Guidelines for Submission: Your paper must be submitted as a four- to five-page (plus a cover sheet and reference page) Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format (following the APA Manual 6th Edition). Ensure that the cover sheet and reference page are also in APA format.

Rubric Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (75%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Proposed Policy

Describes proposed policy on attainment, retention, and completion

Describes proposed policy but description is cursory or lacks detail

Does not describe proposed policy on attainment, retention, and completion

30

Intended Outcomes

Describes the intended outcomes of the policy on student attainment, retention, and completion

Describes the intended outcomes of the policy on student attainment, retention, and completion but lacks specificity

Does not describe intended outcomes of the policy on student attainment, retention, and completion

25

Mission and Vision

Articulates evidence of how elements of the mission and vision were considered when recommending policy

Articulates evidence of how elements of the mission and vision were considered when recommending policy but details are cursory and overgeneralized

Does not articulate evidence of how elements of the mission and vision were considered when recommending policy

15

State and Federal

Regulations

Describes how variables of state and federal regulations were considered and included in the development of the policy

Describes how variables of state and federal regulations were included in the development of the policy but lacks accuracy

Does not describe how variables of state and federal regulations were included in the development of the policy

10

Articulation of Response

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

20

Earned Total 100%