Daniel Doerr
Director of Senior Year Experience Programs
Dan.Doerr@uconn.edu

Maureen Armstrong
Coordinator of Housing Assignments
Maureen.Armstrong@uconn.edu

University of Connecticut

Posted: August 2006     Student Affairs Online, vol. 7 no. 2 - Summer 2006

At the University of Connecticut we have successfully implemented an on-line selection process for over 8,000 students. The experience was challenging, but the end results have been well worth the efforts. Here are our top 5 recommendations for professionals considering moving to an on-line selection process.

1. Make intentional decisions about whether to design your program in-house or to use a pre-packaged software. Designing and developing your on-line selection module in-house gives you the maximum amount of flexibility to match the on-line selection to your desires and student expectations. However, this option requires a great deal of expertise and staff resources. If you do not have access to these resources you may want to consider purchasing a pre-designed selection application. Using such an option can save in tech resources, provide a pre-tested system, and allow for tighter integration that can lessen difficulties associated with data management. Purchasing pre-packaged software may require significant changes to your institution's selection process, in order to conform to the new program. We developed an in-house selection program, prior to purchasing a new housing software package. We are considering implementing the on-line selection application that is part of the new software.
   
   
2. Develop a logical selection structure. Institutions have a wide variety of business rules designed to maximize student selection options and support programmatic needs. While these may function well for an in-person or paper-based selection, they can constitute a complex web of conflicting housing restrictions and priorities for an on-line system. When switching to an on-line process these "layers" of complexity need to be carefully reviewed and weighed against the technological capabilities that they may demand. Depending on the software being used, such multiple layers and overlapping business rules may necessitate implementing multiple selections within the on-line system or adding authentication processes that may overwhelm the system. It is important to come up with clear business rules and a logical selection structure that will provide options to students while minimizing technological complexity. Our experience led us to implement a "flat" system in which eligible students have two options: they can select to return to their same room, or they can select from any available option during campus wide selection. This was a significant change in how students selected rooms at UConn.
   
   
3. Have a generous time-table for development, testing, and implementation. Unless you have a fully developed tech staff within your residential life or housing unit, you will likely be reliant on divisional or institutional resources for your development needs. Remember that it always takes longer to develop and test the application than one might think. We recommend at least 6 months to a year for development and testing. It is very important to be able to view the product as it is developing. Development can easily depart from the intended product even with great communication between you and your tech staff. Being able to view and test the developing product increases the likelihood that the selection module will meet the needs of your campus community.
   
   
4. Develop a targeted communication plan. An on-line process can have an insulating effect in which students are removed from direct contact with staff. We recommend communicating in multiple ways and through as many media outlets as possible. We also recommend that the communication be targeted and guided by the following motto: Only communicate what, when and with whom necessary. Communication pieces should be as short as possible. Different processes should be addressed in individual communications, clearly separating process and policy information.
   
   
5. Develop a clear plan for managing the process once it begins. The selection process is very transparent and our students seemed to experience an increased sense of anxiety moving to the on-line system. Our experience tells us to expect increased parental involvement. Students tended to quickly call their parents when something went "wrong" in selection; and it was not long before the parents called residential life. It is our belief that the in person process prevented some of the parent calls because housing staff could immediately address and/or alleviate student concerns. We operated in a triage mode with a policy of not making any assignment changes during selection. Any changes that needed to be made or any appointments to address dissatisfaction were delayed until after the close of the on-line process.