Ensuring a Successful First Day® Complete Implementation

Barnes & Noble College’s First Day® Complete program has experienced significant growth since its launch in 2017 as colleges and universities nationwide better understand the opportunity to improve course material access, convenience, and affordability for students through the program. During a recent BNC webinar, administrators from two new First Day Complete partner schools, East Carolina University (ECU) and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), shared implementation best practices as they discussed their school’s recent launch of First Day Complete.

SELECT A SPECIFIC PROJECT LEADER
Bill Koch: “We had a project lead for our side of the implementation team, and of course Barnes & Noble College had a project lead for their side of the implementation team. And so we met as a single group and just went through the plan step by step, making sure we were on target for everything.”

Appointing a designated project lead can help the members of the team from each department involved focus on their individual specialties and do what they do best. The project lead or leads then oversees how all the parts come together and that deadlines are made, ensuring all the necessary resources are in place for a smooth transition.

ENGAGE CAMPUS STAKEHOLDERS EARLY AND OFTEN, WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE BARNES & NOBLE COLLEGE STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION TEAM
Bill Koch: “Our chancellor’s executive committee approved it for fall. That was a little bit of a surprise to us. We were kind of thinking maybe spring, but they wanted to move forward. We knew we could do it. Barnes & Noble College has a lot of experience in this. They have implementation people who do this all the time and convinced us we could do it in that timeframe.”

Barnes & Noble College’s Client Solutions and Strategic Implementation teams have launched equitable access programs on more than 190 campuses—more than any other campus store operator. The dedicated team supports schools through every aspect of the approval and implementation process, from gaining campus support to program communications and technical setup.

During implementation, schools receive time-tested planning and communication documents, templates, blueprints and checklists, along with the expertise of BNC support teams, which set institutions up for success. Barnes & Noble College’s experience implementing equitable access on campuses nationwide ensures a smooth transition.

Rob Johnson: “And as Bill mentioned, Barnes & Noble College has a lot of experience in implementing this at other schools. So I would say if you’re considering this change, don’t be afraid. Barnes & Noble College is great.”

EDUCATE FACULTY ON WHAT THE PROGRAM MEANS FOR THEM AND FOR STUDENTS
Bill Koch: “There were consensus nods around the faculty senate room and from faculty in general, but obviously we have a couple thousand faculty and not everyone is as on board as others, but we did a lot to communicate with them, answer all the questions, and I think that really helped gain their trust, making them feel more comfortable about moving forward and really getting some of their key leadership on board.”

When preparing to implement First Day Complete, meeting with faculty and clearly explaining the program is essential. Faculty receive more student questions, so by ensuring faculty are well-informed about the program helps them be prepared to better assist students.

Rob Johnson: “The lesson I learned is that we really focused on students because this was going to be new for them and we wanted to make sure that they had all the information they could and again, parents could help them and they understood. We communicate a lot with faculty, but I would do more with faculty if we had to do it over again. You can’t communicate enough.”

ENGAGE WITH STUDENT GPOUPS
Bill Koch: “This was a student driven project as much as anything, like I said, our students were hearing from their friends at other schools. Our SGA meets with the SGA leadership at the other UNC schools. And so they talk about emerging issues and just things at their campus that are going on that they find useful or helpful, and First Day Complete was certainly one of those.”

Building student excitement and knowledge about the program can help it take off from the start. First Day Complete offers many student benefits, including greater convenience, lower costs and better preparedness.

Student, Alamo College District: “I’ve always found that students across the country struggle with receiving their materials and/or paying too much for them. I chose to continue my third year at Alamo because of the simple process that is getting my materials. I’m grateful for the fact that the items ship so quickly and have a reasonable price.”

To learn more First Day Complete equitable access implementation best practices, watch the webinar, and to start a conversation with Barnes & Noble College about implementing equitable access at your school, contact us today.