Trimeka Benjamin and Alaina Force discussed environmental analysis as a comprehensive review of student experience using various methods. These methods include data review, deep dives with personnel, surveys, focus groups, audits, and a "secret student" experience to triangulate perceived versus actual student journeys. The meeting concluded with a discussion on synthesizing all findings and recommendations into a comprehensive report with prioritized actions and timelines.

• Understanding Environmental Analysis Trimeka Benjamin and Alaina Force discussed the concept of an environmental analysis, which Alaina Force described as a comprehensive examination of the student experience, encompassing data, processes, people, communication, and student perceptions. Alaina Force likened it to a doctor's visit, where symptoms like enrollment declines or retention challenges are investigated to uncover the root cause of the problem (00:00:55).
  
  
• Importance of Data Review Trimeka Benjamin emphasized the foundational role of the data review process in environmental analysis, noting that it provides a starting point for understanding an institution's data storage, reporting, and success tracking methods (00:02:05). Alaina Force added that this review also reveals what data institutions lack,
  
  
• Deep Dives for Comprehensive Understanding Alaina Force explained that deep dives involve structured, in-depth conversations with various personnel who directly impact the student experience, such as faculty, advisors, and leadership. Trimeka Benjamin highlighted that these conversations, informed by prior data review, are crucial for establishing trust and understanding processes, hidden bottlenecks, and internal successes not evident from data alone (00:04:07). Alaina Force also emphasized the importance of these conversations for change management, noting that they often occur without direct reports or bosses present to encourage comfortable and vulnerable discussions about process issues (00:05:06).
  
  
• Surveys and Focus Groups Alaina Force outlined the strategic use of surveys and focus groups, starting with surveys to gather broad quantitative input from a large audience, including staff, students, and alumni, to identify pain points and understand emotional responses to processes (00:06:06). These insights then inform qualitative deep dives through focus groups, allowing for a more in-depth exploration of identified issues (00:07:06).
  
  
• The Role of Audits Trimeka Benjamin introduced audits, such as communications, social media, and compensation plan audits, as a critical yet often nerve-wracking component of the environmental analysis (00:07:06). Alaina Force clarified that these audits aim to centralize and understand how students perceive and are communicated with by the institution, collecting all forms of communication and mapping them against the student journey to reveal discrepancies between documented processes and actual student experiences (00:08:15).
  
  
• Secret Student Experience Trimeka Benjamin discussed the "secret student experience," a research tool designed to triangulate perceived versus actual student experiences by having trained "secret students" act as prospective students and document their journey through the admissions process (00:09:30). Alaina Force added that these secret student personas are crafted using institutional data, demographics, popular majors, and identified student challenges, providing a detailed, documented view of the student experience from initial inquiry to class registration (00:11:42).
  
  
• Synthesized Findings and Recommendations Alaina Force explained that all research activities are synthesized into a comprehensive findings and recommendations report, clearly outlining what is working and what needs improvement, supported by multiple research methods. Trimeka Benjamin noted that these recommendations are prioritized and presented with a timeline to provide a clear roadmap for institutions, ensuring no surprises for the client throughout the process and allowing for early identification of issues or task forces already addressing them (00:13:59) (00:16:05).