To provide academic support programs to students across the spectrum of ability and performance
Objective
Provide Academic Guidance To Re-Admitted Students Through The Monitored Academic Progress (MAP) Program
The MAP program will provide quality academic advice and mentoring to students who, following their suspension, are re-admitted by their respective Deans as probationary students with the goals of returning students to good academic standing and improving their grade point averages.
Indicator
Students Improving Their Academic Performance
If the re-admitted students improve their overall grade point averages by the end of the probationary semester, whether they returned to good standing or not, then the MAP program affected them and the likelihood of their continuance at the university will be high.
Criterion
At Least 65 % Of Re-Admitted Students Improve Their Overall Grade Point Averages
If sixty-five percent or more re-admitted students improve their overall grade point averages by the end of the semester, then their continuance at the university is likely and this information will be helpful to the Deans when they meet suspended students for re-admittance on probation.
Finding
Data Of Students Referred By Deans To The MAP Program Who Improved GPA
FALL 2009 62.7% improved their overall grade point averages. 437 students were re-admitted by the Deans, but only 332 students enrolled in and completed coursework.
SPRING 2010 64.4% improved their overall grade point averages. 398 students were re-admitted by the Deans, but only 316 students enrolled in and completed coursework.
Criterion
At Least 40% Of Re-Admitted Students Return To Good Standing
If forty percent or more re-admitted students return to good standing (≥ 2.0 gpa) by the end of the academic semester, then this indicates that re-advising has a positive impact upon retention.
Finding
Data Of Students Referred By Deans To The MAP Program, Fall 2009 Who Returned To Good Standing (2.00 GPA)
FALL 2009 38.3% returned to good standing. 437 students were re-admitted by the Deans, but only 332 students enrolled in and completed coursework.
SPRING 2010 38.1% returned to good standing. 398 students were re-admitted by the Deans, but only 316 students enrolled in and completed coursework.
Action
Requirement To Refer Students To MAP Program
Although the Deans currently have the choice of referring students to the MAP program, the Executive Director of the Student Advising and Mentoring Center has met with the Council of Associate Academic Deans to encourage an even greater use of this program to help even more students, not just those in direst straights. Additionally, we will send e-mails before grades are posted each semester to the associate academic deans reminding them of the service and the statistics of how many MAP students improve GPAs and how many return to good standing.
Objective
Promote Student Classroom Success Through The First Alert Program
The First Alert program provides quality academic advice and mentoring to students identified by professors as being “at risk” with the goal of preventing their failure in the course for which they were referred.
Indicator
Success Rate Among Referred Students
Students are referred to the First Alert program by their professors, for either their poor grades, lack of attendance (which negatively impacts grades), or a combination of the two. If, as a group, students who are referred to First Alert have a low failure rate n(by means of either earning credit for the course or by Q-dropping the class) then they are likely to have a more successful semester.
Criterion
At Least 65% Success Rate Among First Alert Students
If sixty-five percent or more of the First Alert referrals do not fail, then the First Alert program has had a positive influence upon their academic success.
Finding
Success Rate Among First Alert Students, Summer 2009 - Spring 2010
Throughout the reported time period, the First Alert Program had 822 referrals from professors. The overall success rate of the program was 64.2%.
Action
Use By More Professors
Although there is continuous growth in the number of professors who refer students to First Alert, a more diversified means of communication is needed to alert the faculty to the success of the First Alert program and to encourage more referrals from them. To that end, a mass e-mail will be sent early each semester semester to all faculty, adjunct faculty, and academic administrators that will remind them of the First Alert Program and the procedures for referral.
In addition, due to the repositioning of the drop date, there have been fewer referrals to the program. This could indicate that professors are hoping that students will be able to repair their grades on their own, instead of referring them to the SAM Center. However, this may be detrimental to their overall success. Again, mid-semester we will send a mass e-mail to stakeholders reminding them of the service and its benefits to students.
Objective
Bearkat Learning Community (BLC)
Bearkat Learning Community will serve as a useful retention strategy and will also support the Closing the Gaps Initiative. All BLCers will attend a six-week study skills series. The BLC program will incorporate a number of academic support strategies: All BLCers will attend a six-week study skills series and Intrusive Academic Advising will place students in two core classes with other students with whom they live.
Indicator
BLC Student Vs. Other First Time Freshman (FTF) Student Outcome Comparisons
A number of student outcome indicators will be used to gauge the effectiveness of the BLC program by measuring learning gains or comparative performance of BLC students in relation to other First Time Freshmen (FTFs). These measurements will include: (1) Mean BLC student GPAs compared to to that of other FTFs; (2) Mean SCHS completed by BLC students compared to that of other FTFs; (3) BLC 1-yr retention rate compared with that of other FTFs.
Criterion
LASSI Pre-to-Post Gain And Equal Or Better Retention, Mean GPA & SCHs Completed
BLC students will have a 1yr Retention rate, Mean GPA, & Mean SCHs Completed that will be equal to or better than that of other FTFs.
Finding
BLC Student Outcomes
BLC Student Outcomes follow:
(1) BLC Student Mean GPA was 2.56 and was higher than the mean for other FTFs which was 2.48. While we wee delighted with this outcome, a closer examination of the data indicate that African American males, followed closely by European American males maintain an average GPA below 2.00.
(2) BLC Student mean SCHs completed was 25.00 and was higher than the mean for other FTFs which was 23.22. Again, we were delighted by the results. A closer examination of the data revealed that African Americans complete fewer hours that students of other recorded heritages.
(3) BLC Student 1-yr retention rate was 93% and was higher than the retention rate of other FTFs which was 89%. It is reassuring that the BLC students are returning at a slightly higher rate than the remaining freshman student body.
Action
BLC Effectiveness
It would be difficult to make definitive statements about Bearkat Learning Community in a comparison with other Freshmen. Difference in performance may exist but if they reached statistical significance they were small and could have occurred merely by chance. There are only a few clear outcomes for the 2009 -2010 cohort. Retention for members of BLC was significantly higher that for other Freshmen from Fall to Spring. (Spring data will not be available until the Fall semester.) Secondly, despite lower incoming SAT scores Hispanic males attempted more hours, successfully completed more hours with higher GPA than Hispanic males not in the BLC community. This is evidence that this program supports the Closing the Gaps Initiative.
It appears obvious from the data that African American males are at-risk of performing less well than other groups, although European American males are very close as well. To address this issue, we will be inviting all BLC students for individual conferences about their progress; however, we will particularly encourage these two groups of males to consult with us.
Objective
Study Skills
The SAM Center will offer a series of six, fifty-minute study skills workshops including information on overcoming procrastination; time management; test taking skills etc.
Indicator
LASSI
The LASSI will be administered pre and post the study skills series to assess program effectiveness.
Criterion
LASSI Score Improvement
LASSI scores will be compared prior to participation in Study Skills and after participation. Analysis of all ten LASSI Scales will indicate a statistically significant increase in all ten measures of study skill mastery.
Finding
LASSI Improvement
There is a statistical significance between the Pre-LASSI and the Post-LASSI in Series 1 and 2. The mean post LASSI is greater than the mean pre LASSI. Student do perform better in post LASSI scores after the study skill session in both Series.
The area of least improvement for both Series I and Series II was on the Attitude scale. Individuals who do not improve on the LASSI from pre-series to post-series will be offered individual remediation. H & H Publishing suggest: The Attitude Scale assesses students' attitudes and interest in college and academic success. It examines how facilitative or debilitative their approach to college and academics is for helping them get their work done and succeeding in college (sample item: I feel confused and undecided as to what my educational goals should be). Students who score low on this scale may not believe college is relevant or important to them and may need to develop a better understanding of how college and their academic performance relates to their future life goals. http://www.hhpublishing.com/_assessments/LASSI/scales.html. It seems as though we may need to add a module to the Study Skills series or refer students to another program that would encourage goal setting.
Indicator
GPA
A comparison of mean GPA before participation and after participation will be conducted to evaluate the impact of the program on students' performance.
Criterion
Increased GPA
Institutional Research will compare GPA's and we estimate that there will be a statistically significant increase in GPA after participation in the Study Skills Program.
Finding
GPA Improvement
There is a statistical significance between the Pre-GPA and the Post-GPA in Series 1 and 2 since the p-value for the one-way ANOVA is less than 0.05. The mean post GPA is greater than the mean pre GPA. However, recall from previous information that African American and European American males average below a 2.00 GPA.
Action
Study Skills Effectiveness
For Spring 2010 there was a statistically significant increase in all ten LASSI scales. This result has been a consistent measure of program effectiveness. It should be noted that the largest gains were made in Time Management. For those students who do not improve over the series on the LASSI, they will be offered individual remediation.
H & H Publishing suggests: The Attitude Scale of the LASSI assesses students' attitudes and interest in college and academic success. It examines how facilitative or debilitative their approach to college and academics is for helping them get their work done and succeeding in college (sample item: I feel confused and undecided as to what my educational goals should be). Students who score low on this scale may not believe college is relevant or important to them and may need to develop a better understanding of how college and their academic performance relates to their future life goals. http://www.hhpublishing.com/_assessments/LASSI/scales.html. It seems as though we may need to add a module to the Study Skills series or refer students to another program that would encourage goal setting.
To maintain the fragile gains in GPA (with the average just barely in good standing), we will encourage students with lower GPAs to repeat the series in approximately a month or at least every semester.
Both objective measures of program effectiveness, the LASSI, and GPA indicate that the Study Skills Series is an effective program improving and supporting academic success. Study Skills remains a core academic support program, taught by students for students. The analysis, consistent over time, is clear evidence of program effectiveness.
Goal
Provide Reliable Academic Advising
Providing reliable and accurate academic advising for all undergraduate students
Objective
Mandatory Advising For Probationary Students
Readvise students on probation to plan the best course of action to return to good standing by the end of the next semester and to avoid suspension
Indicator
More Students Returning To Good Standing Than Being Suspended
If the number of students who are re-advised follow the advice of the academic advisor either return to good standing or improve their overall grade point averages by the end of the next semester, then this indicates that the practice of re-advising probationary students has a positive influence upon students’ ability to recover academically.
Criterion
At Least 50% Of Probationary Students Return To Good Standing.
If fifty percent or more students on probation return to good standing by the end of the academic semester, then this indicates that re-advising has a positive impact upon retention.
Finding
Data On Probationary Students For Fall Semesters (Good Standing)
The most accurate indicator of the success of this objective is to compare the overall grade point averages (gpa) of the probationary students at the end of the Fall semesters with their overall grade point averages at the end of the Spring semester, and then see what percent of the probationary students returned to good standing (≥ 2.0 gpa).
Approximately 48% of students who were placed on probation due to overall grade point averages (GPAs), in fact, did return to good standing the next semester after being re-advised. Of course, there may be some students who simply do not return to the university.
Action
Institute An Academic Support Program To Aid Probationary Students
Due to the importance of retention and the goal of aiding students, the SAM Center will create an academic support program designed to familiarize probationary students with available resources on campus and policies concerning probation and suspension.
The program, HELP (Help Eliminate Probation), will contact students via any means available (e-mail, phone, letter, etc.) to offer information regarding resources. They will be asked to make an appointment with a consultant to discuss options.