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, improving their grade point averages, and increasing their awareness of the benefits of academic mentoring.
Objective
Increase Academic Accountability In MAP Students
Students participating in the MAP program will realize the importance of academic skills and accountability.
KPI
MAP Student Surveys
Over the last several years, students have been asked to evaluate the MAP program via a survey concerning their perceptions of the program’s effectiveness and their perceived academic improvement. Although the student responses have always been well above our target score, only a minimal number of completed/returned surveys is of concern to the program (76 of the 495 sent [15.4%] during the 2012-2013 academic year). To boost this number, the mentors will…
send out e-mail reminders twice before the end of the semester: (a) once before we send out the email survey and (b) once to remind the student to complete the survey.
use social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter) as another avenue to remind the students to complete the online survey.
provide paper copies of the survey to students upon completion of the program’s requirement (but track the students who were given a survey to remove them from the e-mail blast).
At least 20% of the MAP students will complete surveys regarding the perceived effectiveness of the program.
Result
Increased MAP Survey Response
Surveys were made available to participating students at the end of each semester, fall and spring, with the intention of gauging student perception of their academic accountability by having them rate the various requirements of the MAP program and their required participation.
MAP 2013-2014 Program Population Breakdown:
Fall 2013: 397 students referred to the program/ 347 students enrolled in the program/ 38 students (11.0%) completed the survey (16 paper forms, 22 electronic forms).
Spring 2014: 231 students referred to the program/ 184 students enrolled in the program/ 22 students (12.0%) completed the survey (12 paper forms, 10 electronic forms).
Overall: 628 students referred to the program/ 531 students enrolled in the program/ 60 students (11.3%) completed the survey (28 paper forms, 32 electronic forms).
Given these completion rates, the goal of a 20% completion rate for survey completion was not met.
Moreover, the completion rates for the MAP surveys dropped from 16.1% (2012) to 11.0% (2013) for the fall semester, from 14.2% (2013) to 12.0% (2014) for the spring semester, and from 15.4% (2012/2013) to 11.3% (2013/2014) for the entire academic year.
Action
Increased MAP Survey Reminders
Despite the additional reminders (pre- and post) and the use of social media, all of which was in addition to the initial e-mail containing the survey as well as the use of paper surveys, the survey completion rate dropped from the 2012/2013 academic year to the 2013/2014 academic year.
During the next academic year, we will attempt to boost survey completion by having each of the individual mentors e-mail their students personally instead of an impersonal e-mail sent from the office e-mail. The belief is that a student may be more willing to read an e-mail sent from someone they know as opposed to a generic “official” e-mail sent from a “faceless” organization.
Goal
Promote Student Classroom Success Through The First Alert (FA) 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.
Objective
Increased Referral
As a result of more effective contact with new and returning instructors, who in turn refer more students to the FA program, there will be an increase of referrals when compared to the past year.
KPI
Faculty Involvement
All faculty members who have used the First Alert program since 2008 will be e-mailed a survey asking them about what they perceive as the strengths and weaknesses of the program as well as their preferred methods of submission.
A 25% completion rate is the mark of success.
Result
Faculty Survey Results
Going through First Alert program records, 773 professors/staff referred students to the First Alert program from Spring 2008 to Summer 2013. Of those 773 professors/staff, 196 were identified as still working at SHSU. Of those, five e-mails were enactive and one was invalid, leaving 190 faculty/staff to complete the survey.
An e-mail requesting the 190 faculty/staff to complete a survey concerning the First Alert program was sent out on October 24th, 2013. Within the e-mail was a link to the survey that was set up in such a way as to provide the survey takers anonymity concerning their survey answers.
Disturbingly, of the 190 professors who were e-mailed, absolutely no one (0) responded. As such, 0% completion rate was much lower than the 25% completion rate that we had originally hoped.
Action
Resubmit Survey
Given that no one responded to the initial e-mail, it will be resent with the survey attached. However, instead of sending it only once, it will be sent three times throughout the semester: August (beginning of the semester), October (midterm), and December (end of the semester). The subsequent e-mail will also be rewritten to state explicitly our wants and also contain a proviso stating that those professors who had already completed the survey should not completed it again.
Goal
Provide Academic Guidance To Student On Academic Probation Through The Help Eliminate Probation (HELP) Program
The HELP program will provide quality academic advice and mentoring to students who have been placed on Academic Probation, though not suspended, with the goals of returning students to good academic standing, improving their grade point averages, and increasing their awareness of the benefits of academic mentoring.
Objective
Increase Academic Accountability In HELP Students
Students participating in the HELP program will realize the importance of academic skills and accountability.
KPI
HELP Student Surveys
Over the last several years, students have been asked to evaluate the HELP program via a survey concerning their perceptions of the program’s effectiveness and their perceived academic improvement. Although the student responses have always been well above our target score, only a minimal number of completed/returned surveys is of concern to the program (27 of the 249 sent during the 2012-2013 academic year). To boost this number, the mentors will…
send out e-mail reminders twice before the end of the semester: (a) once before we send out the email survey and (b) once to remind the student to complete the survey.
use social media (i.e., facebook, Twitter) as another avenue to remind the students to complete the online survey.
provide paper copies of the survey to students upon completion of the program’s requirement (but track the students who were given a survey to remove them from the e-mail blast).
At least 20% of the HELP students will complete surveys regarding the perceived effectiveness of the program.
Result
HELP Survey Completion Results
Surveys were made available to participating students at the end of each semester, fall and spring, with the intention of gauging student perception of their academic accountability by having them rate the various requirements of the HELP program and their required participation.
HELP Program Population Breakdown:
Fall 2013: 89 students enrolled in the program/ 3 students (3.4%) completed the survey (1 paper form, 2 electronic forms).
Spring 2014: 529 students enrolled in the program/ 36 students (6.8%) completed the survey (16 paper forms, 20 electronic forms).
Academic Year: 618 students enrolled in the program/ 39 students (6.3%) completed the survey.
Given these completion rates, the goal of a 20% completion rate for survey completion was not met.
Moreover, the completion rates for the HELP surveys dropped from 7.5% (2012) to 3.4% (2013) for the fall semester, from 12.1% (2013) to 6.8% (2014) for the spring semester, and from 10.8% (2012/2013) to 6.3% (2013/2014) for the entire academic year.
Action
Increased HELP Survey Reminders
Despite the additional reminders (pre- and post) and the use of social media, all of which was in addition to the initial e-mail containing the survey as well as the use of paper surveys, the survey completion rate dropped from the 2012/2013 academic year to the 2013/2014 academic year.
During the next academic year, we will attempt to boost survey completion by having each of the individual mentors e-mail their students personally instead of an impersonal e-mail sent from the office e-mail. The belief is that a student may be more willing to read an e-mail sent from someone they know as opposed to a generic “official” e-mail sent from a “faceless” organization.
Goal
Provide Effective Academic Support Programs
A Study Skills series will be offered to all students to support academic performance.
Objective
Study Skills
Study Skills is a six week seminar series designed to aid students by bolstering their academic skills. Students who participate in the Study Skills program will improve their academic study techniques and GPA.
KPI
Study Skills Update
The Study Skills material is over a decade old. As such, they will be reviewed and new PowerPoints, handouts, will be created based on updated sources in order to provide a more up-to-date learning platform for students.
Result
Updated Information
The material from the original six-week series format for the Study Skills was updated to include modern study strategies and techniques. Additionally, up-to-date sources were provided for each session. Moreover, the PowerPoint presentations were completely redone and a student study guide was created for each of the six sessions to facilitate active participation and note-taking.
Action
Online Study Skills
Now that the on-campus Study Skills sessions have been updated, the online/BlackBoard version of Study Skills will be modified to reflect the changes. Additionally, the online version of Study Skills will be modified from its current format (i.e., simple videos with follow-up tests) to a course-based design with due dates and personal interaction with a mentor/facilitator.
Goal
Provide Academic Advising To Undergraduate Students
The SAM Center will provide academic advising to undergraduate students of all classifications to facilitate student understanding of degree plans, degree requirements, and institutional rules and regulations.
Objective
Provide A Positive And Informative Advising Experience
Students advised at the SAM Center will understand their degree requirements and be satisfied with their advising experience.
KPI
Distance/Online Services
Students are enrolling in online and distance learning courses in record numbers; as such, advising must adapt to provide services to these students. Therefore, advising will research online advising software, push for a full-time mentor at TWC for the distance students, and try to identify the students who are 100% online in order to offer them options concerning advising.
Result
Distance/Online Services Attempts
Several online software packages were investigated, but privacy issues and IT interoperability prevented new third-party software systems from being implemented. However, three advisors did create Skype accounts to speak with students via the internet. Interestingly, one of the advisors was never contacted, and the other two were only contacted a handful of times (i.e., eight total) over the 2013-2014 academic year. The vast majority of students contacted SAM Center advisors through the pre-established e-mail and phone lines.
Advisors have been available at the various SHSU centers, but with the growth of the student population, the SAM Center was able to cross train an academic student services representative at TWC who remains there full-time. Additionally, our traveling advisors still travel to the various advising sites to provide added opportunities for distance learners to speak with a professional advisor.
Unfortunately, after speaking with numerous sources on campus, a list of students who were enrolled 100% online was unable to be attained.
Action
Continue Looking
Although no software was identified to handle our needs, the Skype option was presented to the students. However, they did not seem to care for it, preferring to rely on the e-mail and phone advising. As such, students via e-mail/phone until a software can be found that will handle the department’s needs.