defining the faculty role in student success · 2020. 3. 2. · decrease in enrollment and revenue...
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©2015 The Advisory Board Company • eab.com
Defining the Faculty Rolein Student SuccessIllinois State University
Academic Affairs Forum
©2015 The Advisory Board Company • eab.com
2Not Enough Growth to Go Around for Everyone
Source: EAB analysis of WICHE data.
High School Graduate Growth Rate Plateaus Before Precipitous Decline
Number of High School Graduates and Compound Annual Growth Rates
2.72.82.93.03.13.23.33.43.53.63.7
2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 2025 2027 2029 2031
Millions o
f H
S G
raduate
s
+0.6% growth rate
+1.4% growth rate
-.6%growth rate
Growth Decline Growth Decline
-1.4% growth rate
Midwest NortheastWest South
Change in High School Graduates from School Year 2012-2013, by Region
2019-2020
2024-2025
2029-2030
-11,500
24,900
-45,900
-41,200
-29,700
-26,200
-42,000
-26,200
-72,300
32,200
117,900
7,100
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3
Source: Selingo J, The Future of Enrollment, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2017; Source: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates, 2016, www.wiche.edu/knocking; EAB research and analysis.
Traditional Demographics Declining
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
UTCO
AZ NM
TX
OK
ND
KS
NE
SD
AR
MO
IA
MN
GA
TN
MS AL
LA
MI
OHINIL
WI
FL
PA
VA
ME
NY
WV
NC
KY
SC
AK
NHVT
NJDE
MD
HI
CT
MA
RI
Change in HS Graduates, 2016-2031
Decline, >10%
Decline, 0-10%
Growth, 0-10%
Growth, >10%
10States produce a majority of high school graduates
36States will see slower growth or declines in the high school graduation rate
22%Estimated decline in private high school graduation rates by the early 2020s
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4
Declining Enrollments Erode Outcomes and Impede Institutional Mission
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
The Peril Ahead
Decrease in enrollment
and revenue
Divestment from student
success
Decrease in student retention
Decline in student growth and outcomes
Increase in enrollment
and revenue
Investment in student success
Increase in student retention
Improvement in student growth and outcomes
“Death Spiral” Virtuous Cycle
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5
Who “Owns” Student Success On Your Campus?
An Organizational Dilemma
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Provost
Enrollment Manager
VP of Undergraduate
Studies
VP of Student Affairs
VP of Student Success
Academic Deans
“Student success needs to be someone’s job”
“I have academic credibility and run the first year”
“We own the curriculum and the purse strings”
“I know how to manage to numbers, not just ideas”
“I understand the non-academic roots of attrition”
Admissions
Stop-Out Recruitment
Scholarships and Aid
The First Year Experience
Undeclared Advising
Honors Programs
Departmental Programming
Academic Advising
Curricular Design
Success data and dashboards
Advising policies and practices
Overseeing initiatives
Orientation
Counseling Interventions
Student Involvement
The Student Success Office
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6
Self-Reported Activity Suggests Nearly Universal Adoption of HIPs
All the Pieces in Place
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Recommendations for Increasing Retention and Graduation Rates
Campus A Campus B Campus C
1. Flag at-risk students prior to enrollment Yes Yes Yes
2. Offer special summer programs Yes Yes Yes
3. Ensure sufficient intro course capacity Sometimes Yes Yes
4. Connect students with peer advisors Yes Yes ---
5. Ensure adequate student/advisor ratios Yes Yes Yes
6. Use prescriptive degree maps --- Yes Yes
…99. Mandatory exit interview for leavers Yes --- Yes
System campuses compile list of 113 known best practices
Chancellors asked to select those already existing on campus
Self-audit results in nearly complete compliance with list
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7
No Shortage of Best Practice Programs in Place, But Little to Show For It
Existence Does Not Equal Effectiveness
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Checking the Box
“Either these things are only happening one or two places on campus, or they’re written down on paper somewhere but not actually in practice. Something doesn’t add up.”
Vice President for Academic AffairsState University System
66%
38%
49%
77%
53% 51%
Campus A Campus B Campus C
6-Year Grad Rate Peer Group Average
Despite Prevalence of High-Impact Practices, Each Campus Lagged Behind Peers
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52.0% 52.6%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Flat Graduation Rates, Despite Significant Student Service Investments
A Similar Story Nationwide
Source: ACT Research, Delta Cost Project, “Trends in College Spending, 2001-2011: A Delta Data Update,” 2014.
1) Data reflects share of first-time students who have received a bachelor’s degree within 5 years
Average growth in student services spending per student FTE AY 2001-2011
11%Average Five-Year Graduation Rates1
Public and Private US Universities
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9
Student Success Encompasses More Than Graduation Success
Beyond the Completion Binary
Defining Student Success by How It’s Measured
Access
Intellectual, Social, and Emotional
Development
Post-Graduation Financial Wellness
Degree Progress
Retention Completion ?Career
Engagement
Foundational Holistic
Progressive Outcomes
Student Success
Graduation Success
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10
Research on Retention and Long-Term Outcomes Confirms Critical Role
Faculty at the Center of Student Success
Source: Paul D. Umbach and Matthew R. Wawrzynski, “Faculty Do Matter: The Role of College Faculty in Student Learning and Engagement,” Research in Higher Education (2005); “The 2014
Gallup-Purdue Index Report,” Lumina Foundation (2014); EAB interviews and analysis.
Contributing to Well-Being
“[I]f graduates had a professor who cared about them as a person, made them excited about learning, and encouraged them to pursue their dreams, their odds of being engaged at work nearly doubled, as did their odds of thriving in their well-being … Feeling supported and having deep learning experiences means everything when it comes to long-term outcomes for college graduates … Yet few college graduates achieve the winning combination. Only 14% of graduates strongly agree that they were supported by professors who cared, made them excited about learning and encouraged their dreams.”
Great Jobs, Great Lives
The 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index Report
Contributing to Persistence
“In accordance with Chickering and Gamson, several researchers documented the strong association of both formal and informal faculty-student contact to enhanced student learning. These interactions influenced the degree to which students became engaged with faculty and were frequently the best predictors of student persistence (Braxton, Sullivan, & Johnson, 1997; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Pascarella & Terenzini; Stage & Hossler, 2000).”
Paul Umbach and Matthew Wawrzynski
“Faculty Do Matter: The Role of College Faculty in Student Learning and Engagement”
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Transforming the Institution Around Student Success
Engaging the Academy to Drive Change
Changing the Culture
Guiding Student Choice
Creating Support Infrastructure
The Curriculum
Co-Curricular Experiences
Administrative Services
Academic Support
• Milestone-based degree plans
• Early academic alerts
• Integrated career advising
• First year experience programs
• Financial distress monitoring
• Retention policy committee
• Professional intake advising
• Intervention tracking system
• Degree scenario planning tools
• Meta-majors and exploratory tracks
• Co-curricular major maps
• Structured engagement policies
• One-stop support portals
• Status alert notifications
• Multi-term registration
• Automated withdrawal advising
• Redesign high-failure courses
• Remove curricular barriers to completion
• Target mentoring at rising-risk students
• Promote best-fit major selection
• Revise academic policies
• Single-step referral process
• Support evolving advising models
• Utilize early warning systems
Defining the Faculty Role
Promoting Student Self-Direction
Hardwiring Student Success
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Individual and Collective Responsibilities to Guide Institutional Change
Six Roles for Faculty in Student Success
Enhance the Learning Experience4
Support Evolving Advising Models1
Redesign Academic Policies2
Remove Curricular Barriers to Completion 3
Mentor Rising-Risk Student Groups
Flag Signs of Student Risk5 6
Evaluating and scaling high-impact learning innovations across courses and disciplines
Building buy-in for, confidence in, and collaboration with central and professional advising staff
Garnering support for student-facing rule changes that promote persistence to degree
Considering student success in each stage of curricular decision-making
Equipping faculty with the right tools and techniques to maximize early warning systems
Targeting faculty engagement efforts toward students lacking a strong connection to campus
Sustaining Momentum Through Structured Accountability and Incentives
Determining the right metrics, organizational structures, and incentives to encourage improvement among central administrators, deans, department chairs, and frontline faculty
IndividualContribution
Collective Decision-Making
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13
Remove Curricular Barriers to Completion
Good-faith efforts can unintentionally hinder timely degree completion
Where Curricular Planning Breaks Down
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Departmental decisions can ignore impact on progression
Belief that 2-year institutions’ programslack required rigor
Unintended results harm students’ progress to graduation
Emphasis on open experimentation and small-scale pilots
New initiatives or changes never scale beyond initial enthusiasts; limited funding to sustain effort
Transfers from community colleges have to retake classes or undergo slow, case-by-case audits
Desire to ensure quality of students admitted to major
Overly strict requirements force students into last-minute major changes
Desire to be inclusive and build broad consensus
Meetings focused more on discussion than decision; limited capacity for analysis or technical implementation support
Committees and taskforces may falter over time
1 2
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Practice #1: DIY Enrollment Analysis Platform
Embedding Analytics-Driven Analysis into Decentralized Decisions
Arming Academic Units With Actionable Data
Source: University of Kentucky – Institutional Research & Advanced Analytics (www.uky.edu/iraa); EAB interviews and analysis.
Interactive charts allow users to sort academic data by department, college, class year, and demographics
Dedicated “super users” from each college meet biweekly to discuss and curate unit-level dashboards
Analytics platform is publicly available, streamlining the data-gathering and analysis process
Curated, queryable database enables instant answers to enrollment-related questions
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Institution Prompts Data Analysis, Follows Up with Plans
Practice #2: Leadership-Mandated Department Data Investigation
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Kickstarting the Use of Course-Level Data
Initial Push: Data dashboard created with course- and section level outcomes data
Limited Early Utilization: Use of data isolated to ‘usual suspect’ departments
Senior-level Nudge: Academic leaders begin identifying pain point courses and sections across campus
Hardwiring Data into Culture: VP for Instruction continues use of dashboard in ongoing improvement
University Data Investigation Guide
FROM: Provost
TO: Deans, Department Chairs
Subject: Course Success Report: Follow-up Required
Attached is a three-year trend report for courses with success rates less than 70%. I am asking each of you to please respond to me in writing about the courses in your areas of supervision by COB, October 31st. Please pay very close attention to the attached report, considering these questions1:
• Is the same faculty showing up several times? And, who isn’t showing up?
• Is the course an entry-level course where failure means that students can’t continue at a suitable rate of progression to finish the program or degree?
• Is a newer faculty member or adjunct teaching the course?
• Is the course one not required for a program or degree and, therefore, not necessary for completion and shouldn’t be assigned?
After you’ve answered these questions for EVERY COURSE in your division, please come up with a remediation plan for each OR an explanation for why a plan isn’t needed. Here are some ideas on remediation…
1) Question list shortened for space
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Prompt Must Include Clear Guidance and Next Steps
Source: EAB interviews and analysis
Overcoming Institutional Inertia
A Bolt of Lightning
“Sending out this email was a transformational bolt of lightning for our campus. People needed to know that we were paying attention to student success data. Once they realized that, they started to make huge changes…
Provost
Keys to Successful Data Interpretation Guides
Pose clear questions about what to look for in the data
Relate individual course questions to larger curricular concerns
Provide guidance on how to work with the faculty member to improve
Include a clear call to action and next steps for reviewers
Success Rates Climb as Dedicated Tutors Join the Class
The success rate has risen each year as students access in-class specialized supplemental instruction
3Identifying an Outlier Course
Science course stood out with its sub-60% success rate
Faculty Member Seeks Support for Her Students
The faculty memberrequested professional development and tutoring center support
1 2
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Redesign Academic Policies
Policy Decisions Have Direct and Indirect Effects on Student Progression
Faculty Influence Extends Beyond the Curriculum
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Registration Holds
Small, unpaid bursar fees lead to hundreds of stop-outs after registration hold
Course Planning
Departments plan sections one term at a time, limiting long-term planning
Withdrawal Process
Easy Yes/No prompt for course or institutional withdrawal leads to poor student decisions
Enrollment Status
Many students take light course loads without anticipating impact on time-to-degree
Progression-informed policy change
Emergency Grants
Students missing fee payments proactively counseled and assisted in exceptional cases
• 5-8% retention gain at Xavier University
Multi-term scheduling
Annual course planning period enables full-year course registration for students
• 3% retention gain at Cleveland State University
Withdrawal surveys
Automated advising prompts walk students through consequences and campus resources
• 40% of students starting survey retained at Penn State
Redefine “Full Time”
Students advised to take at least 30 credits per year unless they face serious conflicts
• Higher course loads led to higher GPAs and grad rates at University of Hawaii
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18Generation Z Brings New Challenges
Sources: Laurence Benhamou, “Everything you need to know about Generation Z,” Business Insider, 12 Feb 2015; EAB interviews and analysis.
• Expects authenticity - Expects demonstrated commitments to worthy causes
• Personalized – Prefers customized content
• Shared values -Needs to establish common ground to build trust, loyalty
• FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) - Needs to be in the loop; driven to connection via social media
• Tech driven – Prone to unplug, yet hyper connected; expects smart, flexible tech
• Digital natives- Comfortable with technology at a very early age
• Open to sharing – Puts lives online without filter
• Self-Educators – Uses online media; has seen it all
Genera
tional Tra
its
Messagin
g P
refe
rences
Touches 5+ devices
Engages in 3+ hours of screen time
Surfs 2 screens simultaneously
Is social media savvy from an early age
Prefers to swipe over type
Uses images over text (TLDR – Too Long,
Didn’t Read)
Expects an app for everything (banking,
dinner reservations, etc.)
Generational Traits Ages (13-21)Focus: Practical, Open, Connected
Marketing or Communication PreferencesFocus: Humanity, Collaboration, Sharing, Personal
Traits, Preferences of Today’s Students Manifested in Lifestyles
A Typical Day in the Life of a Gen Z’er
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Traditional Term Lengths Increase Opportunities for “Life to Get in the Way”
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Student Obstacles Pile Up
College Students Susceptible to the Wheel of Misfortune
Housing Instability
Car Breakdown
Medical Emergency
Job LossFamily Emergency
Loss of Childcare
Food Insecurity
Shift Change at Work
College Student
Longer Terms, Larger Gamble
“In 16-week courses, we have students that are passing with A’s and when they hit the 12th week of class they just stop coming because something happened in life and they lost out…
The 16-week semester gives many opportunities for something to happen and for life to get in the way.”
Director of Institutional ResearchPublic College, Texas
©2018 by EAB. All Rights Reserved. eab.com
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A Silent Epidemic Is Coming to Campus
Source: National Institute of Mental Health, “Major Depression Among Adolescents,” https://goo.gl/KSk7xT; Olfson M et al, “Trends in Mental Health Care among Children and Adolescents,” The New England Journal of Medicine, https://goo.gl/3GjjFn; Merikangas K
et al, “Lifetime Prevalence of Mental Disorders in US Adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication…,” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, https://goo.gl/apDwDe;” EAB interviews and analysis.
1) A major depressive episode is characterized as suffering from a depressed mood for two weeks or more, and a loss of interest or pleasure in everyday activities, accompanied by other symptoms such as feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, anxiety, and worthlessness.
Depression and Anxiety on the Rise Among Teens
11.9%
12.1% 13.7%
16.2%
17.3%
4.4% 4.5%4.7% 5.3% 5.7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Girls Boys
Escalating Rates of Depression
Past Year Major Depressive Episode¹ Among Adolescents, By Gender (2011-2015)
Intensified Expectations
Students face early and persistent pressure to academically excel, fit in socially, and be successful after graduation
New Parenting Styles
Highly involved parenting creates busy, overscheduled, failure-averse students who struggle to adapt to challenges as they arise in college
Social Media
Time spent online amplifies existing stressors and contributes to an overwhelming sense of social isolation on campus
Substance Abuse
Students look to drugs and alcohol to relax; use prescription drugs to focus, work late into the night
Political Climate
Stress from current events and politics exacerbates students’ existing issues with stress, anxiety, and depression
External Factors Driving Up Demand
5xRate at which counseling center utilization outpaced enrollment growth
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21
Source: Brandon Busteed and Sean Seymour, “Many College Graduates Not Equipped for Workplace Success,” Business Journal, 2015.
The “Big Six” Experiences
“Big Six” ExperienceOdds of being retained if students had this experience
Strongly agree they had this experience
Had at least one professor who madethem excited about learning
2.0x higher 63%
Had professors or staff members who cared about them as a person
1.9x higher 27%
Had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams
2.2x higher 22%
Worked on a project that took a semester or more to complete
1.8x higher 29%
Had an internship or job that allowedthem to apply what they were learning in the classroom
2.0x higher 29%
Was extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations
1.8x higher 20%
©2019 by EAB. All Rights Reserved. eab.com
22
Emphasis on Curriculum Leaves Underlying Problems Untreated
Supporting Academic Flexibility Through Advising Clusters
Academic Advising Too Narrow in Focus
Major Selection
Financial Concerns
Personal andSocial Issues
Curricular Concerns Are Only the Tip of the Iceberg
Course Registration
Advisors focus on immediate need
Long-term risks unaddressed
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23
Improving Efficiency to Extend More Care to More Students
Population Health Management
Moderate Risk High Risk Low Risk
Enable Effective Self-DirectionProvide easy access to information to leverage students themselves
Coordinate Efficient High-Touch CareWork closely with students and manage their interactions with support offices
Proactively Monitor and InterveneCreate an analytics “safety net” to catch common problems before they escalate
Differentiated Care Strategies
High-Touch Care
Proactive Intervention
Preventative Measures
Preventative Measures
Preventative Measures
Proactive Intervention
Time and Cost Savings
Learn more
Source: EAB interviews and analysis
PHM White Paper
• Understand the theory
• Make the case to peers
PHM Diagnostic
• Assess your readiness
• Decide where to start
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24
Inconsistent Contact and Conflicting Advice Jeopardize Persistence
Supporting Academic Flexibility Through Advising Clusters
No One Accountable for Students’ Success
Students shuffled between support units with no main point of contact
Institutional staff uncoordinated, unaccountable, and underutilized
Conflicting Advice
Major advisors, faculty, staff, and peers send mixed messages about requirements and recommended pathways to graduation
Difficult to Navigate
Student expected to find appropriate information and support on their own, with little coordination between organizational units
No Personal Connection
Student sees variety of different staff members in short, transactional interactions; feels like just a number
Limited Information
Each faculty and staff member starts over with student, missing critical background information, context, and longitudinal reference data
No Performance Evaluation
Impossible to assess and incentivize student coaching since no individual or unit is held responsible for a student’s success or failure
Can’t Track Compliance
No one monitoring student compliance with services and activities prescribed by advisors or following up to check on progress
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25The Evolution of Advising
Professional Advising
Student Success
SpecializationsFirst-year seminarsPersonal counselingFinancial advisingCareer advising
Academic Planning
Course selectionMajor guidance
Holistic Advising
Student Success
Academic Performance
Academic Planning
FinancialWell-Being
Career Preparation
Scholarship
Advising (Mentoring)
Research Teaching
Service
Faculty Advising
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26Unbundling the Advising Process
Dozens of Discrete Problems Require Variety of Roles on Campus
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27Clarify Who Does What
Formalize the Role of Faculty to Allow Investment in Other Kinds of Advising
FacultyProfessional Advising
and Other Support Staff
• Mentoring
• Career Guidance
• Long-term Planning
• Degree Roadmap Planning
• Gen Ed Course Selection
• Major Course Selection
• Schedule Planning
• Major Declaration
• Registration Support
• Course Articulations
• Early Alert Resolution
• Financial Counseling
• Fostering Belonginess
• Resolving Personal Issues
Ask the faculty to decide what student needs they can and
want to fulfill
Faculty Will Do Advisors Will DoStudent Advising Needs
Standardizing practice enables better training and a better student
experience
Clarifying expectations for faculty engagement
allows you to assign remaining the advising
needs to staff
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Eliminating Silos Allows for More Efficient and Effective Care
Aligning Student Support
Financial support
Advising support
Career support
Academic support
Personal support
Benefits of Alignment
• Eliminate conflicting priorities and goals
• Foster clear decision making and accountability
• Simplify points of contact for students
• Improve information flow (student records and data)
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29
Supporting Major-Switchers Through Cluster Advising
Supporting Academic Flexibility Through Advising Clusters
Promoting Continuity in Academic Advising
The Old Thinking The New Thinking
Advisors assigned based upon institutional structures and departments; often requiring reassignments for major switching
Student movement through the institution dictates advisor caseloads; optimizing consistency despite major switching
Degree Plan Advisor B
Advisor AAdvisor A
Cluster Advising Model Adjusts Thinking to Account for Student Movement
©2019 by EAB. All Rights Reserved. eab.com
30
How do students flow in and out of majors at the institution?
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Mapping Student Pathways to Degree
▪ Advisors trained in set of thematically-related majors and a sub-set of common destination majors
▪ Goal: 80% of students remain with the same advisor despite major switching
▪ Analysis of first and last major for 5 years of student records reveals significant student migration across the institution
Of students graduate in 1 of 10 majors
65%
Of students switch majors at least once
75%
Map Historical Paths to Degree
Categorize Majors by Student Flow Patterns
Assign Advisors to Major Clusters
Examine requirements for majors in clusters to promote coordinated prerequisites
Next Steps
▪ Four types of major identified based on student flow patterns:
– Donor Majors:Students exit these programs and few enter
– Acceptor: Students enter these majors from other programs
– Pivot: Students equally enter and exit these majors
– Static: Very few students enter or exit
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31
Step 1: Identify Historical Patterns of Student Attrition
Imperative #6: Best-in-Class Risk Assessment
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Holistic Assessment of FY Attrition Risk
Isolating Characteristics Associated with Higher Risk of Withdrawal
▪ Commuter status
▪ Students who are not from East of the Connecticut River (international, out of state, West of River)
▪ Federal Loans
▪ FAFSA choice
▪ High School GPA
▪ High School District
▪ Athlete
▪ Admissions Rating
▪ Males
▪ STEM Majors
Withdrew in Good Standing
Academic Risk Factors
Predictive in Both Models
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32
Step 2: Create an Initial Risk Profile Based on Pre-Enrollment Data
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Assessing Risk of Incoming Class
High Risk of Academic Probation
Low Risk ofAcademic Probation
Targeted Advising Cohort Structure
High Withdrawal Risk
Low Withdrawal
Risk
Cohort 2Tutoring
Cohort 4Monitor
Cohort 3Engaged
Cohort 1Intensive
▪ Students assigned to cohorts based on attrition risk and forecasted academic performance. Initial placement can be adjusted based on student behavior
▪ Interventions are targeted to students differently based upon their assignment. Professional advising staff prioritize interaction frequency based on a student’s assigned risk cohort
▪ Caseload model facilitates tracking of student performance to advisors
Active Ingredients
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Flag Signs of Student Risk
Source: Mississippi State University – Pathfinders Program; James Barron and Philip Jensen, “Midterm and First-Exam Grades Predict Final Grades in Biology Courses,” Journal of College Science Teaching
(Nov/Dec 2014); “What Works in Student Retention,” Habley et al. (2010); EAB interviews and analysis.
1) Based on assumed course load of 15 credit hours over a 15-week semester
Don’t Let Classroom Contact Go to Waste
Faculty-Student Interactions Aid Risk Identification and Engagement
Average first semester student hours spent…
1 225…In an advising office …In a classroom1
Powerful predictive metrics right under our noses
In response, extensive deployment of early warning systems in higher ed
74%Public Universities
78%Private Universities
68%Community Colleges
1.6First-year GPA gap between students with and without attendance problems
(Mississippi State University, 2013)
In all cases analyzed, midterm and first-exam grades strongly predicted final grades … Midterm and final grades were also strongly correlated in a variety of other academic disciplines at the liberal arts college, including the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine arts.”
James Barron & Philip Jensen
Journal of College Science Teaching (2014)
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Flag Signs of Student Risk
System Design Only Part of the Challenge
Getting from Acceptance to Buy-In
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Achieve Full AdoptionGarner Initial Support
0-50% Compliance
(Among target faculty)
50-100% Compliance
(Among target faculty)
Faculty and staff trained on early warning system
Reporting and response processes are clear
Faculty convinced of system’s impact
Processes customized to promote further use
Early warning design requirements
Customization and impact analysis
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Practice #10: Early Warning Design Requirements
Early Alert Processes Should Be Simple, Strategic, and Sensitive
Allay Initial Concerns by Streamlining System
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Student Privacy
• Faculty, advisors, RAs, and support staff able to submit alerts, but full access limited
Follow-up
• Faculty informed of alert receipt, as well as progress and resolution of cases
All-Inclusive
• Single system for logging academic, attendance, and behavioral alerts
Single Referral
• Faculty given option to suggest specific response, but able to send all alerts to single office
Includes Assistants
• Train graduate and teaching assistants to ensure coverage of introductory course sections
Target High-Risk Courses and Students
• Focus compliance efforts at highest-impact populations
Positive Messaging
• Students encouraged to take clear action steps, rather than simply alerted of risk
Flexible Faculty Role
• Faculty able to decide whether and how to get involved with student issues
Making it Simple
Addressing Faculty Concerns
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Practice #11: Adjustable Alert Parameters
Instructor-Specific Time Window and Grade Scale Improve Adoption
Allow for Flexible Application
Source: WVU Early Alert Program; EAB interviews and analysis.
Faculty asked to determine best early assessment point
Faculty asked to report whether students are “on track” or “off track”
Week 3 Week 6
Faculty able to choose and prioritize resources sent to students
1
4
2
3
Office hours
Supplementary instruction
Tutoring center
Departmental resource
Typical: Early warning office dictates response
Typical: Single grade threshold for institution
Typical: Standard early grade deadline
-
On Track
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Practice #12: Effectiveness-Focused Feedback
Alerts Aim to Address Students’ Needs, Not to Punish Bad Teaching
Illustrating Impact
Source: “The Effectiveness of Early Alert (FLAGs) on Math Tutoring, Grades, and Student Success,” Indiana University Northwest; EAB interviews and analysis.
More than Compliance at Stake
“If instructors and staff are not aware of how the systems work or why they are structured the way they are, and if the only messages they receive about it are regarding participation, a significant opportunity for campus-wide discussions about retention and student success has been missed.”
“Early Alert Project Action Team: Final Report”
Western Michigan University (2014)
1 2Promotion and compliance messaging should come from academic leaders
Demonstrate increased utilization of support services and effect on grades, retention
28%48%
72%52%
No Tutoring Tutoring
FailedPassed
• Provost reminds faculty each term of relationship between early risk indicators and attrition
• Department chairs and deans contact faculty who fail to submit necessary alerts (not central support office or academic advisors)
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Summary of Key Insights
Flagging Early Signs of Risk
1Class attendance, early academic performance, and concerning behavioral cues are strong predictors of ultimate success, yet institutions struggle to attain the compliance needed among faculty to collect and act on these data.
2Early warning systems should streamline the reporting process by using a single interface and referral point, and compliance efforts should focus on high-risk student groups in introductory courses.
3 Allow instructors to customize the design, timing, and remediation strategies linked to early warning systems (within a reasonable range).
4Evaluate and regularly communicate the impact of early warning systems on support resource utilization, course grades, and GPA to overcome faculty skepticism.
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Overcoming Self-Selection
Engagement as Retention Strategy
Involvement, or what is increasingly being referred
to as engagement, matters and it matters most
during the critical first year of college. What is less
clear is…how to make it happen in different
settings and for differing students in ways that
enhance retention and graduation.”
Vincent Tinto
Research and Practice of Student Retention: What Next?
Source: Vincent Tinto, “Research and Practice of Student Retention: What Next?” Journal of College Student Retention, Vol. 8(1) 1-19, 2006-7.
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The Engagement Gap
Disengaged students persist to upper division but lack faculty connection needed to complete
Support Services and Enrichment Activities Miss Most Students
Early Neglect Can Lead to Late Attrition
High Flyer Programming
• Living and learning communities
• Undergraduate research
• Study abroad
• Internship and field experiences
• Independent study
• Honors college
• TRIO student support services
• Intensive coaching programs
• Tutoring and supplemental instruction
• Academic skills development workshops
• Math workgroups
High-Risk Support
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
We have a ton of programming aimed at both the top 10 percent and the
bottom 10 percent of our incoming class. Unfortunately, we hadn’t done as
much for all the students in the middle.”
Paul Chinowsky, Associate Vice Provost for Student Success
University of Colorado - Boulder
31%Of students with a first-year GPA between 2.0 and 3.0 drop out between their second and sixth year.1
1) EAB analysis of 740,000 students at 73 public and private universities in the US (2014 “Murky Middle Project,” SSC)
Mentor Rising-Risk Student Groups
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Practice #13: Targeted First-Year Mentor Matching
Deploying Mentoring Efforts to Proactively Address Long-Term Risk
Where Faculty Can Help
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
The Faculty-Student Mentor Program
University of Colorado Boulder
z
Outreach targets first-year students not involved in a Residential Academic Program (~50%)
1
100 volunteer faculty mentors lead weekly “fireside chats” around known obstacles and student questions
2
z
Information gathered from conversations used to inform first-year programming
4
Faculty given resource guides and training on what questions to refer to specialists
3
• Program created by Faculty Assembly to address upper-division success
• Students encouraged to sign up at orientation and throughout summer
• Students are matched to mentors based on interests and major choice
• Online sign-up form gathers critical information to assess risk (anticipated credit load, employment plans, concerns)
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From Stepping Stone to Disciplinary Destination
Predicting Preventable Transfer Losses
Practice #14: High-Flyer Transfer Intervention
Source: Delta Cost Project “Measuring the Costs of Attrition”; National Clearinghouse Transfer and Mobility Report; EAB interviews and analysis.
33%Attrition that occurs after the 2nd year in good academic standing
40%Of leavers have estimated GPAs above 3.25
37%Of all first-time students transfer or enroll at a different institution at least once within 6 years
Proactive Identification of Engagement Risk
Orientation survey, involvement analysis, or advisor referral prompts mentoring outreach
Students Matched with Faculty Mentors
Meeting with faculty in desired program to discuss opportunities for co-curricular involvement
Reactive Engagement Monitoring
Transcript requests analyzed to identify potential transfer risks—students connected with faculty mentor
Matriculation GraduationTra
nsfe
r
Exit Survey
Diagnose motivation to inform attrition analysis
1 2 3
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Summary of Key Insights
Mentoring Rising-Risk Student Groups
1Most institutions have abundant programming available for first-year students, but the majority of resources are aimed at either students in need of academic support or high flyer / honors students.
2Target faculty mentoring programs at students who lack a strong connection to campus. While many unengaged students persist for one or two years, they frequently stop out or transfer later on in their career.
3 Ensure that mentors are equipped with background information about student mentees and guides on critical topics to address prior to meetings.
4Evaluate students’ likelihood to transfer upon matriculation (proactively) and in the event of transcript requests (reactively), and connect them with faculty mentors to discuss co-curricular opportunities.
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Departments Quick to React to Now-Visible Performance Gaps
Measurement Spurs Grassroots Innovation
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.
Local Curricular Reforms
Aligning pre-requisites with local community colleges: Biology department adjusted introductory curriculum to better suit transfer students
Greater Investment in Student Support
Lasting Cultural Change
Clarifying each unit’s role in contributing to institutional performance goals: Unprecedented awareness of how the actions of each department add up to ultimate success or failure
1
2
3
Revitalizing first-year instruction: Low-enrollment science programs shifted from “weeding freshmen out” to more engaged pedagogy
Increasing instructional support for at-risk groups: Psychology department added supplemental instruction to address noticeable achievement gap
Requiring four-year degree plans: Share of all first-year students with complete degree plans grew 45% in first two years of assessment
Preempting performance-based funding: Faculty, staff, and unit leaders acclimated to culture of evaluation and focused on continuous improvement, without top-down system dictate
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Khadish O. FranklinDirector, Research Advisory Services