defining the faculty role in student success · 2020. 3. 2. · decrease in enrollment and revenue...

©2015 The Advisory Board Company • eab.com

Defining the Faculty Rolein Student SuccessIllinois State University

Academic Affairs Forum


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


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

http://www.wiche.edu/knocking


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


5

Who “Owns” Student Success On Your Campus?

An Organizational Dilemma


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


6

Self-Reported Activity Suggests Nearly Universal Adoption of HIPs

All the Pieces in Place


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


7

No Shortage of Best Practice Programs in Place, But Little to Show For It

Existence Does Not Equal Effectiveness


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


8

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

©2018 by EAB. All Rights Reserved. eab.com

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

https://www.eab.com/


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”


11

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


12

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


13

Remove Curricular Barriers to Completion

Good-faith efforts can unintentionally hinder timely degree completion

Where Curricular Planning Breaks Down


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


14

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

http://www.uky.edu/iraa

©2016 The Advisory Board Company • eab.com • 32365C

15

Institution Prompts Data Analysis, Follows Up with Plans

Practice #2: Leadership-Mandated Department Data Investigation


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


16

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


17

Redesign Academic Policies

Policy Decisions Have Direct and Indirect Effects on Student Progression

Faculty Influence Extends Beyond the Curriculum


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


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

http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-generation-z-born-in-the-digital-age-2015-2


19

Traditional Term Lengths Increase Opportunities for “Life to Get in the Way”


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


20

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


https://goo.gl/apDwDe


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%



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



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



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


https://www.eab.com/technology/student-success-collaborative/members/white-papers/what-can-population-health-management-teach-us


24

Inconsistent Contact and Conflicting Advice Jeopardize Persistence


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



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



26Unbundling the Advising Process

Dozens of Discrete Problems Require Variety of Roles on Campus



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



28

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)



29

Supporting Major-Switchers Through Cluster Advising


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



30

How do students flow in and out of majors at the institution?


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



31

Step 1: Identify Historical Patterns of Student Attrition

Imperative #6: Best-in-Class Risk Assessment


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



32

Step 2: Create an Initial Risk Profile Based on Pre-Enrollment Data


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



33

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)


34

Flag Signs of Student Risk

System Design Only Part of the Challenge

Getting from Acceptance to Buy-In


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


35

Practice #10: Early Warning Design Requirements

Early Alert Processes Should Be Simple, Strategic, and Sensitive

Allay Initial Concerns by Streamlining System


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


36

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


37

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)


38

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.

©2015 The Advisory Board Company • eab.com©2015 The Advisory Board Company • eab.com

39

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.


40

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


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


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


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

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

defining the faculty role in student success · 2020. 3. 2. · decrease in enrollment and revenue...

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