Partnering for Student Success: The University of South Carolina

1
Partnering for Student Success The University
of South Carolinas Early Intervention Initiative

• Chrissy Coley, Ph.D.
• Director of Retention and Planning
• 2006 Annual Conference on The First-Year
  Experience Atlanta, GA

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Goals of this Session

• Review the literature/research on student success
  and class attendance
• Highlight best institutional practices/models as
  they relate to early warning systems
• Discuss the development and implementation of
  USCs Early Intervention Initiative
• Review the results/assessment findings of the
  intervention
• Share recommendations based on what we have
  learned this year

3

• Review of the Student Success Literature and
  Research

4
Literature on High-Performing Institutions
Student Success in College (2005 AAHE)

• Highlights DEEP institutions (Documenting
  Effective Educational Practices) from National
  Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• DEEP Institutions clearly mark routes to student
  success through
• Acculturation instilling values, articulating
  what successful students do, and teaching
  students how to make use of resources
  (orientation, bridge programs)
• Alignment connecting the institutions mission
  and resources with students abilities and needs
  (early warning systems, academic advising
  systems)

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Literature on High-Performing Institutions What
Works in Student Retention (2004 ACT)

• Learning Support
• supplemental instruction, comprehensive learning
  assistance centers, summer bridge programs,
  tutoring programs, and reading centers
• Academic Advising and Monitoring
• early interventions with selected student
  populations, integration of advising with
  first-year transition programs, academic advising
  centers some combined with career/life planning
• First-Year Programs
• freshman seminars, learning communities, and
  integration of advising with first-year programs

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Literature on High-Performing Institutions

• Raising the Graduation Rates of Low-Income
  College Students (2005 Pell Institute)
• Intentional, intrusive academic advising
• Systems for monitoring student progress and
  intervening when problems arise
• Role of Academic and Non-Academic Factors in
  Improving College Retention (2004 ACT)
• Academic-Related Skills
• Academic Self-Confidence
• Academic Goals

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Relationship Between 1st Year Grades and
Persistence to Degree Completion

• Borrowers Who Drop Out (National Center for
  Public Policy and Higher Education's May 2005
  report)
• Regardless of borrowing status, more than half
  of those who dropped out had a grade point
  average of less than 2.25 in the first year they
  were enrolled." This data was based on freshmen
  enrolling in 4-year institutions in 1995-96.

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Research on Class Attendance and Academic
Performance

• Richie and Hargrove (2005) note that researchers
  have consistently found a significant negative
  correlation between absences and grades (p.
  396).
• Brocato, J. (1989). How much does coming to
  class matter? Some evidence of class attendance
  and grade performance. Educational Research
  Quarterly, 13, 2-6.
• Hammen, C. S., Kelland, J. L. (1994).
  Attendance and grades in a human physiology
  course. Advances in Physiology Education, 12,
  S105-S108.
• Schuman, H., Walsh, E., Olson, C., Etheridge,
  B. (1985). Effect and reward The assumption
  that college grades are affected by quantify of
  study. Social Forces, 63, 945-966.

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Research on Class Attendance and Academic
Performance

• Friedman, Rodriguez, and McComb (2001) found that
  the higher the GPA of the students in our study,
  the fewer absences they had. Thus our results
  suggest that students who receive better grades
  have fewer absences from their classes (p. 128).
• From Why students do and do not attend
  classes Myths and realities. College Teaching,
  49(4), 124-133.

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Research on Class Attendance and Academic
Performance

• Clump, Bauer, and Whiteleather (2003) compared
  General Psychology students who were present on
  days in which unannounced quizzes were given with
  those who were not present.
• They found that attending class significantly
  increased the number of correct answers on a unit
  test over the material and on overall test
  scores, which appears to support this notion that
  attending class is very influential on a
  students grade (p. 222).
• From To attend or not to attend Is
  that a good question? Journal of Instructional
  Psychology, 30, 220-224.

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Research on Class Attendance and Academic
Performance

• Richie and Hargrove (2005) conducted 2
  experimental studies with 345 students enrolled
  in freshman English classes in 2000-2001.
  (Freshman Academic Performance and Retention
  project)
• Students in the intervention group received
  telephone calls when they reached an excessive
  number of absences.
• They had significantly fewer absences and higher
  grades (plt.01) than students in the control
  groups. They were also retained at higher rates
  to Fall 2001.
• From An analysis of the effectiveness of
  telephone intervention in reducing absences and
  improving grades of college freshmen. Journal of
  College Student Retention, 6(4), 395-412.

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Research on Factors Related to Class
Attendance

• Wyatt, G. (1992) found that
• Time spent studying was associated negatively
  with absenteeism
• Frequency of alcohol consumption was associated
  positively with absenteeism from disliked courses
• Being female was associated positively with
  absenteeism from liked and disliked courses
• The previous semesters gpa was associated
  negatively with absenteeism from disliked courses
• From Skipping class An analysis of
  absenteeism among first-year college students.
  Teaching Sociology, 20, 201-207.

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Why Students Do Attend Class Friedman,
Rodriguez, and McComb (2001)

• Attendance Reasons Related to Behavior (plt.001)
  in Descending Order
• I believe I should attend (not going makes me
  feel guilty).
• The teacher notices and cares when I am there.
• Absences above a minimum affect my grade.
• I like participating in this class.
• I want to ask questions in class.
• We work on assignments or projects in class.
• The amount of my class participation affects my
  grade.
• I am interested in the course content.

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Why Students Miss Class Friedman, Rodriguez,
and McComb (2001)

• Absence Reasons Related to Attendance Behavior
  (plt.001) in Descending Order
• Attendance is not taken or does not influence my
  grade.
• The teacher doesnt notice or care whether I am
  there.
• Course content is available from another source.
• I felt tired or overslept because I had fun the
  night before.
• The teacher is repetitious, confusing, or boring.
• I dislike the subject matter.
• I did an assignment/studied for another class.
• It is my first or last class of the day.

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• Development of The University of South
  Carolinas Early Intervention Initiative

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January February 2005

• Hiring of Director of Retention and Planning
• Review of the literature/research
• Identification of institutional models for early
  intervention initiatives

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Primary Model Mississippi State Universitys
Pathfinders Program

• Mississippi State University's research indicated
  that students missing excessive class sessions in
  any one course during their first semester earned
  significantly lower gpas and were less likely to
  be retained than students who did not miss class
  excessively.
• MSUs Pathfinders Program started in 1998 in
  response to this data.
• The program coordinates Resident Assistant
  interventions with first year students reported
  by faculty members as missing 2 classes.
• Retention and graduation rates have increased
  since the implementation of this initiative.
• For more information, visit http//www.ssrc.msst
  ate.edu/fresh/

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Other Institutional Models

• University of Florida -- Tracking program
• Clemson University -- Freshman Academic Success
  Program 4th-5th weeks of class
• Mercer University Advising sessions at the 4th
  8th weeks of class
• University of Connecticut Mid-term
  interventions with 1st year students earning Ds
  and Fs
• University of Louisville Early Warning Alert
  system
• Columbia College First Year Student Success Team

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March April 2005

• Identification of key academic and student
  affairs partners
• Facilitation of discussion and planning meetings
  to review the literature/best practices,
  prioritize issues, establish goals, and develop a
  USC-specific model through consensus-building
• Key players Retention and Planning, University
  101, Counseling and Human Development, Residence
  Life, Student Disability Services, Financial Aid

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Rationale for Implementing an Early Intervention
Program at USC

• Early intervention programs help students address
  issues and get to important campus resources
  before problems become too overwhelming to
  overcome.
• Millennial students are accustomed to receiving
  clear directions for success and frequent
  monitoring of and feedback on their progress.
• First-year students may need more explicit
  guidance with respect to the expectations and
  demands of college courses. (2003 YFCY)

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Rationale for Using Class Absences as USCs Early
Intervention Red Flags

• Absences give the instructor an objective,
  tangible point at which to intervene.
• Absences can be an early indicator that a student
  is experiencing issues with academic-related
  skills, academic self-confidence, or academic
  goals.
• Absences can be an early indicator that a student
  is experiencing serious emotional, mental, or
  physical health issues.
• Absences are usually an earlier measure of
  progress than grades on tests or assignments.

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Class Absence Early Intervention Initiative

• Purpose To intervene with students who are
  excessively absent from class so that they can
  overcome obstacles that prevent them from meeting
  their academic responsibilities and to connect
  them with helpful campus resources before their
  problems become too overwhelming
• Overall Goal Enhance student success through
  early interventions, campus partnerships, and
  data collection and analysis

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Class Absence Early Intervention Initiative

• Target population Students enrolled in
  University 101 and English 101/102
• Small class sizes (manageable for monitoring
  attendance)
• High percentage of first year students enrolled
  in at least one or both of these courses
• Student success focus
• Support of the directors of these programs
• What we are trying to do here is offer help and
  guidance to our students before they find
  themselves facing seemingly insurmountable
  difficulties. (Dan Berman, Director of
  University 101)

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Components of Class Absence Early Intervention
Initiative

• Beginning of semester Clear and positive
  articulation of attendance expectation by
  instructor
• At 2nd absence Instructor intervenes with
  student
• At 3rd absence Instructor refers name of
  student to Retention and Planning through the
  Excessive Absence Report Form (on website)
• Excessive Absence Responders (Residence Life,
  Multicultural Student Affairs, Greek Life,
  Student Disability Services, and Athletics)
  intervene with student
• At 4th absence Instructor refers student to the
  Class Absence Reflection (CAR) Group sponsored by
  Counseling and Human Development

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Role of Excessive Absence Responders

• Make personal contact with the student
• Inform the student they have been made aware of
  his/her class absences through official capacity
  with USCs EII (FERPA allows disclosure to
  university officials with legitimate educational
  interests)
• Emphasize that they and the instructor care about
  the students academic success and personal
  well-being
• Explain that attending class is essential for
  succeeding academically at USC
• Explore the situation with the student to see if
  it would be helpful to refer him/her to other
  campus resources
• Document intervention with Dir. of
  Retention/Planning

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Role of the Class Absence Reflection (CAR) Group

• The goal is for you to have an opportunity to
  think out loud about your specific
  circumstances, academic goals, priorities, and
  habits in order to improve your performance at
  USC.
• The professional staff at the Counseling Center
  is trained to help people think about issues in
  their lives that are somehow impeding their
  personal goals or satisfaction. If you are
  missing classes your risk of failure at USC will
  increase. The group participants will share
  problems and strategies for dealing with college
  life.

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May June 2005

• May
• University 101 Instructor Training
• June
• E-mail to U101 instructors with letter of support
  from Dan Berman (Director U101)
• Website developed http//www.sa.sc.edu/retention/e
  ii.htm
• Instructor Guidelines
• Excessive Absence Report Form
• CAR Brochure and Optional Essay Questions

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August - November 2005

• August
• English 101 Instructor Training
• Letter to U101/English 101 instructors from Russ
  Haber (Director of CHDC) and Chrissy Coley
  (Director of Retention and Planning)
• Follow-up e-mail with website link
• Training of Excessive Absence Responders
• September - November
• Phone call reminders to U101 instructors (Sept.)
• Instructor interventions and referrals
• Excessive Absence Responder interventions
• Class Absence Reflection Group sessions

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Role of the Director of Retention and Planning

• Serve as primary coordinator of the EIIs
  implementation (communication with partners,
  instructor/responder training, PR, assessment,
  etc)
• Create and maintain case file for each referred
  student
• Forward names of referred students to excessive
  absence responders
• Intervene with students not falling in an
  excessive absence responders functional area
• Monitor interventions and follow up with
  instructors
• Serve as a support/resource to instructors

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• Fall 2005 Assessment of the Early Intervention
  Initiative

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Statistical Analyses

• Currently analyzing following data using SPSS
• Referring Instructors End of the Semester
  Progress Reports (total absences in course, final
  grade in course, perceived reasons for absences)
• Director of Retention and Plannings Case Files
  (excessive absence report forms, type of
  interventions, feedback following responder
  interventions)
• Data from University Data Management System (fall
  semester gpa, spring semester enrollment status,
  state of residency)
• Class Absence Reflection Group Attendance

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End of Semester Student Progress Reports

• 110 referrals (for 101 students) were made
  through Excessive Absence Reports
• 48 instructors (47 U101 and 1 English 101)
  referred students through this process
• Represented approximately 1/3 of U101 instructors
• Received 92 End of Semester Progress Reports for
  the 101 students referred
• Data on total absences, reasons for absences,
  types of interventions, perceived impact of
  intervention, and class grade

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Preliminary Findings of the End of Semester
Progress Reports

• Absences
• 50 had 4 or fewer absences
• 30 had 5-9 absences
• 20 had 10 or more absences
• Reasons for Absences (instructor perceptions)
• 1/2 for poor time management/lack of focus
• 1/3 for medical or health issues
• 1/3 for oversleeping
• Interventions
• 100 received an instructor intervention
• 75 received a responder intervention
• 10 attended the CAR Group

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Preliminary Findings of the End of Semester
Progress Reports

• Perceived Impact of Interventions on Student
  Attendance
• Yes 57
• Somewhat 15
• No 28
• Student End of Semester Grades
• A 32
• B 22
• C 7
• D 9
• F 18
• W 12

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End of Semester Evaluation of Referring
Instructors

• of instructors who responded that the following
  aspects of the Early Intervention Initiative were
  excellent or good
• Timeliness of Communication 93
• Clarity of the Guidelines 89
• Ease of the Form 71
• Helpfulness of Correspondence 61
• Assistance in Identifying Solutions 43
• Connecting with Needed Support 39
• Improving Attendance Patterns 36

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End of Semester Evaluation of Referring
Instructors

• 93 of participants responded that they would
  recommend the Early Intervention Initiative to
  another instructor.
• Participating in the EII really changed my
  behavior more than that of my students. I think
  I talked about attendance more and from a
  positive stance rather than a punitive stance.
• The program lets the student know that people on
  this campus care about them. Also, the program
  makes a very big point about attending classes.

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End of Semester Evaluation of Referring
Instructors

• It was nice having another person outside of my
  class reinforce the importance of attendance.
• It is helpful just to have the support for
  addressing the issue with students.
• For 2 of the 3 students I referred, it did
  improve their attendance and class participation.
  One student was very grateful that USC cared
  enough about him to follow up on the absences.
• For students who care, it works wonders. For
  those with no respect, its just a way to get
  absences excused.

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End of Semester Evaluation of Non-Referring
Instructors

• Why didnt some instructors refer students
  through the Excessive Absence Reporting process?
• Instructor met with the student about the
  absences and assessed an outside intervention was
  not needed at that time.
• Anecdotally, instructors are reporting that this
  is the first year they havent had students miss
  excessive classesgut reaction is the impact of
  their proactive and positive articulation of and
  attention to attendance.
• Recommendations?
• More training with the instructors about how to
  use the program will help instructors feel more
  confident about explaining to students why its
  important.

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Class Absence Reflection Group Student Self
Assessment

• 30 students attended CAR group sessions in Fall
  2005 (9 of these had also been referred through
  excessive absence reporting process)
• Top reasons students note for their absences
  ( responding often or sometimes)
• Out too late 41
• Partying 41
• Alcohol/drug use 37
• Feel class is not worthwhile 27
• Illness 23
• Feel Im over my head 19
• Professor is uninteresting 19

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Class Absence Reflection Group Student Evaluation

• ( responding absolutely or somewhat true)
• I have a better understanding of issues
  preventing me from getting to class 88
• I have a plan that I think will help me attend
  class more regularly 80
• I think knowing the university staff is
  interested in me helps me be more motivated 65
• I found the group helpful in clarifying my
  educational goals 61

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Class Absence Reflection Group Student
Post-Evaluation, cont.

• ( responding absolutely or somewhat true)
• I could benefit from continuing personal
  exploration with some individual counseling 61
• I think I will use some of the other campus
  services if I find I need them 57
• I could benefit from academic tutoring 56
• I need to make some adjustments to my social
  life 49
• I feel more motivated to attend classes because
  of what was discussed in this group 41

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• Insights and Recommendations Based on First
  Semesters Experience

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Challenges in Implementing a Class Absence Early
Intervention Initiative

• Philosophical Concerns
• Students are adults and should know and accept
  the consequences of their choices.
• Faculty autonomy in course decision-making
• Reluctance to turn in a student for absences
  (dont want to violate confidentiality or trust)
• Logistical Challenges
• Time intensive for instructors, responders, and
  coordinators
• Monitoring attendance in large lecture classes

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Recommendations for Implementing a Class Absence
Early Intervention

• Identify and partner with key players and allies
  involve in the planning process
• Take time to dialogue and incorporate different
  positions and needs
• Be flexible and open
• Listen
• Start where you can
• Convince faculty and administrators through data
  reporting (body of literature, campus research)
  use persuasion, not force

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Changes For Spring 2006 and Fall 2006

• Emphasize the positive nature of the
  interventions the purpose is to support
  students in becoming successful at USC
• Changing language from report to referral
• Encourage instructors to use their discernment
  and judgment in referring students
• Provide quicker, more consistent, and more
  specific communication with and support for
  instructors
• Improve content of training session with
  instructors
• Make the referral form shorter and easier to use
• Advertise CAR Group to all faculty and students

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Noted Impact of the Early Intervention Initiative
at USC

• My students said that the intervention really
  drove some issues home, made them feel less like
  a number, and provided the push they so
  desperately needed. It also made me feel good
  knowing your office was there to help! (U101
  Instructor)
• This programis a fantastic idea! Its another
  way to save some kids who can do the work but
  have other issues time management, health, etc.
  (U101 Instructor)
• The instructors appreciated having a sense there
  was a network of resources available to help them
  address some serious issues. (Coordinator of
  the Freshman English Program)

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Noted Impact of the Early Intervention Initiative
at USC

• Faculty and academic administrators are
  approaching us about attendance issues and how we
  can incorporate this effort in other courses.
• promoting awareness and dialogue
• It is fostering conversations and collaborations
  between academic and student affairs units.
• It is really about how we guide students
  throughout their Carolina experience. (Associate
  VP for Student Development)

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For Questions or More Information, Please Call

• Chrissy Coley, Ph.D.
• Director of Retention and Planning
• Division of Student Affairs
• University of South Carolina
• ccoley_at_gwm.sc.edu
• [phone]