Improving Student Success: Challenges and Opportunities

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Improving Student Success Challenges and
Opportunities

• Clayton State University

Student S
Student Success Forum Series
Nannette Commander, Ph.D. AVP Recruitment and
Retention Georgia State University ncommander_at_gsu.
edu
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OVERVIEW

• Introduction (history of major focus of higher
  education)
• Data regarding the current state of affairs
  Challenges (THE BAD NEWS)
• Opportunities, Best Practices (THE GOOD NEWS)
• SUMMARY

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INTRODUCTION

• Our nations long commitment to higher education
  has yielded the worlds best-educated workforce
• The college-enrollment rate for high school
  graduates was 50 in the 70s is closer to
  two-thirds today
• For many people, not a question of whether their
  children will go to school, but where they will
  go to school

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INTRODUCTION

• Evolving Issues
• 1960s and 1970s Access
• 1970s and 1980s Retention
• 1990s into the future - Success

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INTRODUCTION

• Student Success Increasing student persistence
  is a continuing concern in higher education

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CHALLENGES

• Less than 57 of students earn a degree from
  their first institution of enrollment
• 77 of high income students graduate in six years
• 54 of low income students graduate in six years
• (One Step From The Finish Line, The Education
  Trust, January 2005)

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CHALLENGES

• Fewer than four in 10 will graduate within four
  years
• Barely six in 10 will graduate in six years
• (A Matter of Degrees, 2004)

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CHALLENGES

• 40 of first generation students leave college
  without a degreethey are more likely to come
  from low income families
• The same low-income and minority students who are
  finally able to enroll in college are also the
  least likely to actually graduate
• (US Department of Education, August 2005)

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CHALLENGES

• Students from lower socio-economic backgrounds
  are less likely to attend high schools that offer
  high level courses
• The rigor of a students high school curriculum
  is the strongest indicator of whether he or she
  will earn a college degree..
• (Paths to Degree Completion, 2006)

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CHALLENGES

• Students lack understanding of what is required
  to be successful.
• How many hours did you study during a typical
  week in your last year of high school?
• 9 More than 10 hours
• 77 Five hours or less
• 49 Less than two hours a week!!
• (2005 CIRP Survey Public Four Year)

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CHALLENGES

• Students expectations of academic performance
• 35 report A/A- as their average high school
  grade
• 85 earned a B average of higher
• 60.8 expect to earn at least a B average in
  college
• (2005 CIRP Survey)

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CHALLENGES

• Many reasons students dont stay due to factors
  outside of institution
• Financial resources, family circumstances,
  motivation
• Preparation in K-12 education
• Decisions of state and federal lawmakers about
  policies and resources

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OPPORTUNITIES

• What institutions do MATTERS
• (even when we control for academic preparation of
  student body, availability of financial aid,
  institutional budgets for faculty and student
  advisingsome colleges do better than other,
  similar institutions)
• Institutions can CHOOSE TO IMPROVE
• THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS!

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OPPORTUNITIES

• Four critical factors for student success
• Engagement
• Teaching and Learning
• Data-driven Initiatives
• Institutional Leadership

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OPPORTUNITIES ENGAGEMENT

• Most students who dont graduate are not kicked
  out for academic or other reasons they just
  leave
• The more students connect, the less likely they
  are to disconnect (academically and socially)
• Most tenuous in first year, months, or even weeks
  of college

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OPPORTUNITIES ENGAGEMENT

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Survey results indicate that institutions that
  have better graduation rates do a better job than
  other campuses of creating a supportive campus
  environment, promoting student-faculty
  interaction, creating engaging learning
  experiences, and generally connecting to students

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EXAMPLES OF ENGAGEMENT

• Fla. State Univ.
• - African-American and White students graduation
  rates the same
• - advisers contact every student at least 3
  times a semester (either face-to-face, by
  telephone, or email)
• Alcorn State College for Excellence
• - concentrated program for freshmen and
  sophomores that students must complete before
  being admitted to major
• - retention rates increased from 50 to 75)

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OPPORTUNITIES MORE LEARNING, BETTER TEACHING

• Greater the level of students academic
  challenge, the higher the graduation rates (NSSE)
• Teaching valued as much as research in promotion
  and tenure
• Small class size
• Student-faculty interaction outside of class
• Course Redesign

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EXAMPLES OF FOCUS ON TEACHING

• St. Marys University 75 of students are
  Latino-overall graduation rate of 63.3
• School of Science, engineering and technology
  (SET) established learning objectives for each
  course as well as standards of learning for each
  major
• 75-page advisement handbook that outlines every
  required class and activity for students from
  their freshman to senior year

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OPPORTUNITIES USING DATA

• No longer a question of whether institutions can
  get the data they needits whether they invest
  in analyzing the data they have

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EXAMPLES OF USING DATA

• University of Connecticut-unusually small
  graduation rate gap for minority students
• Created a Retention and Student Success Task
  Force
• Data makes case for resources (added seven
  additional academic advisers to give students
  more guidance)
• Early Warning System based on mid-semester grades

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EXAMPLES OF USING DATA

• University of Northern Iowa one of highest
  graduation rates of any public Masters I
  institution
• Critical Path Analysis determined what it takes
  for students to complete a degree in various
  majors from beginning to end, mapped that process
  against its database of student course-taking
  patterns--found barriers to enrolling in courses
  for graduation

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OPPORTUNITIES INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP

• URGENT NEED HAS TO COME FROM THE TOP
• DEGREE TO WHICH INSTITUTION IS STUDENT-CENTERED
• WHATS THE PRIORITY OF THE INSTITUTION?

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OPPORTUNITIES INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP

• Leadership drives
• Student engagement
• Strong commitment to Teaching and Learning
• Use of data to improve

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EXAMPLES OF INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP

• Universities that intentionally implemented a
  series of reforms designed to improve student
  retention and graduation rates
• Syracuse University improved graduation rate12.3
  (68.8 in 1997 to 81.0 in 2003)
• Alcorn State improved graduation rate 14.5
  (33.4 in 1997 to 47.9 in 2003)

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NO SILVER BULLET TO SOLVING PROBLEMS

• NUMBER OF BEST PRACTICES-all include four
  critical factors of engagement, teaching and
  learning, data-driven decisions, and
  institutional leadership
• GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY- SEVERAL INITIATIVES
• Freshmen Learning Communities
• Sophomore Connections
• Course Redesign (Chemistry, Psychology)
• Supplemental Instruction
• Faculty Connections (Advisement)

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FRESHMEN LEARNING COMMUNITY (FLC) PROGRAM

• ACADEMIC PROGRAM WITH TWO PILLARS GSU 1010 New
  Student Orientation Course and Freshmen Learning
  Community (FLC) Program
• CLUSTER MODEL 25 Students Take Five Courses
  Together Centered Around Theme
• ANCHOR COURSE IN EACH FLC GSU 1010 New Student
  Orientation Course (50 Academic Theme, 50
  Orientation Topics)
• FLC COURSES General Education Core Courses That
  Apply To Any Major
• FLC INSTRUCTORS Over 60 Taught By Tenure-Track
  and Senior Faculty Members of the University

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DESCRIPTION

• FLC started Fall 1999-11 communities 295
  students (16 of freshmen class)
• Fall, 2005 45 communities 1,000 students (50
  of freshmen class)
• Fall, 2006 52 communities 1,300 students (55
  of freshmen class)

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DESCRIPTION

• FACULTY DRIVEN BUBBLE-UP STRATEGY
• Faculty members submit proposals reviewed by a
  university-wide faculty advisory committee for
  the creation of the FLCs
• More proposals submitted than accepted
• First-year seminar course counts as one course in
  the faculty members workload
• Credit resides in faculty members department

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DESCRIPTION

• Recipient of the Best Practices 2005 Competition
  Sponsored by the Board of Regents of the
  University System of Georgia
• Category of Academic Affairs

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DESCRIPTION

• US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT
• Listed FLC Program at Georgia State University as
  among the outstanding examples of academic
  programs that are believed to lead to student
  success
• Cited for Last Four Years 2003 - 2006

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DESCRIPTION

• INTEGRATED CURRICULUM GRANT PROGRAM
• Funding of summer grants for FLC faculty to work
  together to integrate their courses across
  academic disciplines
• Funding communicates the value placed on
  integrated curriculum
• Support for grants has steadily increased over
  the past five years
• Consistent growth in the number of submitted
  proposals and awarded faculty stipends

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BENEFITS

• Value added probably greater than measured
• Students most helped least likely to join
• NSSE FLC Cohort significantly better
• More engaged
• Greater perceived academic rigor
• Greater collaboration
• Greater faculty contact
• Focus Groups
• Academic Support
• Satisfaction
• Focus groups of 4 cohorts No negative comments!
• Students still in study groups in senior year

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BENEFITS

• GPA
• More courses (6-7 C or better even after 3
  years
• 1st term GPA significantly higher (p
• Cumulative GPA usually higher even after 2 years
• Retention
• Greater Freshmen to Sophomore retention (7-8)
  for FLC cohort
• Significantly greater (6-8) years 2-4
• Progress towards graduation
• More hours earned
• Graduation rates
• 4 year graduation rate 3.3 higher

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SUMMARY

• WHAT WE DO MATTERS (Choosing to Improve Voices
  from Colleges and Universities with Better
  Graduation Rates, by Kevin Carey, A report by The
  Education Trust, January, 2005)

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SUMMARY

• It matters whether institutions focus on
  engagement
• Freshmen Learning Communities
• New Student Seminars
• Sophomore Initiatives
• Faculty/Student interaction outside class
• Involvement in co-curricular activities

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SUMMARY

• It matters whether there is emphasis on quality
  of teaching and learning
• Supplemental Instruction
• Course Redesign
• Mentors for Junior Faculty
• Centers for Teaching and Learning
• Value of Teaching in Promotion Tenure process

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SUMMARY

• It matters whether institutions use data to
  discover patterns of student success
• Data driven decisions for change in policies and
  practice

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SUMMARY

• It matters whether campus leaders make student
  success a top institutional priority
• Institutional culture must be student-focused
• Students matter most
• Leaders must create incentives for faculty
• Bridge between academic affairs and student
  services

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SUMMARY

• Census numbers estimate that 19--almost one in
  fiveof adults age 25-34 fall into the category
  of some college, no degree.
• For many, going to college was their first, best,
  and last opportunity for economic mobility and
  success
• Institutions, like Clayton State University, can
  marshal resources and focus energies to maximize
  learning and success for as many undergraduate
  students as possible
• WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

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SUMMARY

• Applaud Clayton State for the Student Success
  Forum Series
• Indicates institutional value of student success
• Demonstrates Leadership of Institution
• Recognizes importance of faculty and academic
  professionals working together
• Listening to powerful voice of students