Promoting Student Success at The University of South Carolina

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Promoting Student Success at The University of
South Carolina

• Chrissy Coley, Julie Holliday, Katie Lynch, and
  Angela Street
• National Conference for the First Year Experience
  February 2007

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Purpose of this Session

• To discuss the proposal and implementation of
  USCs Student Success Center, including
• Relevant literature and data
• SSCs purpose and resulting organization and
  programmatic initiatives
• Cross-campus partnerships
• Recommendations for campuses considering this
  type of program

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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)
• Mark routes to student success through
  acculturation alignment
• What Works in Student Retention (2004 ACT)
• Learning Support, Academic Advising and
  Monitoring, First-Year Programs
• Raising the Graduation Rates of Low-Income
  College Students (2005 Pell Institute)
• Intentional, intrusive academic advising
• Systems for monitoring student progress and
  intervention
• Role of Academic and Non-Academic Factors in
  Improving College Retention (2004 ACT)
• Academic-Related Skills, Self-Confidence, and
  Goals

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Additional Research and Institutional Data Used
in Decision-Making

• NSSE issues of engagement
• CIRP issues of prior study habits
• College Student Inventory
• Student Satisfaction Inventory
• Institutional retention and graduation rates
• Impact of first year grades
• Impact of living on campus and being Greek
• Impact of maintaining LIFE Scholarship
• Student sub-population data
• Withdrawal data

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Goals of Student Success Initiatives at USC

• Coordinate personalized educational experiences
  (roadmaps for success)
• Provide intentional academic and personal support
  mechanisms
• Monitor students progress and intervene if
  problems arise
• Create effective communication channels
• Analyze campus policies and procedures
• Demonstrate USCs care for students
• The purpose of the Student Success Center is to
  coordinate a comprehensive array of resources and
  initiatives to promote student success, with the
  goal of enhancing learning and satisfaction, as
  well as retention and graduation rates.

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Student Success Center Organizational Chart
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Supplemental Instruction (SI)

• Established Fall 2005
• Peer assisted study sessions to review course
  content and integrate how-to-learn with
  what-to-learn (currently have 54 SI leaders)
• Focuses on high risk and historically challenging
  courses (30 DFW rate)
• Fall 2006 courses include introductory courses in
  Biology, Chemistry, Math, History, Psychology,
  Philosophy, Accounting, and Economics
• Research indicates that students attending SI
  earn higher grades and withdraw at lower rates
  than non-participants

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Supplemental Instruction

• Assessment and Promotion
• First Day of Class survey and presentations
• Attendance/Frequency of SI visits
• Grades and announcing differences to students
• SI session observations
• End of semester survey
• DFW rates
• Evaluation to students attend 2 sessions
• Focus Group
• Feedback from faculty (formal and information)

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Supplemental Instruction- Overview of Data

• Student Feedback SI
• helps you understand how to study more
  effectively for the tests
• provides you with the opportunity to interact
  with students to ask questions
• Faculty Feedback SI
• provides a peer to whom freshmen students can go
  with minimal intimidation. (BIOL 101)
• opens the door for help during a new set of
  times (evening hours) (PSYC 101)

• Fall 2006
• SI participants
• N2060
• Mean GPA 2.81
• SI non-participants
• N4695
• Mean GPA 2.64

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Tutoring

• Tutoring began January 22, 2007!
• Purpose
• To provide peer facilitated academic support to
  all USC students.
• One-on-One and small group tutoring services
  offered in historically difficult courses
  (100-300 level).
• Includes
• Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics,
  Foreign Languages, Physics, and Computer Science.
• We currently employ 17 tutors.
• Our tutors complete a tutor training program in
  accordance with the College Reading and Learning
  Association (CRLA).
• Our goal is to have the tutor training program
  certified by CRLA in fall 2007.

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Students Tackling Academic Recovery

• STAR
• The STAR program is specifically designed for
  students identified as scholastically
  deficient, but is open to any student wishing to
  learn strategies to improve academic performance.
• Goals of STAR are to help students
• Assess factors related to academic performance
• Become aware of campus resources
• Participate in learning sessions for relevant
  topics
• Learn to use the GPD/GPA calculator
• Make an Academic/learning plan
• STAR Workshop
• Students will have the opportunity to assess
  individual needs, identify resources, and create
  a strategic plan to achieve academic success.
• Students will be provided with a variety of
  materials and resources to help them get back on
  track.
• Presentations on time management, study skills
  and financial aid are also included.

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Feedback- Tutoring STAR

• Tutoring
• Tutoring in the Student Success Center has been
  very helpful, and I like that I can come to the
  same place to get tutoring in different
  subjects.
• My tutor knows the material well and can
  explain things to me in a way I understand.
• STAR- From Students
• What were the most valuable parts of the STAR
  Workshop?
• All the helpful tips from all the presenters, as
  well as all the handouts.
• I liked everything we talked about, especially
  ways to improve my GPA.
• Identifying obstacles that hindered my grades.

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Early Intervention Initiative

• Established Fall 2005
• Purpose Connect students struggling with
  academic success to additional campus resources
  before becoming overwhelmed. These campus
  resources are designed to help overcome specific
  obstacles preventing them from meeting their
  academic responsibilities.
• CAR Group
• ACE
• SI or Tutoring
• Out-of-State Mentoring or Transfer Mentoring
• Target population First Year Students,
  specifically those enrolled in University 101 or
  EN 101/102

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First Year Call Center

• Established Fall 2006
• Purpose Make first-year students feel welcome by
  informing them of important upcoming evens,
  discussing their satisfaction and challenges,
  while answering any questions or concerns they
  may have
• Completely mobile call center
• Wireless laptops and cell phones to make calls
• Call Center uses 10 trained Sophomore students as
  callers
• The First Year Call Center boasts a 77
  completion rate for the initial round of calls.
  Mark of completion includes conversation with
  students, parents or other household member, or
  voice mail message

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Early Intervention Initiatives Overview of Data

• Early Intervention Initiative
• Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.
  The help you provided was wonderful. I really
  appreciate your words of wisdom and guidance and
  dont know I would have made it through the
  semester if you hadnt contacted me.
• I think the process helped a great deal. He
  continued to communicate with me (the professor)
  subsequently and I think he gained much needed
  confidence.
• First Year Call Center
• Is the First Year Call Center really calling
  every first year student? Thats amazing! I wish
  this was around when I was starting.
• Taking the time to reach all first year students
  just to check in really shows the care and
  concern this university has for its students. Its
  an impressive accomplishment.

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Special Student Populations

• Transfer Students
• Out of State Students
• Students of Color
• Sophomores
• Students Who Lose Their Scholarships

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Special Student PopulationsResearch and
Assessment

• University Retention Committee Identified a high
  risk sub-population and chose transfer students
• Research was done to identify issues and best
  practices and major themes were found such as
• Institutional Connectedness/ Involvement
• Finding friends
• Academic Advising
• Orientation
• Over 200 Out of State Students Surveyed
• Students chose one or more challenges they face
  or are facing as an out of state student
• The results indicated
• Social Networks (Finding Friends and Social
  Outlets) 80
• South Carolina (Cultural Adjustment) 68
• Homesickness 78

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Transfer and Out of State Student Initiatives

• Mentoring Programs
• Blackboard Communities
• Mixers/Socials
• Success Seminars
• Out of State Student Trips
• Transfer and Out of State Student Success Guides
  and Manuals
• Initiatives for Students of Color, Sophomores and
  Students Who Lose Scholarships Fall 07

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Partnerships Within the Division of Student
Affairs

• Undergraduate Admissions
• Counseling Center/CAR Group (Creating Academic
  Responsibility)
• Residential Learning Initiatives
• Multicultural Student Affairs
• Student Disability Services/Student Assistance
  Program
• Financial Aid/Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Student Involvement Greek Life
• Student Health Services
• Orientation and Testing
• Career Center

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Partnerships With Academic and Other
Administrative Units

• National Resource Center for the First Year
  Experience University 101
• Library
• Freshman English
• Assistant and Associate Deans
• Academic Advisors
• Registrars Office
• Institutional Assessment and Compliance
• Center for Teaching Excellence
• Retention Committee

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Noted Impact of the Student Success Center 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
• Parents and academic advisors are contacting us
  about ways we can assist their students.
• 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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Recommendations for Implementing New Student
Success Initiatives

• 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 and start where you
  can
• Convince faculty and administrators through data
  reporting (body of literature, campus research)
  use persuasion, not force
• Be aware of the philosophical and logistical
  challenges

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For Questions or More Information, Please Contact
Us

• Student Success Center
• University of South Carolina
• www.sa.sc.edu/ssc
• Student.Success_at_sc.edu
• [phone]