Academic Advising

1
Academic Advising

• What we know about our students and what they say
  about advising

2
Introduction

• Todays presentation focuses on Case students
• Three major questions will be addressed
• What do we know about our students?
• What do we know about students with RR flags?
• What do we know about academic advising?

3
Data

• Information presented today comes from a variety
  of sources
• Application and transcript data This is data
  that has been pulled from Cases ISIS system and
  from various campus offices (2000-2006 cohorts)
• Higher Education Research Institutes (HERI)
  surveys The 2007 cohort was given HERIs two
  first-year surveys last year, one is given during
  orientation and the follow up is administered at
  the end of the academic year.
• Center for Postsecondary Research surveys The
  2006 cohort was given the Beginning College
  Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) during
  orientation and the National Survey of Student
  Engagement (NSSE) in February of their first
  year.

4
What do we know about our students?

• Who are they?
• Gender
• 60 men
• 40 women
• Ethnicity
• 71 Caucasian
• 20 Asian/Pacific Islander
• 5 African American
• 2 Hispanic
• 1 Native American
• 1 Other

• Intended major (from application)
• 10 Arts Humanities
• 21 Sciences
• 40 Engineering
• 5 Nursing
• 6 Management
• 18 Undecided

5
What do we know about our students?

• What is their background?
• From Ohio 53
• The majority (62) live more than 100 miles from
  Case
• 38 live within 100 miles of Case
• 62 live more than 100 miles from Case
• Urban/Suburban/Rural
• 52 Suburban
• 11 Rural
• 37 Urban
• (15 small city, 9 medium city, 13 large city)
• From a public high school 84
• Average high school class size 314 students
• Graduated in the top 10 40
• Graduated in the top 15 51

6
What do we know about our students?

• What do we know about their family?
• Most (77) come from homes where both parents are
  alive and living together
• The majority (73) of students fathers have a
  college education or graduate degree
• Most (71) students mothers have a college
  education or graduate degree
• Over half (61) of students come from homes where
  both parents have college or graduate degrees.

7
What do we know about our students?

• Where did Case rank?
• Most students list Case as their 1st (52) or 2nd
  (27) choice school
• The majority of students were accepted to their
  1st choice school (66). For those accepted to
  their 1st choice school
• 78 listed Case as their 1st choice
• 17 listed Case as their 2nd choice
• 4 listed Case as their 3rd choice
• 1 said that Case was their third choice school
  or lower.
• For those not accepted to their first choice
  school
• 47 listed Case as their 2nd choice
• 34 listed Case as their 3rd choice
• 19 said that Case was their third choice school
  or lower.

8
What do we know about our students?

• What do they think of themselves?
• Incoming first-years have a very high opinion of
  some of their abilities
• 93 think they are above average in academic
  ability (41 report being in the top 10)
• 81 have an above average drive to achieve
  (again, 41 say they are in the top 10)
• 75 have above average intellectual
  self-confidence (30 say they are in the top 10)
• And a more reasonable opinion of others
• 50 of students say that their social
  self-confidence is average or below average
• 52 say their writing ability is average or below
  average
• 54 say they have average or below average
  computer skills

9
What do we know about our students?

• What are their participation expectations for
  college?
• Percentage of students who say that there is
  some chance or a very good chance that they
  will participate in or join
• Student Government 33
• Fraternity/Sorority 38
• Varsity/Intercollegiate athletics 41
• Volunteer or community service work 75
• Student clubs/groups 93

10
What do we know about our students?

• What are their interpersonal expectations for
  college?
• Percentage of students who say that they will
• Socialize with someone of another racial/ethic
  group 98
• Spend six or more hours/wk. socializing with
  friends 69
• Spend six or more hours/wk. partying 12
• (35 say they will spend 0 hours/wk. partying)
• Spend six or more hours/wk. watching TV 23
• Spend six or more hours/wk. playing video games
  15
• Spend six or more hours/wk. social networking
  13
• Spend six or more hours/wk. working for pay 37

11
What do we know about our students?

• What are their academic expectations for college?
• Percentage of students who say that there is
  some chance or a very good chance that they
  will
• Maintain a B average or better 99
• (About 75 actually do)
• Change major field 50
• Change career choice 55
• Need extra time to finish their degree 37
• Transfer to another college 21
• Be satisfied with Case 97
• Spend more than six hours/wk. studying or doing
  homework 56

12
What do we know about our students?

• What are their concerns about college?
• Percentage of students who believe that it will
  be moderately difficult to very difficult to
• Keep up with schoolwork 68
• Manage their time 74
• Get help with their schoolwork 20
• Make friends 22

13
What do we know about our students?

• Conclusions
• The majority of students at Case are
• Male
• Caucasian
• From Ohio (Though most live more than 100 miles
  from Case)
• Public high school graduates
• Most students come from intact families in which
  both parents have college degrees
• Students have a very high opinion of their
  academic ability but have comparatively lower
  social self-confidence
• Almost all incoming students believe that they
  will be able to maintain at least a B average,
  though the majority are concerned that they will
  have trouble keeping up with their schoolwork and
  managing their time

14
Review Files (RFs)

• Since 1987, Case has been reviewing admissions
  files of the incoming class and identifying
  students it felt might be at-risk
• These students are denoted with the Review
  Files (RF) designation
• Advisors will be able to see which of their
  advisees have been flagged and, if interested,
  can review that students file to learn why

15
Review Files (RFs)

• Students are flagged for one of four reasons
• Committee Decision The University Undergraduate
  Faculty Committee on Admissions offered admission
  to a student that Admissions staff initially
  determined to be a weak applicant. Often these
  students are the children of Case faculty and
  staff
• Academic Concern Low or variable test scores
  and/or grades low class rank small high school
  class (lt150) High school quality index lt50
• Rough Spots Student experienced recent death or
  illness of close family member or friend student
  has been ill recently recent/significant divorce
  or separation of parents legal issues, etc.
• Engagement Low and/or loner extracurricular
  participation

16
Review Files (RFs)

• General RF flags are available for students
  entering Case since 2002
• During that time, approximately 33 of incoming
  students have been flagged.
• Specific RF flags are available for students
  entering Case since 2004
• 1 have been flagged for a Committee Decision
  admission
• 22 have been flagged as having Academic Concerns
• 11 have been flagged for having Rough Spots
• 9 have been flagged for Engagement concerns
• Most students with an RF flag (76) are flagged
  for only one specific concern however, 24 of
  flagged students are flagged for more than one
  reason

17
Review Files (RFs)

• RF files and retention to sophomore year
• Students with an RF flag are 1.7 times less
  likely to return for their sophomore year than
  are non-flagged students
• As other retention risk factors are considered,
  the chances a student will leave increases for
  example
• A male student with an RF flag is 2.2 times less
  likely to return than an unflagged female student
• A student from outside of Ohio with an RF flag is
  2.4 times less likely to return than an unflagged
  student from Ohio
• Male students from outside Ohio with an RF flag
  is 3 times less likely to return than are
  unflagged female students from Ohio.
• That said, at-risk does not mean destined to
  leave
• The vast majority (85) of male students from
  outside Ohio with RF flags return for their
  sophomore year

18
Review Files (RFs)

• RF files and academics

groups differ plt.05
19
Review Files (RFs)

• RF files and satisfaction
• Students with RF flags report having
  significantly lower satisfaction in their
  relationships with faculty and with other
  students
• Students with RF flags do not differ from
  non-flagged peers on measures of satisfaction
  with advising, satisfaction with administrative
  personnel, or ratings of the educational
  experience at Case

20
Review Files (RFs)

• Importance of reviewing RF students files
• Students with RF flags are at-risk for leaving
  Case, struggling academically, and struggling
  interpersonally
• That said, those flagged with RF because of
  Academic Concern or Rough Spots are the most
  at risk
• Percentage of students who return for their
  sophomore year
• 93 of those without RF flags
• 89 of those with 1 or 2 RF flags
• 83 of those with 3 RF flags

21
Review Files

• Conclusions
• Students with RF flags are significantly less
  likely to be retained to their second year
• This is especially true when paired with other
  risk factors
• Students with RF flags tend to arrive at Case
  with lower academic credentials and are more
  likely to struggle in their first year both
  academically and interpersonally
• Students flagged with Academic Concern, Rough
  Spots, or with more than 2 flags overall are
  considerably more likely to leave Case after
  their first year

22
Academic Advising at Case

• What do first-year students tell us about
  academic advising at Case?
• The majority of students visit their advisors one
  to two times per semester (58)
• Most students said that their advisors seemed
  interested in them (85)
• Almost all students said that their advisor was
  easy to find/contact/reach (90)

23
Academic Advising at Case

• What do first-year students tell us about
  academic advising at Case?
• The majority of first-years (63) said that they
  were Satisfied or Very Satisfied with their
  academic advising
• In general, students said that their advisors
  were Knowledgeable or Highly Knowledgeable
  about academic policies, procedures, programs,
  and opportunities (82)
• The majority of students gave their advisors an
  A (41) or a B (42)
• 63 of students consider themselves exceptional
  advisees and give themselves an A grade

24
Academic Advising at Case

• The importance of Academic Advising
• Institutional Research conducted an analysis to
  see if student ratings of interpersonal
  satisfaction as first-years predicted overall
  satisfaction with the educational experience at
  Case as seniors.
• Four predictor variables
• First-year quality of academic advising
  first-year quality of administrative offices and
  personnel first-year quality of relationships
  with faculty first-year quality of relationships
  with other students
• Outcome variable Senior year rating of the
  overall educational experience at Case

25
Academic Advising at Case

• Results indicated that first-year quality of
  academic advising and first-year quality of
  relationships with other students predicted
  senior year satisfaction
• First-year ratings of the quality of
  administrative offices/personnel, and first-year
  ratings of the quality of relationships with
  faculty were unrelated to senior year
  satisfaction

26
Academic Advising at Case

• Conclusions
• In general, students are satisfied with the
  quality of their first-year advising and the
  availability of their advisors
• First-year academic advising is related to senior
  year ratings of overall satisfaction with the
  educational experience at Case