Students Toward Success Early Intervention Program for atrisk students

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Students Toward SuccessEarly Intervention
Program for at-risk students

• Bernard Baruch College of the
• City University of New York
• Center for Advisement and Orientation
• NACADA National Conference October 6, 2005
• Presenters
• Phillip Hogue
• Sharon Ricks
• Vilmarie Rosario

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Part 1 Introduction
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Bernard M. Baruch College/ City University of
New York

• Bernard M. Baruch College is one of 17 colleges
  that comprise the City University System.
• Baruch is a 4-year commuter college located in
  midtown Manhattan with 15,000 graduate and
  undergraduate students.
• Baruch has been ranked as the most diverse
  college in the U.S. representing 148 countries.
  Many of our students are first generation college
  students.

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Center for Advisement and Orientation

• Mission to help students navigate their
  academic career from orientation to
  graduation and beyond
• What We Do
• Responsible for academic advisement for
  undergraduate in all majors.
• Review of policies concerning Probation,
  Dismissal and Reinstatement.
• Grant waivers, special permission and other
  exceptions to college policies.

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Staff

• Full-time professional academic advisors - 4
• Part-time professional academic advisors - 4
• Full-time Office Assistant - 1
• Part-time Student Aides 2
• The Students Towards Success Program
• became an additional part of the function of the
• advisement center, creating a caseload of
  students
• for each advisor in the Spring semesters
• beginning with the Spring 2003.
• Note Center reports to the Provost/Vice
  President of Academic Affairs

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Part 2 Freshman Class
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The Freshman Class entering Fall 2002 - 2004

• Fall 2002 - 1,514 new Freshmen - average SAT
  1084 - high school average 85.3.
• Fall 2003 - 1,493 new Freshmen - average SAT 1097
  -high school average 85.5.
• Fall 2004 - 1,733 new Freshman average SAT
  1104 - high school average 85.9.

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Part 3 Origins of Students Toward Success
(STS)
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Students Towards Success (STS)

• Baruchs first organized early intervention
  program for freshman.
• Targeting 2nd semester freshman with GPAs of 2.0
  C and below. This constitutes 13 of the
  freshman class.

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History of Early Intervention Programs for
student in academic jeopardy

• Prior to 2002- 2003 academic year There was no
  formal program assisting the general freshman
  population in academic jeopardy.
• Academic jeopardy defined as earning a GPA of
  2.0 (C) or below.
• The Center for Advisement designed and initiated
  the Students Toward Success Program.

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Program Objectives

• To help students become aware of their academic
  standing.
• To provide one-on-one advisement (receive an
  assigned advisor).
• Identify the reasons for academic problems and
  develop solution strategies.
• Provide referrals to the tutoring center,
  counseling center and other student services.

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Program Objectives (cont)

• To assist students in raising their GPA.
• To raise retention rates for the college .
• To be proactive in preventing students from being
  placed on academic probation.

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Part 4 The Program
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Student Selection Criteria

• Students were selected from the Freshman class.
• Full time, first semester freshman.
• Achieved a first semester GPA of 2.0 and below.
• Students who were in special programs, (SEEK and
  Honors) were excluded because of their own
  counseling arrangements.

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Spring 2005 Students Identified for the Program.

• Number of students identified with GPAs of
• 2.0 1.8 49 students
• 1.79 1.65 23 students
• 1.64 1.5 23 students
• Below 1.5 76 students

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STS Process

• Provide the students with the information about
  their academic shortcomings, and potential
  consequences.
• Work with the students to identify academic
  problem areas.
• Inspire the students to perform better than
  their first semester.
• Reduce attrition rates by improved student
  academic performance.

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Obstacles to student participation and engagement

• Not my fault, bad professor, first time failure,
  they werent fair, I was sick, busy, working,
  etc.
• I couldnt understand the teachers accent, they
  didnt teach us these things, they expect too
  much, etc.
• Everybody does it, I study as much as my friends
  etc.

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Obstacles to student participation and engagement
(cont)

• What does it matter? Ennui, Boredom, Who cares?
• Competition for the students interest and
  attention.
• The time management factor I cant do that much
  reading, What do they expect when I have to work
  as well?, I have to have fun, see my friends,
  etc.
• Family and personal issues ( divorce, financial,
  housing, abuse ).

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Academic Recovery Schedule

• This is the basic plan for the seven sessions
  which were planned for the semester.
• Academic Recovery plan spring 2005.doc
• One of the issues the students are faced with is
  poor planning and time management skills.
• The schedule includes holidays and breaks and
  helps the students prepare themselves for
  midterms and finals.

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Student Contract

• This is a contract between student and the
  advisor. Student contract spring 05.doc
• Force the students to acknowledge their current
  precarious academic situation.
• Make the students take some responsibility for
  dealing with this situation.
• Assist the students in forming concrete goals for
  improving their grades and committing themselves
  to achieving these goals.

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Student Contract (cont)

• This form is also used for
• 1. Attendance sheet.
• 2. Assignment of individual advisors.
• 3. Contact information for the student and
  advisor.

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Critical Dates

• This form helps reinforce the students need for
  planning and scheduling. It is intended to help
  them acknowledge upcoming deadlines.
• We hope it will reinforce the need for timely
  decisions about dropping classes, showing up for
  appointments and studying for midterms.
• Critical Dates spring 2005.doc

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Academic Recovery

• This is one of many interactive worksheets that
  the advisors have available to work through with
  the students.
• There are specific goals in this first session
  hand out.
• These questions are designed to help the students
  review their original goals and refocus on those
  goals and dreamsSeven Questions spring 2005.doc

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Academic Recovery (cont)

• GOALS
• 1. Reconnect with their original hopes for
  success in college.
• 2. Identify the positive things that happened
  during the fall semester and finding resources to
  solve the negative.
• 3. The students should also begin reassessing
  their personal learning environment and
  ultimately take responsibility for their
  successes and failures.

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Decision Points

• This worksheet helps focus the student on their
  goals. It elaborates and extends beyond classes
  and grades to larger goals, personal objectives,
  dreams and other career objectives.
• This worksheet tries to focus the student on
  their responsibility to do the work, make
  decisions, make the tough choices, acknowledge
  that if it is easy it might not be that valuable
  - to strive to achieveDecision points spring
  2005.doc

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Identifying Resources

• This handout centralizes information about many
  available support services.
• Resources spring 05.doc
• It includes personal counseling referrals and
  websites for various other universities academic
  services.
• It makes students more aware of available help
  and information to assist them with their
  difficulties with math, economics, writing and
  other subjects.

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Identifying Your Own Resources

• This exercise helps the student think about what
  part they play in configuring their own learning
  environment.
  
• Identifying Your Own Resources Spring 2005.doc
• This is the follow up to the Identifying
  Resources handout which covers the skills and
  abilities that the student has available within
  themselves.
• The intent is to show the students that they do
  have strengths that will affect their school
  work. These include 1) setting priorities, 2)
  saying no,
• and 3) following through with ones intentions.

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Self Evaluation Form

• This tool helps students take stock of their
  grades after their midterms.
• Self Grading spring 05.doc
• Sometimes seeing their grades on paper shocks the
  students into action.
• At this time in the semester students still have
  time to consider dropping a course or changing
  their study habits

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Study Journal

• This form can be used by the advisors to force
  the students to more critically analyze the time
  they actually spend studying.
• Study journal spring 2005.doc
• The facts of time management are often in
  conflict with the students beliefs about their
  time usage.

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Quotes Encourage and Inspire

• They help show the student that they are not
  alone and are not the first to experience
  difficulties.
• Making a success of the job at hand is the best
  step toward the kind you want.
• -Bernard M. Baruch.
• The man who makes no mistakes does not usually
  make anything.    - Theodore Roosevelt

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Measurements of Success

• Success for the students is improving their GPA.
• Success for the program is trying to reach those
  academically at risk students and get them to
  reenergize their academic efforts.
• The first is measured by GPA, the second is
  measured by a reduction in academic probation
  numbers.

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Rewards of Success

• Year 2004
• Improved GPA and avoiding academic probation.
• Assigned academic advisor.
• Received a free copy of 7 Habits of Highly
  Effective People.
• Pizza party.
• 100 gift certificates to the bookstore for those
  two students who have the
• 1. Most improved GPA
• 2. Highest GPA for the spring semester.
• Year 2005
• Improved GPA and avoiding academic probation.
• Assigned academic advisor.
• Received a free copy of 7 Habits of Highly
  Effective People.

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Part 5 Program Year Comparisons
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Efforts to Contact the Students

• 2003
• Original invitation via mail with reply form
• Follow-up via phone calls and e-mail

• 2004 and 2005
• Original invitation via mail with reply form and
  self test.
• Test of Knowledge spring 2005.doc
• Follow up via e-mail
• If fail to respond, Stop placed on registration
  until signed notice of possible consequences.

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Students and Responses

• Year
• Students Invited
• Students did not respond or attend
• Attended 1-2 sessions
• Attended 3-7 sessions

• Year
• 2003 2004 2005
• 199 163 186
• 153 53 90
• 19 49 52
• 27 55 44

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Part 6 Feedback from Students
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Feedback from Students

• It was like a wake-up call.
• The advisor helped to organize my time better.
• Advisor made me aware of the consequences of
  starting with a poor academic average.
• I realized that I could be dismissed and not be
  able to finish college.
• I saw an improvement in grades by my changing my
  study habits.
• I am actually glad that I was in this situation
  because if I wasnt, I would still be goofing off
  and not taking college seriously.

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Feedback from Students (cont)

• Information about all the resources available to
  me by the College was quite helpful. Ex.
  Counseling Center, Tutoring, Career Development.
• I learned that I perform better when people are
  concerned about my education it made me work
  harder I felt valuable.
• The confidentiality between student and advisor
  enabled me to discuss my academic progress
  openly.

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Part 7 Changes in the Program 2003 to 2005
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Changes based on Advisor Feedback

• Program Spring 2003
• Individual session was too long 1hour.
• Held group session in lecture hall - too
  impersonal.
• Group sessions made students feel like they were
  being lectured to.

• Changes 2004-05
• Individual sessions reduced to 30 minutes.
• Use of smaller intimate rooms (conference
  center).
• Group sessions questions became more inviting and
  comfortable.

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Changes based on Student Feedback (cont)

• Program Spring 2003
• Too many group sessions.
• Program too long -14 weeks.
• Difficult to schedule meetings with advisor.
• Too many handouts got confusing.

• Changes 2004-05
• Group sessions reduced from 3 to 2.
• Program reduced to 12 weeks ( 8 sessions).
• Allowed for quick check-ins
• Reduced the amount of handouts.

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Biggest Changes from 2003 to 2005

• Program in 2003 voluntary vs. now mandatory
• Why Did not get a high response rate from the
  students.
• What The Center sent out letters informing the
  students that a stop would be placed on their
  registration. This stop would prevent them
  from registering for classes.

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Biggest Changes from 2003 to 2005

• The Stops placed on no-shows were removed once
  the student met with the advisor.
• Mandatory participation showed a better turnout.
  In 2004 and 2005 we had a 50-60 response rate
  versus just a 25 response rate in 2003 when the
  program was voluntary.

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Part 8 Resources
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Resources needed for the Program

• Year 2004
• Staff- existing full-time and part-time advisors
• Book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People -
  100.00 Gift Certificates to the bookstore for
  the Most Improved and Highest GPA.
• Pizza party
• Year 2005
• Staff- existing full-time and part-time advisors
• Book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People -

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Part 9 Challenges and Possible Solutions

• Challenges
• Student Apathy
• Student Non-responsiveness
• Program drop out rate
• Advisor frustration
• Large impersonal public institution

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Possible Solutions

• Improved contact ex Blackboard.
• Stop placed on students record at the beginning
  and not the end of the semester.
• More forceful letter requiring participation in
  the program.
• More staff supervision (debriefing)
• Institutional focus on this at-risk population.

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Part 10 Goals for the Future

• Expansion of the program
• Extend the program to the sophomore year.
• Mandatory advisement for reinstated students.
• Extend program to 2nd semester transfer students
  with a grade point average of 2.0 or below.

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Q and A
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Contact InformationSharon_Ricks_at_baruch.cun
y.eduPhillip_Hogue_at_baruch.cuny.eduVilmarie_Rosar
io_at_baruch.cuny.eduThank you for your
attendance!Viva Las Vegas!