helping students on academic probation to persist and succeed - nacada conference 3-2014

Helping Students on Academic Probation to Persist and Succeed

Robert M. Kurland, Ph.D., Associate DeanOffice of Academic Services, Rutgers University – Newark

NACADA 3-2014

Helping Students on Academic Probation to Persist and Succeed2

NACADA 3-2014


College Student Success

NACADA 3-2014


Overview

• The Office of Academic Services

• At-risk students

• Previous practices

• Recent practices

• Current initiatives– course development

• Future Directions

4

NACADA 3-2014


Office of Academic Services

• Staff size and structure (teams)

• Responsibilities include:

5

Academic Advisement Academic Integrity

Academic Probation & Dismissal Convocation

First Year Services Graduation Certification

Peer Advisor Program Pre-Professional Programs

Reenrollment Reinstatement

School-to-School Transfers Placement Testing

Transcript Evaluations Transfer Services

NACADA 3-2014


Background

• As the practices in higher education are falling under more scrutiny, colleges and universities are finding themselves focusing more of their efforts on measurable variables including retention and graduation rates.

• Students who end up on probation are less likely to be retained and graduate as compared to students who remain in good academic standing (Mathies, Gardner, & Bauer, 2006).

• “Low-hanging fruit”

6

NACADA 3-2014


Probation students within NCAS and UC-N

Prior to 2010:

•Retention rate of 67% (overall student retention rate was 82.7%)

•360 students on probation, we potentially lost 120 students

•@ $12,775 per student (per year, in-state tuition), RU-N lost over $1.5 million dollars

•What could we do with $1.5 million?

7

NACADA 3-2014


Mission

• The Office of Academic Services (OAS) strives to provide support and guidance to students who are on academic probation.

• Our purpose is to make probation students feel like individuals, address their academic, personal, and social concerns, and equip them with the resources and information that will help them use and interpret university regulations and policies.

• OAS provide programmatic intervention that will allow students to develop a sense of academic re-empowerment by enhancing their abilities to foster communication skills, solve problems, think critically, build relationships, and manage daily life tasks.

NACADA 3-2014


Goals (PIE)

1. Prevent students from being on academic probation - Prevention

2. Reduce the number of students on probation - Intervention

3. Prevent students from returning to probation - Education

NACADA 3-2014


Objectives

• Provide students with the proper resources to assist them with their academic progress.

• Articulate an in-depth understanding of their academic position as it pertains to their probationary status.

• Effectively articulate a probationary plan.

• Identify an outlined course of action to address their probationary status.

• Hold students accountable for their academic progression.

• Identify possible roadblocks that contribute to their probationary status.

NACADA 3-2014


Survey results: Why are students on probation

1. Overcommitted (work, family obligations)

2. Poorly prepared (e.g. study skills, prep work)

3. Poor organization skills (possible poor time management)

4. Poor motivation

5. Wrong area of study

6. Can’t do the work

NACADA 3-2014


Past Practices

• Students on probation have long been an overlooked population

• Few efforts and resources were used

• Sent letters

• Students were “required” to attend a “Probation Workshop”

• Not enough flexibility for non-traditional

12

NACADA 3-2014


What are the current criteria for academic probation

1. A cumulative grade-point average (G.P.A.) of less than 2.000

or

2. Two consecutive terms of a grade-point average (G.P.A.) of less than 2.000

NACADA 3-2014


Additions to academic probation criteria

3. failure to complete 60% of attempted credits

4. failure to enroll in a composition or mathematics course, as prescribed by the placement standards at the college and prior course history, and continue to enroll each and every term until the requirement is satisfied

5. failure to complete successfully any course after three attempts, including those for which W grades are received.

NACADA 3-2014


Development of Academic Success course

• Why?

• Theoretical Influences – Developmental – Intrusive – Prescriptive – Learning-Centered– Appreciative Inquiry

15

NACADA 3-2014


Development of Academic Success (online) course

•Why online?– Scheduling– Technology– Groups

•How did we develop an academically sound pedagogically appropriate online course?

16

NACADA 3-2014


CONSIDERATIONS:

1.Student

2.Interaction

3.Content

17

Retrieve from Flickr by ted_major

NACADA 3-2014


Unique

Advising Tool18

Retrieved from Flickr by Larry Miller

NACADA 3-2014

Helping Students on Academic Probation to Persist and Succeed 19

Design

Retrieved from Flickr by Will Scullin

NACADA 3-2014


Course Menu

20

NACADA 3-2014


NACADA 3-2014


Quantitative Results (so far…)

• GPA change

• Dismissal

25

NACADA 3-2014


Average increase in term GPA

26

p<.000

NACADA 3-2014


% eligible for dismissal

27

NACADA 3-2014


Current probation data

• 13% reduction for students on probation

• 21% reduction in dismissed students (approximately 30 students) – 30 students x $12,755 (yearly in state tuition) = $382,650

28

NACADA 3-2014


Qualitative Results (so far…)

• Better interaction with students

• More in-depth information

• Advisor meetings are more productive

29

NACADA 3-2014


Student Assignment: Advisor Meeting Summary & Plan 1

“I met with my advisor…I explained to her that the reason why I am on probation is because last semester I was under a lot of stress. I was working full time along with volunteering at the local hospital and then also trying to do good in school…After having this meeting with her all of my questions are now answered and I'm glad she made everything very clear to me and now i can go on and fix my mistakes i have made last semester….The reason I was not able to excel was because my work hours were not going well with my college course hours…I would either not make it to class and if i did then i wasnt able to concentrate because i would be so tired. Also i do live 45 minutes away from the university so the commuting was difficult as well…i am working less…now i made my work schedule and college schedule much easier. I gave myself time to get enough sleep and be able to wake up in the mornings and make it to my early 8:30 class. Also I only work part time now…Hopefully things will be different this semester and with this change i can do much better and get off probation.”

- K.K.

30

NACADA 3-2014



“Today I met with my assigned adviser for my second meeting…I was well prepared before walking into the office. My three main concerns were that how I can raise my GPA, questions about the academic success class online, and about changing my major…She help me calculate my minimum GPA that I would need for the semester to raise my GPA and to get off probation. Then she told me about how I need to do the academic success class… After she finished explaining to me about the course, she asked me what I thought about the course. I told her that I really liked the course and that I felt it was motivating me to do better…Overall my experience with her was great. I loved talking to her and I loved that she really helped me out…She motivated me and made me gather faith in myself that I can do better in the subjects I want.”

- S.K.

31

NACADA 3-2014



“…I just met with Ms. Allen...She didn't seem too thrilled because of the e-mail that Dean Sanders sent to me a few days ago. The e-mail basically said that I have failed to meet all requirements of the Probation class up until now…I have nobody else to blame but myself because I never read the syllabus for the course. I didn't know that there were journal entries and other assignments that were due for this class, simply because I did not read the instructions. There are no excuses for my actions…I have really disciplined myself, and I don't feel lazy or weak minded like I did last semester. I feel like a whole new individual and it feels good. The action plan is so far still the same. Keep going to class, manage my time properly, study well and overall just stay on top of everything. I feel like I am maturing already because I already passed a "hard week" in the semester. A week that I would have normally just given up on all my schoolwork, but instead this time I buckled down and hit the books. I realized that I haven't dug myself into a hole, I just hit a speed bump last semester on the long and winding road of my life. So there's no reason for me to feel depressed or upset about where I currently stand. I CAN turn things around and it won't be easy but if I just surround myself with people who provide me with the support to instill that motivation within myself, I can keep climbing higher…”

- A.K.

32

NACADA 3-2014


Student Assignment: RU Ready to Succeed? Workshop Reflective Journal

“The things I learned…are things that I was missing when it came to my school work. I learned that I need to believe in myself in order to be successful. My reason for being in school and wanting a degree should be something that I want, not what my parents want for me…The one thing that I took from the workshop is that I have to know what I want regarding my education. My reasons for being in school have to be my own personal reasons. I have to be motivated in succeeding so I don't fail. But if I do fail, then I am motivated to keep pushing towards to my goal. The overall thing that I learned is that I have to believe in myself in order to see myself succeed.”

- D.J.

33

NACADA 3-2014


Next Steps

• If continued success, the course could become a

mandated requirement for all students on probation.

• Revenue from the increase in student retention could then be used to increase staff, resources, programs, etc.

• This course (content, design, resources, and modality) can be used by other colleges and universities.

• Use this model for other purposes (freshman seminar, transfers, senior seminar)

• Examine other at-risk populations (“high hanging fruit”)

34

NACADA 3-2014


Academic Success Course Results Matrix

If a student earns a:

and at the end of the semester they are:

In good academic standing

Still on probation Dismissable

then they will be:

↓ ↓ ↓

PassCongratulated Placed on contract Suspended

No creditPlaced on contract Suspended Dismissed

35

Note: All students returning from dismissal or suspension will be placed on contract

Questions

36

Thank you

Kenneth Sanders, Ed.D., DeanOffice of Academic Services

Dijha R. Allen, Ed.M., Academic Advisor/Probation CoordinatorOffice of Academic Services, Rutgers University – Newark

Shelley C. Kurland, M.A.T., Instructional DesignerCenter for Teaching Excellence, County College of Morris

37