student retention tracking at um. how to define student success or student retention: first year...
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Student Retention Tracking at UM
How to Define Student Success or Student Retention:
• First Year Retention (& Second, Third, etc. Year Persistence)• Success in Individual Courses• Continuance in Initial Major or STEM Major • Graduation Rates (4, 5, or 6 year rates)
At UM, IR staff have analyzed retention data- Classical Logistic Regression approach, and - Classification and Regression Tree approach
Independent variables include • High school gpa (both total and core)• Standardized scores (ACT or SAT, composite or sub-scores)• Residency• Gender• Parent’s college level• FAFSA/Pell Grant recipient• Undecided major and certain majors• Race/Ethnicity• Hours taken• (Working part-time)
First Year Retention: • HS gpa is the most important indicator, followed by test
score, and residency. All other variables have less importance (though there is a difference for different majors).
• After end of the first semester, the college gpa then becomes the dominant indicator.
Key Findings:
Key Findings:Some unexpected, but reasonable findings:
• Residence Housing: Students who live in certain residence housing having lower first year retention rate. (The last housing facilities to fill up; correlates with students who are the last to register for orientation & courses; and with less qualified students, in terms of hs academic metrics.)
• Success in Math 261 (first course in Calculus): HS gpa is a stronger predictor than the math ACT subscore.
Graduation Rate:
• Directly correlates with first year retention rate• Ethnicity, Pell grants, gender, and state residency
shows up as important factors, though were less important for first year success.
• White Males>White Females, Minority Females> Minority Males
• State Residents (male and female) > Non-Residents
Key Findings:
What are we doing?
• Freshmen advised by professional advisors, rather than faculty• Retention reports fed to academic administrators and advisors
(daily in some seasons)• School-based advisors contact at-risk students• FABI and attendance scanners, with info sent to advisors• Midterm grades; students having 2 or more D or F’s are
contacted by advisors• Developed an online advising interface • Lifting of Bursar holds, temporarily, to allow registration• Survey at Orientation; survey after first month to identify at
risk characteristics
What are we doing?
• Early Fall survey of freshmen, to identify fixable problems• Non-Resident application process modified• Revamped English Composition Course (QEP)• Freshmen Year Experience Program (Freshmen Seminar course,
common reading assignment, commencement, other community building activities)
• Learning Communities (FASTrack, Luckday) and FIGS• SI and other academic interventions (e.g., Biology, Engr Bootcamps)• High-Risk Student Cohort (40-50) identified and given
additional advising• Degree Audit System shows percent completion of degree
requirements; in house system
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 201560.0%
65.0%
70.0%
75.0%
80.0%
85.0%
90.0%
UM Retention Trend
Academic Year