Beyond Retention:

Enhancing Student Success

Loralyn Taylor, Ph.D.Virginia McAleese

Outline

• Focus on Standards 9,8,7• About us• Our retention efforts• Strengthening our support services• Changing our focus• Results so far

Standards 9, 8, 7Student Support Services• Provides SSS to enable each student to achieve the

institution’s goals for students.

Student Admissions and Retention• …seeks to retain students through pursuit of

student’s educational goals

Institutional Assessment• Develop and implement assessment process

evaluating overall effectiveness

Paul Smith’s College

• ~1000 FTE• 80/20% bachelors• Very diverse

– Culinary and Hospitality– Forestry, Natural Resources, Recreation– Science, Liberal Arts and Business

Paul Smith’s College

• High First Generation• High Pell• ~70% male• 85% residential• Ave HS GPA: 82-83• SAT Combined: 940-980

Retention Rate• 59-63%

– FTFT freshmen• 52-55%

– Associate• 64-65%

– Bachelors

Support Services

Retention Office -FYS -Academic Recovery Program -Transitional Student Program

Academic Support Center -SI, Tutoring, Writing Center

HEOPTRiOSafety NetCareer ServicesAccommodative ServicesStudent DevelopmentStudent LifeHealth Services

Retention Office

Accommodative Services

TRiO Advisor

ARP Advocate

Faculty Advisor

HEOP Advisor

Program Coordinators

Instructors

Academic Support

Student Life

Deans

Student

Student Development

Health Services

Retention Office

Accommodative Services TRiO Advisor

ARP Advocate

Faculty Advisor

HEOP Advisor

Program Coordinators

Instructors

Academic Support

Student Life

Deans

Student

Student Development

Health Services

Common Theme of Retention Committees, Councils, our MSA Self-Study, and Strategic Planning process

• Improve communication within and between faculty and support offices

• Information flow• Improve coordination of response• Close the reporting loop

– What was done/what happened

Strategic Plan InitiativesComprehensive Student Support System• Prioritize existing resources and create

comprehensive support program• Intentionally cross-collaborate• Create a student success network for all

students• Identify individual student needs

– Connect students to services

Searching for Solution• Technology

– Automation• Gather, manage and distribute information• Appropriate offices• Coordinate response• Easy to use

– No extensive training– Not intimidating

Early Warning & Student Tracking System

• Manual flags or flag surveys.• Automatic flags

– based on system data• Automatic communication

– appropriate personnel and/ or student

• Close the loop – Results of intervention to flag

raiser

Educational Support Networking System

• My Success Network– Personalized for each student

• Service catalog– Campus support resources

• Online scheduling • Appointment confirmation by

email.• Documentation of contact with

students – private and shared notes.

Information ManagementThree types of Flags

– Informational• Notify about concern

– Action• Student in need of intervention

– Urgent• Critical action needed• Student in danger of suspension

Informational FlagsAcademic ProbationTransitional ProgramHigh Risk of Academic IssuesFinancial Aid holdNo FAFSAStudent Accounts holdTutoring will be cancelledTutoring cancelled

Low gradesAttendance concernsLow motivationSocial/personal concernBehavioral issues

Action Flags

• 3 Flag Warning—Support Action• 6 Flag Warning—Advisor and Support

Action• Student Development—Private• Health Concern—Private• Missed required tutoring• Missed required advocate meeting• Required tutoring will be cancelled

Urgent Flags

• Academic Recovery Program Suspension Warning

• Health Services Suspension Warning• SafetyNet Notification of a

Health/Safety or Behavioral Concern• Trespass Notice

Dear STUDENT FIRST NAME:

Your instructor in CLASS NAME has reported that they are concerned about your grades on assignments and/or tests

We are concerned about your success!

Paul Smith’s has a number of student support services designed to help you on your path to graduation. These can be accessed through your home page in Starfish in the My Success Network channel on the bottom left of the screen or through the Success Network link at the top of the page.

Please take advantage of our student support resources.

The Academic Success Center has a number of resources including individual and group tutoring, supplemental instruction, and the Writing Center. Appointments can be made with Renee Marleau, the Tutor Coordinator, through Starfish.

Sincerely,

Virginia McAleese, Associate ProfessorDirector of the Academic Success Center

Feedback to FacultyFeedback has been provided for the Low Grades flag which you raised

on STUDENT NAME.Flag DetailsStudent: STUDENT NAMEFlag Name: Low GradesCategory: AcademicRaised On: 9/14/2010Cleared On: 9/20/2010Feedback From: Monica BurielloFeedback: The student will be speaking to his professor, attending the SI, and getting tutoring. His tutoring was just assigned for Dendrology.

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STARFISH

Accommodative Services

TRiO Advisor

ARP Advocate

Faculty Advisor

HEOP Advisor

Program Coordinators

Instructors

Academic Support

Student Life

Deans

Student

Student Development

Health Services

Re-framing the Conversation

• Traditional Retention– Focus on academic– Prevention of student loss– Target at risk students

• Student Success– Add non-academic– All students

ReorganizationAcademic Success Center• Academic Support Center

– SI, Tutoring, Writing Center• Targeted Population Programming

– ARP, Transitional Student Program– High Risk Students

• Early Outreach Program– All Students– Opt into mentoring program

Support ServicesAcademic Success CenterAcademic Support Center -SI, Tutoring, Writing CenterTargeted Populations• Academic Recovery

Program• High Risk Students• Transitional Program• First Year SeminarEarly Outreach• All students• Opt in to mentoring

program

HEOPTRiOAccommodative ServicesStudent DevelopmentStudent LifeHealth ServicesCareer ServicesSafety NetAdmissionsResidence LifeAthletics

Assessing our InitiativesComprehensive Student Support System• Prioritize existing resources and create

comprehensive support program• Intentionally cross-collaborate• Create a student success network for all

students• Identify individual student needs

Critical points—Before Starfish

• Attendance– weekly

• Early Alert Program– 4th week

• MidTerm grades– 8th week

With Starfish• 4th Week Early Alert Survey• 8th Week MidTerm Grade warnings• Flag students

– Anytime– Wider safety net

• Not just instructors

With StarfishSpring 2010• 271 flags raised

– Prior to first survey– No marketing

• 49% of flags raised outside of EA or MT

Early Alert Survey• 4th week

– Automated faculty survey– Low grades, – Attendance Concern, – Low Motivation or – Social/Personal concerns

Early Alert Survey

Starfish Early Alert Survey Results

 2010 Spring Fall

Sections Reporting 92% 98%

Completion Time (days) 1.8 1.4

# Flags Raised 614 789

# Students Flagged 291 380

% Students Flagged 47% 48%

Flags/Student 0.75 0.79

Attendance 24%

Lack of Mo-tivation

18%

Low Grades

54%

Social Personal 4%

Spring

Early Alert Flags

Early Alert Flags

Attendance Concern

19%

Lack of Moti-vation

11%

Low Grades66%

Social Personal 4%

Fall

Assessing our InitiativesComprehensive Student Support System

• Intentionally cross-collaborate

1 2 3 40%

20%

40%

60%

80%% of 3 Flag Warnings Cleared

Spring Fall Weeks after EA

1 2 3 40%

20%

40%

60%

80%% of 6 Flag Warnings Cleared

Spring Fall Weeks after EA

Feedback to FacultyFeedback has been provided for the Low Grades flag which you raised

on STUDENT NAME.Flag DetailsStudent: STUDENT NAMEFlag Name: Low GradesCategory: AcademicRaised On: 9/14/2010Cleared On: 9/20/2010Feedback From: Monica BurielloFeedback: The student will be speaking to his professor, attending the SI, and getting tutoring. His tutoring was just assigned for Dendrology.

This email is a service of Starfish. Click here to change your notification preferences.

Assessing our InitiativesComprehensive Student Support System

• Prioritize existing resources and create comprehensive support program

• Intentionally cross-collaborate• Identify individual student needs

– Connect students to services

Top Five: Most Concentrated Departments (by number flagged)

DepartmentFlagged

StudentsTotal

Students%

Students

MAT 80 381 20

FOR 69 297 23

ENG 60 332 18

BIO 58 283 20

CHM 50 177 28

Top Five: Most Concentrated Sections (by number flagged)

Section IDFlagged

Students Total Students% Students

BIO 101.LEC.01 52 191 27

FOR 110.LEC.01 31 84 36

CHM 141.LEC.01 18 113 15

CHM 141.LEC.02 16 69 23

FOR 110.LEC. 02 16 69 23

Top Five: Most Cleared Flags(by percent cleared)

FlagFlags

RaisedFlags

Cleared % Cleared Category

Has not completed Enrollment Check In Process 18 18 100 Financial

Academic Recovery Program Suspension Warning 14 14 100 AcademicMissed Required Advocate Meeting 6 6 100 Academic

Not Full Time 60 58 96 AcademicHealth Services--Missing State Mandated Requirement 274 252 91 Health

Assessing our InitiativesComprehensive Student Support System

• Identify individual student needs– Connect students to services

1514131211109876543210

50

100

150

200

250

Appointments Made by Students

FallSpring

2007 2008 2009 20100%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

% Students with MidTerm D or F

FallSpring

Unexpected Benefits

• Reinvigorated discussion– How can we help– Want to be on board

• Increased faculty participation• Improved communication• Exploring the possibilities

Questions?

Loralyn Taylor, Ph.D.Director of Institutional ResearchRegistrarLTaylor@paulsmiths.edu

Virginia McAleeseDirector Academic Success Center Associate ProfessorVMcaleese@paulsmiths.edu