Granting Resources and Autonomies for Diplomas GRAD Act Report for Year 3
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Southern University and A&M College Baton Rouge, Louisiana Granting Resources and Autonomies for Diplomas GRAD Act Report for Year 3 July 2013 Submitted to Southern University System Performance Objective 1: Student Success 1a. Implement policies established by the institution's management board to achieve cohort graduation rate and graduation productivity goals that are consistent with institutional peers. The Finish What You Start Campaign, implemented in Fall 2011, was designed to strongly encourage students to complete the courses they attempted and reduce the number of withdrawals. In Fall 2011, student withdrawals decreased by 4.5%. The Fall 2012 year goal has been set to reduce the number of withdrawals by 0.25%. Instituted in Fall 2011, the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) supports student retention and success by assisting with closing the loop between learner performances and teaching effectiveness. A main focus of CTLE has been to increase student retention and persistence rates from 1st to 2nd year by providing ongoing academic advisement for students, and by exposing faculty to the best practices in millennial student pedagogy. Now in its 2nd year of inception, CTLE continues to provide the following services: Intrusive academic advisement for all incoming first year freshman students. Advisement sessions are encouraged via CTLE course registration holds which mandate student/advisor interaction at least twice each semester of the Freshman year. First Year Experience lectures and workshops that provide assistance with establishing and maintaining personal, social, and financial health, employing strategies for academic success in college, developing life and career goals, and understanding pertinent information about Southern University-Baton Rouge. Restricted general education courses to ensure freshman-level course access for incoming first-time full time students. Referral information for all university support services. Faculty development workshops, seminars, and other opportunities in collaboration with various SUBR faculty and staff and external consultants that highlight first year student learning success. The CTLE Student Monitoring System (an SUBR-designed product) provides a platform for the documentation, retrieval, and analysis of 1st year student performance. This tool has been enhanced to provide the following: ad hoc analysis of student academic performance ad hoc analysis of cohort course performance automated referral mechanism to the Center for Student Success for tutoring automated referral mechanism to the University (Mental Health) Counseling Center. The Center for Student Success (CSS) provides programs that help sharpen students’ essential tools for academic success. CSS offers the following: Student Success Seminars and Outreach presentations guide and support students in “how to do college” by providing information on teaching college success skills in an informal and relaxed environment. Topics such as Time Management, Note- taking skills, Test-taking skills, Understanding the Student Academic Progress Policy and more are covered. The Early Alert Referral program is an online system that allows CSS and university faculty to collaborate and identify students who may experience academic difficulties. Through early detection, CSS is able to intervene and assist students by making appropriate referrals to academic and other student support services on campus. 2 The tutorial component of CSS provides students with the opportunity to strengthen their academic achievement by improving their literacy, mathematical, and analytical skills. Tutorial activities include a small student-tutor ratio and the use of instructional, computer, and other technological resources. JAG365 Orientation program was established in 2011 to ensure that first time freshmen and first time university transfer students are prepared for the first day of class, familiar with the policies and procedures of the University, and knowledgeable about Student Programs, support services and resources available. This program lays the foundation for the entering students’ first academic year and beyond. Tracking/monitoring/reporting mechanisms implemented/continued during the reporting year. As part of its ongoing effort to improve first year student performance during the reporting year, CTLE advisors evaluated the grades of their advisees in an attempt to ascertain student performance from the beginning to mid semester. Those students who earned a grade of C or lower were contacted by their advisor via email, text, and telephone and asked to schedule a meeting to discuss their academic performance. Student issues were documented. Based on their needs, students were referred to the University Counseling Center or the Center for Student Success for assistance. Additionally, through their use of the CTLE Student Monitoring System, CTLE advisors continue to track the academic performance of first year learners. The system is scheduled to be made available for use by university faculty advisors in Fall 2013. i. 1st to 2nd year retention rate The 1st to 2nd year retention rate is comprised of a Fall 2011 cohort of 831 with 571 returning in Fall 2012. The target rate is 72.7%; however, the actual rate is 68.7%. This measure has not been met. The new efforts of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence along with the Center for Student Success restricting course registrations mandating student advisement and early referrals for tutoring are all design to guide a student to success. SUBR 1ST TO 2ND Year Retention for First-Time Full-Time, Degree Seeking Baseline Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Term of Data Fall 08 to Fall 09 Fall 09 to Fall 10 Fall 10 to Fall 11 Fall 11 to Fall 12 Number in Cohort 1034 993 868 831 Number Retained 731 717 611 571 Target Rate 71.7% 72.0% 72.4% 72.7% Actual 72.2 70.4% 68.7% Result Met Met Not Met ii. 1st to 3rd year retention rate The 1st to 3rd year retention rate is 55.9%. The three prior year average is 57.7% and the two year recent average is 57.9%, which is an increase of 0.2%. This measure has been met. ST rd SUBR 1 TO 3 Year Retention for First-Time Full-Time, Degree Seeking Baseline Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Term of Data Fall 07 to Fall 09 Fall 08 to Fall 10 Fall 09 to Fall 11 Fall 10 to Fall 12 3 Number in Cohort 1125 1034 993 868 Number Retained 664 614 596 485 Target Rate 59.0% 60.1% 61.0% 62.2% 3 yr prior (57.7%) Actual 61.4% 60.0% 55.9% 2 yr recent (57.9%) Result Met Met Met iii. Fall to Spring retention cohort N/A iv. SUBR Same Institution Graduation Rate SUBR has met this measure by scoring within the 2% margin of error of the 32.4% benchmark. SUBR’s score is 30.6%. It should be noted that the cohort on which the 6-year graduation rate is based reflects a reduction of 127 students from the previously reported number to the Board of Regents. Fall 2005 is the semester when both Hurricane Katrina and Rita struck the gulf coast region causing permanent damage to many students’ and interrupted matriculation process. After reviewing the data it was found that four students are deceased and one student was called to active military duty. According to the National Student Clearinghouse report, 122 students did not attend SUBR or any other institution. These students’ permanent resident was in the FEMA disaster declaration parishes where both individual assistance and public assistance had been awarded. (Source: Disaster Federal Registry Notice Amendment No. 16-10/17/2012) In that, these students were First-time Freshmen, it is logical to assume that these students may have relocated. As a consequence of Katrina and Rita, the fall 2005 cohort could also be reduced by an additional eighty-two students who graduated within seven years rather than six years, 175% and 150% respectively. SUBR Same Institution Graduation Rate Total Number of Fall FTFT Completers within 150% Time Baseline Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Term of Data Fall 02 to Fall 08 Fall 03 to Fall 09 Fall 04 to Fall 10 Fall 05 to Fall 11 Number in Cohort 1176 1351 1465 1434 Number Retained 333 409 419 437 Target Rate 28.3 30.1% 30.5% 32.4 Actual 30.3% 28.6% 30.5% Result Met Met Met v. to vii. Optional viii. Percent of 4-year university first time (freshmen) students admitted by exception: SUBR’s freshman’s admission by exception is governed by the BoR and SUBR policies. The maximum number of students accepted via exception cannot exceed 10% of the previous year’s freshman end-of-term enrollment. Number of Students Admitted by Exception Year 2 Year 3 Fall 2010 - Spring 2011 Fall 2011 - Spring 2012 Number FTF enrolled 1129 1028 4 Number accepted under exception 118 95 Maximum allowed exceptions 113 103 Actual Rate 10.5% 9.2% Result Met 1b. Increase the percentage of program completers at all levels each year. The Year 3 outcome for the Doctorate completers shows an increase to 138.9% from the Baseline year. During Year 3, SUBR increased Doctorate completers by 19 students from 20 in Year 2 and by 25 from the Baseline year. SUBR has initiated strategies to improve the Year 3 less than desirable performance baccalaureates and masters completions is to require that all college deans develop a strategic plan for their units that address recruitment, persistence, and graduation within their colleges. Each Dean can then work with department chairs to ensure that program and student learning outcomes are being effectively achieved and that department chairs are effectively engaged in collaboration with campus-wide student support services. Additionally, the Institutional Research office along with Academic Affairs plans to work in conjunction with the academic departments to identify the students that are approaching the 100 to 150 percentile time window. Finally, the CTLE and CSS are developing a new procedure to address at risk students, which includes mandatory tutoring, course registration holds (to be removed by CTLE or faculty advisor depending on classification), and academic improvement plans.