Protocol for Student Success Advisors

RISK MARKER 6 – COURSE FAILURE PROTOCOL FOR STUDENT SUCCESS ADVISORS Semester 2, 2013

Risk Marker 6 involves identifying and targeting individual commencing students who have failed 50% or more of their course load in any semester. SSAs are required to maintain a data base to identify these students and facilitate a strategy for intervention with a high priority on probation students.

Background and Purpose

In first semester of 2012 the University trialled the implementation of six risk markers designed to identify commencing students at early risk of discontinuation or failure. These risk markers are now being mainstreamed in all Programs across the University. These risk markers include:

1) non-attendance at Orientation; 2) not accessing Learning@Griffith by the end of Week 2; 3) not attending small classes by the end of Week 3; 4) non-submission of first/early assessment tasks; 5) failure of first/early assessment tasks: and 6) failure of two or more courses in the semester.

The triggering of each risk marker presents an important point of intervention with commencing students. Marker 6 targets commencing students in their first and second semesters, and who are at immediate risk of academic probation and potentially at a later point in their university studies, academic exclusion. The purpose of this protocol is to identify the processes required to guide the implementation, recording, intervention, and dissemination of information on Risk Marker 6, failure of two or more courses in the semester for full time students. For part-time students, this translates to 50% or more of their semester enrolment load. For double degree students, this translates to 50% or more of a 50 CP semester enrolment load (or part-time equivalent) that results in a semester GPA of 3.5 or less. The implementation of this marker will commence in approximately Week 17 of the first and second semesters once results have been released to students, with academic recovery continuing into the second and third semesters of every undergraduate degree Program. The marker targets all students in all first year courses in both semesters one and two, and is inclusive of all first year courses, identified as threshold or otherwise.

This protocol is intended for use by a range of staff involved in Student Success and Retention at the first year level, including Student Success Advisors, Program Convenors/Directors, First Year Coordinators, First Year Course Convenors, Sessional Teaching Staff, Blended Learning Advisors, and other relevant staff.

1 Document Structure/User Guide

Stage 1 Data Collection and Recording – intended for First Year Coordinators, First Year Course Convenors, Student Success Advisors and GIHE staff

 Target student groups  Identifying, recording and strategising for intervention o Identifying individual students o Creating a Marker 6 List o Uploading Marker 6 List o Commencing academic recovery (initially and establishing long-term strategy) o Engaging students throughout the subsequent semester

Stage 2 Intervention and Implementation – intended for First Year Coordinators, First Year Course Convenors, SAOs/PSOs, Sessional Staff and Student Success Advisors

 Timing of intervention

 Academic recovery interventions

o Initial Student Consultation o Resources o Summary

Stage 3 Data Collation and Dissemination – Program, School, Group and University levels of Reporting - intended for Student Success Advisor, GIHE and University level staff

 Dissemination of Risk Marker 6 data to Student Success and Retention Teams Failure of 2 or More Courses in Semester SSRT Reporting Templates 6.1 and 6.2 - intended for Student Success Advisors  Dissemination of Risk Marker 6 data to University Level Staff (Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Deans Learning and Teaching) Failure of 2 or More Courses in Semester Template 6.1 – intended for GIHE staff

Stage 1 DATA COLLECTION AND RECORDING

Target Student Groups

Any student who fails 50% or more of their course load in the first or second semester of their first year of study in any undergraduate program will be targeted for intervention in the subsequent semester. However, there are two sub-groups of students who will be identified to assist in prioritising academic recovery support:

 Late Engager/At-Risk Target Group/s The first will be those students already included in the SSA’s Late Engager/At-Risk Target group. These are students identified by either the distal markers (low OP [11+] x low preference [3rd +] x LOTE x low SES), proximal markers (Risk Markers 1-6), Predictive Analytics, Starting@Griffith Survey, self-referral or staff referral. The latter category may also include referral by SSA, who on a case-by-case basis, may 2 consider factors outside of the standard risk criteria which in their professional judgement, could potentially contribute to a student’s decision to disengage or discontinue their studies.

 Other Students The second group comprises the remaining students who have failed 50% of their course load in the first or second semester, but have not been previously identified by any of the previous 5 risk markers mentioned above. Therefore they have not been included in the SSA’s Late Engager/At-Risk Target groups throughout the semester.

All students who have failed 50% or more of their course load need assistance in terms of academic recovery interventions. Academic recovery with Marker 6 is primarily the responsibility of Student Success Advisors. They will liaise with their First Year Coordinators and First Year Course Convenors, to finalise the development of a strategy for academic recovery that outreaches to as many of these students as possible given their available time and resources. It is strategic for SSAs to focus initially on their LE/At-Risk Target students, especially those who have had a Negotiated Engagement Interview. It is likely that Student Success Advisors will meet these students a number of times (possibly regularly) throughout the semester to assist their academic recovery through the implementation of their Academic Success Plan.

Identifying, Recording and Strategising for Intervention

Identifying students

Once commencing students have been informed of their results, usually in weeks 18 to 19, SSAs will begin the process of academic recovery. This involves Student Success Advisors having access to both Mark Centre and MESS sheets for all first year courses in each semester, in order to identify failing students. MESS sheets for all courses should be provided to SSAs by the SAO/PSO. This level of access for SSAs has been approved by the Academic Registrar, and the Deans Learning and Teaching have been advised of this. It is important to note that SSAs are not authorised to advise any students of their fail grade and will not be doing so. Given that many of these students identified in Marker 6 will have failed assessment tasks and triggered Marker 5, SSAs may already have been working with a number of these students on academic recovery.

As soon as possible after grades have been finalised by School and Group Assessment Boards and released (Weeks 17-19), SSAs will refer to the MESS sheets for all first year courses provided by SAOs/PSOs. Following this, SSAs will:

1. Identify individual students who have failed 50% or more of their course load by cross checking MESS sheets for all first year courses in their programs and then reconciling the data. SSAs should refer to the Excel Guide for SSAs for suggested functions to assist with streamlining this process.

2. Create a Marker 6 List indicating the names of these students in an Excel file by either creating a list of these students in a separate Excel file; or downloading their student cohort list from the CRM, setting up a ‘Marker 6’ column, entering ‘F’ against those students, sorting the column to display students with ‘F’ together, then selecting and deleting those students where there is a blank (i.e. these students did not trigger Marker 6). The result should be a distilled list of only students who have triggered Marker 6. 3 3. Upload the list to SSA Community site (L@G)>Content Area: ‘Marker 6’ as soon as possible after grades are finalized (approximately Week 17/18) so that Lyn Gannon can coordinate GIHE administration staff to complete Template 6.1 and enter data into CRM records against the Marker 6 proximal marker.

4. Commence academic recovery initially with any LE/At-Risk Target students once grades have been released to students by the University. Facilitate a School-based strategy in consultation with First Year Course Convenors and First Year Coordinators – Week 17 onwards.

5. Engage students identified by Risk Marker 6, as per School-based strategy, during the mid- year/end-of-year break and throughout the subsequent semester.

Stage 2 INTERVENTION AND IMPLEMENTATION

Timing

Although grades are released soon after they have been finalised, students who have failed 2 or more courses will not receive official notification that they are on Academic Probation for some weeks (possibly months) to take account of students with deferred examinations, and those appealing their grades of fail. However, SSAs are to commence academic recovery interventions as per discussions with First Year Course Convenors and First Year Coordinators, and to initiate contact once grades have been released. This early intervention work will help prepare students for their formal notification of probation, plan for future academic success, and enhance their possibility of re-enrolment in the next semester.

Academic Recovery Interventions

In addition to an initial consultation, it is useful if SSAs meet with some regularity throughout the following semester with students who have triggered Marker 6 for consultations on academic progress, blocks to progress, assessment tasks etc. These sessions will focus upon academic skills support and the strategies correlated with student success (i.e. ‘Five Senses’ model and ‘7 Predictors of Success’). These have been incorporated into an Academic Recovery Booklet which includes detailed planning for the following semester. These students will be monitored closely by SSAs in their next semester and their academic recovery plan should include utilising as many of the support resources available as possible.

Initial Student Consultation

The initial student consultation will involve the discussion of a range of issues, and with reference to the Predictors of Student Success and the Five Senses of Student Success (transition). Key issues include:

1. Reasons Ask students to articulate the reasons for their failure;

4 2. Personal Circumstances Explore their personal circumstances and potential impact on study, attendance and academic achievement – time management is important here; 3. Experience of University Explore their university experience, with reference systematically to the 5 senses of success and the 7 predictors of academic success to identify both strengths and challenges; 4. Program and Course Planning Assist students to plan their next semester of study in terms of program and course selection; 5. Study Planning Assist these students to develop a Student Academic Success Plan for their study for the next semester, including lectures and small classes, as well as assessment; 6. Academic Skills Assist students to Identify any gaps in foundational academic skills, and how they can develop these skills; 7. Available Support Discuss targeted support available (e.g. PASS, Academic Skills Workshops, Early Bird Workshops, Student Services etc.); 8. Academic Probation Discuss with students the fact that they are likely to receive a letter advising them that they are on Academic Probation, and assist them to understand the meaning and implications of being on Academic Probation; 9. Follow-up Finish with a commitment and time for follow-up ; 10. Document outcomes and commitments in a Student Academic Success Plan. Ensure students take away a concrete plan for academic success for the following semester.

Resources

 There are a range of resources available to support Student Success Advisors with this task. The Negotiated Engagement Interview process and resources have relevance here, as does the Academic Recovery processes and resources for Marker 5. This includes the First Assessment First Feedback Student Workbook, and the Academic Recovery Booklet designed specifically for Marker 6, Course failure.

Possible Student Handouts

 Student Checklist for Success and Senses of Success Framework

 Success Action Plan

 Student Success Advisor Flier

 Timetable of Strategic Activities for Student Engagement

 Career Handout for the discipline/degree

 Student Planner

 First-Assessment First-Feedback Workbook (assessment task failure)

 Academic Recovery Booklet (Course failure)

 Semester/Weekly Planner

 Academic Study Skills Guides (Curtain University guides)

5  Academic Study Skills Guides (various in SSA Community>SSA Resource Area>Final Copies>Academic Recovery & Probation>Academic Recovery Resources>Guides to Include in AR Booklet)

 Griffith Student Writing and Referencing Guide

Summary

SSAs will provide academic recovery through intrusive academic advising strategies that involve:

1. Targeting students at risk of early discontinuation throughout the semester in consultation with First Year Course Convenors and First Year Coordinators.

2. Facilitating Academic Recovery sessions with students that: provide academic skills support; explicate the meaning and implications of academic probation notification; and provide an Academic Recovery Plan (work in progress) incorporating an Academic Success Plan, academic skills resources, and strategies for student success.

Stage 3 DATA COLLATION AND DISSEMINATION

1. Student Success and Retention Teams (SSRT) dissemination SSAS will disseminate Program level Risk Marker 6 data to Student Success and Retention Teams (SSRT) using SSRT reporting template 6.1 by the first week in February in semester 1, and week 1 in semester 2. The Program level data on commencing students who have failed 50% or more of their course load in either the first or second semester of a program will be collated from the Student Success Advisor Excel spreadsheet/list into Template 6.1 to provide a snap shot at Program level for dissemination to SSRTs.

SSAs will also incorporate a brief summary of this data into Template 6.2 - SSA Monthly Reporting to Student Success and Retention Teams by week 4 of semester.

University Level dissemination The Academic Leader Student Success and Retention, Senior Project Officer Student Success and Retention, and GIHE administrative staff will collate this data to produce a snap shot at Group and University levels for dissemination to Deans LT and the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) by week 4.

6 Template 6.1

STUDENT SUCCESS ADVISOR RECORDING TEMPLATE MARKER 6 - COMMENCING STUDENTS WHO HAVE FAILED 2 OR MORE COURSES IN A SEMESTER

Purpose This template has been designed for dissemination to Student Success and Retention Teams to inform strategy with the First Year Experience. It records, by degree program, the failure rates (numbers & percentages) of students failing half or more of their courses in a semester by: 1) the total commencing student cohort; 2) late engager students (OP 11+ x 3rd degree preference x LOTE x LSES); 3) and finally, the late engager students with whom SSAs have conducted Negotiated Engagement Interviews.

YEAR AND SEMESTER:

STUDENT SUCCESS ADVISOR NAME: SCHOOL:

Degree Program (please Overall failure rate LE/At-Risk Target sub- LEs with NEIs failure rate Overall Recovery rate include course codes and Number of students group failure rate Number of LE/At-Risk Number of students title) failing identified & Number of LE/At-Risk Target students failing failing who participated in percentage of total Target students failing & who have had an NEI & % academic recovery & % of commencing cohort % of total LE/At-Risk of total late LE/At-Risk total number of students Target sub-group Target sub-group who who failed & were have had an NEI offered academic recovery

SCHOOL TOTAL

7 Template 6.2

STUDENT SUCCESS ADVISOR (SSA) MONTHLY REPORT TEMPLATE FOR STUDENT SUCCESS & RETENTION TEAMS

SSA Name: School/s/Programs: SSA Current Core Activities Planned Core Activities Summarise core planned activities in the next monthly Proactive Outreach to Students At Risk reporting cycle drawn from the Current Core Activities  NEIs & NEI Follow-up data: list.  Starting@Griffith data:  Predictive Analytics data:  Risk Marker 1 to 6 data:

Staff and Student Referred Consultations  Student face to face consultations:  Phone and email contact:

Academic Skills Developments  Academic Skills Workshops (types of workshops (generic &/or assessment related & student numbers):  Academic Recovery (Performance Markers 4 to 6) consultations:

Co-curricular Strategies  Early Enrolment Support Sessions:  School Mail-out:  Orientation Day:  Peer Mentoring Program:  PASS attendance:  Recognition of high achieving students:

Social Networking  Online engagement (Facebook):  School networking events: General: Data Management and Reporting  Recording of proximal markers 1-6:

Student Success & Retention Team Partnership Work  SSRT meetings and informal meetings

8  Liaison with convenors and First Year Tutors