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As the World Turns: Part III of an Epic Retention Enhancement Journey

As the World Turns: Part III of an Epic Retention Enhancement Journey. Paper Presented at the 26th Annual Meeting of the Michigan Association for Institutional Research November 8, 2012 By Paul Duby, Northern Michigan University. ACT I: Discovery of critical risk factors at NMU (2008).

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As the World Turns: Part III of an Epic Retention Enhancement Journey

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  1. As the World Turns: Part III of an Epic Retention Enhancement Journey Paper Presented at the 26th Annual Meeting of the Michigan Association for Institutional Research November 8, 2012 By Paul Duby, Northern Michigan University

  2. ACT I: Discovery of critical risk factors at NMU (2008) Financial (2) 1st Generation Academic (4) Minority • Why these four risk factors? • a) Research literature has previously established their impact on performance and retention • b) Variables are easy to operationally define • c) Each factor can be turned into a categorical variable (i.e., yes/no) • d) Data are readily available to the IR Office • e) Variables are intuitive and are easy for non- technical people to understand

  3. Prevalence of these risk factors at NMU? • Do many of NMU’s new freshmen face these “critical risk factors?” YES • For the Fall 2008 class of first-time, full-time new freshmen of 1,776 new students • Risk Factor # 1 Financial: 548 or 30.9% • Risk Factor # 2 First Generation: 710 or 40.0% - Risk Factor # 3 Academic: 500 or 28.2% • Risk Factor # 4 Minority: 151 or 8.5% • “Duplicated” count of risks = 1,909

  4. Risk Factor Variable Array Fall 2004 – 2008 Cohorts

  5. Study Outcomes • What is least damaging? 1st Generation • What is less damaging? Minority • What is more damaging? Financial • What is really damaging? Academic • Why? Because Academic risk is already being remediated (i.e., mandatory placement in FYE program).

  6. ACT II: Confirmation and preparation for implementation (2009) • The Enrollment Management Network found the work interesting and the results challenging, they did not feel compelled to recommend changes to admissions criteria nor the range and type of support services being provided. • This anguishing lack of committee action led to the use of longitudinal analyses of the impact of being academically ‘at risk’ on restricted admit status at NMU

  7. Findings: Act II Percent by Admit Status

  8. 1st Semester G.P. A. by Admit Status

  9. % 3rd Semester Retention**

  10. % Graduated

  11. % Graduated

  12. Critical Risk Factors Refined: • Faced with numbers of failures in the thousands, the members of the Enrollment Management Network indicated (finally) in April 2009 that we needed to augment our support services in order to better meet the needs of our restricted admits. • The recommendation was made that we needed to explore the use of placement testing prior to enrollment for our restricted admits.

  13. Institutional Research as an agent of institutional Change Action: Develop an ad hoc Developmental Education Advisory (DEAC) committee to identify and recommend practices and procedures which will serve to increase the long term performance and retention of the large numbers of new freshmen who are currently being admitted in restricted status by:

  14. Institutional Research as an agent of institutional Change • Conducting a review of current practices in areas such as: • (a) admissions • (b) placement testing, • (c) advising and registration, • (d) adequacy of the current array of developmental support courses, • (e) effectiveness of current developmental support courses, and • (f) others? • 2. Establishing recommendations for best practices in these areas; • 3. Developing a framework and a charge for a University standing • committee which will be responsible for monitoring the success and • making recommendations of ways to enhance the performance and • retention of new freshmen who are admitted at academic risk.

  15. Developmental Education Advisory Committee (DEAC) Timeline and Recommendations First meeting – November 2009 Bi-weekly activities including meetings, 300 pilot test administrations, to restricted freshman admits, follow-up monitoring of effectiveness of test results in predicting success in second semester large lecture classes in large, general education courses In Winter 2010 Recommendation to Provost - March 2010 Move forward to COMPASS placement testing and mandatory placement into restricted course offering sequence – (Cost $28,500)

  16. My conclusion from discussions this week remains that I cannot support the next steps as presently defined. I don't think we need to have this on the Academic Cabinet agenda next Tuesday.- Provost

  17. After the storm, A new dawn, And A new provost

  18. July 1st meeting of brand new provost reaffirms and reinvigorates the retention enhancement initiative

  19. Retention Enhancement Initiative • Create a faculty dominated committee whose charge was to identify actions which will enhance the effectiveness of the learning environment. • Staffed by faculty interested in retention from each college • Full support of interim Provost • Actually provided logistical support-$369,000 • Final report due by the close of academic year 2011-12.

  20. Institutional Research as an agent of institutional change Began with a simple and effective institutional research website for exploring the current effectiveness of our learning environment The grade distribution page displays the actual grades earned by students in every 100 level course The results are presented in descending % of D, F, W Grades. NMU has a lot of 100 level courses with HIGH rates

  21. Institutional Research as an agent of institutional change First assignment to the retention committee: “Find the patterns in the data, if they exist” As a committee we found four patterns in the grade distribution data. Students struggled in: Entry level mathematics classes, Large lecture classes, First courses in technical program areas, Most courses taken by the academically underprepared

  22. Retention Committee FindingsGroups with high D, F, W Rates Academically at-risk new freshmen Initial course in a technical area 100 level Large lecture classes Entry level mathematics courses

  23. Retention CommitteeActivities for 2012-13 • Academically at-risk • COMPASS testing • Placement into composition class • If necessary, placement into reading support class • Use of undergraduate tutors • 2nd semester FYE course • Entry level mathematics courses • Reduce class size to 25 • Use of undergraduate teaching assistant • Use of 5th day for instruction • COMPASS placement testing • Technical Mathematics course being offered for technical program majors

  24. Retention Committee Recommendations now being implemented in 2012-13 • Initial course in a technical area • Strongly encourage attendance taking in 1st two weeks of semester • Contact those students who do not attend in 1st week • Recommend use of student demographic and credential profile • 100 level large lecture class pilot study • CJ 110 • CLS 109 • PY 100S • PS 105 • Employ two or more teaching assistants per course • Imbed “active learning” components in lecture course

  25. Two Support Phases of Implementation Plan Leadership and Training O O – Coordinator English Department C B - Coordinator Math Dept En 090 and EN 109 Tutor Support MA 090 and MA 100 T.A. Support OC 080 and OC 100 T.A. Support English 102 Tutor Support Large Lecture T.A. Support

  26. Retention enhancement resources • Two part-time student support coordinators – • O O, EN 102/EN101 and Large lecture classes • C B, MA 090/MA 100 and OC 080/100 • Undergraduate tutors – approximately 40 each semester • Undergraduate teaching assistants • Large lecture classes – approximately 13 • Mathematics – Approximately 8 • Occupational Studies – Approximately 2

  27. Retention enhancement resources • Support to complete the development of OC 100 and pilot the new course in both fall and winter • Support the completion of UN 295 and creation of course syllabus for pilot course in winter 2013 • Support for implementation of active learning techniques within large lecture class initiative • Exposure to Structured Learning Assistance (SLA) Program at Ferris State University • Coordinators worked with counterparts at FSU • Departmental instructional support in English and Mathematics to cover enhanced offerings in each area

  28. “Access without success isn’t anything more than a bad taste in the mouth and student loans.” James L. Applegate, Lumina Foundation, 2009 Institute for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, Feb 13, 2009.

  29. As the World Turns: Part IV of an Epic Retention Enhancement Journey - Results Coming to you in a conference center near you in November 2013

  30. Questions? Copies of this presentation are available by contacting me at: pduby@nmu.edu Thank you!

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