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Student Retention Tracking at UM

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).

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Student Retention Tracking at UM

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  1. Student Retention Tracking at UM

  2. 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)

  3. 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)

  4. Key Findings: • 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Key Findings: • 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

  7. 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

  8. 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, EngrBootcamps) • High-Risk Student Cohort (40-50) identified and given additional advising • Degree Audit System shows percent completion of degree requirements; in house system

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