STUDENT SUCCESS: ADVISING INTERVENTIONS THAT LEAD TO PERSISTENCE

Karen Sullivan-Vance, Ed.M.Alexander Kunkle, M.S.Ed.Jesse Poole, M.S.Ed., M.A.

Western Oregon University

Why do some students succeed in graduating from university and other students fail? Theorists from Astin to Tinto have researched this question for decades. Over the years quality academic advising has been listed as having a role in helping students persist towards degrees. This presentation will cover a case study of how one university combined academic advising, technology and educational interventions to help students persist towards academic success.

ABSTRACT

• Introductions• Overview of the state of Higher

Education• Western Oregon University and

Retention/Persistence Issues• Development of the Wolf

Connection System• Ongoing Educational

Interventions• Challenges, successes and

results• Questions

INTRODUCTIONS AND OVERVIEW

HIGHER EDUCATION

Academic advising is the only structured activity on the campus in which all students have the opportunity for on-going, one-to-one interaction with a concerned representative of the institution.

Wes Habley

ACADEMIC ADVISING

The view then - Students failed, not institutions.

The view now - Recognition that there are multiple factors that impact student retention, from what the institution does to what students bring with them when they begin higher education.

RETENTION

Student Integration Model• Students who socially integrate

into the campus increase their commitment, and are more likely to graduate.

• Student attrition linked to both formal and informal academic experiences, and social integration.

• Degree of success a student has in pursuit of higher education influences the level of commitment to the institution, academic and career goals.

TINTO

Students are in “a period of passage between the old and the new, before the full adoption of new norms and patterns of behavior and after the onset of separation from the old ones”

Vincent Tinto

STUDENT PERSISTENCE

• 4 year public liberal arts• Founded in 1856• 6200 students • 52% of entering students are first-generation• Large Latino/a population• Significant Deaf population

WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY

• Shared Model• Mandatory Advising• Developmental• Advisor Training• Proactive (intrusive) Advising

ACADEMIC ADVISING AT WOU

Intentional, directed interactions with students.

• Assessment tools• Open ended questions• Identify strengths and

weaknesses• Course recommendations based

on student’s current academic skill levels

PROACTIVE/ INTRUSIVE ADVISING

• Academically Underprepared• Individual Risk Factors• Familial Risk Factors• Social Risk Factors (Miller and

Murray,2005)• Millennial Generation (Keeling,

2003)

STUDENTS WITH ACADEMIC RISK

• Student Success Specialist• Wolf Connection Systems • RFI’s from staff • Collaboration across campus to provide wrap around services and referrals

STUDENT SUCCESS INITIATIVE

WOLF CONNECTION SYSTEM

Early Alert

Academic Advising Tutoring

Communication

• Request for Interventions– Importance of faculty buy-in

• Student Success Specialist Reaches out to Students

• Provides resources, referrals and helps students to make decisions about their academics

• Follows-up with students

• Additionally:– Athletic midterm grade

review

EARLY ALERT

• In the first full academic year of the WCS:– 672 individual students were

referred for intervention • 42% student response.• 49% of students who met with

advisor were classified as successful that term.

• Only 41% of students who failed to respond progressed positively, with 52% progressing negatively.

ENGAGEMENT = SUCCESS

• Required interventions enforced via registration holds.

• Warning requires online workshop completion.

• Probation requires in-person advising session.

• Suspension requires mandatory time off, followed by mandatory course upon return.– May petition to newly

formed Academic Suspension Committee

NEW ACADEMIC STANDING POLICIES

• Academic advising that is targeted to the student is provided

• Specific information on dropping courses or retaking courses

• Online and in person educational interventions for students at academic risk

• On-line advisor notes

ACADEMIC ADVISING

• SSS often recommends tutoring for students that are struggling in courses

• Free for students• Up to two hours a week, per

subject

TUTORING

• Ongoing communication with students

• Communication with faculty and staff regarding the RFI’s

• SSS reaches out to the academic departments and shows them the results

COMMUNICATION

Year Fall AW Winter AP % of students progressed to AP

11-12 624 239 38.3%

12-13 630 225 35.7%

13-14 494 162 32.79%

14-15 548 188 34.3%

ACADEMIC STANDING PROGRESSION

• Winter 2013 – WCS Network launched

• Spring 2013 – Academic Warning/Probation Interventions began

• 2011-12 compared to 2013-14 saw a 5.51% (77 students) decrease in students who progressed from AW to AP.

• In 2014-15, we saw a 1.51% increase of this same number, to be discussed in limitations.

• AW-AP-AS Timeline – When we make contact

• Time necessary to manage software system

• Staffing• Student Motivation

LIMITATIONS

• Program expansion across campus

• Hire a second Student Success Specialist

• Mandatory sessions for students on Academic Probation

• Mandate required advising for conditionally admitted students.

• Continue assessment to determine which interventions are the most effective

• Add short videos to WCS• Additional quantitative analysis

of student performance and academic standing.

NEXT STEPS

• Admission– Students admitted via

committee review – assigned student success advisor

• Early Alert– Faculty referral system

• Warning Holds– Workshop or face-to-face

meetings for students on warning

• Probation Holds– Face-to-face meeting

• Academic Suspension– Mandatory time off– Upon return, mandated

student success course

THE FULL MODEL

There are no insignificant conversations.Dr. Larry Roper

FINAL THOUGHTS

Habley, W. R. (1994).Key Concepts in Academic Advising. In Summer Institute

on Academic Advising Session Guide(p.10).  Available from the National Academic Advising Association,Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.

Keeling, S. (2003). Advising the Millennial Generation. NACADA Journal23

(1&2) pp. 30-36.

Miller, M.A. & Murray, C. (2005).Advising academically underprepared

students. Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web Site: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Academically-un

Tinto, V. (1975). Dropouts from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent literature. A Review of Educational Research, 45, 89-125.

Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the first year of college. NACADA Journal, 19(2), 5-9.

Tritelli, David. (Winter 2003) From the Editor. Association of American

Colleges and Universities Peer Review. Retrieved fromhttp://www.aacu.org/peerreview/pr-wi03/pr-wi03editor.cfm

RESOURCES