NACADA
NACADA
Developing Academic Improvement Programs That Unlock Success: Giving Students More Voice & Choice
Thank you for your interest in Developing Academic Improvement Programs That Unlock Success: Giving Students More Voice & Choice! This page is a collection of our recommendations for the development of an academic improvement program, plus a collection of the data from our presentation.
Developing Academic Improvement Programs That Unlock Success: Giving Students More Voice & Choice
If you'd like to connect, please do not hesitate to reach out to mignot@rowan.edu
Items to Consider
Format
- In-person, hybrid, virtual (asynchronous or synchronous)
- Consistent across campus, or individual schools/colleges
- Cohorted student groups
Platform
- Campus Learning Management System
- Google Classroom
- Web-based Resources
- Resource Collection
Participation
- Clear understanding of academic probation policy and who is required to participate
- How will information be shared with the students?
- Will the program be mandatory? Credit bearing?
- Offer incentives for participation or extra activities?
- How will participation be tracked?
Campus Partners
- Information Technology
- Data
- Registrar
- Learning Management System team
- Academic Resources/Partners
- Academic Advising departments
- Retention/Documentation System
Timing
- Turnaround time between semesters
- Generate updated probation list based on previous semester grades
- Notification of program and requirements and enrollment
- Timing for students
- Length of program - semester long?
- Deadlines?
Scale
We think that there are a lot of ways that a program such as this could be developed, and it could look very different depending on a variety of factors, including size and scope. While our program was campus-wide, this is something that an individual advisor, advising unit or college could develop for their own student population. Or start small, gain traction, work out the issues, collect some data to show that it is working, and then start to broaden the outreach to other majors/colleges.
- What is the scale that your team could currently tackle?
- If you already have a program, hat's your next step? Are there areas for growth?
Resources
- Who will staff the program?
- Funding?
- Use of technology to save staff time.
Data and Assessment
- Consider data collection from the start.
- How will you measure success of your program?
- Where is your data housed? Can reports be built that will allow you to properly assess your data?
- Include student surveys right from the start and use consistent questions each semester.
NACADA Region II Data
During our presentation, we collected data from the approximately 70 people in attendance. Here are those results!
What do your call your Academic Recovery program?
- EARS
- Program for Success
- Student Recovery Plan
- REBOUND
- Center for Academic Success
- Academic Actions
- STARS - Students Taking Academic Responsibility
- Academic Improvement Seminar
- Creating Academic Success in Engineering
- no official name at this time
Do you currently have an academic recovery program?
| 22% | We have an established program |
| 9% | We are currently developing a program |
| 60% | We currently have a probation policy and required actions, but no set program |
| 9% | We do not have an academic recovery program for students on probation |
Is your academic recovery program credit based?
| 12% | Yes |
| 88% | No |
What is the format of your recovery program?
| 14% | In-person course |
| 8% | Hybrid course |
| 4% | Online course |
| 16% | Events or workshops |
| 90% | Meeting-based (advisor, success coach, mentor) |
| 6% | Other |
*Participants could select more than one answer, resulting in greater than 100% in responses
What are strategies to engage students through a zero-credit course?
- Networking opportunities
- Interactive options, with guest speakers from around campus
- Free summer course
- Free swag and raffles
- Vouchers to bookstore or cafe
- Marketing to student organizations
- Check-ins; rapport building; demonstration of importance of academic recovery
- Food
What are strategies to engage with unreceptive students?
- Wellness check-in
- Friendly, welcoming outreach
- Include a picture of success coach/advisor in email outreach
- Don't talk about academics right away in first meeting - get to know the student first
- Have another student such as a peer tutor connect with them first
- More 1:1 counseling; establish trust first
- Phone outreach
- Surveys
- Show up to their class
- Offer a coffee chat or change of scenery to meet them where they are
- RAs
- Self report of goals
- Text outreach (multiple responses)