Atlanta Metropolitan State College-2016--Timely Interventions

The Center for Academic Advising (CAA) manages and implements integrated and proactive intrusive academic advising strategies with various institutional academic and non-academic activities, targeting academic jeopardy and high-risk retention and graduation student cohorts. In addition, CAA provides advanced academic advising support for high-risk first-time, full-time (FTFT) students. An Academic Alert Student Referral Program is implemented, which allows faculty to seek additional assistance for at-risk students when a threat to their success in a course is identified. Academic Alert is a process that provides students an opportunity to understand “early” if their academic performance is unsatisfactory.

For FY2016, The Office of Academic Affairs restructured the Academic Alert Program by mandating that faculty members provide “early” graded assignments within the first four weeks of class. These early assignments help acculturate students to the value of “studying” course materials and attendance, especially with first-year students. It is important to note that not all first-year students understand what is “expected” when matriculating. In fall 2014, attendance issues represented fifty-four percent (54%) of the early alert referrals, followed by forty-five percent (45%) for late and missing assignments. In fall 2015, attendance issues represented 48% percent of the early alert referrals, followed by 52% percent for late and missing assignments.  In addition, faculty members were provided with academic alert “recommended” referral due dates to encourage “early” referrals.

Academic alert referrals indicate if students have academic performance or attendance issues as well as raise a student’s awareness of his or her progress. Prior to program restructuring, it was common for students to be unaware of or over-estimate their academic performance in classes, usually after the mid-term grading period.  After a referral has been submitted to the Center for Academic Advising, students meet with a professional academic advisor, develop an Academic Improvement Plan, and are referred to the Center for Academic Success. The Center for Academic Success provides a wider array of support strategies, including supplementary learning, “real time” workshops that align with student-identified difficult class topics, and an increased academic support staff to included Peer Teachers to assist and expand more services to students. Follow-up reports are provided to the referring course instructor for all academic alert referrals.