Atlanta Metropolitan State College Campus Plan Update 2020

High-impact Strategy #1

Strategy 1.0: 1-in-3 (one associate degree in three years) provides a milestone and goal-setting strategy for part-time students to graduate within three years with an associate degree.

Related Goal

Goal 1: Ensure student completion within a limited timeframe

Rationale and Impact

The College’s “1-in-3” strategy targeting part-time students complements its “15-to-finish” strategy targeting full-time students. AMSC fully embraces and advises its full-time students to follow the “15-to-finish” strategy recommended by Complete College America and implemented by the USG. With the “15-to-finish” strategy, AMSC advises students to register for 15 credit hours each semester to graduate with the associate degree within two years, or to attain the bachelor’s degree within 4 years. A load of fifteen (15) credits has proven successful for many AMSC students who have the wherewithal to spend most of their time on campus, with essentially a single educational focus and with few or no competing interest to attaining the degree.
The feasibility of a 15-credit hour load per semester is quite unattainable, however, for many other students. This is particularly the case for those part-time students with competing interests such as a family with financial responsibilities requiring full-time employment, and those with limited income. For part-time students facing these challenges, 15-to-finish is impractical to successfully sustain over a two-year period.  Completion milestones and goal setting are arguably more important for part-time students because their attrition and stop-out rates are significantly higher than those of full-time students.  Thus, “1-in-3” provides a meaningful and achievable alternative for part-time students who are unable to achieve the 15-to-finish goal. The “1-in-3” strategy challenges part-time students to finish the associate degree within three years, 150% of the expected time to completion based on the Department of Education national standards.  Atlanta Metro employs a range of strategies, including marketing promotions, academic advising, interventions, and monitoring activities to achieve the “1-in 3” objective.
Impact:  Because part-time students (those registering for less than 12 credit hours) are a majority (60%) of the AMSC student population, the “1-in-3” goal is projected to have a significant impact on the AMSC student body. AMSC part-time students graduate at a fraction of the rate when compared to the rate of full-time students. The “1-in-3” strategy allows part-time students to set a tangible goal that reduces their time to completion and gives the College a framework to provide specific interventions and strategies that assist students to academic success.

Primary Point of Contact

Name: Ms. Sharon R. Duhart
Title:   Director. Center for Academic Advising and Student Success 
Email: sduhart@atlm.edu
Name: Dr.  Mark A. Cunningham
Title:   Associate Provost, Institutional Effectiveness and Research
Email: mcunningham@atlm.edu

Summary of Activities

Activities to Support the “1-in-3” Strategy
Students who take less than 10 credits per semester either make up credit hours during summer terms or expand coursework during the fall and/or spring terms.  The College has implemented the following activities to support students who engage in the “1-in-3” strategy:
(1) Provide intrusive advising, that aggressively promotes, strongly encourages, monitors, and guides students to follow specifically designed 3-year program/pathway maps to graduation. These program/pathway maps require strategic course schedules for part-time students.
(2) Utilize data-driven decisions and DegreeWorks (computer-based degree planning) strategies for integrating and increasing the efficiency of program maps, advising data, course selection/demands, and historical registration patterns to ensure that students have the courses (campus-based and online) they need, while also maximizing the allocation of College resources. Atlanta Metro continually seeks to utilize “smart scheduling” that maximizes the efficiency and effectiveness of class scheduling in alignment with student needs;
(3) When off-track students are identified,  provide intervention strategies that put them back-on-track to graduation;
(4) Monitor and provide academic support interventions to increase the earned/attempted credit hour ratio, which has a significant impact on student completion (FY2020 data provided below);
(5) Provide multiple registration terms and options for course scheduling within the semester, with various compressed class and delivery method options to increase student access and course loads;
(6) Provide flexible evening class scheduling options for working students to increase access and loads;
(7) Facilitate consistent support structures and interactions (remote and in-person) such as learning cohorts, study groups, and study sessions to support tangible and intangible student needs.

 Measures of Progress and Success

Baseline measures

Fall 2018
Credit Hours Attempted, Earned, and Earned/Attempted Ratio:
Full-time Students (N = 896)
Average Credit Hours Attempted:    13.4
Average Credit Hours Earned:         10.7
Earned/Attempted Percentage:         80.0%
Number with Unsuccessful (Zero) Earned Hours: 63 (7.0%)      
Part-time Students (N = 1275)
Average Credit Hours Attempted:    7.0  
Average Credit Hours Earned:         6.9
Earned/Attempted Percentage:         86.0%
Unsuccessful (Zero) Earned Hours: 255 (20.0%) 

Interim Measures of Progress

Fall 2019
Credit Hours Attempted, Earned, and Earned/Attempted Ratio:
Full-time Students (N = 757)
Average Credit Hours Attempted:          13.2
Average Credit Hours Earned:               10.5
Earned/Attempted Percentage:               79.9%
Number with Unsuccessful (Zero) Earned Hours: 58 (7.7%)      
Part-time Students (N = 1068)
Average Credit Hours Attempted:           6.9
Average Credit Hours Earned:                5.9
Earned/Attempted Percentage:               85.5%
Unsuccessful (Zero) Earned Hours:       216 (20.2%) 

Measures of Success

Annual Target:
Two percent (2%) increase in average registered hours and earned/attempt ratio  
2025 Targets:
Average Attempted Credit Hours (Full-time Students):      15
Unsuccessful (Zero) Earned Hours:                                < 2%
Average Attempted Credit Hours (Part-time Students):       10
Unsuccessful (Zero) Earned Hours:                                < 5%
Average Earned/Attempted Hours
>= 88% (Full-time Students)
>= 85% (Part-time Students)

Analysis and Lessons Learned

When comparing Fall 2019 results to the Fall 2018 baseline, the average hours, earned hours, and earned/attempted hours for full-time students are essentially unchanged. The results are the same for part-time students, with the exception of a slight decrease in credit hours earned. The data do show a reduction in the number of part-time students who received zero (0) earned credits, when comparing fall 2019 to the previous fall term. This outcome is important because it results in higher GPA, less student violating financial aid SAP, and those going on academic warning/probation. Ultimately, fewer part-time students with zero earned credit contribute directly to a shorten time to completion because these students have fewer courses to repeat.
Challenges remain that hinder part-time students from achieving the “1-in-3” goal and limit them from achieving desired course loads. AMSC will intensify strategies in FY2021, including to: (1)  better understand student choices for accessible course times and days, with various delivery course options, (2) increase (campus and remote)  “on-time” academic support to increase student earned hours, and (3) provide new opportunities for peer-to-peer and student-to-faculty interactions. These interventions and strategies are critically important for the intangibles (e.g. motivation, completion mindset, ownership, tenacity, follow-through) that are essential for student success. The application of these interventions is critically important and should be nimble and dynamic, aligning with the specific needs of the students, which often change from one semester to the next, and sometimes from one class to the next.
Part-time students continue, despite the odds, to demonstrate the tenacity, perseverance, and grit to achieve academic success. These qualities reassure the institution that their attainment of the associate degree within three years is a realistic, attainable CCG expectation.

High-impact Strategy #2

Strategy 2.0: Decrease Time to Completion, Targeting Adult Learners

Related Goal

Goal 1: Increase higher education access, course loads, and academic performance for underserved and underrepresented communities

Rationale and Impact

The time to completion for students is often extended because of repeat classes due to withdrawals, academic failure, change of major, and incorrect course selection. Repeat classes generate extra unneeded course credits at graduation that are expensive and time-consuming for students and often lead to delayed graduation for as many as two or more additional years.  Adult learners (25 years and older) and traditional students (under 25 years old) show the greatest contrast when comparing time to completion data. Access, competing interest, and technology challenges typically have the greatest impact on time to completion of adult learners, while attrition, focus, and continuity are major factors impacting time to completion of traditional students. 
Retention rates of all students drop significantly with increased time to completion, thus adversely affecting student completion. Increasing access to course offerings, particularly online courses compatible with the work schedules and family responsibilities of adult learners, will increase their course loads and reduce time to completion. Specifically addressing adult learners’ academic needs will improve their academic performance, earned hours, and completion rates. This strategy also increases the year-to-year retention rate of adult learners and traditional students.
Impact: This strategy potentially impacts 60% of AMSC students.

 Primary Point of Contact

Name: Dr. Kokila Ravi
Title:   Director for Distance Education and Specialized Programs
Email: kravi@atlm.edu

Summary of Activities

The College employs several activities to achieve this strategy:
(1) Provides targeted computer and technology support for adult learners, a major barrier to this cohort for taking online history (HIST), math (MATH), and political science (POLS) courses;
(2) Provides a variety of adult learner focused or “friendly” online HIST, MATH, and POLS courses Note that these courses have the same rigor, learning outcomes, and content as other courses, but address pedagogical and technological needs specific to adult learners; while educating students on DOE financial aid policy, which prohibits Title IV funding beyond 150% of the credit hours required to earn the degree
(3) Eliminated institutional physical education course credit requirements (4 Credits)
Increased student awareness regarding the impact of good career choices and accurate course selections in First Year Experience classes
Refined policies and procedures that maximize transfer credits and eliminate redundancy of class requirements between transfer institutions

Measures of Progress and Success

Baseline measures

Fall 2019
Full-time Course Loads (Adult Focused Classes)                                
54%                                               
Pass Rate
HIST                      50%                       
MATH                   66%                
POLS                     54%              
Awards         Adult Learners    Traditional
FY2019            187 (66.5%)       94 (33.5%)              Total   281

Interim Measures of Progress

Spring 2020
Full-time Course Loads (Adult Focused Classes)
54%
Pass Rate
HIST                          66%         
MATH                       80% 
POLS                         50%
 
Awards         Adult Learners    Traditional
FY 2020           130 (60.7%)        84 (39.3%)         Total   214

Measures of Success

2025 Target
Full-time Course Loads (Students in Adult-Focused Classes)     
Target: 15 Credit Load/Semester (Full-time Students); 10 Credit Load/Semester (Part-time Students)
Associates (All Graduates) SCH at Graduation Target
Pass Rates
Target: At least 70% in Adult Focused Classes:  HIST, MAT, and POLS
Awards
Target: Relatively Proportional to the Adult Learner Enrollment Population (i.e., 40% for FY2020)
 

Analysis and Lessons Learned

The course loads of adult learner students in the “Adult Learner Focused Classes” are unchanged when comparing Fall 2019 to the previous year. Their pass rates increased by 30% for HIST, increased by 20% in MATH, and declined by 10% for POLS for the Fall 2019 term, when compared to Fall 2018.  These results indicate measurable progress in the academic performance of adult learners in HIST and MATH classes. By a large margin, adult learners continue to outpace traditional students in graduation completions and awards by a 21% margin, though there was a 9% decrease in the number of awards to adult learns over the past year.
Adult learners make up 40% of the AMSC student population, and a large percentage of transfer-in students, thus benefitting significantly from the success of this strategy. On-time and targeted academic support of adult learners have great promise and are important in sustaining a strong and growing AMSC adult learner population.
The part-time status of adult learner students is another major factor that leads to low retention and graduation rates. Part-time students tend to have high change rates of major, which often lead to unneeded course credits at graduation due to course credits from the first major that do not apply to the second major.  The major barrier for many adult learners is returning to the classroom after an extended time since high school graduation, particularly causing challenges in mathematics and technology-based courses. The College will continue to address the challenges of adult learner students through this strategy, particularly focusing on addressing a larger adult learner audience and further enhancing faculty training and application of this strategy.  

High-impact Strategy #3

Strategy 3.0: Increase access to post-secondary education for high school students via dual credit, Dual Enrollment (DE) Programs

Related Goal 3

Goal 6: Shorten time to degree completion through programs that allow students to earn college credit while still in high school

Demonstration of Priority and/or Impact

In addition to the benefit of shortening time and cost to a College degree for high school students, this strategy also creates a pipeline of college-ready students to enroll in AMSC’s baccalaureate programs after high school graduation, thus addressing an essential need of the College to sustain and grow a high producing pipeline of students for its  bachelor’s programs.
Impact: The impact for this strategy for FY2020 impacted approximately 200 high school students per semester.

Primary Point of Contact

Name:  Edward Francois
Title:    Dual Enrollment Coordinator
Email:  efrancois@atlm.edu

Summary of Activities

The AMSC Dual Enrollment (DE) strategies cover a range of activities, including: expansion of the dual enrollment recruiting service area; providing support for DE students with transportation challenges to include offsite locations; financial aid/admissions literacy workshops for DE parents and students; personalized DE advising and academic support, equivalent to other AMSC students; DE book loans (to defray cost);  specialized DE campus orientations; and day-to-day monitoring of DE students to ensure their progress and success. In the past, the DE strategy focused on three Early College partnerships (Maynard Jackson, Booker T. Washington, and Carver Early College High Schools). AMSC has expanded its Dual Credit program to D.M. Therrell High, with offsite locations at North Clayton and Forrest Park high schools. The College now provides four (4) Atlanta Public School Early College programs, with the potential to expand the Early College partnership to North Clayton.

Measures of Progress and Success

Baseline measures

                  Fall 2018 (N = 212)

Interim Measures of Progress

               Fall 2019 (N = 184)

Measures of Success

 2025 Target
0% in the 0-1.99 GPA Range and 50% in the Two Remaining Ranges
Pass Rate = 90%
Increase in Dual Enrollment By 2% Annually

Lessons Learned

The enrollment decline of DE students (212 to 184) over the past year is proportional to the enrollment change of the larger AMSC student population. Eighteen percent (18%) more DE students perform at or above a 2.00 GPA, 6.0% more DE students increased their GPAs in the 2.0-2.99 range, and 25% fewer DE students have GPAs greater than 3.00. Increasing the GPA above 2.00 is of great concern because it increases the earned credits of DE students, thus the institution is pleased to see improvement in that category of DE students in the current update. The improvement of GPAs of DE students demonstrates a marked increase over the previous year, and indicates the strategies put in place are working, and should be continued for the upcoming year.
The AMSC Dual Enrollment Coordinator is currently responsible for monitoring the academic success and individual needs of Dual Enrollment students. AMSC recognizes that additional academic and social support structures are essential to support anticipated growth in proportion to the number and success of Dual Enrollment and Early College students.  Recent State legislation is expected to result in reduced enrollment of DE students, as it limits the total post-secondary credits DE students can enroll, and prohibits DE students from attaining the Associate Degree, while pursuing the high school diploma.

High-impact Strategy #4

Strategy 4.0:  Course Redesign for Higher Student Success in Low Pass Rate Gateway Courses

Related Goal 4

Goal 4: Increase degree completion, by increasing student success in gateway courses

Rationale and Impact

AMSC’s highest attrition and lowest retention rates occur with freshman students. These students often receive failing grades in gateway courses, lack a clear career focus (“mindset”), and fail to register for major courses early during the freshman year. The initiative AMSC has implemented, “Gateway to Completion (G2C)," utilizes course redesign and outreach strategies to address the needs of freshman students and increase their completion.  Data from the USG demonstrate a strong positive association between success in gateway courses and college completion. Thus, AMSC is committed to the G2C approach and has fully implemented G2C strategies in five of its freshman level gateway classes to address the needs of the most high-risk student population.   Because these gateway courses have high learning support enrollment (35-40%, in FY18), this strategy has a significantly positive impact on the College’s learning support student population, which historically lags behind other AMSC students in retention, progression, and graduation (RPG) outcomes.
Impact: This strategy is expected to improve student success in gateway courses and have major impact on student completion, potentially affecting 33% of AMSC’s students, each semester.  

Primary Point of Contact

Name: Mr. Shreyas Desai
Title: Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Contact: sdesai@atlm.edu

Summary of Activities

This strategy expands on other College initiatives, such as Momentum Year Approach, to address the challenges that freshman students have with achieving success in their first year, particularly in gateway courses. The G2C targeted gateway courses include: English 1101, Mathematics 1111, Accounting 1101, and Political Science 1101. Activities to improve gateway course success employ pedagogical improvements and evaluative/formative assessments that incorporate student feedback and mindset in course implementation, course redesign, and high-level training of course instructors to better align teaching strategy with student learning styles. To date, AMSC has employed national best-practice strategies to improve completion of learning support students by eliminating pre-requisite learning support courses and replacing them with co-requisite learning support courses. This change has integrated learning support students earlier into college level gateway courses and provides the “on-time” math and English academic support for student success in gateway courses. 

Measures of Progress and Success

Baseline measures

Retention Rate (Fall 2018 to Spring 2019) = 73.2%
%Full-Time Course Load (Fall 2018) = 56%
Pass Rate (English 1101) (Fall 2016) = 70%
Pass Rate (Math 1111) (Fall 2016) = 59%

Interim Measures of Progress

Retention Rate (Fall 2019 to Spring 2020) = 78.5%
%Full-Time Course Load (Fall 2016) = 57%
Pass Rate (English 1101) (Fall 2019) = 54%
Pass Rate (Math 1111) (Fall 2019) = 57%

Measures of Success

Annual Target: Three percent (3%) annual increase in pass rates of gateway Math and English courses;
2025 Target: Two percent (2%) increase in freshman retention and throughput completion rates, annually

Analysis and Lessons Learned

The Fall 2019 retention rate and full-time course load of G2C students increased by 7% and 2%, respectively, compared to the previous year. The pass rates of gateway Math courses have declined less than English gateway courses, 3% vs. 23%, respectively, a reversal from historical trends.  Though these results continue to be reviewed, the College attributes the results, in part, to the implementation of program/content-specific Math courses, which separates STEM majors (Math 1111) and Non-STEM majors (Math 1101).  By doing so, students tend to perform higher in courses with content more relevant to their major program, and more consistent with their pre-requisite readiness. The pedagogical and teaching enhancements in the G2C initiative has enormous potential for positive impact, not only for G2C courses, but also for courses campus-wide.

High-impact Strategy #5

Strategy 5.0: Utilize various intervention strategies to improve retention, progression, and graduation (RPG) rates, particularly targeting continuing/returning students

Related Goal 3

Goal 6: Increase RPG rates of students

Rationale and Impact

Retention, progression, and graduation (RPG) are core student success metrics embodied in all CCG goals.  Retention and progression are pre-requisites to completion; thus, student completion depends directly on the effectiveness of the College’s implementation of retention and progression strategies. Thus, there must be comprehensive approach that coordinates and balances effort, with limited resources, to ensure that students are retained, as well as succeed in their classes.
Impact: Collectively, RPG strategies impact all students, with the greatest impact for retention and progression projected for freshman students. Data show a marked increase in retention after the first year of college.

Primary Point of Contact

Names:  Dr. Curtis L. Todd 
Titles:    Professor, Social Work
Email:   ctodd@atlm.edu

Summary of Activities

Multiple activities and strategies are targeted for continuing/returning, and full-time first-time students. These activities include:
(1) Intrusive advising, RPG monitoring, and a range of student services to support completion;
(2) Intensive advertising of pre-registration across multiple media methods: website, social media, email, text, and on-campus “Did you register?” campaigns;
(3) Careful monitoring of student pre-registration and course selection inventories by faculty advisors of continuing/returning students to track advisee pre-registration progress; as well as faculty advisors contacting students who did not pre-register, answering their questions, and removing pre-registration barriers. Data clearly show that students who pre-register are more likely to return the subsequent semester, particularly, for spring to fall semesters, when compared to significantly lower retention rates for the fall to spring semester enrollment;
(3) Appropriate registration opportunities, with adequate support staff at dedicated times, including day, evening, and weekend hours for traditional students and adult learners;
(4) Gap Funding – the College provides funding of small dollar amounts (typically in the range $200-$300) for students who demonstrate great promise, but whose financial needs prohibit them from registering, attending class, and completing their degree;
(5) Emergency Funding - students who demonstrate emergency need may receive funding support for unexpected emergencies that prohibit them from registering for and attending classes.  These emergency funds, granted once per year per student, are designed to provide financial support to low-income students who otherwise do not have the financial wherewithal to attend and complete college.

Measures of Progress and Success

Baseline measures

First-time Full-time Student Retention and Graduation Rates
Retention Rate (1 Year) (FTFT 2018 Cohort), Associate Programs =     46.5%
Retention Rate (1 Year) (FTFT 2018 Cohort), Bachelor’s Programs =   55.0%
Graduation Rate (3-Year, Associate Programs) (FTFT2016 Cohort) =   23.4% 
Graduation Rate (6-Year Bachelor’s Programs) (FTFT2012 Cohort) =       0%
Degrees Conferred (FY2019): Associate Degrees = 220; Bachelor’s Degrees = 61

Interim Measures of Progress

First-time, Full-time (FTFT) Student Retention and Graduation Rates
Retention Rate (1 Year) (FTFT 2019 Cohort), Associate Programs =   48.8%
Retention Rate (1 Year) (FTFT 2019 Cohort), Bachelor’s Programs = 49.4%
Graduation Rate (3-Year, Associate Programs) (FTFT2017 Cohort) = 13.7%
Graduation Rate (6-Year Bachelor’s Programs) (FTFT2013 Cohort) = 25.0%
Degrees Conferred (FY2020); Associate Degrees = 154; Bachelor’s Degrees = 59 

Measures of Success

Annual Targets
Retention Rates: Increase 2% Annually
Graduation Rate (3-year, Associate’s):  Increase 2% Annually
Targets
Graduation/Retention Rates for FTFT: Sustain at least national levels for retention (1 year) and graduation rates (3-year associate degree rates; 6-year bachelor’s degree rates)

Lessons Learned

The success of student RPG is the result of a comprehensive, coordinated campus-wide approach and the result of the combination of all strategies listed in this CCG report. The best results have occurred when all parts of the Plan are integrated and connected, to maximize resources and benefit from the collective effort of all stakeholders.  Ebbs and flows in CCG results are not uncommon, but perseverance and commitment to the CCG goals will ultimately lead to gradual net improvements in student success.

Name

Title

Dr. Michael Heard

Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Success

Ms. Sharon Duhart

Director, Center for Academic Advising and Student Success

Dr. Curtis L. Todd 

Professor of Social Work, Division of Social Sciences and Humanities; and Special Assistant for Student Retention, Progression and Graduation Initiatives, Office of the President

Mr. Dante Durbin-Davis

SGA President

Dr. Mark A. Cunningham

Associate Provost, Department of Institutional Effectiveness and Research; CCG Committee Chair