University of West Georgia 2023

Campus Updates Related to USG Momentum

In addition to the action items described in UWG’s Student Success Inventory, UWG annually reports on and updates information related to its ongoing Momentum priorities, including work supporting first-year students (credit hour completion, corequisite learning support, and academic mindset) and student success initiatives led by academic and student support units from across campus. These are described below.

Section III.1–Faculty Engagement in USG Momentum & Academic Support for Student Success

2023 USG Momentum Award

In spring 2023, the Department of International Languages and Culture at UWG received the Regents’ Momentum Award for Excellence in Teaching and Curricular Innovation. The USG cites that this award is given to a program that incorporates high-impact practices to create engaging opportunities for students to deepen their learning as they continue to develop professionally through their time in class. This is the third Momentum award that UWG has received since 2020. This year’s award was preceded by the 2020 Regents' Momentum Year Award for Excellence in Teaching and Curriculum Innovation for Freshmen Math Program and the 2022 Regents' Momentum Year Award for Excellence in Advising and Student Success.

Credit Hour Completion in First Year

Credit hour completion has remained relatively consistent since UWG first began to emphasize completing 15/30 credit hours in the first year in 2015. UWG transitioned to pre-made schedules that include 15 credit hours for entering students in Spring 2019 which has helped with this process, along with more consistent messaging and advising about the value and importance of attempting 15 credit hours each semester.

Corequisite Learning Support

AY20 was UWG’s first year offering corequisite learning support courses: ENGL 0999, MATH 0997, and MATH 0999. UWG also participated in the Statistics Pathway pilot to offer MATH 1401 (Elementary Statistics) in Area A2. MATH 1401 and MATH 0996 were offered for the first time in F20.In designing learning support courses, UWG followed the USG best practices criteria. UWG corequisite learning support courses are 1 credit hour but 2 contact hours per week. The 1 credit hour ensures that learning support does not negatively impact students financially, while the 2 contact hours provide students with the instructional time they need to support learning in the core course. The core section and the corequisite learning support section are taught by the same instructor. English and Math faculty designed the learning support course following USG guidelines, while professional staff in Admissions, Advising, Registrar, Academic Success, and the Provost’s Office developed processes for advisement and placement of students in learning support. UWG has a designated Learning Support Coordinator and has sent implementation teams consisting of Math and English faculty and professional support staff to each of the USG Learning Support Academies.

This year, corequisite faculty extended ongoing work to support student mindset by implementing the USG Mindset Modules in MATH sections, implementing their own mindset activities, and by actively encouraging students to take the USG Mindset survey.  Four First-Year Mathematics faculty members have implemented the USG’s Mindset Modules in CourseDen their fall 2022 courses.  All corequisite faculty address mindset explicitly in their courses.

The statistical success rates for English and Math for the past year are consistent with the previous two years, which reflect the impact of the COVID pandemic on a number of levels. This is consistent with data from across the USG on the continuing impact of COVID. In Fall 2021, 14% of admitted freshmen were identified as needing Learning Support. In Fall 2022, there was a significant increase to 30% of admitted freshmen needing Learning Support. This is due primarily to the test optional policy for admissions leaving only high school GPA (and potentially ACCU-PLACER) to exempt the Learning Support requirements. The requirements were changed again in March 2023 and this change can be seen in the data below. The table below outlines the comparative analysis over the past two years.

*Learning Support Requirements were changed in March 2023. The new requirements were an increase to GPAs and test scores of previous semesters.

New Department of Academic Excellence (University College)

As part of Momentum Planning in 2019-2020, UWG consolidated many of its student success operations from across campus within University College. In fall 2023, these units were reorganized further within University College in a newly formed Department of Academic Excellence to align with the National Institute of Student Success’ (NISS) key recommendations for UWG's initiatives on student success. The Department of Academic Excellence will consist of three divisional areas: University Advising, the Center for Academic Success (academic coaching, tutoring, supplemental instruction, and learning support), and Academic Success Partnerships (student success training and certifications, dual enrollment advising and matriculation services, and first-year programs connections). The Department of Academic Excellence will continue its work within University College and report to the Dean’s Office.

University Advising

The reorganization of Advising--which was guided by NCADA recommendations--has resulted in several student-oriented improvements: hiring additional academic advisors to reduce advising workloads and to provide advising staff with more time and opportunity to work with and mentor students; improving consistency among advising processes across campus; and developing more effective and consistent hiring, training, and mentoring processes for advisors. University Advising also has worked to create a more efficient communication structure for students throughout the advising process. EAB Navigate and Wolf Watch are two systems that are used to enter advising and student tracking notes to help guide future discussions with students.  Some comments are only visible internally while others are visible to students.  At the end of each advising session, UWG advisors enter notes into both for their future review and also so that students are clear on plans and summaries of the discussion/advising session.  Any advisor and student affairs and academic affairs leader can review notes and provide holistic support for students (i.e., past notes can be scanned quickly at the beginning of any student interaction to make the support contextualized and most meaningful).

Center for Academic Success
Supplemental Instruction

In the Center for Academic Success, Supplemental Instruction (SI) focuses on supporting “high risk courses” that have 20-25 percent or more DWF rate. Once these courses are determined, Supplemental Instruction is available to students enrolled in these courses.  Students who attend at least two to three (2 to 3) SI sessions per week significantly outperform non-SI participants.  To support our adult learners who may not be able to attend SI sessions on campus, each SI leader offers online support and hosts at least one session each week virtually.  Student Success also makes this SI available to dual enrollment students. 

While SI supports core courses and covers many more courses than those listed below, the following courses were identified as high impact with strong improvement ranging from nearly one and a half letter grade improvement to one fourth letter grade improvement. Retention rate of students receiving Supplemental Instruction Fall 2022/Spring 2023 is 92% and exceeds the UWG average retention rate.

Student Success Markers

In AY23, EAB Navigate Analytics identified 2,182 students with at least one Missed Success Marker.  Success Markers are determined by the faculty from each program and loaded into EAB Navigate.  Faculty determined that specific courses need to be completed at certain points in order to keep students on progression.  Students with missed success markers are advised to register for missed courses and their schedules will be audited after the close of registration.

Course Alerts

Course Alerts are a primary tool for identifying students at risk of not being academically successful during the specific reporting period of the academic semester.  2799 unique students appeared in 3417 course alerts were identified in fall 2022 and spring 2023.  Of these uniquely identified students, 1194 (or 42.65 percent) engaged with our Student Success Services.  Currently, increasing this percentage of student interaction/engagement with any and/or all success services is a paramount goal for the Department of Student Success.   Follow up interactions based upon Early/Course Alerts include:

Based upon course alerts, 54% of this high-risk student population was retained for Fall 2023 (1505/2799).

Unenrolled Campaign

This program encourages continuing students to enroll and continue their progress toward graduation.  Below we present the number of students contacted, the open rates, and the number of students that enrolled as a result of the campaign.  This provides us strong evidence of what information students will open and act upon.  This campaign ran from April - August, 2023.

Section III.2–Student Support and Placemaking

Momentum Center

UWG opened its signature Momentum Center (MC) in the heart of campus in September 2020 to ensure that students have one central location to visit in order to get the help they need to be successful. At the MC, the service expectation is that UWG staff take ownership of the student’s problem and create a hardwired service culture on campus. The Momentum Center continues to change and evolve in response to student needs and removing barriers. In the Momentum Center, students can access support services from Academic Advising, Registrar, Financial Aid, Student Accounts and Billing Services, Career and Graduate School Connections, Campus Services (formerly Auxiliary Services), and the Student Solutions Team. There is also a satellite location of the Basic Needs Center located in the MC where students in need of temporary food and/or hygiene assistance can receive products from our pantry at no cost. The center continues to utilize flex spaces so that offices can be present in the Momentum Center during peak times for their services. For example, campus partners from Housing & Residence Life, Student Employment, and Health Services occupy space in the Momentum Center during new student orientation dates to have an added touchpoint with students. Phone, in-person, and live chat from the website represent the many ways that students, faculty, staff, and community can connect with the MC. Over 7500 visits to the Momentum Center were recorded in FY23. Not all of our interactions are limited to students. We had over 85,000 interactions logged during FY23 to direct inquiries to appropriate resources, answer general information about UWG, and answer specific student questions.

Day One Access and UWG Bookstore to the Rescue

Day One Access is a collaborative UWG initiative that allows the institution to capitalize on economies of scale in order to negotiate the best possible pricing on online textbooks and other course materials and provide students with access on day one of class, in addition to providing easy access to open-source, free or low-cost resources for our students via our learning management system (LMS Brightspace by D2L, branded CourseDen). The Day One Access collaboration led by the UWG Bookstore but heavily supported by UWG Online and the Office of Student Accounts and Billing (OSAB), has now saved UWG students over 1.3 million dollars.

To help students who face financial hardships, the UWG Bookstore and the Office of Financial Aid implemented the Bookstore to the Rescue initiative that helps students purchase their books earlier at the start of the semester using their financial aid refund.

Section III.3–Student Academic Support

UWG Online

UWG Online supports all UWG students, both those in fully online courses and programs, as well as those who are taking courses on campus that include an online component. Through UWG’s work on development of common course components–which UWG Online has actively supported–all UWG courses, regardless of modality, now are required to include an online component through CourseDen that features common course components (syllabus in Concourse, gradebook, and major assignments). Quality online offerings and support still remain critical factors in student success and in degree completion. Despite returning to on-campus post-pandemic learning, the credit hours earned online in Fall 2023 remained high at nearly 60% (versus pre-pandemic rates averaging 30% Fall and Spring semesters).  Further, roughly 10581 (80%) of UWG students take at least one entirely online course, and 6138 (48.04%) of UWG students take courses exclusively online (live Fall 2023 Banner Data 10/09/2023). [Interactive DataStudio Dashboard]

As a result, UWG Online continued expanded support services, including the high-touch UWG Online REACH Intervention Initiative (Reach out Encourage Advise Collaborate Help), texting outreach, the online searchable Knowledgebase, and expanded hours of operation (until 8pm) via phone, web, live chat, Google Voice, and screen share sessions. Tutor.com virtual tutoring and writing center service hours continued to be offered to all students (not just those in online classes); the campus-wide Grammarly Premium license was promoted; a Bot was purchased and added to existing GeckoLiveChat channels across the university so that students can get answers quickly after-hours with primary build-out and maintenance responsibility for the entire campus on the shoulders of UWG Online. UWG Online is collaborating with UWG Information Technology Services to extract data analytics pertinent to providing data key to informing student success, in addition to the successful DayOne collaboration with the UWG Bookstore (saving students nearly $2 Million since start-up in 2021) and other data analytics projects with the College of Education (TK-20). These Success Tools are summarized in our online KnowledgeBase. Despite the sustained jump in online enrollment and demand on our help desk, survey responders still rate UWG Online’s service with an average of 9.8 (out of a possible 10). Further, UWG Online staff averaged among the best response time across all campus live chat teams, averaging as fast as 37 seconds during our busiest month of October 2023.

REACH Intervention Initiative

One significant change to the UWG Online REACH (Reach out Encourage Advise Collaborate Help) processes has yielded positive results, raising the average of students reengaged within five days of our initial REACH efforts (Reach out Encourage Advise Collaborate Help) for each call cycle so far this semester from 54% last year to 58% so far this year. The change meant that the mentor piece was abandoned due to low engagement and replaced with a new two-way text support process. Instead of merely texting identified at-risk online students with messages of support, the messages now ask questions and respondents receive real live-person answers from one of our staff members. For example:

The timing of these messages is coordinated with the Center of Academic Success in order to not over-contact students, as well as the fact that our messaging is typically only being sent to approximately 400 at-risk online students as opposed to the whole student body. Since January 2023, UWG Online staff have sent over 35,000 emails to registered students, welcoming the student to online learning and providing tips for success. 4,371 students who were identified as not having logged on to the learning management system by a prescribed date were identified as at-risk and sent targeted emails and text messages. Following those messages, students who still had not logged on within 1-2 days were contacted by phone 830 phone calls. Additionally, all 55 available check-out laptops and 50 Chromebooks are in use by in-need online students, via the related EQUIP collaboration with the UWG Library and ITS.

First-Year Seminar (Cornerstone)

UWG’s Cornerstone course (First-Year Seminar) is housed in the Center for Academic Transition Programs, located in University College. The First-Year Seminar was one of the first initiatives UWG developed as part of Momentum in 2017 to support student success and to help students in their transition to college in the first year. It is also the first High Impact Practice that UWG developed and built to scale, drawing on broad, collaborative partnerships from across campus. From its inception, the Cornerstone course has focused on multiple strategies to improve academic mindset. These seminars, each with a unique academic focus, are aligned with the USG Momentum Approach and are designed to help students develop the academic and growth mindset necessary for college success. In the first year (F17), UWG piloted 28 sections of the Cornerstone course. In fall 2023 there were 1.036 students enrolled in 49 sections (approximately 88% or FTFT first-year students enrolled). In addition to the focus on an engaging academic topic, each seminar incorporates academic success experiences—in the form of online exploration modules and course presentations—that include career exploration, growth mindset, academic advising, writing, and peer mentoring/tutoring. Faculty and credential staff from across campus have been actively involved in developing and teaching the course, and they participate in a summer course design workshop that includes information on academic mindset. Students who take first-year seminar are retained at a higher percentage across most demographic categories, including first-generation and Pell-eligible students.

As part of UWG’s Cornerstone course, first-year students complete a Career Lab assessment through TruMotivate. (In light of the USG’s adoption, in the coming academic year students will move toward Steppingblocks.) Career assessment helps students learn what skills, talents, and abilities they possess as they begin to recognize how those motivations intersect. After students complete the assessment, Academic Transition Programs staff facilitates an in-class group reflection on career paths and major choices. As a result, students recognize how their identified skills, talents, and abilities connect to their chosen major. In addition, students are introduced to the Office of Career and Graduate School Connections to promote their forward momentum. This work on career exploration and professional competencies will become part of UWG’s new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), once it is formally approved next year.

Additionally, first-year students also complete a Growth Mindset Assessment in addition to the Mindset Survey administered through the USG. So far in fall 2023, 789 students have completed the assessment. As with the Career Lab, Growth Mindset concepts are shared with each student and student support staff, and Academic Transition Programs staff visit each class to engage students in discussion and practice of growth mindset.

Cornerstone students also participated in the UWG Majors Fair in October, where they had the opportunity to explore available programs by gathering literature and speaking with faculty and student representatives. While this event is valuable for all students, it is particularly targeted toward students in academic focus areas (who have not declared a major) and students who have declared a major but might transition to another major during the first year.

Finally, a foundational element of the Cornerstone course is study skill development. To complete this component, each student participates at least twice during the semester in Academic Coaching, Supplemental Instruction, and Tutoring. As a result, students report an increased likelihood of continuing to seek those support services as they navigate through their college careers.

Section III.5–Experiential Learning and High Impact Practices

Co-Curricular Program Maps

UWG identified revisions to program maps as part of its previous Momentum planning. The focus has been on consistency of design, pressure-testing, inclusion of co-curricular options, high impact practices, and accessibility. The revised maps focus on providing students with an aesthetic branded map to guide them through the courses they should take each semester on a four-year plan. For co-curricular options, these were designed with less rigidity: instead of by semester on a four-year plan, we have provided suggestions for first year, middle years, and last year. This design allows for all students—from first-time freshmen to adult-learners who transferred midway in their college career to follow the guide for co-curriculars suggestions for six action-focused areas: Crush your Coursework (narrative recommendations for course order and foci), Find your Place (extracurriculars on campus including student groups and research), Broaden your Perspective (diversity, inclusion, cultural competency, and belonging), Connect Off-Campus (work, internships, volunteering, connecting with professionals in the field), Take Care of Yourself (recommendations for physical and mental wellbeing), and Pave your Path (career-centered recommendations).

Currently, every UWG academic program publishes a co-curricular map showcasing activities beyond the course requirements for the program.  These guide students into activities that they will engage in each year, starting with their first semester through their graduating semester.  Further, these co-curricular maps outline market analysis with workforce demand, salary expectations, and other meaningful statistical points to best inform students of academic choice. 

QEP on Experiential Learning and Career Preparation

In Spring 2022, UWG began work on its new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and anticipates formal approval in spring 2024 during its ten-year SACSCOC accreditation visit. UWG’s next QEP will seek to increase opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to engage in high quality experiential learning opportunities at West Georgia through the following institutional priorities: 1) supporting and expanding equitable access to experiential learning courses within the academic curriculum; 2) implementing institutional structures to support co-curricular and extracurricular experiential learning activities; 3) strategically connecting experiential learning to professional and career preparation; and 4) utilizing experiential learning to recruit and retain students.

High Impact Practices (HIPs)

West Georgia continues to serve as an engaged institutional partner in efforts to develop and expand opportunities for students to engage in High Impact Practice (HIPs). UWG has had a campus-wide HIPs Steering Committee in place since 2016, and work on HIPs / experiential learning has been integrated into UWG’s new strategic plan and the new Quality Enhancement Plan. Among the results of this work has been UWG’s signature First-Year Seminar (Cornerstone) courses that are aligned to HIPs First-Year Experience criteria and that support UWG’s Momentum work in the first-year around mindset and career pathways.

Campus planning around HIPs has been included in UWG’s Momentum Plan  and has focused on developing a campus process and criteria for Banner course attributes. UWG’s HIPs Campus Steering Committee worked with the Faculty Senate to draft and approve a (HIPs Criteria Process Proposal) that resulted in the approval of HIPs criteria documents for Undergraduate Research, Work-Based Learning, Service Learning, First-Year Experience, and Study Abroad / Study Away.  

In spring 2022, faculty and academic programs began submitting course proposals and syllabi aligned with the approved HIPs criteria to receive HIPs course attributes. That process is ongoing and includes annual invitations for faculty to submit courses for approval and coding in Banner. See UWG’s Institutional Report on HIPs Coding.

Future Campus Planning & Next Steps

The Provost in dialogue with the UWG Momentum Council is already engaged in the next cycle of Momentum Planning. In alignment with UWG’s forthcoming QEP, expanding experiential learning and career exploration opportunities will be a continuing priority. This work will also align well with work already underway at UWG to fully implement the new USG Core IMPACTS and utilize the METRICS dashboard for efficacy and enhanced data-informed actions.

Acknowledgements

UWG achieved virtually all of its Momentum goals for this reporting year and is already at work in planning for the next cycle of action-goals to support students. Momentum is embedded on the UWG campus as a broad, collaborative, cross-divisional partnership that works toward identifying and implementing specific, evidence-based student success actions. Many academic and student support units, administrative leaders, faculty, and staff at UWG contributed to UWG’s Momentum work this year and to the updates in this report. Special thanks and appreciation goes to the following colleagues who have contributed to writing sand/or editing sections in this years’ report: Jon Preston, Elaine Harper, Ashlee Pollard, Tim Schorer, Mandi Campbell, Bonnie Jett, Amy Ellison, Jennifer Jordan, Mary Parsons, Ashley Leggett, Meggie Miller, Shelby Scott, Kate Verheyn, Ryan Bronkema, Sharmistha Basu-Dutt, Jason Swift, Clint Samples, and David Newton.