Albany State University 2023

Co-curricular Pathways

Faculty Engagement

Peer and Supplemental Instruction

High Impact Practices

Leadership

Mindset

Orientation

Performance Metrics

Block Schedules

Career/Major Exploration

Strategy/Project Description:

The Learning Communities (LCs) activity provides first-year learning communities where two or more courses are linked thematically with collaborative instruction. The primary approach of the Learning Communities is to organize and leverage student success activities and campus resources while supporting and aligning to the mission of University College and our strategic plan, The Standard. Courses within a first-year learning community will develop co-curricular activities and focus on core areas as well as areas of academic performance, retention, student mindset, and degree progression. LCs at ASU will provide an easier platform of transition to ASU students while providing a supportive network of peers, mentors, professors, success services, and more.

Reasons to consider joining a learning community at ASU include:

Courses attached to the learning community often work towards the completion of one’s major
Students within the same community often take the same course(s) and can work together
Students often build academic and personal connections with peers, faculty, and staff at ASU
Students often better explore and define personal values and identity within a community
Students within the same community often make new friends while having fun and learning at the same time

Fall 2023 Learning Communities include:

Future Nurses (Pre-Nursing)
Health is Wealth (Health Professions)
From the Movement to a Hashtag (Education)
The Language of Law (Criminal Justice)
Summer Success (Summer Success Academy)
Men of Distinction
The STEM Lab (STEM)
Reality Check (Social Science)
Local Goes Global: World Class Business (Business)
The American Dream: Art of Political (Humanities)
Sisters of Excellence
Achieve Atlanta

Activity Status:

Evaluation/Assessment plan:

Participation in UC Events
Number of Enrollment
Number of Learning Communities available to first-year and second-year students
Number of Support Service Sessions
Student Academic Progress
Student Satisfaction

KPIs:

Student attendance record
Total Fall Enrollment (Headcount)
Number of Learning Communities available to first-year and second-year students
Early Alert Rate
DFW Rates
Fall-to-Fall Retention
Student survey and focus group responses
Baseline measure (for each KPI): 9

Fall-to-Fall Retention Rate
- Students in two-year program 82%
- Students in four-year program 100%

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

Increase % of first-year and second-year students who earn end of course grades A, B, or C by 5% annually
Increase the retention rate of Freshman by 5% annually
Increase the number of Learning Communities by 2 each reporting period

Time period/duration: 5-year plan

Progress and Adjustments:

The Learning Communities have been active for a full academic year, starting fall 2022. During spring 2023, the University College (UC) started its fall recruitment in partnership with the Advising Center, Summer Success Academy, invitations to all accepted first-year students and made over 700 phone calls informing perspective students about the program. Participants attended program Orientation and Rites of Passage ceremony at the beginning of the semester. Changed the retention rate for Freshman by 5%. The following three Learning Communities were added for fall 2024: Achieve Atlanta, Humanities, and Sister of Excellence. The Learning Communities will continue to be two or three paired courses lead by the UC fellows. The program fellows participated in the summer High Impact Practices trainings. Please see Academic Support Services for additional updates/changes.

Plan for the Year Ahead:

The Learning Communities has 172 students enrolled in 12 ASU Learning Communities (LCs) fall 2023. Continue to develop initiatives and programming that support the students needs and support.

Challenges and Support:

Students pre-collegiate dispositions, awareness, and academic preparedness.

Additional funding to cover programming to promote student belonging and mindset, which includes scholarships, student travel, food, and promotional items.

Primary Contact:

Dr. Steve Transou, Director of First Year Experience

Dr. Tiffany Pogue, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs

Comprehensive Academic Advising: Campus-Wide Advising Model (Albany State University-2023)

Strategy/Project Name:

Comprehensive Academic Advising: Campus-Wide Advising Model

Momentum Area:

Purpose

Pathways

Change Management

Category:

Advising

Strategy/Project Description:

The Campus-Wide Advising Model activity is designed to effectively communicate to students the requirements to earn a degree. Implementing this campus-wide model will position Professional Advisors (PA) as the first point of contact for admitted students who are interested in any program at ASU. PA understanding of the programs allows them to clearly, succinctly, and thoroughly inform students of course overviews, petitioning deadlines, prerequisite courses, GPA minimums, and if applicable clinicals, internships, and program specific standardized exams. PAs will provide support to Department Chairs for each unit they are assigned to and will attend department and college meetings and meet with chairs regularly to stay informed and up-to-date on advising specific majors in the college they represent. For departments whose degrees lead to a licensure, they will keep the current model that includes a faculty advisor at the greater than 60 credit hour mark. To prepare faculty and support implementation of the campus-wide advising model, training will be provided to faculty with PAs.

Activity Status:

Evaluation/Assessment plan:

KPIs:

Average Credit Intensity
Caseload Contact Rate
Academic Standing
Total Fall Enrollment (Headcount)
Fall-to-Fall Retention
Graduation Rate

KPIs - Fall 2022 - 5661 total undergrad, degree seeking students

Average Credit Intensity – 12.1
Caseload Contact Rate -264
Academic Standing – Good standing – 3534, Probation - 305
Total Fall Enrollment (Headcount) - 6351
Fall-to-Fall Retention- Bachelor 78.5%, Associates 66.4% (Fa 21 vs Fa 22 as reported by IE)
Graduation Rate -456 total Fall 22 Associate (174) and Bachelor (282) Degrees awarded

Current/most recent data - Fall 2023 – 5881 total undergrad, degree seeking students

Average Credit Intensity – 12.31
Caseload Contact Rate -243
Academic Standing – Good standing –2878 , Probation – 219 (No standing – 1332 due to freshman status)
Total Fall Enrollment (Headcount) - 6601
Fall-to-Fall Retention- TBD
Graduation Rate - TBD

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

Average Credit Intensity – 12
Caseload Contact Rate -250
Academic Standing –Increase in good, decrease in Probation
Total Fall Enrollment (Headcount) - 6800
Fall-to-Fall Retention-Increase
Graduation Rate - Increase

Time period/duration – Measured each fall

Progress and Adjustments:

We have hired additional staff to help with caseloads. We have implemented mandatory in person advising for on campus students to help with relationship building. We have increased training and utilized different methods.

Plan for the Year Ahead:

Continue to hire for full staff
Continually update assessment process to ensure advising is following best practices
Offer Accuplacer to assist with overload in support classes

Challenges and Support:

Student motivation
Time
Lack of clear onboarding process (so worried about getting a dorm that they skip all important steps and end up not being prepared)
The knowledge of what’s working at other institutions and receiving positive outcomes.

Primary Contact:

Sarah Rogers, Director of Advising

Providing a strong foundation through Career Assessment, Professional Development and Completion of Career Choice (Albany State University-2023)

Strategy/Project Name:

Providing a strong foundation through Career Assessment, Professional Development and Completion of Career Choice

Momentum Area:

Purpose

Mindset

Change Management

Category:

Data

Leadership

Career/Major Exploration

Strategy/Project Description:

The Office of Career Services supports the following initiatives through Student Access and Success by targeting all students, specifically underrepresented students, that will benefit from informed career planning efforts, using resources such as Focus 2 Career, that can be institutionalized over the life of the grant. All students (and faculty), specifically underrepresented students, will gain access to employer and career resources using the Handshake system and other virtual networks within the Office of Career Services.

In addition to the student access and success efforts, the Office of Career Services will also support Institutional Sustainability and Responsible Stewardship. All students, specifically underrepresented students will prepare students for life skills that target their career field. Those signature events include but are not limited to: Career Fairs, Professional Development Institute, Table Talks, Employer Talks, In the Know sessions, Educators Fair, FBI Collegiate Academy Prep, Student Employment Expo, HBCU Career Fair Expo and an annual Rams in the Bush networking event which will enhance professional development prior to graduation.

Finally, the Office of Career Services will support graduation efforts though Leadership Development and Employee Engagement by ensuring underrepresented students have direct networking opportunities with Alumni partners in the employer community facilitated by career services and internal faculty partners.

Activity Status:

Evaluation/Assessment plan:

KPIs:

Objective 1: Inform students’ career planning efforts through identification of pathways to career fields that align with majors that begin when students arrive on campus through Focus 2 Career assessment

Objective 2: Establish strong connections between campus career services and local and national/global employers that will lead to an increase in job placement within a year of graduation for underrepresented student populations

Objective 3: Develop apprenticeship, internship and externship experiences coupled with experiential learning, study abroad activities and targeted sessions led by the business/HR professionals to strengthen and improve selection opportunities for first generation college students and/or underrepresented students with national/global employers resulting in gainful employment

Objective 4: Facilitate Faculty-to-Employer Externship opportunities with local and national/global employers to reduce knowing-doing gap from academics to employment in high-need career fields to better inform student placement, work experience and employment

Objective 5: Support students’ usage and connectivity to career related resources to improve visibility with employer community

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

Performance Indicator 1: a. At least 50% of freshmen and 50% of sophomore students will visit the Office of Career Services for assessments to align interest by self-referrals, faculty referrals, or student support department referrals for underrepresented students b. Increased student interactions in Career Services programming, by 25% annually for underrepresented students. c. Student referrals by faculty and student support departments to Career Services, by 35% annually, for underrepresented student

Performance Indicator 2: a. Increased number of relationships with local, national/global employers that have significant campus presences b. Increased number of internships of graduates that lead to employment opportunities c. Attendance at professional development events, conferences and meetings with overwhelming employer participation. d. Increased alumni participation from national/global employers on-site/electronic career resource platform events e. Collaboration with the business community to improve interpersonal and life skills of students to improve student placement f. Collaborated activities with Faculty and other offices to connect employers to ASU graduates

Performance Indicator 3: a. At least four (4) Informational sessions conducted by employer representatives to improve selection opportunities for underrepresented students (Fall, Spring) b. MOUs developed and executed with national/global employers for experiential learning events for targeted underrepresented students

Performance Indicator 4: a. Executed MOUs with Employers for Faculty externships and apprenticeships b. At least (2) Seminars held for faculty conducted by employer representatives explaining business trends and future talent management per academic year

Performance Indicator 5: a. Career Services employer portal(s) operational and utilized by (underrepresented) students at 60% of student population b. Student career support portals operational and utilized by (underrepresented) students at 60% of student population c. Media boards / equipment for employer connections operational and utilized by students in high traffic areas or designated locations

Current/most recent data

564 students classified and first-time freshmen and sophomores to complete the Focus 2 Career Assessment, which helped to align them to their proper majors. Out of those 564, there were 162 students to follow up with assessment concerns/clarity and 38 students to receive assessment debriefs. There was a total of 2,972 students enrolled during this time frame.

The Office of Career Services utilization of the Handshake platform yielded a total number of 21,424 approved and expired jobs which is accessible for all students.

71.46% -Job opportunities

23.7%/ - Internships

2.76% - Fellowship

1.45%/ - Coop Education

0.32%/- Volunteer

0.24%/ - Experiential Learning

0.04%/ - On -campus student employment

0.03%)- Graduate school

In addition to job postings, messages were received by the Handshake platform in the form of an e-mail conveying employment opportunities to total 1,630 students from 320 proactive employers during this timeframe.

SteppingBlocks is an additional platform that students are able to access virtually. The platform became accessible effective January 2023. From its inception, this platform has yielded 39 new accounts from students.

Furthermore, students were able to take advantage of “in office” service opportunities such as:

Professional headshots (21 students), Resume Preparation (246 students)

Career Advisement (25 students)

Mock Interview (3 students)

Internship Assistance (69 students)

Assessments (162 students)

Assessment Debriefs (38 students)

Success Stories (37 students)

There was a total of 601 students that took advantage of in office services

For the Office of Career Services there were a total of 44 internships obtained and 6 employment gainful employment opportunities.

During this time the Office of Career Services has hosted programming events which targeted both first generation college students as well as underrepresented students with Career Chats, Workshops, Onsite Recruitments, Career Fairs, Ram in the Bush networking event with alumni, JC Penney SUIT UP event, and Professional development opportunities. The total number of student participation for these events are 2,991.

The Office of Career Services held onsite recruitment, career fairs and a resource fair to provide opportunities to better inform student placement, work experience and employment. The total of students that participated in these events are 933.

There was a total of 3,222 students who created their Handshake profiles (undergraduate 3,056/ graduate 132 and alumni 33) Undergraduate breakdown: (Freshman 1,280/ Sophomore 627/ Junior 459/ Senior 690)

Goal or targets (for each KPI): October 1, 2022-September 30, 2027

Time period/duration: October 1, 2022-September 30, 2027

Progress and Adjustments:

Albany State University’s Career Services department has reached monumental milestones in the form of internships obtained, professional development catered events and an increase in use through career platforms and community resources. As such, the Office of Career Services received two donations in the amount of $10,000 each from GEICO and Norfolk Southern. These organizations decided to contribute towards promoting professional development for our students on campus in the form of monetary donations.

One of our events resulted in partnering with our local JCPenney to provide exclusive shopping opportunities in the store catered specifically for our college students. The JCPenney SUIT up event provided exclusivity along with discounted prices on professional attire specifically for our students. There were 100 of our current students who were eligible to receive a $50.00 gift card to help with payment towards professional attire. Because of the donations received, we were able to observe students shop for professional attire that would be utilized for interviews and other professional development activities in the community.

Additionally, we ended up with 34 students being chosen participate in an internship opportunity with Walt Disney World, for the first time ever in Orlando, Florida. We increased student engagement with the students by rolling out our new Handshake platform which kept the students abreast with different internship opportunities available in their field. This, along with the USG mandated platform Steppingblocks, students were able to apply for internships, part-time and full-time employment opportunities in real time.

The Office of Career Services was recognized by the Office of Greek Life for working closely with Greek organizations on campus for 6-weeks to promote career development in an unconventional way. Students were given a career related topic to cover and provide workshops and/or skits to the student body resulting in an increase of knowledge with life skill development and social development in the workplace.

Finally, the Office of Career Services developed Career Action Plans that are targeted for each class (i.e. freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) as they matriculate at ASU. This will help students remain aligned with their goal of completing in 4 years and provide pertinent information on what is needed to be successful in their career paths PRIOR to graduation.

Due to limited staff of two in the Office of Career Services, creativity was pivotal. Collaborations for the reporting period included partnerships with the Office of Student Engagement (Etiquette Ball), The Office of Greek Life (GREEK WEEK Career Development), Summer Camp targeting Middle & High school students in the Dougherty County community, Table Talk Event (community partners), Career Fairs (Community/ Industry involvement), Educators Fair (k-12 school districts),

Plan for the Year Ahead:

Enhance the steps already outlined in the report provided

Challenges and Support:

Challenges: Remain fully staffed with competent individuals

Support: Collaboration – Remain Informed across the USG system of how important career services is as a department and resource on campus

Primary Contact:

Dr. Julie Pettway, Director

Summer Success Academy (Albany State University-2023)

Strategy/Project Name:

Summer Success Academy

Momentum Area:

Purpose

Change Management

Category:

Career/Major Exploration

15-to-Finish

Strategy/Project Description:

The Summer Success Academy activity is a 6-week residential learning opportunity that provides incoming freshmen with the ability to get a jump start on their ASU experience. Student participants are enrolled in 7-9 credit hours depending on their cohort. Working closely with expert faculty and supported by a network of peer advisors, learning specialists, and tutors, Academy Scholars learn together as a community within and beyond the classroom. Focus of the program is to enable students to develop into owners of their educational experiences and leave strong and ready for the challenges of a first year in college.

Activity Status:

Evaluation/Assessment plan:

Evaluation Plan and measures:

Survey at the end of the program (August) and survey at the end of the first year of the same cohort (May)
Review of performance data at end of program (August)
Review of grades of SSA participants in ENGL 1101, ENGL 1102, MATH 1001, and MATH 1111 the end of the first year (May)
Review of retention data in Fall of every year (October)

KPIs:

% of SSA Scholars who agree/strongly agree that SSA sufficiently prepared me to begin my journey as a Golden Ram
% of SSA Scholars with a GPA of 2.5 or above at the end of the program.
% of SSA Scholars who complete Area A by end of Spring
Fall – to Fall Retention

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

% SSA Scholars who agree/strongly agree that SSA sufficiently prepared me to begin my journey as a Golden Ram
- Summer 2021 cohort: 75% of respondents
% of SSA Scholars with a GPA of 2.5 or above at the end of the program.
- Summer 2021 cohort: 81% of SSA scholars ended SSA with a G.PA of 2.5 or better
% of SSA Scholars who complete Area A by end of Spring
- Summer 2021 cohort: 50% of 2021 students completed Area A by Spring 2022
Fall – to Fall Retention
- Summer 2021 cohort: 71% of 2021 scholars were retained for Fall 2022.

Current/most recent data:

% SSA Scholars who agree/strongly agree that SSA sufficiently prepared me to begin my journey as a Golden Ram
- 100% of respondents to the 2023 end of the SSA survey indicated they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement
% of SSA Scholars with a GPA of 2.5 or above at the end of the program
- 83% of the Summer 2023 cohort had a GPA of 2.5 or above at the end of the program
% of SSA Scholars who complete Area A by end of Spring
- 30% of the Summer 2022 cohort completed Area A by end of Spring 2023
Fall – to Fall Retention
- 88% of the Summer 2022 cohort were retained for Fall 2023

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

80% of SSA Scholars who agree/strongly agree that SSA sufficiently prepared me to begin my journey as a Golden Ram
85% of SSA Scholars with a GPA of 2.5 or above at the end of the program.
75% of SSA Scholars who complete Area A by end of Spring
80% Fall – to Fall Retention

Time period/duration

Ongoing

Progress and Adjustments:

We have continued to demonstrate progress in 3 of 4 KPI’s and students perform well during the program. We had a 78% increase (from 40-71) in participation from the 2022 SSA cohort. In addition, the retention rate of the Fall 2022 cohort was nearly 90%. Improved attention on the development of the Fall schedule, combined with a Fall learning community comprised of SSA students (22 students) also contributed to the improvement in retention.

Relationships with Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Career Services have been critical in the success of the program. We increased the number of students whose onboarding was complete prior to move-in, including submission of high school transcripts. For the second year in a row students traveled to Montgomery to visit the Civil Rights Museum and participated in an incredible Table Talks session with Career Services, where employers are invited to speak to students in small groups in a speed-dating format. Focus 2 Career was again a major assignment in our first-year experience course, where students were asked to reflect on their choice and analyze their junior-level courses in relation to appropriate career preparation.

Students continue to struggle in Area A courses (which have 40-50% failure rates for the general population) after leaving the program, which has led to too many SSA completers being on probation after Fall and Spring. The percentage of students who were enrolled in required co-requisite courses also dropped (from 93% in 2022 - 82% in 2023), primarily due to space or late registration. We will need to increase the number of Area A sections to decrease class size and increase the number of students who take Area A courses while in the program. The goal is for 100% of all students who require at least one co-requisite course to take the course during SSA.

We are trying to consider ways to balance the intensive support format of Summer Success Academy with the need to position students more for independence. Students seemingly thrive in the 6-week format, where instructors are intentionally recruited based on their previous experience in K-12 environments or with developmental (remedial) students and where students are in a consistent, daily routine. This replicates the high school format they just left. They develop strong relationships with their faculty who get to know them well when they are seeing them every day. In addition, the amount of student leadership support is strong in program. The increase in live-in student leaders was critical to the initiative, providing a strong presence in classes, serving as accountability partners, and leading group sessions as peer leaders.

To improve academic outcomes in the Fall semester after the program, we focused on making sure students were registered for appropriate courses. Summer and fall schedules were audited multiple times for accuracy and alignment with the degree program. In ASU 1101 students met with the instructor twice during the program to discuss major choice and the fall semester.

The Fall 2022 cohort, like Fall 2021, experienced academic difficulties in the following two semesters after the program ended. We observed an alarming decline in the overall GPA of the cohort in the Spring semester.

Plan for the Year Ahead:

Increasing enrollment to 100 students
Extending strong student leadership support into the first semester
Extending the faculty-student relationship into the first semester by assigning students with the most challenges to SSA faculty as mentors.
Intense auditing of Fall and Spring schedules to make sure they position students for success
Creating mini-communities of 25 or less within the larger 100-student learning community (based on focus areas) to maintain a relationship-building atmosphere.
Increasing the number of sections of each class to decrease class size in each section.
Proposing that we have two learning communities in the Fall
Focus groups comprised of all five SSA cohorts (2019-2023) to get a better understanding of the support systems necessary to sustain satisfactory academic performance after the program has concluded.
Funding was approved for additional advising and logistical support for the SSA program to provide relief for the SSA Coordinator.

Challenges and Support:

Challenges:

Staffing: An additional 41% increase in participants (to 100) will require additional full-time, part-time, and student leader support to maintain the strong support base required for success.
Funding: Despite a positive fundraising from alumni that has yielded over $4000 for experiential learning and personal items for eligible students, and grateful partnerships with Student Engagement and Campus Housing to sponsor specific activities, funding continues to be a primary area of concern. There are currently no scholarships, book vouchers, or completion incentives as part of the program. This makes it difficult to increase the number of participants annually, as it competes with summer income opportunities prior to the start of Fall.
Community: The increase in the number of students may be leading to a decrease in community among the students. We observed that more students in this cohort than in any other completed the program without having engaged significantly with every other member.

Support needs:

Reviewing the policy of all students completing Area A within the first 30 hours. This forces advisors to place students in classes with high failure rates and where they may not be developmentally ready to engage with the course. For instance, it may be in the students’ best interest (non-STEM or non-traditional) to take math as a solo course in the summer or when the GPA is higher so that the stress of a potential failure is lessened.

Primary Contact:

Dr. Kimberly Burgess/Executive Director of Student Success

Gold Carpet Orientation (Albany State University-2023)

Strategy/Project Name:

Gold Carpet Orientation

Momentum Area:

Purpose

Mindset

Change Management

Category:

Financial Risk Alerts

Mindset

Orientation

Strategy/Project Description:

The Gold Carpet Orientation activity is a modified orientation concept delivered during the weekday. Through Gold Carpet Orientation, new Freshmen experience orientation in small groups of 20 going through 5-6 stations directly related to onboarding and first year retention, to include:

Academic Mindset: Faculty and Academic Support Services collaborate to provide students with an opportunity to understand the differences in learning, studying, and test-taking at the college-level.
GAView: A walk-through of the LMS system.
RAM Central: Students understand how to access Banner, check remaining requirements, and submit outstanding documents. Students with significant financial aid issues will be able to receive targeted counseling.
Academic Advising: Students will receive their Fall schedules, get an overview of their degree program and requirements, and make their first advising appointment of the semester.
Career Services: Students will learn how to utilize Focus2Career in making major decisions and the major services of the Career Center.
Student Conduct: Students are briefed on the Student Code of Conduct, common problem errors within student conduct, and their rights and responsibilities as students in the process.

Activity Status:

Studying

Evaluation/Assessment plan:

Evaluation Plan and measures:

Review data from student accounts for payment data (August-September)
Survey of freshmen cohort at the conclusion of Ram Success Week (August)

KPIs:

% of Gold Carpet students who are fully paid by the Fall payment deadline
% of Gold Carpet students who feel “ready to start college”

Baseline measure (for each KPI)*:

49% of Gold Carpet students who are fully paid by the Fall payment deadline
69% of Gold Carpet students who feel “ready to start college”

*Data collection efforts Fall 2021 - Fall 2023 failed to specifically target students who had attended Gold Carpet orientation. We have used data from the overall freshman cohort(s) to establish a baseline.

Current/most recent data:

% of Gold Carpet students who are fully paid by the Fall payment deadline
- Not yet collected.
% of Gold Carpet students who feel “ready to start college”
- 79% of respondents from the Fall 2023 freshman cohort agreed or strongly agreed to the statement, “I believe that my New Student Orientation/Ram Success Week experience sufficiently prepared me to begin my first year at Albany State University.”

*Data collection efforts Fall 2021 - Fall 2023 failed to specifically target students who had attended Gold Carpet orientation. Survey data presented is from a survey of the overall freshman cohort.

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

90% of Gold Carpet students who are fully paid by the Fall payment deadline
80% of Gold Carpet students who feel “ready to start college”

Time period/duration

Ongoing

Progress and Adjustments:

Collaboration with financial aid, academic advising, and admissions have contributed to the success of the initiative for onboarding efforts. Although we decreased the number of sessions, we increased the number of students served overall (from 315 in Fall 2022 to 528 in Fall 2023) and the percentage of overall attendees who were served in a Gold Carpet session (from 32% in Fall 2022 to 50% in Fall 2023). Satisfaction remains high, with 97% of Gold Carpet respondents (437/450) indicating that they were satisfied with their orientation experience.

The smaller sessions provide onboarding departments with limited staff ability to examine the records of orientation participants, provide much-needed outreach to fully inform them of missing documents, and have a Fall schedule ready upon arrival. An earlier schedule means that housing can be reserved earlier and the Fall bill will be more accurate at an earlier date. In addition, the smaller parent orientation sessions provide a safer space for parents to ask tough questions and receive trusted information to increase participation in payment plans, provide accurate tax information, and assist with providing final high school transcripts, immunization records, and lawful presence documentation.

The continued success of the initiative, which includes an overall increase in the percentage of freshmen fully paid from 49% in Fall 2021 to 88% in Fall 2022 has led us to move up the beginning of our orientation period so that more students are fully paid prior to July 1 rather than August 1.

We will also review data on the first four weeks of the semester to assess whether we need to make changes to our programming. We have included sessions with faculty (Academic Mindset) and Distance Learning (GAView Overview) to help with academic performance. The percentage of respondents who felt prepared for the semester increased from 69% in Fall 2022 to 79% in Fall 2023. We will continue to examine Gold Carpet data versus the overall freshman cohort for differences in early alerts, mid-term grades, and first-semester academic performance. Our goal is to work diligently throughout the orientation period to address barriers to success in onboarding and the first four weeks of the semester.

Plan for the Year Ahead:

Revising the Gold Carpet schedule to increase the number of freshmen fully paid by July 1 and the percentage of students served in this forma.
Conducting focus groups of first-year freshmen to provide input on the orientation experience.
Revising the Gold Carpet curriculum to increase the percentage of freshmen who feel prepared for the semester.
Analyzing data of Gold Carpet participants in terms of Early Alert, mid-term grades, registration, and Fall-Spring retention.

Challenges and Support:

Challenges:

Orientation is not required prior to registration or housing. This provides little incentive for students to attend outside of cultural expectations.
Staffing: Although the Gold Carpet Orientations have been shown to be beneficial, an increase in the number of sessions are taxing on staff, who must be pulled away from daily operations to serve the incoming class.
The effort to focus on efficiency and onboarding in Gold Carpet sessions leads us to a goal of orientation sessions to be 3 hours or less, with priorities given to Financial Aid and Academic Advising. The pressure from departments to be included and data on retention on information that would be helpful to students challenges this effort. Each year we have had to make difficult choices about what information should be included. For example, housing is not included as part of Gold Carpet, although our data has shown that students do not often understand the process.

Primary Contact:

Dr. Kimberly Burgess/Executive Director of Student Success

Mid-Term Conversations (Albany State University-2023)

Strategy/Project Name:

Mid-Term Conversations

Momentum Area:

Pathways

Mindset

Category:

Early Alerts

Strategy/Project Description:

Mid-Term Conversations provide students with mid-term DFUs with face-to-face opportunities in one-on-one or small groups to discuss challenges from the first half of the semester and expose them to campus resources to get them back on track.

The facilitator asks students direct questions to get them engaged, introduces alternative assumptions, asks for examples, and asks for personal reflections and insights as to why they are having academic challenges in the first year.

Activity Status:

Studying

Evaluation/Assessment plan:

Evaluation Plan and measures:

Review of academic support activity for this group at the end of the semester.

KPIs:

% of participants who engage in an academic support function

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

% of participants who engage in an academic support function
- Fall 2022 participants: 54% (149/274) engaged in tutoring, math/writing centers, or individual success consultations

Current/most recent data (for each KPI)

% of participants who engage in an academic support function
- Spring 2023 participants: 68% (13/19) engaged in tutoring, math/writing centers, study table, or individual success consultations

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

% of participants who engage in an academic support function
- 70% of participants will engage in an academic support function

Time period/duration

Ongoing

Progress and Adjustments:

The program in two semesters has averaged a 61% participation rate in academic support activities beyond the initial conversation. We are hopeful that with increased staffing we can increase the percentage of participants who attend an Individual Success Consultation (one-on-one meeting with Student Success) upwards from 30%; we hope that the data reveals that an increase in these one-one-one sessions, which build trust through relationships will lead to a further increase in engagement with academic support.

Plan for the Year Ahead:

We are taking qualitative data from the sessions to assist in data gathering.
We have marketed sessions as mandatory to increase participation.
We will be gathering survey data after sessions to assess whether students find the sessions valuable and whether they intend to engage in academic support afterwards.

Challenges and Support:

Challenges:

High-need: Over 1600 freshmen received at least one mid-term deficiency.
Staffing: Almost 3000 undergraduates had at least mid-term deficiency. With only two staff members conducting sessions, many students will not be reached by this method or may have scheduling conflicts with the advertised sessions. We have had to limit the number of students we contact for this service. A lack of staff also limits the impact of follow-up and the opportunity to build relationships. Additional full-time personnel to serve as academic coaches or a reliance on student works is necessary.
Compliance: Attendance at these sessions are not tied to any other activity, such as registration, housing, or re-admission to the University after academic suspension

Primary Contact:

Dr. Kimberly Burgess/Executive Director of Student Success

ASU-Turn Academy (Albany State University-2023)

Strategy/Project Name:

ASU-Turn Academy

Momentum Area:

Pathways

Mindset

Category:

Early Alerts

Strategy/Project Description:

An extension of Mid-Term Conversations, ASU-Turn Academy focuses on students who are academic probation or who have been re-admitted. Students are asked to engage for the semester in weekly meetings to learn specific success strategies and reflect on challenges from the previous semester.

Activity Status:

Studying

Evaluation/Assessment plan:

Evaluation Plan and measures:

Review of performance data at the end of each semester (December, May)

KPIs:

% of participants who return to good academic standing

Baseline measure (for each KPI)*:

% of participants who return to good academic standing
- Spring 2023: 43% of ASU-Turn participants who attended 3 or more sessions returned to good standing.

Current/most recent data:

% of participants who return to good academic standing
- Spring 2023: 43% of ASU-Turn participants who attended 3 or more sessions (30/70) returned to good standing.

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

56% of ASU-Turn Academy participants (3 or more sessions) return to good standing.

Time period/duration

Ongoing

Progress and Adjustments:

Spring 2023 was the first semester of measurable attendance. This can be attributed from a change in approach – from invitation via Outlook to a campaign with “Mandatory ASU-Turn Academy” in the title. A total of 108 participants attended at least once, with 70 of those students attending for multiple (3 or more) sessions. Although weekly attendance declined weekly until the end of the 10-session program, this semester has served as a model moving forward.

In a feedback session held in a focus-group style, participants indicated that they found the program helpful and enjoyed the format of “free talk” and “lecture” without the pressure of additional assignments or tasks. One issue is deciding whether the focus of the sessions should be on motivation (resilience, persistence, coping), classroom skills (reading, note-taking, study strategies) or detailed walk-throughs to help students gain independence (how to calculate GPA/SAP, how to register for classes, how to choose a major).

Plan for the Year Ahead:

Having more than one instructor to divide tasks and oversight.
Assigning the instructor to participants as a “Student Success Resource” in EAB to provide additional accountability to participants for early alerts, at-risk reports, and mid-term deficiencies.
Implementing an end of program survey in addition to the focus group to gather data on effectiveness and programming.

Challenges and Support:

Staffing: We need more instructors to offer more sessions. This will improve the variety of offerings to assist students with academic challenges.

Primary Contact:

Dr. Kimberly Burgess/Executive Director of Student Success

Supplemental Instruction and Teaching Assistantship (Albany State University-2023)

Strategy/Project Name:

Supplemental Instruction and Teaching Assistantship

Momentum Area:

Purpose

Mindset

Category:

Faculty Engagement

Peer and Supplemental Instruction

Learning Communities

Strategy/Project Description:

The Supplemental Instruction and Teaching Assistantship activity will provide mandatory, voluntary, and integrated academic support services, internal and external to the classroom. Supplemental Instruction (SI) will offer a form of tutoring that focuses on group study and collaboration. Supplemental Instruction is a critical component for university college Learning Communities

Activity Status:

Evaluation/Assessment plan:

Student use of Academic Support Resources
Student Academic Progress

KPIs:

Interaction of Academic Support and Tutoring

#Tutoring Sessions
# Events
# Support Service Appointments
# students Participating

Student DFW Rates
Early Alert
Fall to Fall Retention
Graduation Rate

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

Fall 2022 Tutoring Services

Spring 2023 Tutoring

Services

Summer 2023

Tutoring

Services

Total numbers

2903

2674

551

Raw data

772

710

108

Study Table

309

337

Math Center East

Writing Center East

163

134

Math Center West

197

134

Writing Center West

Peer Tutoring

Current/most recent data (for each KPI)

Goal or targets (for each KPI):
Increase overall student support use by 3%
Contribute to the decrease of the DFW Rates thereby increasing student pass rate by 3%
Contribute to the increase of Fall to Fall retention rate and Graduation Rate.

Time period/duration

5 year plan

Progress and Adjustments:

The Supplemental Instruction and Teaching Assistants will provide academic support to our students within the classroom or online. Supplemental Instructors will have demonstrated a high success rate in an assigned course thusly providing academic support and instructions to the students in the course. However, these positions have not been filled at this time due to no applicant's interest. To recruit Supplemental Instructors a marketing campaign through ASU Marketing and Communication has been utilized as well as all academic chairs, to attract potential candidates.

Teaching Assistants have proven to have a vital impact in the classroom. The Teaching Assistants assist the faculty with delivering content, grading assignments, and leading class discussions within the classroom environment. Our model for our Teaching Assistants has been to pair with a Learning Community. To execute this, we have partnered with the University College/The Anchor. The Teaching Assistant and their level of expertise within the Learning Community they have been assigned has been instrumental in instruction for the instructors and the student support.

The Mont Clair Grant that was used to hire the 9 TAs in 2022 has not been extended at this time. Through the Academic Support State Budget, four Teaching Assistants were hired for the following Learning Communities: Nursing, Education, Business, and Men of Distinction. The Teaching Assistants that were hired were rehired and assigned based on their classroom performance in 2022.

Plan for the Year Ahead:

Academic support Services will continue to work in collaboration with University College/The Anchor to create innovative ways to improve our Teaching Assistant support. Develop and implement Supplemental Instruction and Peer Tutoring training development. Increase the marketing of Academic Support Services through various means.

Challenges and Support:

Challenges:

The challenge that affects our ability to extend the hiring of additional Teaching Assistants is the lack of funding at this time through the Mont Clair Grant. If the grant is extended, the number of Learning Community Teaching Assistants applicants will increase by 7. This would give us a total of 11 which is an increase of two TAs from last year. Another challenge that may affect my ability to do this activity is the lack of human capital to fulfill the Supplemental Instructors' position.

Support Needs:

The support needed from outside my institution is funding to continue to provide academic support services, that will impact the education experiences of our students.

Primary Contact:

Natalie Knox, Director of Academic Support Services

Freshman Residence Hall Tutoring (Albany State University-2023)

Strategy/Project Name:

Freshman Residence Hall Tutoring

Momentum Area:

Purpose

Mindset

Category:

Strategy/Project Description:

The Freshman Residence Hall Tutoring activity aims to expand and strengthen academic and student services and resources while improving Freshman student persistence and success by way of implementing embedded in-hall residence learning and engagement opportunities. The purpose of in-hall tutoring is to more efficiently respond to the needs of ASU’s Freshman student body by housing, in Freshman residence halls, crucial academic and student support services. ASU currently provides academic support services for students that include Math and Writing Centers, tutoring services, and student success workshops, but expansion to strengthen these services pays direct focus to the Freshman in-hall experience. The premise is that if Freshman students have in-hall learning and support opportunities, more students will engage with the services and be more likely to be retained to persist.

Activity Status:

Evaluation/Assessment plan:

Evaluation Plan and Measures:

Student satisfaction
Student use
Number of events

KPIs:

Number of Attendees
Number of interactions
Number of Residence Hall with Academic Support Services

Baseline measure (for each KPI):

1 Residence Hall

Current/most recent data (for each KPI):

3 Residence Hall

Goal or targets (for each KPI):

Baseline data has not been collected to determine targets.

Time period/duration 08/15/2023 -05/5/2024

5 year plan

Progress and Adjustments:

This activity will continue on its path to ensure that tutoring services are available for freshmen on East Campus in Hall 5 and will expand to East Campus East Hall and West Campus Village South. The targeted subjects for these residence halls are Biology, College Algebra and Exercise Science. While ASU provides Academic Support for students through the Math Center, Writing Center, Study Table, and Peer Tutors, the Night O.W.L. Tutoring adds another option for students to gain access for academic support services.

The residence hall tutoring was named Night O.W.L. Tutoring, Oasis. Wise Learning as a marketing tool. The branding of this in-hall residence service is to differentiate it from the other services by adding a new feel to the program. These services are offered to the students on Wednesday and Sunday beginning at 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm. In offering students these non-traditional hours and days.

Plan for the Year Ahead:

The plan for 2023 and ahead is to continue to provide these services to our Freshman students in the residence halls. The Enhancing Academic Success and Persistence Strategies grant pays the peer tutors. The Grant is aimed at targeting first and second-year students and at-risk student populations by providing academic support services that will aid them in continuing their matriculation at ASU.

Challenges and Support:

Challenges:

A Challenge that will affect our ability to do this activity is the lack of Peer Tutors. The grant allows for 20 peer tutors and these students are utilized on both East and West Campus. It also will depend on the student's availability during their academic class schedule.

Support Needed:

The support needed from outside my institution is funding to continue to provide academic support services, that will impact the education experiences of our students.

Primary Contact:

Mr. Antonio Leroy, Director of Housing and Resident Life

Ms. Natalie Knox, Director of Academic Support Services

Tutor on-Demand and Study Table (Albany State University-2023)

Strategy/Project Name:

Tutor on-Demand and Study Table

Momentum Area:

Mindset

Category:

Peer and Supplemental Instruction

Mindset

Strategy/Project Description:

Tutoring On-Demand (TOD) and Study Table services are available to students to aid in increasing academic support either in person or online. The modality for this instruction may include one-on-one or group sessions in person or the integration of virtual tutoring via TOD. These different modalities provide student access to academic resources that will help to increase their ability to engage in classroom learning and retain the content of the subject matter.

TOD services are integrated into the GaView online learning management system and provide students with access to a host site that on-boards and assesses student needs for virtual tutoring, one-on-one or group sessions. Services available in TOD include: the Math Center, Writing Center, peer tutoring, and faculty-led tutoring, collectively supporting a variety of subject offerings. Faculty-led Study Table also integrates into the GaView online learning management system and provides students a more personalized tutoring session tutoring approach from a faculty perspective, while focusing support efforts on core and historically typical high failure rate courses. Study Table is coordinated with courses with high DFW rates.

Activity Status: