When Advisors Learn: Using Student Data to Create Retention Initiatives for “Academically At-Risk Students” Karina Smith, Academic Development and Recovery Coord. Alizabeth Gaddie, First Year Experience Advisor Jamie Sheppard, Academic Success Advisor for Math

Overview Activity Boise State Student Demographics (2015) Current Structure Research Process Research Results Steps Moving Forward Designing your (Institution's) next steps Questions

Activity

Boise State 2015 Demographics

Current Structure and Policies related to Probation Dismissal and Reinstatement (PDR)

Probation Current Academic Standing Outreach Email from Registrar’s Office Phone/Email from Advising and Academic Enhancement (AAE)

Academic Standing as of Fall 2017 Probation Academic Standing as of Fall 2017

(After semester on probation) Dismissal A student is dismissed when: their Boise State GPA does not meet Academic Standards OR they do not earn a 2.0 GPA for the semester term (After semester on probation)

Reinstatements

this led to…. Review of Policies and Procedures Anecdotal advisor interactions with students experiencing academic difficulty Creation of Student Success dashboard Examination of quantitative data related to students academic struggles and retention Creation of Academic Development and Recovery Coordinator position Continued research and investigation into students who struggle academically

The Research

Research Objective To understand from successfully reinstated students, what characteristics, behaviors, strategies, and attitudes allowed them to be successful upon returning back to the University.

Research Parameters All Students Reinstated for Fall 2015 (155 Students) Successfully completed Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 with a 2.0 Boise State semester GPA or better (86 students)

Quantitative Research

Quantitative Hypothesis Hypothesis 1: Are students who took more time between dismissal and reinstatement more likely to be successful? Hypothesis 2: Are students with a lower GPA and more units earned less likely to be successful? Hypothesis 3: Are there demographic markers that correlate with likelihood of success?

Results: Hypothesis 1-Time Away

Results: Hypothesis 2-GPA vs. Units Completed To calculate (example) Actual: 1.75 GPA × 12 hours attempted = 21 quality pts Necessary: 2.00 GPA × 12 hours attempted = 24 quality pts Thus student's Quality Point Status = –3 quality pts Using Quality Point Status allows for determining the “magnitude of the academic deficiency experienced by the student” (p. 392) (Cogan, 2011)

Results: Hypothesis 3-Demographics Gender Ethnicity Age

Demographics-Gender

Demographics- Ethnicity

Demographics-Age

Qualitative Research

Feelings with being academically dismissed

Feelings with being academically successful

Activity

Self-Identified Reasons for Dismissal

Self-Identified Reasons for Success

How does the Reinstatement Research inform next steps PDR Proposal Discussion of additional Policy and Procedure Changes Increase student interaction in following semesters Early Reinstatement policy

How does the Reinstatement Research inform next steps cont’d. Further Research Opportunities Continued Research in following areas Probation Dismissal Continued follow-up research into Fall 2016, etc of student population Continued Reinstated Research

Designing your (institution's) next steps What research/data do you currently have available? What research/data do you need to gather? What kind of analysis/interventions do you feel would most benefit your students who are currently struggling academically? What programs can you begin moving forward on?

References Cogan, M.F. (2011). Predicting success of academically dismissed undergraduate students using quality point status. Journal of college student retention, 12(4), 387-406. Heider, F. (1946). Attitudes and cognitive organization. The Journal of psychology, 21(1),107-112. Weiner, B. (1985). An attributional theory of achievement motivation and emotion. Psychological review, 92(4), 548.

THANK YOU Karina Smith, Academic Development and Recovery Coordinator Email karinasmith@boisestate.edu Alizabeth Gaddie, First Year Experience Advisor Email alizabethgaddie@boisestate.edu Jamie Sheppard, Academic Success Advisor for Math Email jamiesheppard@boisestate.edu THANK YOU