Interventional Mentoring: When* and How *And how to know when

Kahoot Poll How well do you know academic policies that could indicate at-risk behavior?

How do you know when to intervene? How to identify an at-risk student? Are there systematic ways to identify at-risk students in your department? What pieces of information can you or the University collect that will help identify a student who needs an intervention?

Grades Midterm grade reports Progress reports Observations in your own classroom Tools to find at-risk students: COGNOS reports for midterm grades (IT can set this up for you) Banner for midterm grades Progress reports found in GradesFirst (faculty do not have to wait until a request is sent to complete a progress report in GF)

Midterm Grade Report Example (Cognos)

Midterm Grade Example in Banner Faculty Services Student Information Menu Registration History

Progress Report (GradesFirst)

Advising Behavior Missed advising appointment Does not schedule an advising appointment Not prepared for advising appointment Comments like: “Which classes are the easiest?” Student with a low GPA or on probation asking for online only classes. Tools to find at-risk students: Marked as a “no show” in GradesFirst Appointment list in GradesFirst Advising Report comments in GradesFirst Can pull reports from GradesFirst to show you who these students are.

Advising Information (GradesFirst)

Registration Issues Registration holds Freshmen advising Fee balance above $200 Judicial Transcript or admissions document (immunization, social security card, etc.) Not registering for future semester Tools to find at-risk students: Banner for individual student records COGNOS reports for large list of students (i.e. students in your major, advisee list, etc.)

Registration Hold Report (Cognos)

Milestones Math and English course progression Not meeting degree milestones in a timely manner (GPA requirements, acceptance into clinicals/internships) What are some milestones in your program that can indicate that a student is in trouble? How can you identify these students? Tools to find at-risk students: Banner for individual student records COGNOS reports for large list of students (i.e. students in your major, advisee list, etc.)

Intervention Strategies Mentoring meeting instead of traditional advising meeting: call the student in for discussions not related to course scheduling. Referral to campus resources such as Tutoring and Writing Center, Counseling, Access Center, Career Services (the earlier the better). Consider walking student to office location. Enrollment in University Studies 100 to strengthen study skills, time management, and other learning strategies. Academic Coaching offered through University College Academic Services (as capacity allows).

Scenarios Discuss scenarios presented to your table How would you intervene with this student? What would you say/do for them? What university resources or services would best serve them? How would you encourage them to have a growth mindset despite the challenges they are facing? How do you document and follow up?

Scenario 1 After reviewing midterm grades, it’s time to talk to them about how to be successful in the degree program. The student’s current cumulative GPA is already too low and their midterm grades suggest they’re not on a path to improve it. At this rate, their GPA will bar their admission to the next phase of their degree program. How do you discuss this with the student? Be mindful of the tone you use when bringing this topic up. Are they still interested in pursuing a career in this major? Note to them that their grades do not indicate that they have a strong desire to obtain the degree. Are there other degree plans that are similar that can get them to their desired career without the roadblocks they are currently encountering? Could a different major with a minor in your area suffice for their career goals? If they are determined to make in their current degree, map out a plan for success with them. Include tutoring, time management, etc. to help them get to their goal

Scenario 2 One of your advisess comes in to meet with you. After reviewing their transcript, you see that they had been previously suspended and reinstated and are now listed on academic probation. When reviewing GradesFirst, you see several at-risk progress reports recorded for the current semester. Some of the progress reports indicate that the student frequently misses assignments or class. What are some suggestions that you can make to the student to help them get them back on track? Ask if they are having time management problems. Are they using a planner or calendar to keep up with assignments and classes schedules? Would the Tutoring or Writing Center be of help? Suggest they meet with you during your office hours if they are doing poorly in your course. Suggest that they meet with other professors during office hours in courses that they are not doing well in.

Scenario 3 You are meeting with a student who lost TOPS in their freshman year and now has a registration hold on their account due to an unpaid fee bill. You know that finances are going to be a continuous struggle for this student. What are some resources you can point him to that can help him recover academically? Which offices on campus can help him rectify his fee bill issues? (I might change that first question to something more like: How might you help the student figure out whether or not they should not give up? -- I want to be careful not to project the idea that our aim is to keep kids in college at any cost to them . . . ) We need to find a way that also doesn’t encourage dropping out. Retention is the goal of intervention. LR I will delete the entire question for now. Because they lost TOPS we know that this student struggles academically. We need to know if their poor grades are based on time commitment issues (maybe has an outside job), difficulty in course work, personal problems are preventing them from being successful, etc. Resources for personal problems: Counseling Center Resources for academic recovery: Tutoring Center, Writing Center, Dylexia Center (if they qualify), Access Center (if they qualify). Resources for fee bill issues: Discuss available financial aid with the Office of Financial Aid Recommend a payment plan with Fee Collections

Scenario 4 You are meeting with a student who has earned 45 of an attempted 70 hours. Their pace of progress is low; they frequently drop more than one class each semester. In fact, they have enrolled for five consecutive semesters and are not halfway to finishing their degree. They face losing financial aid because their pace of progression is below acceptable standards. What do you think is the best plan of intervention for them? Interventions: Realistic discussions about time to graduation if the student continues to progress as they have been. An honest discussion about how extending the time to graduation will result in additional financial commitments. Discussions about how dropping classes and having a low pace of progression will affect their ability to qualify for financial aid - refer them to financial aid for help. Discuss with how the student’s progress may affect them on their path to graduation? Do they have milestones to meet before they can move on? Recommend tutoring to the student if they are habitually dropping the same class(es). Do you see any other subjects that the student may be struggling in? Possibly exploring other academic programs based on the student’s strengths and interests. Open discussions about what could be causing the student to be unsuccessful in courses. Are there personal or other problems affecting academic performance?

Scenario 5 After dodging your requests to schedule an advising appointment, you finally see the second-semester junior in the hallway of your building. When you ask them why they haven’t responded to your emails, you learn that they no longer wish to remain in the program. Apart from simply pointing them to the IDST program, how might you respond to this news and what recommendations can you give them?

Scenario 6 During the fourth week of the semester, one of your advisees visits your office and tells you that they are struggling in their courses due to personal reasons and they fear that they may earn low grades or fail some of their classes. They express to you that they want to remain enrolled and do better in their classes. What can you do/resources can you offer to help them make it through the rest of the semester? Resources for personal problems: Counseling Center

Wrap up Surviving vs. Thriving Mentoring vs. Advising for scheduling. Use the campus resources. Find the tools and data available to you and your department. What we’ve done and what is coming next in SAM workshops.

Scenario 7 In a scheduled advising meeting, your student admits to you that they are frequently missing assignments and forgetting test dates. They feel that they are not managing their time well and are not organized. They also say that they don’t have any strategies to help them do so. After talking with the student you realize that they really have potential to do well, but need help making an action plan to do so. What can you suggest to this student to help them improve their time management and organization strategies?

Scenario 8 At a scheduled advising meeting, you are reviewing a student’s transcript and see that they have not yet completed the first math course required by their major. You know this will cause problems, as the math course is a prerequisite for other courses in your degree program. Their grades overall are good, but they express to you that they are not good in math and are afraid to take it again because they have dropped and/or failed it several times. How can you address this situation with the student? What plan of action can you suggest? (I took off the last half of the last sentence to leave this one a bit more open-ended -- the course of action could include evaluating other degree programs that don’t have this math requirement).