Work Smarter Not Harder: Breaking the Ice with At-Risk Students Dan Gockley Director of Residence Life, Fairmont State University Darlena Jones, Ph.D. Director of Education and Program Development, EBI

How do you identify at-risk students?

Founded in 1994 Over 1500 Colleges and Universities worldwide MAP-Works implemented on over 100 campuses

MAP-Works Retention Platform Identify Intervene & Coordinate Inform Manage Motivate

Student Profile Data ERP Interface (Banner, Peoplesoft, Datatel, Jenzabar) BlackBoard, Building Block partner Student Profile Data Campus Resources Survey Data Alerts/Notes Social Norming Expectations Campus Resources The MAP-Works Process Advisors Residence Hall Staff Seminar Instructors Coaches Talking Points Dashboard Share Notes/Alerts Coordinate Actions

Quickly Navigate

Quickly Identify Students Drill down to see Johnathan’s Talking Points…

Johnathan’s Risk Indicator was Green, now it’s yellow… Quickly identify most recent issues

Survey Rating is yellow and he’s not strongly committed to returning in the Spring…

Not socially integrating or committed to the institution Not studying long enough, poor time management skills, weak academic behaviors. Not highly confident in obtaining the tuitions/fees needed Poor academic self-efficacy, low levels of academic integration, experiencing course difficulties…

Keeping Track of Work Allows Direct-Connects see the interactions others are having

Utilize Everyone on Campus Get everyone on campus involved by allowing them to issue Alerts when they have concerns

Collect Academic Info Quickly Request instructors provide immediate feedback on performance Information is instantly provided to Direct-Connects for follow-up…

Less Time Diagnosing More Time Helping Students Effectiveness & Efficiency More Time Helping Less Time on the Computer

All Students Report - Shared Response Target programming initiatives to those in most need

All Students Report - Survey Snapshot Aggregated information to understand global trends.

Engage Students in Process

Written Student Report

Facebook / Portal Take survey, download report Send s or make appointments…

Fairmont State University Daniel Gockley

College Stats – Located in Fairmont, WV – 4 Year, Public – 4100 undergraduate students – 90% in-state students – 98% full-time students – 48% male / 52% female – 51% of all first-year students live in college housing Who is Fairmont State University?

– Fairmont State University was selected as one of three institutions to pilot MAP-Works by the West Virginia state Higher Education Policy Commission. – Fairmont State University is co-located with Pierpont Community & Technical College, and students from the two institutions are mixed together in classes, in residence halls, and in activities across campus. – FSU and PC&TC were both interested in improving retention efforts particularly due to the high percentage of 1 st generation college students attending both institutions. MAP-Works at Fairmont State

Which students were involved? – All first-time, first-year students at the institutions, including part-time students. A total of 1376 students were included in the Fall 2009 survey. – All full-time first year students and transfer students with fewer than 15 transfer credits. A total of 1538 students were included in the Fall 2010 survey. Which faculty/staff/departments were involved? – Academic Affairs-Student Affairs – Residence Life-Off-Campus Programs – Athletics-Financial Aid Implementation of MAP-Works

Paraprofessional Staff Interventions – Resident Assistants developed relationships encouraging students to complete the survey. – Resident Assistants utilized certain data elements for interventions. Faculty Interactions – Faculty referred students in crisis – Faculty utilized data to intervene with students. Student Behavior Interventions – Student behaviors led to outreach efforts Conduct Processes – Utilized student data during conduct meetings. Campus Intervention Teams Breaking the Ice

Meaningful Connections with Students – Students often deflect or deny their challenges. Detailed Conversations – Information helps overcome student resistance. Avoidance Timeliness of Interactions – Intervene before there are academic consequences. Incomplete Information – Students struggle with more than class work. Retainability – Data helps identify which students can be retained. Reactive vs. Proactive – Survey results facilitate a proactive approach. Intervention Challenges

Early Intervention Relationships Determine Success – Students will respond based upon their connections. Information = Foundation for Success Data Drives Planning and Decision-Making – Plan programs to address student needs. – Develop future budgets. Intervene at the Lowest Level – Encourage resident assistants to utilize MAP-Works. Effective Interactions – MAP-Works helps supervisors ensure interactions are happening effectively. Successful Interventions

Open Discussion

Does your campus have a culture of retention? Have your faculty bought in? How do you train your staff to reach out to students who are struggling? What transition factors (e.g., homesickness, time management, etc.) do you focus on? Discussion Points

Discussion / Questions Dan Gockley, Darlena Jones,