1. 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

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

3. Activity

4. Boise State 2015 Demographics

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

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

7. Academic Standing as of Fall 2017
Probation
Academic Standing as of Fall 2017

8. (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)

10. Reinstatements

11. 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

12. The Research

13. 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.

14. 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)

15. Quantitative Research

16. 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?

17. Results: Hypothesis 1-Time Away

18. 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)

19. Results: Hypothesis 3-Demographics
Gender
Ethnicity
Age

20. Demographics-Gender

21. Demographics- Ethnicity

22. Demographics-Age

23. Qualitative Research

24. Feelings with being academically dismissed

25. Feelings with being academically successful

26. Activity

27. Self-Identified Reasons for Dismissal

28. Self-Identified Reasons for Success

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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?

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

35. THANK YOU Karina Smith, Academic Development and Recovery Coordinator
Alizabeth Gaddie, First Year Experience Advisor
Jamie Sheppard, Academic Success Advisor for Math
THANK YOU