Program: Access to College Excellence (ACE)
Date: Fri Oct 14, 2011 - 4:03:57 pm
1) List your program's student outcomes.
Program Goals:
- To help students connect with each other, advisors, faculty and ultimately, to help them feel connected to the institution
- To help students make the transition from being a high school learner to a university learner
- To introduce students to resources that can support their academic work at UHM and other services that can give them assistance
- To provide students a positive role model in the peer mentor whose knowledge and perspective they will respect
- To be a forum where students can explore their intellectual interests
- To encourage students to develop more positive attitudes and behaviors towards the university
- To increase student retention to the sophomore year and subsequently through the senior year to graduation
- To increase faculty and department participation in first-year programs
2) Where are your program's student outcomes published? Mark all that apply and include URLs when appropriate.
Program's Website. URL: 
Student Handbook. URL, if available online: NA Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure. URL, if available online: NA UHM Catalog. Page Number: Other: Program planning documents Other: 3) Provide the program's activity map or other graphic that illustrates how program activities/services align with program student outcomes. Please upload it as a PDF.
- File (10/14/2011)
4) For the period June 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the student outcomes that were targeted, if applicable.
Assessment questions:
- What are our program persistence and retention rates?
- How do our persistence and retention rates compare to first-time UHM freshmen?
- Do ACE students report being satisfied with the ACE seminar?
- Do ACE students report building friendships with students from their learning community and feeling part of the general UHM community?
- Do ACE students report positive experiences with their peer mentors?
- Are there differences in student feedback by type of learning community?
5) State the type(s) of evidence gathered to answer the assessment question and/or meet the assessment goals that were given in Question 4.
- STAR/Banner information related to student persistence and retention rates.
- Student Expectations Survey (completed at beginning of seminar)
- Student Engagement Survey (completed at end of seminar)
- Class assignments (written reflection)
- Peer Mentor Focus Group
6) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
- STAR Institutional Data: 372 (100% of ACE students)
- Surveys: 359 (97% of ACE students)
- Class assignments: 294 (79% of ACE students)
- Peer Mentor Focus Groups: 18 (50% of ACE peer mentors)
7) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected. Check all that apply.
Program faculty/staff Faculty/staff committee Ad hoc faculty/staff group Director or department chairperson Persons or organization outside the university Students (graduate or undergraduate) Dean Other 8) How did he/she/they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence? Check all that apply.
Compiled survey results Used qualitative methods on interview, focus group, open-ended response data Scored exams/tests/quizzes Used a rubric or scoring guide Used professional judgment (no rubric or scoring guide used) External organization/person analyzed data (e.g., Social Science Research Institute) Other: 9) For the assessment questions/goals stated in Question 4, summarize the actual results.
ACE students persist at higher rates than general UHM first-time freshmen. ACE assessment results show that 92% of ACE students reported that they were satisfied with the ACE seminar and 98% of students reported that their peer mentor treated them with respect and created an atmosphere that encouraged them to learn. Most students (72%) reported that they feel part of the UHM community. When survey results are analyzed by cluster type, pre-major learning community students reported higher levels of studying together and building friendships within their learning community. In addition, students reported through written reflections that academic advising, time management, and money management were important to their first semester success. Peer Mentors provided feedback on the ACE seminar and recommended that more cluster and major-specific activities be implemented in the seminar.
10) What was learned from the results?
Student satisfaction with the ACE seminar. Recommendations on how to improve the ACE seminar.
11) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.
These findings have prompted adjustments: the ACE curriculum strengthened its advising, time management, and money management skills components; more in-class and out-of-class activities were offered for students to build connections to each other and the campus; a new student engagement activity was developed to help students create a four-year “Student Life” transcript, thus, helping students plan for participation in internships, fellowships, study abroad, research, peer leadership opportunities, and so forth.
12) Reflect on the assessment process. Is there anything related to assessment procedures your program would do differently next time? What went well?
In the future, we hope to focus on a specific program goal and develop a deeper analysis on that goal. In the future, we will send 2-3 follow-up email to increase survey response rates.
13) Other important information
Mahalo to the Assessment Office for helping us develop our program assessment plan.