Program: Student Academic Services
Date: Thu Oct 09, 2014 - 2:16:52 pm
1) Below are your program's student outcomes (SOs). Please add or update as needed.
- Students will identify their career goals and formulate an educational plan that will assist them in achieving their goals.
- Students will be able to identify College and University policies that affect their educational experience.
- Students will utilize OSAS advising services in any of the following ways: in-person; phone; Skype; Blackboard Collaborate; satellite advising sessions; additional support services via Puahia, Pu'uhonua, and Tinalak.
- Students will identify factors that impact their academic progress.
2) Your program's SOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.
Program's Website. URL: https://coe.hawaii.edu/node/670
Student Handbook. URL, if available online: Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure. URL, if available online: UHM Catalog. Page Number: Other: 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 (10/08/2014)
4) Did your program engage in any program assessment activities between June 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014? (e.g., establishing/revising outcomes, aligning activities to outcomes, collecting evidence, interpreting evidence, using results, revising the assessment plan, creating surveys, etc.)
Yes
No (skip to question 14)5) For the period between June 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the student outcomes that were targeted, if applicable.
The goal for our College of Education Office of Student Academic Services faculty was to focus our retention efforts to assist students who were experiencing academic difficulty. We specifically targeted students who were on the academic action list during the 2013-2014 academic year.
We wanted students to engage in self-reflection to identify reasons why they experienced academic difficulty. We wondered if this self-reflection would assist students in taking ownership for their academic situation.
We developed a new SO specifically for our retention efforts.
SO #4: Students will identify factors that impact their academic progress.
6) State the type(s) of evidence gathered to answer the assessment question and/or meet the assessment goals that were given in Question #5.
An online survey using Google Forms was developed to collect data. The link was embedded in the academic action letters that were sent to students, along with directions that explained the procedures they needed to follow.
Students were required to complete the survey before seeing an academic advisor.
The survey consisted of a combination of mulitple choice and open ended constructed response questions.
Here is the survey link: http://tinyurl.com/osas-retention-survey
7) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
The College of Education Office of Student Academic Services (OSAS) sent letters to students who were placed on the Fall 2013-Spring 2014 Academic Action lists. The link for our online retention survey was embedded within the letter.
Students were required to complete the survey before seeing an academic advisor. Survey responses were used as a prompt to assist advisors in discussing the reason(s) for students' decline in grades. Appropriate resources on campus were shared with students to help improve their situation.
Students also sign a contract that includes statements of understanding regarding their academic situation. This contract is a useful tool to have students assume ownership of their situation.
Out of 197 students who were placed on the Fall 2013 Academic Action list, 133 students completed the survey (67.5% return rate).
Out of 150 students who were placed on the Spring 2014 Academic Action list, 127 responses were received (84.6% return rate).
The remaining students either completed the survey after data was collected and summarized, or simply chose not to return to UHM.
OSAS is pleased with the high percentage of students who completed the survey. We will continue to refine our procedures as we move forward with our retention efforts.
8) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected? Check all that apply.
Program faculty/staff member(s) Faculty/staff committee Ad hoc faculty/staff group Director or department chairperson Persons or organization outside the university Students (graduate or undergraduate) Dean or Associate Dean Advisory Board Other: 9) How did he/she/they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence? Check all that apply.
Compiled survey results Used quantitative methods on student data (e.g., grades, participation rates) or other numeric data Used qualitative methods on interview, focus group, or other 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: 10) For the assessment questions/goals stated in Question #5, summarize the actual results.
The majority of students indicated Academic Difficulty was the biggest factor for their decline in grades (48% in Fall 2013; 66% in Spring 2014).
Personal Issues was the second most frequently cited reason (28% in Fall 2013; 53% in Spring 2014).
The remaining 2 categories are as follows:
Financial Hardship 14% in Fall 2013; 28% in Spring 2014
Other 10% in Fall 2013; 24% in Spring 2014
The data gathered from the survey will serve to refine our advising sessions and guide the appropriate course of action that we plan together with students.
Since this is our first attempt to gather this type of data, we are eager to see if similar patterns emerge over time as we continue to implement our retention procedures.
11) What was learned from the results?
The data confirmed what the COE advisors already knew anecdotally. There are many factors that cause a student to experience academic difficulty. An illness, death in the family, relationship issues, lack of financial assistance, etc., are unfortunate circumstances that students struggle with. Advisors can act as a source of support during these troubling times.
However, what advisors can do for students who simply don't understand the course content or may not have the appropriate study skills and who are struggling academically is to provide assistance early and often. Linking them with on-campus resources is a must and keeping close tabs on these students will enable them to feel a sense of support, connection to the College and to UHM, all of which are essential to retention.
While students heavily identified 2 major factors for their Academic Difficulty: Their struggles in understanding the course content and not understanding the instructor (a grand total of 48.8% and 34.6%, respectively), they were also willing to take ownership for their academic decline. A grand total of 40.3% of survey respondents indicated that they did not study enough as a reason for their academic decline.
We received many survey comments such as these:
"I did not take the first semester as seriously as I should have and fell behind in classes."
"I took more credits than I could handle."
"Because I messed up last semester."
"Wasn't mentally focused."
"I did not prioritize my schooling."
"...I put this upon myself and no one else is to blame."
There are many more statements such as these that indicate students have a willingness to take ownership for their own academic situation.
Our office will continue to work with all students who are academically at-risk.
12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.
The UHM policy regarding academic action requires schools/colleges to notify students about their academic status (probation, suspension, and dismissal) at the end of every spring semester. Schools/Colleges are not required to notify students at the end of fall semesters. However, the COE OSAS has been sending academic warning letters to students at the end of every fall semester (as well as spring semesters). We strongly feel that this early alert of their situation will prompt them to seek assistance from advisors and prevent more serious actions from occurring.
We are pleased to learn that many students have taken ownership of their academic situation. It appears that notifying students in a timely manner has resulted in a shift in attitude toward acceptance of their academic situation.
We will continue to have students complete our retention survey so additional data can be collected. We can also look for patterns or themes that emerge from the logitudinal data.
As a future project, we would also like to focus on the positive academic progress that students experience. We plan to explore factors that lead students to experience academic success (ex: Dean's List/Scholarship students; time to graduation rate).
By continuing with our current retention practices with the academic action students and gathering data on academically successful students, it is our goal to see a reduction in the numbers on our academic action list and an increase in retention rates.
13) Reflect on the assessment process. Is there anything related to assessment procedures your program would do differently next time? What went well?
We had been collecting data on how students used our advising services for the past several years. However, we experienced a dramatic decrease in the number of students who responded to this survey. This prompted us to review our SO's and rethink our focus regarding what we wanted to measure.
Since the COE began admitting freshmen students in Fall 2012, retention has become a bigger factor for us. Our faculty felt that editing our SO's and adding an item that focused on retention was sorely needed.
Our retention protocol has been working very well with students. The process of notifying them about their academic status, requiring the survey completion, having them seek academic advising, and the signing of a retention contract has resulted in our retention efforts becoming more formalized and integrated within our advising services. Students have generally responded well to this process and are grateful for the assistance.
We would like to also explore factors that lead students to experience academic success. We may be developing assessment measures for this audience in the future.
14) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please explain.
Or, if the program did engage in assessment activities, please add any other important information here.
Our retention practices will be used in conjunction with our existing initiatives to retain COE students. Our efforts include: offering yearly achievement scholarships to pre-licensure students majoring in hard-to-fill teaching areas; continuing support programs such as Puahia (First Year Peer Mentoring Program), Pu'uhonua (Hale for Native Hawaiian Students), and Tinalak (Filipino Education Advisory Council); and utilizing a Manoa Peer Advisor for recruitment and advising.