Why Do They Go Below 2.0?

Kelley S. Hestir, MFA, Lead Academic AdvisorJennifer Hodges, PhD., Director of Advising and Retention

College of Arts and Sciences New Mexico State University

A Qualitative Study of Academic Probation Interventions

Academic Sanction Interventions Timeline

• Spring 2012 and Fall 2012 We implemented programs to help students on academic sanction– Individual meetings with bi-weekly follow-up– Group sessions offered in Spring 2012– Centralized Quick Connect responses

• Fall 2013 through Spring 2015 We identified and documented the most pervasive factors leading to academic sanction. This information was gathered after one-on-one student advising meetings that resulted in individualized success plans

Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 20140

100

200

300

400

500

600

354307

235 219185

105

85

8374

62

81

63

5046

43

17

10

1212

5

Warning Probation 1 Probation 2 Suspension

557, 9.8%

295, 6.0%

From Fall 2010 to Fall 2014 47% decrease in number on sanction

39% decrease in percentage on sanction

End of Term Sanctions – Fall

End of Term Sanctions – Spring

Spring 2011 Spring 2012 Spring 2013 Spring 20140

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

146 164118

96

167 131

128

102

4837

42

26

16

15

12

16

Warning Probation 1 Probation 2 Suspension

377, 7.3%

240, 5%

From Spring 2011 to Spring 201436% decrease in number on sanction

32% decrease in percentage on sanction

Continuing Advising Interventions

Advisor meets with students on academic sanction• Registration holds are used to ensure students see an advisor• Appointments are highly encouraged

Advisors provides trust, support and a reality check

During our meeting • We discuss what sanction is and why they are on it • Students provide details of why their academic

performance is unsatisfactory• We co-create an individual plan for improving

academic performance.• Advisor consults with faculty and staff if needed

Continuing Advising Interventions

WHY a student falls into academic sanction is essential to intervention, problem solving and planning.

WHY a student falls into academic sanction is essential to intervention, problem solving and planning.

HOW do we identify the most common reasons NMSU students fall into sanction?

WHY a student falls into academic sanction is essential to intervention problem solving and planning.

HOW do we identify the most common reasons NMSU students fall into sanction?

REASONS are provided when students meet with their advisor

An Interview/Data Collection Formwas developed over the course of meetings with more than a hundred students.

Key academic history(includes reason for choice of their major, high school and test information, transfer history)

Important academic history

Key academic history(includes reason for major, HS and test information, transfer history)

Notes on our conversation “What happened?”

Collaborative plan of action“What will you dodifferent?”

Important academic history

Key academic history(includes reason for major, HS and test information, transfer history)

Notes on our conversation and collaborative plan of action

Primary Indicator Codes based on information from interview

Important academic history

Primary Indicator Categories, Subcategoriesand Code Descriptions

Indicators for Academic Sanction

Indicators for Academic Sanction

• Academic course completion, grades, and grade point average

• Personal personal skills, coping, relationships, family background, culture

• Financial stresses regarding tuition, aid, employment, expenses, support of dependents, debt

• Limitations physical, learning, emotional, access, logisticalstresses that affect performance

• Outliers examples: technical, military, opportunity

Indicators for Academic Sanction

Academic

• Academic Engagement – unwillingness to expend effort, engage, commit, prioritize, or lacks desire to succeed

• Academic Habits – poor in time management, study/notes skills, course scheduling, realistic goals, short and long term planning

• Academic Ability – indicates consistent difficulty with course material (including tests) resulting in poor grades and reduced options to advance

Indicators for Academic Sanction

Personal

• Personal Transition – temporary, difficulty or trauma in transitioning and adapting to college, to NMSU, to Las Cruces, to New Mexico; being away from family, homesickness, culture shock

• Personal Family – background or culture, lack of support or conflict; violence, others’ illness, caretaking, legal, financial, time constraints in relation to parents, siblings, children, spouse, others

• Personal Social – poor choices in peer socializing and personal relationships, activities; substance abuse

Indicators for Academic Sanction

Financial

• Financial Employment – work requirements interfere with school

• Financial Aid – primary funding is at risk or gone, including financial aid, lottery, scholarships, athletics, other subsidy

• Financial Debt – inability to pay for books, materials, and/or debts, preventing early registration or continuation in school

• Financial Community College – student is advised to attend DACC or other community college

Indicators for Academic Sanction

Limitations

• Limit Permanent - physical, emotional, or learning constraints. Includes students referred to or registered with the Accessibility Office.

• Limitation Logistical - as related to commute, transportation, time, employment, legal constraints

• Limit Medical - temporary physical or learning constraints due to illness, accident, trauma

• Limit Counseling - temporary or on-going physical, emotional, or learning constraints that require counseling

Indicators for Academic Sanction

Outliers

• Technical Canvas – as related to problems using Canvas LMS, actual or imagined, to meet course requirements

• Technical 3rd Party – as related to access, confusion, errors, or other problems with 2nd or 3rd party services

• Technical Access – as related to lack of access to software, hardware, internet

• OUTLIER OTHER – ex. veterans, legal issues, crime, travel abroad, immigration. Details of circumstances are included in data spread sheet

Case Study - Robert• Robert was commuting from El Paso and

working interfered with school. Now he’s living in Las Cruces and is ready to do well in school.

• He has cut back on work hours. He has test anxiety and doesn't like online courses.

• Robert has an AA degree from EPCC with 3.08 GPA.

• He wants to do counseling of some type, and attend graduate school. He has spoken to family members (who are professionals) about how to enter this profession.

Using the Interview Form provided you, make notes regarding Robert’s situation and choose which indicators apply.

Success and Indicators (Spring 2014 sample)

• 62% of the sample improved their GPAs

• Almost half (48%) of the students were impacted by only one indicator

• Student impacted by one or two indicators were most likely to improve (64%)

• Students with Academic indicators were least likely to improve their GPAs

- Limitations 65% - Personal 61% - Financial 63% - Academic 51%

Retention – Fall to Spring

Fall 2010

Fall 2011

Fall 2012

Fall 2013

Fall 2014

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

39.4%

44.5%

44.9%

41.5%

46.1%

12.5%

14.2%

10.2%

13.6%

14.2%

15.5%

14.7%

15.3%

15.9%

13.5%

32.6%

26.6%

29.6%

29.0%

26.2%

Good Term Spring enrolled Good Term no Spring Bad Term Spring enrolled Bad Term no Spring

Retention – Spring to Fall

Spring 2011

Spring 2012

Spring 2013

Spring 2014

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

34%

37%

32%

40%

15.40%

17.60%

14.75%

9.90%

17.20%

15.50%

17.60%

17.20%

33.40%

29.90%

35.65%

32.50%

Good Term Spring enrolled Good Term no Spring Bad Term Spring enrolled Bad Term no Spring

• Continue one-on-one meetings• Continue centralized Quick Connect response • Focus on Academic Warning students– Largest group– Least success (in terms of improvement)– Closest to good standing

• Combination of group, individualized, and online interventions• Outreach to “bad-term, still-enrolled” and “good-term,

not-enrolled”• Outreach based on term GPA as well as cumulative GPA• Department and course specific interventions

Plans for Future Interventions

Ideas for Future Interventions?