Using Technology to Bring Together a Large Decentralized

Campus for Student Success

July 28, 2015

Tina Balser, M.Ed. Sr. Student Success Coordinator

University of Missouri-Columbia

Overview

Context

Background

Our Approach

Stakeholders

Implementation

Success & Challenges

Support & Resources

Early Warning & Student Tracking System

• Student concerns can be manually flagged when observed or through periodic surveys.

• Recommendations can be communicated to the student.

• Appropriate personnel are informed of flags raised and cleared.

• Close the loop with faculty when progress is made.

Slide 3

Educational Support Networking System

• Each student has personal My Success Network of instructors and campus staff.

• Online scheduling for in-person meetings – both individual and group appointments.

• Appointment confirmation by email.

• Documentation of contact with students through private and shared notes.

• Service catalog of available campus support resources.

Change Management

What is Change Management? • Focus on People, Communications, Influence Strategies

1. Create a Climate for Change

2. Engage and enable the whole organization

3. Implement and Sustain the Change

• “Changes are not entrenched until they are “how we do things around here” and not “new” behaviors” (Kotter, 1996)

University of Missouri

• Large 4-year public research Institution

• Major land-grant institution

• Flagship campus UM System

• AAU Member

• 18 Schools and Colleges

• 307 Degrees and Certificate Programs

University of Missouri • Fall 2014 Enrollment

• Total: 35,441 • In-state: 24,586 (69.4 %) • Out-of-state: 10,855 (30.6 %) • Undergraduate: 27,654 (78 %) • First Time College (FTC): 6,515

• Moderately Selective • ACT 25.9

• Retention (Fresh-Soph)-86.2% • Graduation Rate (6 yr)- 69.4%

• Gender • Female (52.0%)

• Ethnicity • White (76.4%) • African American (7.2) • Hispanic (3.3) • Asian (2.3) • American Indian (0.2) • Multiple Race (2.5) • Non-Res Alien (6.8)

• International • 2,393 Students (7.2%) • 120 Countries

Background

• Commission for Student Success, 2011

• UM System Initiative • Performance Funding

• Comprehensive Retention Initiative (CRI)

• MU Strategic Operating Plan

• Institutional Analytics

Creating a Climate for Change

Student

Academic College

Financial Aid

Student Life

High Impact

Practices

Student Success Center

Athletics

Residential Life

Disability Center

Pre-Starfish

Student

Academic College

Financial Aid

Student Life

High Impact

Practices Student Success Center

Athletics

Residential Life

Disability Center

Post-Starfish

• “MU Connect has enabled me to keep in-touch with my advisors, it’s kept

me on a path to graduation from MU. Once I found out how to access the service, it has reduced the time it takes to schedule and verify my appointments.” MU Student, Class of 2016

• MU Connect has streamlined the advising operations in our office. It has created less traffic and chaos during pre-registration time. Students are able to sign up for an appointment with ease and get reminders from the system. It has also helped me to be more efficient to be able to spend more time with my advisees rather than scheduling appointments on my own. – MU Academic Advisor

• “As an educator, my main goal is to reach out to students to ensure that they are keeping up with their progress. Using the early warning system is helping me greatly achieve my objective.” MU faculty member

Stakeholders •Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies

•Deans, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Directors Sponsor & Leadership

•Faculty Council, Advising Council, Admin Team, Early Alert Advisory Board Advisory Areas

•Advising, Course Support, Academic Resource Support Faculty & Staff

•Student Government

•Student Associations Students

•Data & Analytics Institutional Research

•ET@MO- Blackboard, SIS- PeopleSoft Technology

Creating a Climate for Change

Strategy

• Starfish Connect • Academic Advising Units and Student Serving Centers

• Homegrown systems

• Purchased other scheduling systems

• Relied heavily on support staff to make appointments

• Starfish Early Alert • 1000 & 2000 Level Courses, High Enrollment, High DFW

• MU did not have an existing Academic Alert system already in place

• Some Departments had their own EA systems in place

Creating a Climate for Change

Implementation Approach

• Intentional, Clear, Simple, Transparent

• Appreciative Inquiry

• Live Demonstrations and Q&A

• Share background and benefits for students

• Technology Adoption Framework

• Appointed admins from each school/college/service

• Balance technology with the School/College/Service needs

“We are doing this with you, not to you.” Dr. Jim Spain, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies

Connect Implementation Plan

Academic

• 9 Academic Schools/Colleges

• Academic Exploration

• Honors College

• Athletics

• Mizzou Online

• Student Success Center

• International Center

Financial

• Financial Aid

• Cashier’s Office

• Office of Financial Success

Student Affairs

• Residential Life

• Disability Center

• Veteran’s Center

• Student Conduct

• New Student Programs

• Student Life

• Social Justice Units

High Impact Practices

• Service Learning

• Study Abroad

• UG Research

Engaging the Whole Organization

Sharing Permissions

• Based on Relationship

• Based on Role Permissions

• Based on Feature Permissions

Academic Advisors

Disability Center

Financial Aid

Residential Life

Career Center

• How you restrict access? • How do people gain access? • I’m not sure if I am comfortable with

sharing information in the system if everyone can see everything.

Academic Advising

Appointment Mechanisms Advising Reasons • Add/Drop Course

• Withdraw from Course

• Withdraw from Term/University

• Change Major

• Graduation Plan

• General Advising

• Probation/Dismissal Questions

• Career Exploration

• Study Abroad

• Personal/Financial/Illness

• My Success Network • One-to-One Relationship from

PeopleSoft

• Academic Advisor

• Student Facing Kiosk • Advisor Waiting Room

• Office Hour Blocks- Term Based

• Scheduling Deadlines

Academic Exploration Kiosk

Residential Life

Appointment Mechanisms

• My Success Network • One-to-One Relationships,

Housing Director

• Hall Coordinator

• Staff & Student Initiated

• Office Hour Blocks- Term Based

Reasons

• Academic Support/Resources

• Roommate Concern

• Community Concern

• Personal Concern

• Involvement Opportunities

Financial Aid Office

Appointment Mechanisms

• My Success Network • One-to-One Relationship from

PeopleSoft

• Financial Aid Advisor

• Staff Facing Kiosk • Advisor Waiting Room

Financial Aid Reasons • Additional Financial Aid

• Adjustments to Financial Aid

• Aid for Non-MU Courses

• Aid for Online Courses

• Drop/Withdraw Course

• FAFSA Assistance

• Loan Questions

• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

• Scholarships

• Study Abroad

My Success Network

Service Catalog

Connect Highlights

Fall 2014

• 38,098 appointments (including walk-ins) were scheduled

• 20,431 undergraduate students (75% of UG students) had at least one appointment

• 227 Faculty and Staff members had at least one appointment

Spring 2015

• 42,859 appointments (including walk-ins) were scheduled

• 20,735 undergraduate students (81% of UG students) had at least one appointment

• 70% of Scheduled Appointments were student initiated

• 255 Faculty and Staff members had at least one appointment

Early Alert Implementation

Spring 2014

•Small Pilot

•Math Course Pilot

•Exhausted Features

Fall 2014

•Large Pilot

•Targeted 20 Large Lecture Courses

•Progress Surveys 4 & 8 Week

Spring 2015

•All Arts and Science Courses

•Replaced Homegrown System

•1000 Level & 2000 Level Courses

Summer 2015

•Targeted Progress Surveys

•Trial Admission Program

•Athletics

Fall 2015

•Targeted Courses

•High Enrollment

•DFW

•1000 & 2000

•General Education Courses

• Intervention Plan Development

Engaging the Whole Organization

Early Alert

Flags

• Manual Flags • Attendance Concern • Missing Assignment • Poor Class Performance • Low Exam Score • In Danger of Being Dropped • In Danger of Failing

• Experimental • Student Flagged 6 Times

• Attribute Based • Cashier’s Flag- Stop Registration • Financial Aid- FA SAP Not Met • Self Paced- No Progress @ 6 months

Kudos

• Outstanding Academic Performance

• Keep Up the Good Work

• Showing Improvement

• Tutoring Referral

• Writing Center

Referrals

MU Early Alert- Action Hierarchy Flag Level Description Flag Type

Informational

• Notification about a student concern • Does not necessarily rise to the level of calling

for specific action • Provides important and accurate information

about a students progress • Faculty/other data providers understand that not

all informational flags will be addressed/cleared

Attendance Concern Not Accessing Online Class Missing Assignment

Action

• Identifies student in need of intervention • Action may be initiated • Flag will only be cleared when student responds

to outreach

Low Exam Score Poor Class Performance

Urgent

• Calls for immediate intervention • Carries an expectation of outreach • Flag will only be cleared when student responds

to outreach

In Danger of Failing In Danger of Being Dropped Student Flagged 6 Times

Intervention Steps • Outreach Email to Students

• Email provided contact suggestions and invited student to schedule

• Students were contacted by academic advisor

Urgent Flags

480 Flags

369 Unique Students

Student Interventions

42 Unique Student Meetings

Spring 2015 Outcomes

Urgent Flag & Intervention

• 65% of students earned a C or better or Withdrew from the course.

• 26% of students earned a passing grade of a C or better

Urgent Flag and No Intervention

• 53% of students earned a C or better or Withdrew from the course.

• 15% of students earned a passing grade of a C or better

Website

Successes & Challenges

Successes

• Leadership Support

• Starfish Coordinator

• Admin Team

• Train the Trainor Approach

• Early Alert Advisory Board

Challenges

• Resources

• Time

• Faculty Buy-In

• Balance administrative functions

• Troubleshooting Support

Implement and Sustain the Change

Next Steps

• Expand Early Alert

• Develop Additional Referrals & Templates

• Strengthen Intervention Strategies

• Student Life Implementation

• Advanced User Trainings-Technology to Practice

• Integrations with Degree Audit and EAB

Implement and Sustain the Change

What Did We Learn?

• Assess Readiness (Readiness Framework)

• Engage Leadership & Stakeholders

• Clear Consistent Messaging

• Share Implementation Goals

• Keep it Simple

• Leverage Resources

• Network with Institutions

• Celebrate Small Wins and Share Success

Questions?

Contact Information

Tina Balser, M.Ed. Sr. Student Success Coordinator

University of Missouri

balsert@missouri.edu

(573) 884-5720

References

• Kotter, J.P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.