Course Placement Strategies and Motivational Skill Tools to Promote Effective Enrollment Management

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Course Placement Strategies and Motivational
Skill Tools to Promote Effective Enrollment
Management

• Steve Robbins
• Assistant Vice President, Applied Research, ACT,
  Inc.
• Stephanie Lewis
• Consultant, ACT, Inc.

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Agenda

• Why College Students Stay Academic Preparedness
  and Motivation
• Effective Course Placement, Risk Assessment, and
  Intervention
• A Model for Effective Placement and Intervention
  with Developmental Students
• A Model for Institution-wide Assessment and
  Intervention

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Harris, S. (1991) Cant you guys read? Cartoons
on Academia. Rutgers University Press. New
Brunswick, NJ, p.74
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National Longitudinal Study of Why College
Students Stay

• Traditional Predictors
• Psychosocial Factors
• Institutional and Status Factors
• 15,000 students across 23 2-year and 25 -
  4-year postsecondary institutions in year 7.

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Why College Students Stay 2-year Colleges

• Pre-collegiate academic preparation is the
  strongest predictor of all outcomes
• Motivation (Academic Discipline) distinguishes
  retained and graduating students from transfer
  and drop out
• Social connection has effects only for those
  students who transferred to 4-year institutions
• Socioeconomic status distinguishes all groups
  from drop-out higher SES kids are likely to
  transfer and low SES kids drop out

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Why College Students Stay 4-year Colleges

• First-year GPA has large effects on likelihood of
  retention and transfer
• Motivation (Academic Discipline) and
  pre-collegiate academic preparation have indirect
  effects on retention and transfer by working
  through 1st-year GPA
• Social connection has a direct effect on
  retention.
• SES predictive of transfer behavior
• Higher SES students transfer while poor students
  give up
• African-American Students have high commitment
  but difficulty with classes resulting in higher
  drop-out rates.

Robbins et al. (2006) Allen et al. (2008)
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Common Findings across 2- 4-year Studies

• Academic preparation, Socio-Economic Status
  (SES), and Academic Discipline are all critical
• Passing Developmental Courses essential for
  2-year students
• 1st year GPA essential for 4-year students
• Students socially connected are more likely to
  transfer upon 2 year graduation or stay (4 year)

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Centrality of Effective Course Placement and
Intervention

• Students who dont survive mathematics, dont
  survive college
• Best Practices in the classroom require both
  targeted instruction and monitoring student
  compliance and motivational behaviors

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Standard Course
. . . a course that academically well- prepare
d students are expected to take.
Underprepared Students
. . . do not have the academic skills to
succeed in the standard course.
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Developmental Course Placement

• 98 of two-year colleges have some kind of
  developmental / remedial course placement
  system(1).
• About 42 of first-year students in public
  two-year colleges take developmental courses(2).
• Sources
• (1) McCabe (2000)
• (2) NCES (2004)

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Placement Testing in Mathematics
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Turning to Psychosocial Student Risk Factors

• Must consider both
• Academic Performance
• Persistence and Retention Behavior
• 3 broad areas identified on meta-analytic and
  longitudinal research (see Robbins, et al. 2004,
  2006)
• Motivation
• Social Engagement
• Self-regulation

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(No Transcript)
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Overview of the SRI

• The Student Readiness Inventory (SRI) was
  designed to measure the content domains that
  surfaced in the Robbins meta-analysis
• It is a low stakes, self-report instrument
• Has 108 items that are face-valid
• Ten content domains exist as scales
• Each scale measures a construct that allows for
  intervention
• The instrument contains two risk indices that
  predict probability of success (performance and
  persistence)

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Overview of the SRI
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Success in Developmental Courses Dependent on
Academic and Psychosocial Risk

• Success Rates in English Composition, by Academic
  and Psychosocial (SRI) Risk Levels

Success Rates in Elementary Algebra, by Academic
and Psychosocial (SRI) Risk Levels
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We Observe the Effects of In-class Student
Behavior on Success

• Success Rates in Elementary (precredit) Math, by
  COMPASS Pretest and Behavior Rating Levels

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We Observe the Effects of In-class Student
Behavior on Success (cont.)

• Mean COMPASS Posttest Scores for Elementary
  (precredit) Math, by COMPASS Pretest and Behavior
  Rating Levels

Mean COMPASS Gain Scores for Elementary
(precredit) Math, by COMPASS Pretest and Behavior
Rating Levels
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Conclusions

• The three pillars of success
• Appropriately place and diagnosis
• Address motivational skill and engagement
  behaviors within and outside classroom
• Connect instruction to the diagnostic and
  curriculum targets essential to academic
  achievement domain (e.g., Math, English)

Instructional Effectiveness
Academic Readiness
Motivation
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Two Case Examples

• Developmental classes in community college
• Traditional 4-year effort of targeting at-risk
  students and coordinating interventions across
  all segments of the university

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COMPASS/SRI Assessment and Intervention Strategy
New student
Assessment (COMPASS SRI)
Early Warning Risk for Academic Failure and/or
Drop-out
Effective Course Placement
Specific Course Activities
Course and General Intervention Strategies
See CollegeDevelopmental Course Best Practices
See Wright Community CollegeEarly
InterventionSystem
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College Developmental Course Best Practices

• New Student
• Administer COMPASS SRI1
• Supportive review re-test policy2

Non-developmental courses
Before courseregistration
Developmental

• Developmental Student
• Administer diagnostics1
• Assess non-cognitive factors for risk2

Beginning of course

• Developmental Instruction
• Instruction tied to diagnostics2
• SRI practice use2

During a course

• 4. Monitoring Status
• Effort of students in class3
• Students non-class service use3
• Academic support
• Non-academic

• Superscript Legend
• 1 Student Data / Characteristics
• 2 College Responses / Services / Instructional
  Resources
• 3 Student Effort / Involvement / Investment
• 4 College Records

During a course

• 5. Post-Test
• Diagnostics1
• Placement1
• Grades4
• Course completion4

• 6. Next Course
• Grades4
• Course completion4

End of course
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Wright Community College Early Intervention System
Academic Advising
Tutoring Center
Study Skills Workshop
Physical Science Tutoring
Student Readiness Inventory(SRI)
Faculty Referral
Disability Access Center
Social Support Network (referrals)
Institutional Criteria (e.g. Academic Warning)
Learning Styles Workshop
Writing Center
Career Advisement Workshop / One-on-one Career
Consultation
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NAU Case Study
Implementing a Readiness Tool to Increase
Persistence Improve Student Success
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• Public Southwestern University
• 4-year Institution
• Over 13,000 Undergraduate Students and 1,100
  Faculty
• 31 Dropout Rate after Freshman Year
• Implemented Card Swiping System to Monitor
  Resource Use
• Robbins et al. 2008

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Our Need

• We could identify some of our at-risk student
  groups
• First generation college students
• Ethnic minorities
• Low incomes students
• Lower SAT/ACT scoring students
• BUT we needed to know
• more about which students within those groups
  were most needy
• which services might help which students.

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Strategic Intervention Model What We Wanted

• Requirements of a strategic model
• Implemented early in the first semester
• Include groups known to be at risk
• Collaborative and not duplicative
• academic advising and first year programs
• Native American Student Services outreach program
• Summer bridge program and first year mentoring
• any key groups interfacing with new freshmen
• Systematic
• Whole student
• Grounded in research

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Our Program Model
Distributing Profiles

• Student Affairs
• Advising Center

• First Year Experience 101
• EPS 101 Skills-based course for conditionally
  admitted students

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Program Model Student Affairs

• Prioritize Student Groups for Outreach
• Ethnic minority students
• First generation college students
• Low income students
• Low scores on academic success and/or retention
  index
• Have one-on-one meeting with students to review
  profiles, matching student needs with campus and
  ACT/SRI resources
• NAU Website
• ACT Tool Shop
• Evaluate
• Track outreach efforts/communications
• Meeting attendance, receptivity, and seriousness
  with which students took the inventory at
  orientation
• Referrals to and use of campus resources

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One-on-One Meeting in Student Affairs

• Systematic Outreach
• Look up schedules and set times
• Postcard home with appointment time
• Postcard to campus with appointment time
• Personal e-mail with appointment time
• Appointment time on their web calendar
• Reminder phone call 1-2 days before appt
• If miss scheduled meeting, protocol for
  rescheduling at least twice more

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Meeting Purpose

• Above all else, connect with student
• Acknowledge students strengths and identify
  campus activities to reinforce them
• Match students needs to campus resources
• Website home.nau.edu/emsa/sri.asp
• Tool Shop act.org/sri/studentguide/toolshop.html
  
• Gather some data on SRI experience
• How did you hear about your appointment
• How seriously did you take the SRI when you
  completed it at orientation?

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Evaluation Academic Performance
All students who met to receive SRI results fared
better than those who did not meet with Student
Affairs staff.
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Evaluation Academic Performance
Students who did NOT meet in regard to SRIs were
more likely to end up on academic probation.
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Evaluation Retention
Students who met were more likely to be retained.
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Resource Services Utilization
Robbins et al. (2008)
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Association of Risk Level Academic Service Use
on Retention 1st-year GPA
.08
.24
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Summary Points

• Designate a Visible Individual to coordinate
• Collaborate and use Natural Fits with Existing
  Resources
• Conduct Systematic Analysis
• Use your Data/Feedback and Improve the Process
• Maximize Utility of the Instrument
• Go Beyond the Limits of the Instrument

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Herzog Miller (1985)
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Questions?
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References

• ACT, Inc. (2008). What We Know about College
  Success Using ACT Data to Inform Educational
  Issues. Iowa City, IA Authors.
• ACT, Inc. (2004). Schools Involving Parents in
  Early Postsecondary Planning. Iowa City, IA
  Authors.
• ACT, Inc. (2002). Creating Seamless Educational
  Transitions for Urban African American and
  Hispanic Students. Iowa City, IA Authors.
• Allen, J., Robbins, S., Casillas,A., Oh, I.-S.
  (2008). Third-year college retention and
  transfer Effects of academic performance,
  motivation, and social connectedness. Research in
  Higher Education, 49(7), 647-664.
• Bucheri, C., Hampton, T., Voelker, V. (eds.)
  (1991). The Student Body Great Cartoons from the
  Kappan. Phi Beta Kappa. Bloomington, IN.
• Habley, W. McClanahan, R. (2004). What Works in
  Student Retention All Survey Colleges. ACT,
  Inc. Iowa City, IA.
• Harris, S. (1991) Cant you guys read? Cartoons
  on Academia. Rutgers University Press. New
  Brunswick, NJ
• Herzog, K. Miller, M. P. (eds.) (1985).
  Scholarship More Great Cartoons from the Kappan.
  Phi Beta Kappa. Bloomington, IN.
• Le, H., Casillas, A., Robbins, S., Langley, R.
  (2005). Motivational and skills, social, and
  self-management predictors of college outcomes
  Constructing the Student Readiness Inventory.
  Educational and Psychological Measurement, 65,
  482-508.

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References (cont.)

• Lotkowski, V., Robbins, S., Noeth, R. (2004).
  The role of academic and non-academic factors in
  improving college retention. ACT Policy Report.
  Iowa City, IA ACT, Inc.
• McCabe, R.H. (2000). No one to waste.
  Washington, DC Community College Press.
• NCES (2004). Remedial Education at
  Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions in
  Fall 2000. (NCES 2004-010).
• Pascarella, E. T., Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How
  College Affects Students A Third Decade of
  Research. San Francisco Jossey-Bass.
• Peterson, C. H., Casillas, A., Robbins, S. B.
  (2006). The Student Readiness Inventory and the
  Big Five Examining social desirability and
  college academic performance. Personality and
  Individual Difference, 41, 663-673.
• Porchea, S., Allen, J., Robbins, S., Phelps, R.
  (2009). Predictors of Long-Term Enrollment and
  Degree Outcomes for Community College Students
  Integrating Academic, Psychosocial,
  Socio-demographic, and Situational Factors.
  Manuscript submitted for review.
• Robbins, S. B., Allen, J. Casillas, A., Akamigbo,
  A., Saltonstall, M., Campbell, R., Mahoney, E.
  Gore, P.A. (2009). Associations of Resource and
  Service Utilization, Risk Level, and College
  Outcomes. Research in Higher Education, 50(1),
  101-118.

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References (cont.)

• Robbins, S., Allen, J., Casillas, A., Peterson,
  C., Le, H. (2006). Unraveling the differential
  effects of motivational and skills, social, and
  self-management measures from traditional
  predictors of college outcomes. Journal of
  Educational Psychology, 98, 598-616.
• Robbins, S. B., Lauver, K., Le, H., David, D.,
  Langley, R., Carlstrom, A. (2004). Do
  psychosocial and study skill factors predict
  college outcomes? A meta-analysis. Psychological
  Bulletin, 130, 261-288.
• Swail, W. S. (2004, January 23). Legislation to
  improve graduation rates could have the opposite
  effect. The Chronicle of Higher Education, B16.

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Course Placement Strategies and Motivational
Skill Tools to Promote Effective Enrollment
Management

• Correspondence regarding this presentation should
  be addressed to
• Steve Robbins, Assistant Vice President
• Applied Research, ACT, Inc.
• phone [phone]
• steve.robbins_at_act.org
• Stephanie Lewis, Consultant
• ACT, Inc.
• phone [phone]
• stephanie.lewis_at_act.org