DE Oracle @ UMUC

SUS Retention Efforts: Supporting Students at a Distance

Sharon Morgenthaler

Director of Academic Success

School of Undergraduate Studies

Published: September-October 2007

Category: » Online-pedagogy » Student-issues

In 2004, the newly formed Department of Academic Success at the School of Undergraduate Studies began the work of identifying and building needed student support systems to enhance student retention, persistence and success. Three years later the pilots became operational and entering the stage of being fully installed. Along the way, each program has been continuously evaluated. The findings have been both consistent with research on adult learning and illuminating the challenges of teaching adult working students.

The pilots, described below, were designed to operate at a distance and to serve both "at-risk" students and students who may be average or high achieving. These pilot programs are linked to external and internal research that suggests that students' top reasons for not succeeding are conflicts between job, school and personal life changes. Some risk factors that these pilot systems do not address are financial issues, military obligations or "wanting a break." Systems are also designed to touch students at different points in the degree path. These programs were organized somewhat in the order in which they would impact a student.

UMUC 411

This online seminar for prospective students is administrated by the Office of Enrollment Management in collaboration with SUS, Academic Advising and others. 411 offers areas for student facilitators, such as Ask an Advisor, and includes faculty and staff who volunteer to answer questions. Thousands of students have participated in these week-long online seminars. The online conferences allow students to ask questions of faculty and staff as well as other UMUC students. It is an exciting communication venue, with many prospective students making the decision during this week to sign up for classes.

EDCP100: Principles and Strategies of Successful Learning

The EDCP100 orientation course is conducted both face-to-face and online. Its objectives stress self-assessment, navigation of the institution, organization, and coping skills. The curriculum recognizes that our students' main concerns are juggling family/work/academics and creating a clearer link between academics and career achievements. Students express high satisfaction with the course, saying that it not only gave them good study skills tips but also an opportunity to explore why they want to be in college – key to staying motivated through the long haul.

The Early Intervention Tool

This program is still in its pilot stage. It identifies students in a select number of online entry courses who have not checked into class by the end of Week 1. Academic Success, in collaboration with Advising, sends these students an e-mail encouraging them to respond to conferences early and often and asks if they need any assistance with course selection or study skills. During the first run, about 50% of students contacted checked in within a few days of the e-mail.

Allies Mentoring Program

During its first year, this program matched alumni with community college transfer students arriving at UMUC with 3.0+ GPAs. Mentored students did perform more successfully than their non-mentored counterparts. However, as incoming scholars who self-selected the resource, they already evidenced resourcefulness. The mentors' services were also offered to students entering with 2.0 GPA. While some of these students signed on to work with a mentor, they did not consistently communicate with their Ally; perhaps they were not yet prepared to build this type of relationship. Starting the Fall 2007 semester, Allies will be available for several pools of students, using a faculty/staff referral system and a career-oriented matching system.

Online Tutoring

This program is offered free to students in a small number of high-enrollment entry courses. These are classes that emphasize formulas and operations such as computing, accounting, finance; and some classes with labs such as biology. Each online tutor serves multiple sections of a course and have their own WebTycho classrooms. Students are automatically rostered into the tutor's room, including students in face-to-face classes. The program is small so data is not yet significant; however early findings suggest that students who may have potentially failed the course ultimately complete the course with low but passing grades. Analysis of student questions reveals that it is often the mechanics of a course that hinder a student, such as how to use a specialized calculator, get past a firewall, or navigate a technical textbook.

Student Clubs and Honor Societies

These are considered a retention asset because research shows that involved students are more likely to persist in their studies. In addition, many UMUC students have mentioned feeling isolated in their distance studies and they desire the same social and professional networking benefits enjoyed by students at traditional universities. WebTycho classrooms are used for these Clubs and are facilitated by faculty and student leaders. Honor societies are embedded in the Study Groups area so that only eligible students can visit these societies. We are proud to be the members of several nationally recognized societies such as Alpha Sigma Lambda, Phi Alpha Theta, and Sigma Tau Delta. While a few of our clubs have existed for many years, most are new and we are just beginning to evaluate student participation and the content of student-initiated postings. Early findings again show that the opportunity to engage with peers and to discuss career-related issues with faculty and outside experts is very important to our students.

If you are interested in being involved or finding out more about these programs and how to direct your students to them, contact the Center for Student Success at studentsuccess@umuc.edu.