Academic Quality Improvement Program - Improving Retention of Day Program Seniors
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Timeline: One Year Project |
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A. Give a short identifying title (under 10 words) to this Action Project.
Improving Retention of Day Program Seniors
B. Describe the goal(s) of this Action Project (in 100 words or fewer).
The primary work of this Action Project will be to identify student departure patterns during the senior year of study, to identify obstacles and challenges to persistence for this cohort of students, and explore intervention strategies with the primary goal of improving retention of senior students and supporting their persistence to graduation.
C. Please identify the single AQIP Criterion which this Action Project will primarily affect
Category 3- Understanding Students’ and Other Stakeholders’ Needs
D. Please describe your institution's rationale for addressing this Primary criterion at this time. Why is this project and its goal(s) one of your "vital few"?
While Augsburg’s overall fall to fall retention of students in the full time day program was 81.4% in Fall 2007, the college retained students with senior status at a rate of only 57.2% in that year. Over the past several years, our seniors have consistently had significantly poorer retention than other classes. While preliminary data for Fall 2008 shows a slight improvement in the senior retention rate to 62.6%, this is still a difference of more than 20% with the overall rate. The college must understand with greater specificity why we are losing so many seniors and identify ways in which we can support these students all the way through their academic programs to completion of the baccalaureate degree. This action project is one important means toward a broader institutional objective to improve our graduation rate. Our 6 year graduation rate for undergraduates is 51.8%, compared to 71.2% for Minnesota private colleges overall, and 56.6% for the University of Minnesota. Our students invest a great deal in the education we provide, and in order to realize the full benefit of that investment, they must earn the credential that will lead to greater opportunities over their lifetime. This is core to Augsburg’s educational mission.
E. List the organizational areas (or institutional departments and divisions) most affected.
This project will involve staff in institutional research, academic planning, student support services, and financial aid. Primary responsibility for this project will reside in Enrollment Management, with collaboration and support from Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.
F. List and briefly describe the key organizational process(es) that you expect this Action Project to change or improve.
Student data will be analyzed to determine why seniors do not persist. Key theories that will be tested have to do with course availability and academic progression, financial aid challenges, particularly the availability of the Minnesota State Grant after the student’s fourth year, student employment patterns and personal/family/other obstacles. Critical processes that may be affected include student course registration, financial aid awarding and counseling, academic advising, payment planning and the formal student withdrawal process.
G. Explain the rationale for the length of time planned for this Action Project (from kickoff to target completion)..
Spanning the project over the course of one entire academic year will give us the most accurate picture of trends that feed this early departure pattern.
H. Describe how you plan to monitor how successfully your efforts on this Action Project are progressing..
The following process measurements are likely to be tracked:
1) Number of seniors who lose eligibility for the Minnesota State Grant, and the point in their program at which they lose this eligibility.
2) Progress toward degree measures such as number of courses remaining, specific courses needed and course availability.
3) Number of students completing some or all of the formal “withdrawal from college” process and number who informally withdraw or simply stop attending. We will also track follow up such as phone surveys of students who have withdrawn.
4) Number of interactions with academic advising and other student support services for senior students who persist compared with those who are not retained.
5) Number of seniors with financial holds on their student accounts and what percentage of those holds are for amounts less than $500.00.
I. Describe the overall “outcome” measures or indicators that will tell you whether this Action Project has been a success or failure in achieving its goals.
Retention rates will be tracked carefully from semester to semester beginning with the term in which each student reaches senior status. Graduation rates and number of semesters to completion will also be tracked. As we are able to identify key reasons students leave, we may develop measurements to assess progress on those specific issues. For example, we may decide to measure the number of students each term who want to be enrolled but are not because the course they need is not offered. Or we may track the number of students who are able to find alternative sources of funding as Minnesota State Grant eligibility ends.
The Enrollment Planning Commission of 2007-2008 identified an overall fall to fall retention target of 85%. The commission also recommended retention results that support stable enrollment in the day program through 2015, even as the size of the market for that program decreases. Stretch targets for this action project will support those broader enrollment objectives. Specific targets for senior retention may be adjusted based on research findings for key reasons for student departure and the institution’s ability to influence those reasons. However, a preliminary goal would be to increase retention of seniors to 65% over the next year.
J. Other Information.
K. Project Leader/Contact Person
First name: Michele
Middle Initial: R
Last Name: Kidwell
Title: Director of Retention
Email: kidwell@augsburg.edu
Phone: 612-330-1318