Why Do They Go
Below 2.0?
A Qualitative Study of
Academic Probation Interventions
Kelley S. Hestir, MFA, Lead Academic Advisor
Jennifer Hodges, PhD., Director of Advising and Retention
College of Arts and Sciences
New Mexico State University
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
End of Term Sanctions – Fall
From Fall 2010 to Fall 2014
47% decrease in number on sanction
39% decrease in percentage on sanction
557, 9.8%
600
17
500
400
81
10
63
105
295, 6.0%
12
50
85
300
200
83
12
46
74
5
43
62
354
307
235
219
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
100
185
0
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Warning
Probation 1
Probation 2
Suspension
Fall 2014
End of Term Sanctions – Spring
377, 7.3%
400
16
350
15
37
48
300
From Spring 2011 to Spring 2014
36% decrease in number on sanction
32% decrease in percentage on sanction
12
42
250
167
240, 5%
16
26
131
200
128
150
102
100
164
146
118
50
96
0
Spring 2011
Warning
Spring 2012
Probation 1
Spring 2013
Probation 2
Suspension
Spring 2014
Continuing Advising Interventions
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
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 Form
was 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)
Important academic history
Notes on our
conversation
“What happened?”
Collaborative
plan of action
“What will you do
different?”
Key academic history
(includes reason for major, HS
and test information, transfer
history)
Important academic history
Notes on our
conversation and
collaborative
plan of action
Primary Indicator Codes
based on information
from interview
Indicators for Academic Sanction
Primary Indicator Categories, Subcategories
and Code Descriptions
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, logistical
stresses 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 2014
46.1%
Fall 2013
14.2%
41.5%
Fall 2012
44.9%
Fall 2011
44.5%
Fall 2010
13.6%
10.2%
10%
20%
Good Term Spring enrolled
12.5%
30%
40%
29.0%
15.3%
29.6%
Good Term no Spring
14.7%
15.5%
50%
26.2%
15.9%
14.2%
39.4%
0%
13.5%
60%
26.6%
32.6%
70%
Bad Term Spring enrolled
80%
90%
100%
Bad Term no Spring
Retention – Spring to Fall
Spring 2014
40.40%
Spring 2013
9.90%
32%
Spring 2012
14.75%
37%
Spring 2011
10%
Good Term Spring enrolled
15.40%
20%
30%
40%
Good Term no Spring
32.50%
17.60%
17.60%
34%
0%
17.20%
35.65%
15.50%
29.90%
17.20%
50%
60%
33.40%
70%
Bad Term Spring enrolled
80%
90%
100%
Bad Term no Spring
Plans for Future Interventions
• 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
Ideas for Future Interventions?