UW - La Crosse’s Quality Initiative Proposal - 10/1/2012 FINAL
Firm Footing: Foundations for Student Academic Success
Overview of the Quality Initiative
1. Provide a title and brief description of the Quality Initiative. Explain whether the
initiative will begin and be completed during the Quality Initiative period or if it is part
of work already in progress or will achieve a key milestone in the work of a longer
initiative.
Firm Footing: Foundations for Student Academic Success
The goal of the Firm Footing initiative is to decrease barriers to student academic
success at UW-L for every student. Firm Footing addresses populations known to be atrisk (e.g., first generation students) and focuses on analyzing the needs of other
populations identified as likely to be at-risk (e.g., transfer students and students who
show an early failure to thrive in courses). However, the proposal is also designed to
serve individuals in unique situations or populations not yet defined.
The concept of student success in higher education is multi-faceted. For the purposes
of this proposal we utilize the broad definition from the National Postsecondary
Education Cooperative report entitled What Matters to Student Success: A Review of
the Literature: “student success is defined as academic achievement, engagement in
educationally purposeful activities, satisfaction, acquisition of desired knowledge, skills
and competencies, persistence, and attainment of educational objectives” (Kuh, Kinzie,
Buckley, Bridges & Hayek, 2006; p. 7). UW-L’s focus is on students’ academic success
as experienced by individual students and by known aggregate groups. Not only do we
recognize academic success as multi-faceted, we acknowledge the reciprocal
relationship between academic and “non-academic” factors in terms of positive
academic outcomes.
UW-L enjoys the distinction of being one of the premiere comprehensive institutions in
the UW System. Our students are some of the strongest in the state and UW-L ranks
second in the UW System for the academic achievement of our incoming classes. The
average ACT composite for our admitted students is 25 with a median high school rank
of ~80%tile. In addition, several traditional indices document our student successes
related to retention, graduation rates and post-graduation activities.
Over the past several years, UW-L has focused additional attention on the differential
experiences of our students with an eye to potential barriers to success. We are
committed to the success of all students who are admitted to the university.
When focusing on student learning, several initiatives are underway to best help
students reach their potential. These programs respond to known barriers – courses
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and climates that data have shown to be associated with poor grades and/or retention
concerns. In addition, the university has identified other known issues associated with
barriers that warrant further investigation. Possible interventions/actions associated
with Firm Footing initiatives in the near future include curricular redesigns, aligning
support with known needs, coordinating current support to maximize coverage and
reduce any duplication of efforts, heightening students’ role in their self-appraisals of
behaviors associated with success, examining faculty and institutional policies/
procedures associated with student success (such as timely feedback to students), and
identifying external funding sources for innovative and effective initiatives.
Sufficiency of the Initiative’s Scope and Significance
2. Explain why the proposed initiative is relevant and significant for the institution.
3. Explain how the proposed initiative aligns with the institution’s mission and
current operational or strategic priorities.
4. Explain the intended impact of the initiative on the institution and its academic
core.
RELEVANCE
UW-L’s excellent retention rate overall could allow the campus to rest on its laurels
regarding student success by focusing on the overall retention rate rather than the more
troubling and inconsistent retention rates seen in special populations and/or the
struggles of individual students who may fail to obtain the academic success
appropriate to their potential. Firm Footing represents a significant initiative for UW-L as
the project will assess the need and the direction of a coordination of current resources
for students, and possibly identify new resources that are needed. In addition, Firm
Footing should help the campus prioritize activities as well as promote interaction
between academic and student affairs. Firm Footing should serve to help faculty, staff,
and students more fully explore individual and institutional factors associated with
student academic success. Finally, Firm Footing reflects increased national attention
to student success as evidenced in increased tracking of students who attend several
institutions and patch together credits and courses to graduate (a.k.a. “swirl students”)
and increased use of standardized metrics to identify students who may be at risk.
MISSION
UW System and UW-L advocate for a larger number of college graduates within the
state. The System’s “growth initiative” reflects the need for more students in the
pipeline and more timely and increased completion rates. In addition, the state reflects
the national recession and resources are exceedingly tight for individual students, their
families and institutions of higher learning. By focusing on student success, this initiative
reflects the needs of students and the state to help produce more college graduates. In
addition, UW-L is noted for both strong student affairs programming and strong
academic programming. The Firm Footing proposal represents a truly campus-wide,
student-centered initiative.
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In 2009 UW-L actively embraced the University of Wisconsin System Initiative "Inclusive
Excellence" (IE) aimed at fostering greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and accountability
at every level of university life. UW-L's IE mission statement reads “Inclusive
Excellence is our active, intentional, and ongoing commitment to bridge differences with
understanding and respect so all can thrive.” To that end, IE at UW-L spans academic
and student affairs and has been enacted at individual, unit and campus levels. Firm
Footing reflects the goals of IE and builds on past and current programs such as Equity
Scorecard that focus on identifying and ameliorating barriers to student success. In
addition, the select mission statement for UW-L reads as follows (emphasis added):
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse provides a challenging, dynamic, and diverse
learning environment in which the entire university community is fully engaged in
supporting student success. Grounded in the liberal arts, UW-L fosters curiosity and lifelong learning through collaboration, innovation, and the discovery and dissemination of
new knowledge. Acknowledging and respecting the contributions of all, UW-L is a
regional academic and cultural center that prepares students to take their place in a
constantly changing world community.
Finally, all aspects of the campus have been actively involved in a unique initiative
associated with increasing our number of students while simultaneously decreasing
student/faculty ratios. The Joint Planning and Budget Committee and UW-L’s senior
leadership purposefully chose to delay a new, ground-zero strategic planning process in
order to allow the campus the time and energy to plan and prioritize the hiring and
facilities associated with the Growth, Quality, & Access (GQ&A) agenda (discussed
below). GQ&A’s focus on enhancing students’ academic experiences strongly reflects
UW-L’s overarching goal of excellence. GQ&A has resulted in a large increase in the
number of junior faculty on campus creating a unique time in UW-L’s history to promote
a larger campus-wide discussion of student success.
IMPACT
Central to the academic core and mission of the university is student success. This
initiative will more fully engage the whole campus in a discussion of student success
and the process of identifying how, when and why a student utilizes resources when
he/she experiences academic challenges, and the role of faculty, staff and the structure
of the institution in helping to create conditions conducive to success.
Clarity of the Initiative’s Purpose
5. Describe the purposes and goals for the initiative.
6. Describe how the institution will evaluate progress, make adjustments, and
determine what has been accomplished.
7. Describe potential challenges and issues in implementing the initiative.
The overarching goal of Firm Footing is to identify and decrease barriers to student
academic success at UW-L. The initiative is composed of initial, secondary, and tertiary
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goals.
GOAL OVERVIEW
INITIAL GOAL - Taking a first-person perspective.
Understanding students’ experiencing of campus academic resources.
SECONDARY – Students, Faculty, & The Institution
Exploring factors associated with student success.
TERTIARY - Monitoring Benchmarks.
Investigating key benchmark indices associated with student success.
Each of the goals is articulated below and subgoals are provided for the primary and
secondary goals.
INITIAL - Taking a first-person perspective. The initial goal reflects the need for the
institution to more fully understand students’ experiencing of campus academic
resources when the student encounters academic difficulty and or a sense of
disconnect with the academic enterprise of the campus. The campus’ HLC Executive
Committee has likened the process of understanding students’ experience to taking a
“first person perspective” rather than a “third-person perspective.” Adopting language
from video gaming, “first person” perspective places the viewer in the position of viewing
an experience as if the viewer were the participant; whereas “third person” perspective
places the viewer in the position of watching the participant interact with the
environment. In written and spoken language, linguists also distinguish between
utilizing a first (me), second (you), or third person (an individual) perspective. However,
we utilize the video game metaphor to stress the need for university personnel to
assume the perspective of a student who is facing challenges.
Example:
First person
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Third person
Within this initial goal there are two subgoals.
1.
Initial Goal – Sub 1: To better understand when/how a student identifies that
he/she may need to alter behaviors (e.g., changing study habits or utilizing
resources).
2.
Initial Goal – Sub 2: To understand how a student who has identified a need
acts on this realization and how he/she identifies and potentially pursues resources
offered by the university.
SECONDARY – Students, Faculty, & The Institution. Exploring factors associated
with student success and identifying students who may be at-risk at UW-L.
Students: For the purpose of this proposal “at-risk” is used broadly to refer to students
who are failing to obtain the level of academic success they intended or the level of
academic success needed for further goals. Ultimately, these students may be at risk
for non-retention; however, retention is not our primary concern. Academic success is
defined as student learning and mastery of material and skills. Traditionally academic
success is assessed with graded assignments/exams and retention statistics; however,
we are looking to more nuanced measures as well as the traditional measures. Firm
Footing focuses on two potentially overlapping categories of students for the purpose of
gaining a better overarching understanding of student success at UW-L.
Category 1 students are from populations known to be at-risk for lower persistence and
lower academic success through national data and/or campus-level identification (e.g.,
first generation students, multicultural students, students with chronic mental or physical
disabilities). Programming and interventions for Category 1 students exists on campus
and has known metrics for establishing the success of the programs. Firm Footing’s
goal in terms of Category 1 students is to ascertain the metrics being used by each
program (see Appendix A for a list and description of the programs) and monitor results
from a more comprehensive vantage point.
Category 2 students are those who are likely to be at-risk but are yet to be identified.
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One subset of the students in Category 2 represent students with experiences that are
likely to make them at a greater risk for lower student success but for whom UW-L has
yet to monitor in the aggregate (e.g., transfer students and students who show an early
failure to thrive in courses). The other subset of Category 2 students are students who
are experiencing some form of short term transition that may be likely to put them at
increased risk. These are students who are struggling and appear to not have a short
term goal in terms of their academic success. The campus has started a series of focus
groups with faculty and staff at UW-L to better understand the variables that are likely to
be key in terms of these students including:
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Students who have poor academic performance in key “gatekeeper” courses, wherein
their lower grades will necessitate a reconsideration of major or career plans.
Students who have completed or nearly completed General Education requirements with
no major yet identified.
Students who are not accepted into undergraduate programs with entrance
requirements (e.g., education, radiation therapy).
Students who do not have a “Plan B” and show lower resilience and less effective use of
resources when faced with challenges.
Students who do not recognize that their poor early performance in a course is likely to
lead to a poor outcome without some change.
Students who are struggling but are not aware of or have not yet taken advantage of
campus resources.
Students who are not connected to one or more of the key indicators of student success
in terms of personal and professional enhancement: undergraduate research, fine arts
performance opportunities, service-learning, ongoing professional connections to
instructors or staff members, community connections, leadership opportunities, and/or
studying or service-learning abroad.
Students who are not cognitively or emotionally connecting with college, who are
completing courses with no particular goal in mind besides graduating with a bachelor’s
degree.
Appendix B provides a list and descriptions for current programs serving students who
are likely to be at-risk. Appendix C provides a list and descriptions of current programs
associated with promoting academic success for all students.
We fully recognize the breadth of these types of indicators and the challenges of
measurement. However, we also acknowledge that in order to frame a meaningful set
of questions that will result in a manageable major quality initiative with real impact that
we must start with a broad funnel. As we learn from the groundwork for this initiative,
we will be better able to indicate a more succinctly operationalized view of student
success at UW-L.
The Institution: Firm Footing will require the university to analyze its role in student
success. All students experience transition times – many with no risk to their academic
success. Student success for these students may be highly idiosyncratic. If so, the
university’s role is to ensure that safety nets and resources are in place and that
instructors are maximizing opportunities for enhancing student learning.
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Secondary Subgoals
Secondary Goal – Sub 1: To identify the appropriate metrics and assessment
plan/goals for each of the support services associated with maximizing student
success for Category 1 students.
Secondary Goal – Sub 2: To identify the experiences of Category 2 students and
the appropriate metrics and assessment plan/goals for each of the support
services currently in place that are associated with maximizing student success
for all students (e.g., Murphy Learning Center and Inclusive Curriculum). What is
in place? Who do they serve? How does the institution promote the resources?
How/when do students access the resources?
Secondary Goal – Sub 3: To explore mechanisms for identifying Category 2
students and/or enhance the non-cognitive attributes for these students.
Noncognitive attributes are those academically relevant skills and traits that are
not “specifically intellectual or analytical in nature. They include a range of
personality and motivational habits and attitudes that facilitate functioning well in
school. Noncognitive traits, skills, and characteristics include perseverance,
motivation, self-control, and other aspects of conscientiousness” (Rosen,
Glennie, Dalton, Lennon, & Bozick, 2010; p. 1). Three skills of particular interest
to us are problem solving, resource utilization, and resiliency.
Secondary Goal – Sub 4: To explore the role of faculty and curriculum in
enhancing student success. UW-L needs to analyze the extent of purposeful
design of individual courses and programmatic curriculum in scaffolding student
success. In addition, we need to better understand campus wide initiatives
associated with student success such as coordinated early warning options.
Early warning systems serve to help identify at-risk students in order to guide
interventions or embed prevention strategies. Research on stereotype threat and
other underlying assumptions must inform faculty practice of the best ways to
communicate to students if they are failing to thrive in a class and to design
courses and activities that best allow for academic success.
Secondary Goal – Sub 5: To analyze the gaps, relationships, and
interconnectedness among the current academic support services.
Secondary Goal – Sub 6: To explore the support available to students during
traditional transition points where they may be at increased risk (e.g. students
changing/declaring majors, students new to college, transfer students, adult
learners, international students, etc.)
TERTIARY - Monitoring Benchmarks. The tertiary goals of Firm Footing will be
investigations of several key benchmark indices associated with student success. Two
key indicators have been identified at this point: 1) an increase in retention rates in
known populations (with currently lower retention rates than the university average) and
2) passage rates in courses identified as “gateway” courses for students. Gateway
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courses refer to foundational courses associated with the ability to move forward with
academic plans. For example, for students interested in health and science related
careers, college algebra (MTH150) is a prerequisite to success in Chemistry and later to
Anatomy & Physiology. Students who struggle in college algebra often face repeating
the course and/or changing their academic goals. We expect that additional tertiary
goals will be identified as the primary and secondary goals are met.
In order to apply the gaming metaphor we identify “the game” as a student utilizing
campus resources for academic success. The initial goals reflect a pre-game level
where we try to understand the motives and factors associated with choosing to “play”
the game and then the first-person experience of the student as he/she surveys the
campus options. The secondary goals reflect how the student experiences the
resources and moves within the network of resources. The secondary goals also reflect
the very nature of the game and how it is designed to impede or propel the players. The
tertiary goals reflect a third-person perspective of analyzing the more overtly external
measures of academic success such as retention.
Clarity of the Initiative’s Purpose
5. Describe the purposes and goals for the initiative.
6. Describe how the institution will evaluate progress, make adjustments, and
determine what has been accomplished.
7. Describe potential challenges and issues in implementing the initiative
UW-L is currently identifying the appropriate outcome measures. The process for
adjusting the initiative will involve several interlocking groups. The campus has
identified an executive committee composed of a senior administrator, the director of
institutional research, a faculty member who specializes in quality assurance, and the
campus’ assessment coordinator (see first cell below). In addition, a steering committee
has been identified that widens the group to include several key individuals associated
with campus academic success initiatives.
HLC Steering Committee:
Heidi Macpherson (Provost)
Jen Miskowski (Provost’s Designee)
Sandy Grunwald (Chemistry, HLC Liaison/Quality
Assurance Coordinator)
Patrick Barlow (Assessment Coordinator)
Bob Hoar (Interim Associate VP of Academic
Affairs)
Natalie Solverson (Director of Institutional
Research)
Eric Kraemer (Faculty Senate Secretary)
Virginia Crank (English, Writing Center
Director)
Maggie McHugh (Murphy Learning
Center Director)
Deborah Hoskins (Inclusive Excellence
Coordinator)
Jennifer Kosiak (Math Education)
Antoiwana Williams (Multicultural
Student Services Dir.)
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Each of the current programs for students known to be at-risk for failure have known
metrics. The main thrust of the proposal will be to identify/develop metrics for the
programs associated with potentially at-risk students and for any new programs
developed (such as a more systematic early warning system). Progress on the
collection of information from these programs and its impact on our understanding of the
barriers to academic success will be reviewed at regular intervals over the project
specifically in the summer terms in 2013 and 2014. Signs of progress from the initiative
and any need for adjustments to the initiative will be determined and shared with the
campus community.
Appendix A provides a list of the success-related programming available at UW-L with
definitions and an exploration of known areas in need of additional attention.
Clarity of the Initiative’s Purpose
5. Describe the purposes and goals for the initiative.
6. Describe how the institution will evaluate progress, make adjustments, and
determine what has been accomplished.
7. Describe potential challenges and issues in implementing the initiative
The challenges associated with the Firm Footing initiative are both theoretical and
practical.
Theoretical Challenges with Practical Implications
A major challenge is that the proposal is broad. However, in order to most effectively
narrow the scope of the proposal the campus will need to start broad across multiple
constituencies before focusing on the components deemed most efficacious for meeting
the goals.
A second challenge revolves around the definition of success and thriving. Traditional
measures of academic success rely heavily on traditional outcomes such as GPAs and
retention rates. However, the goal of this initiative is to maximize the potential for
academic success for every student. The practical implication of this goal is the
difficulty in measuring more micro levels of success and narrowing the proposal to a set
of indices chosen to be both sensitive to change and meaningful.
A third challenge is to maintain a dual focus on institutional responsibility and individual
student responsibility. Educational scholars warn against a series of assumptions about
students who don’t thrive as “deficit model” thinking that places too much emphasis on
individual students and what they may or may not bring to educational settings rather
than more seriously engaging in explorations of changes to institutional practice that
may enhance educational outcomes for students. The goal of Firm Footing is to take a
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student’s perspective of the institution and its resources AND to explore the role of the
institution in creating effective learning environments. One implication of this goal is
that the campus needs to strengthen its ability to identify students who are struggling
and make sure that resources are available, coordinated and utilized. Another
implication of the goal is that students need to be able to acknowledge struggles early
enough in a semester or college career to pursue a correction to the path.
Practical Challenges with Practical Implications
One challenge involves the large number of either closely or loosely related programs
on campus currently associated with student success (see above). The campus needs
to first understand the needs for coordination associated with students’ experiencing of
the campus resources.
A second challenge involves ensuring that the “right people” are at the table for the
discussion. Related to the first challenge, many individuals work on student
success. In particular the two groups closest to the front line of academic challenge are
instructors and students. UW-L needs to identify the best mechanisms for involving
students and instructors in this larger conversation about student success.
Thirdly, resources are limited within the university and we expect to launch and sustain
this initiative without additional resources. Consequently, the challenge is to create
meaningful change within the current structure.
Fourth, the campus will need to make judicious choices regarding how to explore many
of the questions associated with the proposal. For instance, we need more data on
transfer students and how some of the initial factors (e.g., # of credits transferred) relate
to academic success at UW-L. However, we also do not have good systematic
information about students who leave UW-L. Both types of inquiries are time intensive
and the campus and the HLC Executive Committee will need to prioritize the scope of
the type of inquiries pursued. Each of these challenges and the campus’ response to
them will be revisited as the initiative moves forward. The extent of the challenge from
each source can only be uncovered when more is known about the landscape of the
campus in terms of student success.
Evidence of Commitment to and Capacity for Accomplishing the Initiative
8. Describe the level of support for the initiative by internal or external stakeholders.
9. Identify the groups and individuals that will lead or be directly involved in
implementing the initiative.
10. List the human, financial, technological and other resources that the institution has
committed to this initiative.
11. Describe the plan for continuing the work and sustaining the results of the initiative.
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INITIATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Throughout the Fall of 2011 campus personnel were encouraged to generate ideas
regarding a major quality initiative. In early December 2011, the campus hosted Dev
Venugopalan who outlined UW Milwaukee’s early adopter major initiative process and
progress. In Spring 2012, the Chancellor’s cabinet organized a list of 16 potential
initiatives (e.g., a collaborative program leading to licensure in Early AdolescenceAdolescence, sustainability, internationalization). Each of the initiatives was appraised
as to its fit with the following HLC criteria for a major quality initiative.
Relevant and timely given the context of our institution?
Reflects key elements of the institution’s mission, vision and strategic priorities?
Represents a “stretch project” for the campus?
Aligns or competes with other operational or strategic priorities?
Intended impact on the institution generally AND to the academic core?
Alignment with one or more of the HLC’s criteria for accreditation?
Three key initiatives were determined to best represent the criteria. The top three and
the total list of options in the form of a chart with indicators for each of the criteria shown
above were vetted by the UW-L HLC executive committee with each of the governance
groups (faculty, academic staff, and students). The goal was to decide on an initiative
prior to the March 2012 HLC meeting in Chicago in order to send a team that best
represented the direction of the campus’ initiative. In addition, the Provost’s Council
(composed of the Provost’s direct reports) and the Student Affairs Directors’ Council
(composed of the Asst. Chancellor/Dean of Students’ direct reports) reviewed the
options. Finally, the Chancellor’s Cabinet (Chancellor, Provost, Dean of Students, Chief
Financial Officer and the Advancement Officer) selected Firm Footing which blended
two of the top priorities (Inclusive Excellence and the increased development of the
Murphy Learning Center) and related the results to the governance groups. Overall, the
initiative was fully vetted and supported by the campus governance groups.
UW-L is in the unique position of enduring significant budget cuts while growing in terms
of faculty and staff. The Growth, Quality and Access (GQ&A) agenda initiated several
years ago has positioned UW-L to be able to carry out the Firm Footing plan without
additional resources.
RESOURCES
In order to maintain its record of excellence and provide access for more students, the
University of Wisconsin La Crosse (UW-L) received UW Board of Regents approval to
implement an undergraduate differential tuition that simultaneously grew undergraduate
enrollments and resulted in hiring additional faculty and staff. Consequently, the
initiative speaks to GROWTH (more graduates), QUALITY (decreased student-faculty
ratios) and ACCESS (a larger number of students now attend UW-L). New students
started paying the slightly higher tuition beginning in the 2008-2009 academic year
resulting in a final total annual differential tuition of $1,000 per student. UW-L’s tuition
remains lower than both UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee and comparable to peer
institutions across the upper Midwest. UW-L will request reauthorization for the initiative
in January 2013. As of Spring 2012, 115 new faculty and 20 new staff positions have
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been added to UW-L due to GQ&A and the undergraduate student population has
grown from 7,973 (FTE) in 2006 to 8,798 for the 2011-2012 year. More impressively,
the academic profile for incoming freshmen continues to rank first amongst the UW
System Comprehensives. By Spring 2014, 140 new faculty and 32 new staff positions
will have been added.
As a result of GQ&A, in the last 2-3 years the campus has hired several staff members
associated with the academic enterprise who will help enable the Firm Footing
initiative. The campus now boasts an assessment coordinator and an institutional
research team composed of 3 individuals. In addition, the campus has directed facilities
and personnel to increasing the extent of the offerings of the Murphy Learning Center
(tutoring for all students across multiple courses). Furthermore, the faculty hires have
reduced the student/faculty ratio and allowed for increased staffing of the remedial math
courses. All of these hires have enhanced our ability to carry out this initiative.
Another potentially key hire is under discussion. In the final round of GQ&A hiring
proposals in Spring 2012, Academic and Student Affairs jointly requested a directorlevel new position tentatively entitled “Director of Student Academic Success.” The
campus is currently in discussion about the potential need/scope of this position. The
position has been approved; however, the specifics are still under discussion.
Finally, members of the Mathematics Department have secured a grant to support the
development of a new program. The Wisconsin Math Placement Exam data is used to
place students into their first math course. In general, students who do not place into
College level mathematics are at-risk students and need additional support. UW-L has
many talented individuals who are prepared to support these students. The program
seeks to identify a subset of these students in the summer prior to their freshman year
and design individual courses of study that would help students achieve the level of
math proficiency necessary to improve persistence, retention, and 4-year graduation
rates.
FUTURE STEPS
As indicated above, both an executive and steering committee have been named. In
addition, ad hoc taskforces will be named to work on particular components of the
initiative. The divisions of academic and student affairs are the key divisions associated
with the initiative. The Provost’s Council (comprising of the Provost’s direct reports) and
the Student Affairs Directors’ Council (comprising of the Asst. Chancellor/Dean of
Students’ direct reports) will serve as a sounding board for the program. In addition, the
key governance groups (faculty, student, academic staff, classified staff) and the
Chancellor’s cabinet (division directors) will be updated and solicited for responses. We
are planning on updates to each of the groups mentioned above each semester. In
addition, these groups will be involved in helping to generate appropriate membership
on ad hoc task forces associated with the initiative as they arise.
Appropriateness of the Timeline for the Initiative (The institution may include a brief
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implementation or action plan.)
12. Describe the primary activities of the initiative and timeline for implementing them.
See Appendix D.
Selected Resources:
Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., Whitt, E. J., & Associates. (2010). Student success in
college: Creating conditions that matter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J.A., Bridges, B. K., & Hayek, J. C. (2006) What Matters to Student
Success: A Review of the Literature. Washington DC: National Postsecondary Education
Cooperative.
Levin, H. M. (2012) More than just test scores. Prospects: Quarterly Review of Comparative
Education, DOI 10.1007/s11125-012-9240-z.
Rosen, J. A., Glennie, E. J., Dalton B. W., Lennon, J. M., and Bozick, R. N. (2010).
Noncognitive Skills in the Classroom: New Perspectives on Educational Research. RTI Press
publication. No. BK-0004-1009. Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI International.
Schreiner, L. A., Louis, M. C. & Nelson, D. D. (2012) Thriving in Transitions: A ResearchBased Approach to College Student Success. South Carolina: National Resource Center.
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Appendix A: Current Programs for Students who are Known to be At-Risk
Within Student Affairs Within Academic Affairs
McNair Scholars
First Year Research
Experience
Eagle Mentoring
The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is federally
funded by the United States Department of Education to provide eligible students
with support and preparation for graduate school. McNair Scholars must either be
low-income, first-generation college students AND/OR be members of a
traditionally underrepresented group in their field (usually African American,
Latino/a, Native American and/or Asian Pacific Islander). The McNair program
services ~26 students per year
The First Year Research Experience (FYRE) is a 3-year pilot STEM-retention
program annually serving 10 historically underrepresented students as they enter
the College of Science and Health. FYRE will prepare students to negotiate the
suite of “gateway” science and math courses that often pose challenges to their
retention in the STEM disciplines. Students will form a small, informal learning
community as they participate together in these classes. They will be mentored
by faculty, senior STEM students and a dedicated graduate assistant. Students
will also participate in several, discipline-specific “immersive” research modules
during their first year to prepare them for early entry into undergraduate research.
This program will serve as a pipeline for STEM students into other high impact
practices (e.g., the McNair Scholars Program, Wisconsin Alliance for Minority
Participation (WiscAMP).
Eagle Mentoring provides workshops, field trips, enrichment activities, and faculty
mentors for historically under-represented, under-privileged second-year minority
students in the UW-L Colleges of Liberal Studies and Business Administration,
creating a pipeline for minority students into high impact learning experiences.
Results from the first three cohorts (2009-2010, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012) show
success in retention and academic achievement, with one dropout out of 32
students, and a mean GPA increase of 0.2-0.3 one year after completion.
Within Academic Affairs Within Student Affairs
Disability Resource Services
Student Support Services
(SSS)
Office of Multicultural Student
Services (OMSS)
Disability Resource Services (DRS) assists students in obtaining reasonable
academic accommodations at the university. Any student with a physical,
sensory, diagnosed learning disability, AD/HD, a psychological disability or is a
veteran with wounded warrior status is eligible for accommodations through DRS.
DRS is currently associated with ~250 students with documented disabilities.
SSS program provides personal, academic and career support services to low
income and first generation college students, as well as students with disabilities.
A federally funded TRiO program through the Department of Education, SSS
provides assistance to 350 eligible students each year.
OMSS provides support services and information to recruit, retain and graduate
students of African American, American Indian, Hispanic/Latino(a), Asian
American, bi-racial or multi-ethnic descent. Areas of service to current students
include: Academic and financial aid retention; Advising & Tutoring; Cultural,
educational, and social programming; Leadership development; Personal
guidance, support, and advocacy for students.
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Appendix B: Current Programs for Students who are Likely to be At-Risk
Current Programs for Students who are Likely to be At-Risk
Murphy Learning Center
Preparatory coursework for
English and Math (ENG050;
MTH050 & MTH051)
The Murphy Learning Center (MLC) is dedicated to developing and
maintaining high quality education by providing tutoring services that address
the needs of a diverse student body. At the MLC, students can receive
assistance from peer tutors in Mathematics, Writing, and Science courses
such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Microbiology, and Earth Science. By
creating a welcoming safe atmosphere, the MLC hopes to foster an inclusive
environment where academic learning can thrive. The MLC collaborates with
faculty and staff across campus to provide training for tutors to become more
proficient both as content specialists and as peer mentors. The MLC provided
~8400 tutoring interactions during the last academic year.
Developmental courses such as English 050, Math 050, and Math 051 provide
instruction in the skills needed to be successful in credit-bearing introductory
college courses. By providing targeted instruction for college readiness,
students gain proficiency in the core competencies needed for entry-level
math and English courses. These courses are designed to strengthen
students’ skills in reading, writing, and math so that students can cope more
successfully with college-level work. The overall purpose of these
developmental courses is to cultivate in each learner the skills and attitudes
necessary to attain academic and career goals. Approximately 650 students
enroll in MTH050 or 051 per year. Approximately 20 students enroll in
ENG050 per year.
Areas Identified as Potential Barrier Areas in Need of Additional Exploration
Transition from ESL to general
UW-L coursework
Transition to UW-L for transfer
students
Students who are at risk for poor
performance early in courses
The Writing Center reports heavy usage of the center by a small group of
international students whose English proficiency requires a higher level of
remediation than can be provided by the staff of the Center. International
students must complete ESL courses at UW-L, score a TOEFL score of at
least 73 iBT or 550 pBT, or come from a TOEFL-exempt country. Efforts are
currently underway to analyze how/when to identify this subset of the
approximately 400 international students who annually attend UW-L.
UW-L made a commitment to service a larger portion of transfer students in
order to increase access while growing the student population without
overcrowding entry level general education courses. UW-L currently accepts
approximately 500 transfer students (compared to ~300 per year five years
ago). UW-L is in the preliminary stages of tracking the academic progress of
these students and identifying transition issues. In addition, an individual
within the Academic Advising Center has been identified as the resource
person for transfer students (and veterans). One known issue is the
advising/coursework needs of transfers who have completed their AA degrees
and come to UW-L ready to complete advanced major-related coursework.
Research indicates that early intervention for students struggling in courses
improves the potential outcomes for these students. Currently UW-L does not
have a systematic way of identifying struggling students early in a semester;
although, the Office of Multicultural Student Services tracks the progress of
students of color. National data indicate that students need early feedback
(within the first four weeks) and need to understand that their current
progression will result in poor performance. The UW-L HLC Executive
Committee will work with Faculty Senate regarding the best ways to promote
the next steps in this discussion. (Note: Several years ago, UW-L
discontinued the use of midsemester “grade” reporting in General Education
courses due to faculty compliance rates lower than 20% and the fact that the
feedback was too late to allow for course correction.)
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Appendix C: Current Programs Associated with Promoting Academic Success for All
Students
Current Programs Associated with Academic Success for All Students
Curricular Inclusive Excellence
Residence Life
First Year Experience
Coordinator in Student Life
UWL100 “1st Year Seminar”
Academic Advising Center &
Career Services
Academic Services within the
College Offices
The Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning (CATL) provides a variety of
means for instructors and programs to advance their own cultural competence,
infuse diversity into their courses and curricula, develop learning environments
that engage diversity, and develop teaching practices likely to serve a broad
range of students well. CATL bases its programs on the research literature of
teaching and learning, and helps instructors and programs assess the impact
of their efforts on populations of students.
First-Year Experience Halls (Coate, Laux, and White) house freshmen only.
Hall programming is designed for new students, and the halls include a
satellite office of the Academic Advising Center. Approximately 800 students
are housed among the three halls. In addition to the normal staffing, each hall
has a LEC, Leadership Enrichment Coordinator, which is a paid position.
These more senior students assist the hall directors with first year initiatives.
The LECs and RAs help direct freshmen to a wide variety of resources,
including academic support.
Student Affairs recently established a new position associated with freshmen
experience and transition issues. The job responsibilities include transition
programming and coordination. This individual links to the 1-credit, elective
Freshmen Orientation course (UWL100). In addition, this individual holds
focus groups with freshmen students to better understand the freshman
experience at UW-L.
UWL100 is a 1-credit graded course that is designed to enhance the transition
to college for first year students. The course is optional but highly encouraged
and space is limited. UW-L offers approximately 12 sections of the course
each Fall and each section is capped at 25 students. The course is team
taught and we try to match instructors from academic departments with
instructors from student affairs. The course has been taught since 1998. The
course focuses on the question “What does it mean to be an educated
person? and introduces students to the resources that UW-L has to offer for
classroom and experiential education.
The Academic Advising Center services undeclared students in the College of
Science and Health and the College of Liberal Studies. Career Services
services all UW-L students.
Each academic college provides services such as advising and guidance with
academic procedures and policies.
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Appendix D
Firm Footing - UW-L Timeline (10/1/2012)
-Proposal submitted.
-Groups and process identified
for determining metrics and next
steps
-Campus discussions of the need
for a Director of Academic
Student Success
-Faculty -- early identification
Spring '12
Fall 2012
Campus chooses Firm Foot ing
as the major quality initiativ e v etted and confirmed with
gov erance groups
Spring 2013
Gov ernance
groups
updated.
Fall 2013
Initial
measurement
of the identified
metrics.
Gov ernance
groups
updated.
HLC site
visit
Spring '14 Fall 2014 Spring '15 2015-2016
Initial - "time 2"
measurement
associated with
detecting change
and adjusting
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