Academic Mapping:
Charting a Pathway to Success
July 18, 2014
Today, we will cover…
Academic Maps: Charting a Pathway to Success
Workshop Agenda
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
9:00
Welcome & Meeting Overview
9:30
Understanding Student Progression
10:05
Academic Maps and FSU
10:35
Design Effective Academic Maps
10:50
Break
11:00
Assessing Your Maps
12:10
Working Lunch/Communicating Maps
1:00
Action Planning for Maps at Your Campus
2:10
Identifying Next Steps
3:00
Meeting Close
1
EDI supports implementation of education reform in a
number of states and systems
Current EDI Partner Systems
K-12
Higher Education
Both
Our mission is to
partner with K-12
and higher
education systems
with ambitious
reform agendas and
invest in their
leaders' capacity
to deliver
results. By
employing a proven
approach, known as
delivery, we help
state leaders
maintain the
necessary focus to
plan and drive
reform.
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
2
The delivery approach produces results by focusing leaders
on four fundamental questions
“delivery” (n.) is a systematic process through which leaders can drive
progress and deliver results.
It involves asking the following questions consistently and rigorously:
1
What are we trying to do?
2
How are we planning to do it?
3
At any given moment, how will we know whether we are on track?
4
If not, what are we going to do about it?
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
3
Today’s Objectives
 Understand the basic components of an
effective academic map
 Assess quality of current maps and
determine ways to maximize effectiveness
 Determine strategy for communicating
maps to key stakeholders
 Determine ways to strengthen the
integration of maps with institutional
policies and procedures
 Identify actionable next steps with
responsible owners
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
4
Institutions of higher education face two major challenges
Higher Education Challenges
 Low rates of persistence and
completion
 Excess hours—both for
completers and non-completers
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Nationally, attrition occurs all along the pipeline
Credit: “Building Guided Pathways to Success,” Education Advisory Board
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
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Nationally, students who do graduate often take extra years
and extra credits
Credit: “Building Guided Pathways to Success,” Education Advisory Board
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
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Traditionally, we look to student characteristics and
behaviors to understand progression and completion…
Some of those factors include:
Race & Ethnicity
Gender
Income or Pell Status
High School GPA
Academic Major
Courses Taken During First Year
Number of Credits Accrued at Various Points
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However, there are a number of institutional factors that
can create unclear pathways to graduation
▪ Insufficient academic guidance/planning
▪ Misunderstanding degree requirements
▪ Inappropriate preparation/enrollment in
prerequisite courses
▪ General education requirement confusion
▪ Course withdrawal or failure
▪ Unnecessary electives
▪ Switching majors
▪ Inability to enroll in necessary courses
at the appropriate time
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Example: General education requirements in course catalogs
are often confusing
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Similarly, specific degree requirements can be difficult to
interpret
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Providing students with a clear pathway to success is
possible through a number of promising strategies
Preserve
flexibility
Reduce lost
credits
Maximize credit
attempts
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
Simplify course
selection
Clear course choices
along with “levers”
that keep students
on the path to ontime graduation.
12
Today’s Agenda
Understanding Student Progression
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In order to determine how to best to strengthen maps, it is
important to look at relevant data first…
Potential data to review…
Graduation Rates
Retention/Attrition Rates
Persistence Rates
Credit accumulation
Course Completion
Other Leading Indicators
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Discussion: What do your data tell you?
Review your campus’s provided data
Then discuss the following and record on flip chart:

What institutional factors contribute to your current status?
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Today’s Agenda
Academic Maps and Florida State
University
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Academic maps are one of the most effective strategies for
creating a clear pathway to degree
An academic map is a term-by-term
sequence of courses required to
complete the degree in four
years. This helps students understand
how degree requirements can be
translated into a term-by-term
registration plan.
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
17
When implemented with integrity, academic maps benefit
both students and institutions
Students
 Reduced time to degree
 Save time and money by
avoiding unnecessary
courses
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
Institutions
 More efficient course and classroom
scheduling
 Departments can anticipate number of majors
and progress toward degree
 Faculty can plan 2+ years in advance
 Advisors can be allocated more efficiently
18
Maps provide significant cost and time savings to students
at FSU
Student On Map
Student Before Maps
4
10
129
224
Tuition and fees
~$22,000
~$38,000
Total cost
~$76,000
~$190,000
Lost salary
0
~($270,000)
Additional cost
0
+~$400,000
Years in school
Total credits
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Academic maps and associated policies effectively reduced
the number of students with excess hours at FSU
Year
# of Students with
Excess Hours
4 Year Graduation
Rate
2000
7382
44.2%
2006
3011
-------
2009
1540
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
61.2%
20
FSU maps have four essential components – the narrative,
sample schedule, milestones and employment opportunities
The narrative explains the
use of academic maps and
any specific information about
degree requirements,
including admissions
requirements
The sample schedule outlines
which courses should be
taken in which specific term
in order to satisfy all
requirements
The milestones identify critical
courses for timely progress and the
last semester in which they can be
completed for on-time graduation.
Critical grades for Milestone
courses may be included.
List of Representative Job
Titles and Potential
Employers
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At Florida State, maps are located on a central page to
allow students to browse and compare
Source:
http://www.academicguide.fsu.edu/
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FSU followed a series of steps and guiding principles when
designing maps
1. Begin in
Term 1,
assuming
student has
no earned
college credit
2. Start with
English and
Math in the
first term
3. Complete
the major
requirements
4. Fill in with
general
education
requirements
(look for
courses that
satisfy major
and gen-ed
requirements)
5. Identify
milestone
courses
(critical
courses for
timely
progress)
Principles to keep in mind when constructing maps:
 Frontload general education requirements
 Allow room for electives in later semesters
 Use specific courses when required (otherwise, use
category or list of courses)
 Be sure that course is offered in term listed
 Double check that total hours add up to hours required
 A summer term may be inserted if needed to graduate in 8
terms
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
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FSU’s successful implementation of academic maps required
a series of steps to achieve the desired results
Challenge
Solution
Results

Students could not
enroll in the courses they
needed

Built Demand Analysis
to monitor need and open
sections for students

Small improvement in
retention and graduation;
little to no reduction in
excess hours

Students lack a clear
path to graduation

Introduced maps for all
majors

Slight improvement in
retention and graduation;
no reduction in excess
hours

Students continued to
take courses that were
not “on map”

Added Milestone
courses with hold on
registration and required
students to select area of
interest or major upon
entering

6% point increase in
retention rate and 17%
point increase in
graduation rate; number
of students with >120
hours decreased from
30% to less than 5%
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And followed a process for developing maps campus wide
Convene a
team to lead
the process
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
Develop a
standard
template
Engage
advisors in
the
development
of first drafts
Review maps
for accuracy
(engage
faculty at this
point)
25
Milestone courses can be tracked by major and by term to
aid in class scheduling
Major
Lower
Division
Students
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3
Accounting
26
Algebra
Calculus
Statistics
Biology
1307
Algebra
Calculus
Statistics
Chemistry
188
Algebra
Calculus
Finite Math
Criminology
405
Algebra
Mathematics
Statistics
Dietetics
617
Algebra
-------------
Statistics
Economics
93
Algebra
Statistics
Trigonometry
Psychology
637
Algebra
Statistics
Mathematics
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Questions?
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Today’s Agenda
Designing Effective Maps
Followed by a break
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While there are a variety of potential formats, effective
maps communicate clear expectations to students
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Example: Georgia State has Academic Guides that include
clear milestones
Milestone courses
clearly defined
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Example: Kent State has Roadmaps that outline specific
courses and requirements they satisfy
Description of
requirements satisfied
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Example (cont.): They include a clear description of how
some GE requirements are fulfilled by major courses
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Example: Meta-major maps can help students get on track
early, even if they are uncertain of a specific major
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Example: Chipola College has maps for students intending
to transfer to FSU
https://www.chipola.edu/studentservices/cguides/2013-2014/Information%20Technology%20FSU.pdf
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
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Example: Florida International University has maps
specifically designed for incoming transfer students
Critical grade based on
predictive analytics
Source: http://mymajor.fiu.edu/browse?area=PHSCEN&campus=MMC&go=Browse
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Workshop Agenda
Break
Assessing Current Maps and Tools
Followed by Working Lunch
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After reviewing your campus’s data, you can assess the
effectiveness of your maps, using a checklist
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
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Exercise: Data Review and Assessing Maps
Identify design-related questions for Larry
Using the “Academic Maps Checklist” and the examples
from various institutions, answer the following questions:
– What are the areas of strength for our existing
maps?
– How can our maps be improved?
Areas of Strength
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
Ways to Improve
38
Workshop Agenda
Working Lunch: Communicating
Maps
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Maps must be effectively communicated to multiple groups
on campus
Key stakeholders:




Students
Parents
Faculty
Community colleges
Potential messages:
 “Graduating in four years is the expectation”
 “This is the pathway to achieving that goal”
Mechanisms:




On-line
Orientation(s)
Faculty senate
Advisor training
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Exercise: Communicate maps to key stakeholders
Discuss and capture on cards:
▪ Key campus groups to whom maps should be communicated.
▪ For each group, identify:
– Intended outcome (specific change in behavior, thought, feeling)
– Message (focus on key messages, do not worry about
wordsmithing)
– Mechanism (how will you deliver the message?)
Audience
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
Intended Outcome
Message
Mechanism
41
Workshop Agenda
Implementation Planning:
Strengthening Maps
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The power of maps lies in the effectiveness of their
integration into institutional policies and procedures
Help students
decide which
path to take
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
Ensure that
students stay on
track
Allow institutions
to schedule
courses to meet
predicted
demand
43
Maps can be a useful tool for students when deciding which
path to take
 Assist students with selecting a major
(e.g., hold workshops on major selection)
 Require early major declaration (or
selection of a meta-major)
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
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Policy levers tied to maps help students stay on track
 Notify students in real-time if they register for courses “off-map” (e.g., pop-up
notification)
 Notify advisors of students who have fallen off track or are requesting to change
majors
 Advisors must contact students who do not register for milestone courses
 Require students to meet with advisors when milestones are missed
 Require students to change majors if they are “off-map” for two consecutive terms
 Suggest a “default” set of courses that students can opt-out of, if they choose
 Students must choose from pre-built schedules based on their intended major
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Example: FIU has developed a comprehensive system for
integrating maps into their student advising system
MyMajorMatch (interest
inventory)
Students can take an on-line
assessment to gauge their
interest and skill across areas
MyMajor (academic maps)
Provide admissions criteria,
course sequence, and career
opportunities for each major
Differentiated maps for two-year
transfer vs. 4-year students
My_e_advisor (registration flag)
Provides immediate feedback to
students and advisors on
progress
Alerts students and advisors if
students are off-track
Credit: https://ugrad.fiu.edu/gsi/index.html
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
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Example: UNC-Charlotte has a system for flagging students
who miss key courses
Academic maps identify
milestones—the critical
courses/actions for timely
completion
Registration system flags
students who withdraw or do
not register for milestone
courses
Students are placed on hold
until advisors meet with
students
Credit: https://academics.uncc.edu/sites/academics.uncc.edu/files/media/Accounting-APS-Jan2013.pdf
©2014 U.S. Education Delivery Institute
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Example: Sinclair Community College presents courses as
defaults in their registration system
Students meet with advisors
to develop personalized
degree maps
Map is loaded into the
registration system and
courses are presented to
student as default courses
Students can opt out and
register for other courses,
with a warning
Credit: http://flashmedia.sinclair.edu/dl/dept/advising/presenter/online_registration/index.htm
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Example: At CUNY Lehman College, entering students are
required to choose from pre-built course schedules
Students register during
orientation for a pre-made
schedule that satisfies a
number of GE requirements
Students continue to enroll
in blocks of courses together
for the second term
Students can opt out and
register for other courses, to
explore majors
Credit: CUNY Lehman College, “Building Guided Pathways to Success,” Education Advisory
Board
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Maps can also help institutions schedule courses to meet
the projected demand
 Milestone courses must be available in the
semester they are needed
 Use maps to determine when “high-demand”
courses must be offered
 Develop a process for ensuring that courses are
scheduled based on projected demand
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High
Advisor contacts
students who fall offmap
Require declaration
of major by 30 hours
Low
Potential impact
Balancing strategies’ potential impact with the difficulty of
implementation helps prioritize activities
Pop-up alert if
student does not
register for milestone
Low
High
Degree of Difficulty
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Once we understand the initiatives that comprise our
strategy, we can clearly define success
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Exercise: Identify and plan for priority strategies
Identifying Strategies
▪ Discuss and record on cards:
– Potential strategies you want to implement at your
institution?
▪ Place each strategy on brown paper according to level
of difficulty to implement and potential impact
Implementation Planning
▪ Reflect on your brown paper and discuss the following:
– Definition of success: What do we want to
accomplish by the end of the academic year?
– Actors: Who will lead the effort? Who else needs
to be involved?
– Actions: What steps need to be taken to
implement the strategy?
– Challenges: What potential challenges should be
addressed during planning?
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Workshop Agenda
Identifying Next Steps
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Exercise: Identify next steps
Discuss and record on cards:
– The immediate next steps your team will take in the next 30
days to 90
– Potential support from system?
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Dr. Larry Abele
labele@fsu.edu
Omari Burnside
oburnside@deliveryinstitute.org
Corey Sullivan
csullivan@deliveryinstitute.org
Thank You
www.deliveryinstitute.org