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Academic Interventions (Georgia Highlands College-2023)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Academic Interventions
Momentum Area: 
Purpose
Pathways
Mindset
Strategy/Project Description: 

This project aims to put in place academic interventions for student populations identified as at-risk (i.e. students with multiple early alerts, students on academic warning and probation, students who withdraw frequently)

Activity Status: 
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

Evaluation Plan and measures:  Our KPIs focused on student retention.

KPIs: student persistence/retention

Baseline measure (for each KPI):  1 Yr Retention for FTFT Associate seeking students: Fall 2020 58.4%, Fall 2021 62.1%; 2 Yr Retention for FTFT Associate seeking students: Fall 2020 40.2%

Current/most recent data (for each KPI)  1 Yr Retention for FTFT Associate seeking students: Fall 2022 62.8%; 2 Yr Retention for FTFT Associate seeking students:  Fall 2021 45.7%

Goal or targets (for each KPI): Determine if student persistence/retention can be increased with targeted outreach and intervention to at-risk students. 

Time period/duration Ongoing

Progress and Adjustments: 

We continue to work to maintain our Early Alerts process. The High Risk process has been incorporated into our regular workflow with students with 50% or more of their active classes showing “At Risk” being identified after the close of the full session campaign. These lists are shared with college staff dedicated to certain student populations such as Coaches, Learning Support Coordinator, Dual Enrollment Coordinator, Retention Assistants, and GHAME Coordinator to facilitate targeted outreach. 

 We are targeting our students that need academic interventions the most. One group we identified are those currently on academic warning and probation. The goal is to decrease the number of students on warning and probation, therefore increasing student persistence and retention.  Phase 1-2 of the plan are operational.  

 Operation Inform- Phase 1 

We devised a plan to call, text and email each student to make them aware or remind them of their current academic status. The students that we were unable to contact were then mailed a letter.  

Operation Track- Phase 2 

We tracked academic alert notifications, withdrawals requests, and tutoring usage to develop an engagement plan. 

As an update to this initiative, we have started to track financial aid status (SAP status) and created a detailed reach out plan as part of the intervention process. Students are contacted every three weeks to make sure they are on track academically. 

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

The data for our High Risk intervention shows improved persistence.  We will continue to identify and work to reach out to students with multiple alerts.

Academic Warning/Probation Plan 

Operation Plan- Phase 3 

The next phase of this plan is to determine which students completed their GPA improvement requirements for the term and which students need continuous assistance.  The continued assistance will come in the form of outreach to plan for next term registration, tutoring planning, and pairing students with tutors to keep track of their academic performance.  

Students on probation that are required to sit out a term will be contacted bi-monthly to help plan for their return to campus. 

 We have created a detailed plan to decrease withdrawals by tracking “full stop-out withdrawals” each term and reaching out to students to attempt to save them. Students are less likely to withdraw from all classes if intervention is made as soon as the request is made in the system. We have created a 48-hour hold once requests are made to give us time to reach out to students to help them come up with additional options like taking a lighter course load or switching to online classes in lieu of dropping total course load.   

Withdrawal Requested  ( 6.62% decrease from Fall 22 to 23)

Withdrawals Reversed  ( 71.42% increase from Fall 22 to 23)

Tutors are reaching out to students at-risk academically and offering tutorial services that fit the student’s schedules and offer

Challenges and Support: 

Challenges: Lack of personnel and staff turnover

Support Needed: Funding for additional support personnel

Primary Contact: 
Michelle Lockett-Lewis, Assistant Vice President - Academic Retention and Resources
Jeannie Blakely, Analyst, Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Initiatives
Jennifer Hicks, Executive Director - Enrollment Management