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Middle Georgia State University Campus Plan Update 2020

Institutional Mission and Student Body Profile

Middle Georgia State University (MGSU) is a five-campus institution providing selective undergraduate and graduate education throughout the middle Georgia region. MGSU serves a diverse student body through traditional, online, and hybrid delivery of curriculum. It is the mission of MGSU to educate and graduate inspired lifelong learners whose scholarship and careers enhance the region through professional leadership, innovative partnerships, and community engagement. The institution’s vision is to transform individuals and their communities through extraordinary high learning. Four core values underscore this vision: stewardship, engagement, adaptability, and learning.

Middle Georgia State University offered 23 programs at the baccalaureate level and 5 at the master’s level in the 2019-20 academic year. The University awarded 1,331 degrees in the 2019-20 academic year. The number of baccalaureate degrees awarded increased from 775 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 to 910 in FY 2020, an increase of 17.42%.

Census data define the Fall 2019 student body to be Georgia residents (94.3%), predominantly White Non-Hispanic (52.4%); Black/African American Non-Hispanic (33.9%), and under 25 years of age (72.4%). Of the student body, 62.2% were enrolled full-time. Females comprised 56.6% of the student body and males 43.4% of the student body.

In Fall 2019, 94.3% of enrolled students were Georgia residents representing 143 counties with most of the in-state students coming from Houston, Bibb, Laurens, Peach, Dodge, Bleckley, Henry, Fulton, DeKalb, Monroe, Gwinnett, Jones, and Cobb. Also represented in the fall 2019 enrolled student body were 139 out-of-state counties. There were 311 students that came from out-of-state primarily from Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, and North Carolina. International students represented 1.83% of the total fall 2019 enrollment.

The number of MGSU Pell recipients in fall 2019 was 3,448 (45.8% of undergraduates) of total enrollment as compared to 3,439 (45.4% of undergraduates) for the 2018-19 academic year. The fall 2019 enrollment was also comprised of 1,200 (14.9%) first generation college students and 2,224 (27.6%) adult learners. In fall 2019, there were 331 military students that comprised 4.1% of the total enrollment as compared to 423 students (5.4%) of the total enrollment in fall 2018. The ethnic minority student population in fall 2019 was 3,535 (43.8%) as compared to 3,448 (44.2%) in fall 2018.

MGSU has a blended function in that it serves both the academically gifted students in dual enrollment, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs while also serving as a point of access to higher education for underrepresented populations. Owning student success is the 2018-2023 strategic imperative for MGSU which is dependent on data-driven decision making, better service to students, more efficient use of faculty and staff resources, and utilization of tools to measure and communicate performance. Keeping students on track to program completion is the CCG goal most closely aligned with MGSU’s strategic priorities. Outcomes for this goal include improved persistence and retention rates and increase in the number of students completing their degree on-time. To fulfill its vision of “transformation of individuals and their communities through extraordinary higher learning,” MGSU has identified several high impact strategies to enhance retention and graduation.

Benchmark:  Columbus State University

Competitor institution: Valdosta State University

Aspirational: Kennesaw State University

Improvement Practices

1.  Established a School-based strategy from enrollment until graduation:  Admitted students were assigned to an academic School right from the time of enrollment so students had access to guidance to overcome procedural as well as motivational barriers.  During orientation, students were assigned to various groups depending upon their School and major and attended school-specific academic sessions where they met the Dean, Chair and some faculty that introduced the programs offered by the School.  The decision to move to a school-based strategy involved the cabinet-level executives as well as academic affairs and enrollment management leadership.  Each Dean, with input from the Chairs and faculty, developed a Strategic Plan for the School outlining the vision, mission, and imperatives with associated strategies.  In addition, each School also developed a school-specific Faculty Handbook listing administrative procedures, expectations and evaluation of faculty performance, school committees, and instruction-related as well as student-related policies and procedures. 

All students enrolled in MGSU were admitted under one of the six academic Schools, and the undecided major was eliminated.

2.  Established de-centralized advising:  In keeping with the school-based strategy, all the professional advisors were distributed among the academic Schools and the Deans made responsible for the advisement and registration process for all students enrolled under different majors offered by the School.  Deans managed the caseload of each professional academic advisor assigning them responsibility for 200-250 students each. 

Most Schools have established a policy that professional advisors work with their advisees until they acquire 45 credit hours after which students are advised by faculty.  In case of professional programs like Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Respiratory Therapy, and Education, faculty advisors take over advising from the professional advisors once the student gets admitted into the program.  While this strategy is helping students to get more focused advising and mentoring, there are challenges linked to changing majors and campuses by students.  It is also difficult to maintain an equitable case load between the advisors assigned to one School.  The issue gets more complicated with frequent turnover of professional advisors.  Data cleanup in Banner is also a continuous process required every semester.

3.  Curriculum revision: Several students at MGSU have greater than 120 hours but no degree.  These hours have been accumulated as students change their majors frequently whereby some of the courses do not provide credit towards their new major.  To allow for transfer of credit between majors, curriculum revision was introduced to provide greater flexibility by increasing the number of elective credits.  The Deans, Chairs, and faculty worked on designing curricular changes that were then moved through the curriculum approval process involving the Academic Affairs Board, the Provost’ office, and the Faculty Senate.  The introduction of these curricular changes increased the number of bachelor's degree graduates by 17.4% in just one academic year from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020.  The average number of credits acquired at graduation towards a bachelor's degree decreased by 1.8% going from 140 in 2018-2019 to 138 in 2019-2020.

4.  Strengthened online instruction: MGA Direct was launched in Fall 2019 with courses offered in eight-week and fifteen-week sessions to accommodate the needs of working adults and to make the degrees and courses available to students across the nation and the world.  Three Master’s degrees and eight bachelor's degrees were offered through this initiative.  School Deans, Chairs, faculty, and the Academic Affairs office personnel were involved in the planning and curriculum approval process for degrees/courses offered through MGA Direct. In 2019-2020 there were 7,349 distinct students taking at least one online class which was 73% of the overall distinct headcount for the academic year. This is a 14.3% increase from the prior year when MGA had 6,429 distinct students, or 67% of the overall headcount, taking at least one online class. There were 2,120 fully online students in fall 2019 which is a 522 student (32.7%) increase from Fall 2018 which saw 1,598 fully online students. The number of online courses offered increased by 22.3% in 2019-2020 expanding from 1,067 in 2018-2019 to 1,305.

5. Implemented co-requisite remediation: Both English and math departments offered co-requisite support for English Composition I (ENGL 1101 with 0999) and Math Modeling (MATH 1101 with 0998). 

English Learning Support (LS) Data for 2019 – 2020

  • 140 students enrolled in Fall 2019 English learning support classes and 105 enrolled in Spring 2020
  • ENGL 0999 showed a pass rate of 67.1% in Fall 2019 and 51.4% in Spring 2020
  • LS students in ENGL 1101 showed a pass rate of 58.2% in Fall 2019 and 48.6% in Spring 2020
  • 57% of LS English students passed both 0999 and 1101 in Fall 2019 whereas 43% passed both in Spring 2020
  • 82 students exited English Learning Support in Fall 2019 with 94% having exited after one term whereas 51 students exited in Spring 2020 with 75% having exited in one term 

It is evident from the data that student success outcomes in LS English need to be improved.  The Department of English has redesigned English 0999 as part of the Gateways to Completion (G2C) initiative.  The redesigned course is better aligned with the learning objectives of ENGL 1101 and is being offered in fall 2020.  Data obtained at the end of the semester will provide an insight into the success of the redesign and an opportunity to make additional course modifications as needed.  More information on the redesign is highlighted in the narrative on course redesign.

Math Learning Support Data for 2019 – 2020

  • 317 students enrolled in Fall 2019 Math learning support classes and 279 enrolled in Spring 2020
  • MATH 0998 showed a pass rate of 41.3% in Fall 2019 and 69.2% in Spring 2020
  • LS students in MATH 1101 showed a pass rate of 40.3% in Fall 2019 and 47.7% in Spring 2020
  • 39% of LS Math students passed both 0998 and 1101 in Fall 2019 whereas 43% passed both in Spring 2020
  • 128 students exited Math Learning Support in Fall 2019 with 90% having exited after one term whereas 82 students exited in Spring 2020 with 62% having exited in one term

Prior to spring 2020, the Department of Mathematics & Statistics offered MATH 1101 (Introduction to Mathematical Modeling, 3 credit hours) and the support course MATH 0998 (Support for Math Modeling, 3 credit hours). There had been a number of academic initiatives that had been tried in these courses, but measuring their effectiveness was confounded by numerous institutional changes as well as more global changes to Learning Support at the University System of Georgia (elimination of foundations courses, changes in pedagogical recommendations, enrollment standards, etc.) In fall 2019, a request was made of the department to change the number of credit hours in the support course (MATH 0998) from 3 credit hours to 1 credit hour, and this change was implemented in the spring 2020 semester. An analysis of student success rates under the new model as well as anecdotal feedback from faculty and students led faculty within the department to two conclusions: 1) Students in the co-requisite course needed more time than the 1 credit hour designation allowed; 2) Many students did not have the necessary prerequisite skills to be successful in MATH 1101. In an effort to create an Area A course that was more aligned to students’ abilities and interests, the faculty voted to design a new course MATH 1001 (Quantitative Reasoning, 3 credit hours) along with the co-requisite course MATH 0997 (Support for Quantitative Reasoning). The number of credit hours in the co-requisite course was designated at 2 hours. These courses are the ones currently being offered in fall 2020. A support class for Algebra is also being offered beginning fall 2020.  Faculty teaching the co-requisite courses formed committees that worked on the course structure and design of the support classes.

6.  Implemented course redesign: As part of the G2C initiative, cohort II, two additional courses, College Algebra and Support for English Composition I, were redesigned to improve student success outcomes.  College Algebra was redesigned by the math faculty to be offered in the Emporium model in a face-to-face setting during spring 2020 ending with a 75.8% pass rate (including grades of A, B, and C).  As the pandemic hit, the class had to be moved to an online format; therefore, the data obtained does not reflect the outcome of the redesign accurately. The redesigned course is being offered in fall 2020 in a hybrid emporium model.

The Support for English Composition was offered as a 3-credit hour course in fall 2019 and spring 2020.   Based on data and guidance provided by the USG, the English faculty worked to redesign the course from a 3-credit hour to a 2-credit hour offering during spring 2020.  The 2-credit hour course is being offered in fall 2020 that includes course specific early alerts, mandated tutoring, and specific re-alignment with the content of English Composition.

7. Leadership Development: In Fall 2019, the Knights LEAD Student Leadership Program was launched for first-year students.  Offered in Macon and Cochran, these students participated in sessions that cover the eight career competencies from the National Association of Colleges & Employers:  critical thinking, communication skills, teamwork, digital technology, leadership, professionalism/work ethic, career management, and global/intercultural fluency.  Faculty and staff served as session facilitators and mentors, providing students with personal connections for resources and support at the university.  Student participants reported an increase in knowledge in all competency areas.  All Knights LEAD students participated in a session focused on career management.  For their application session the following semester, students had to meet with a career advisor.  Mentors are a significant part of this experience for students, but initial participation from faculty and staff was low. With staffing for the program in place before the 2020-21 academic year, early and frequent recruitment will increase the number of mentors working with students in the program. During spring, the program had to finish in a virtual format.  There was a total of 12 students who continued and completed, but the challenges that came about as a result of the pandemic made it difficult for the other remaining students to finish the program.  This experience did provide the staff with the framework for how to run the program virtually in the fall.

8. Experiential Learning (EL) opportunities: The Office of Experiential Learning in collaboration with faculty, chairs, deans and the Provost’s office continued to oversee the implementation of Experiential Learning@MGA - the Quality Enhancement Plan of the institution. Under this initiative, student learning and engagement was strengthened by increasing participation in an array of experiential learning opportunities including internships, undergraduate research, and service learning. The initiative encouraged “exploration and application beyond the classroom,” transforming students’ perspective, their career trajectories, and our shared communities.  Activities under this plan included Experiential Learning Course Redesigns, Faculty Professional Development, Student Conference and Travel Funding and Research Stipends, and Experiential Learning Speaker Bureau and Honorarium Funding.

The most recent graduating cohort (Spring 2020) had the following outcomes: 434 of the 537 undergraduates had EL designation representing 80% of the graduating class of which 118 were silver (participating in 1 High Impact Practice), 78 were gold (participating in 2 High Impact Practices), and 238 were platinum (participating in 3 or more High Impact Practices).   The total represented a 26.5% increase from the spring 2019 graduation where 343 earned EL designation.

The QEP was developed with constituency input and mindfully crafted to maximize student learning outcomes that support the mission and reflect the strategic priorities of the institution. A significant impact has been observed on the culture of the institution – manifested as a focus on undergraduate research. The academy’s interdisciplinary collaborations are a result of strong penetration within the academic pathways. The increase in student participation can be directly attributed to the gamification model and the intentionality of critical reflection and the cumulative value and competitive advantage proposition shared with students. The QEP becomes institutionalized in fall 2020 with the implementation of a “graduation designation” recognizing an emphasis or attentiveness to experiential learning. This transcript designation captures the expanded system emphasis on high impact practices across the curriculum. 

9. Diversity/global learning: To support an inclusive campus environment that results in educational excellence and student success, the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity offered several activities in 2019-20 that included organizing table talk events to engage students in discussions about diversity, inclusion and compliance on all five campuses. At least 420 students attended the five-campus table talks.

The Office also hosted faculty/staff training on Understanding Bias & Hate on Campus which was attended by 30 faculty/staff.

Diversity Campus Climate survey was conducted to garner students’ perception of the campus environment.   Survey feedback included responses from 260 students with over 71% reporting that a faculty/staff member did something in the recent year that supported their success.

MGSU is a diverse and inclusive campus. Diversity issues that are reflected or discussed on the larger stage of our country are usually the same issues that are of concern in higher education; including issues of justice, equality, and respect for humanity. The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity is increasing conversations and education around diversity and inclusion issues to support retention, progression, and graduation of students. The impact of this strategy will be more visible as the Office develops long-term strategies focused on diversity, inclusion, and equity as separate initiatives to address instead of just a single diversity initiative. Positive outcomes from implementing a more inclusive strategy will be evident through responses shared via assessment tools over the next couple of years.

Momentum Update: Observations and Next Steps

Section 3.1 Existing Momentum Work 

Purposeful Choice 

Strategy

To introduce Academic School-based strategy that aligns with focus areas: Arts and Letters, Aviation, Business, Computing, Education, Behavioral Sciences, Health Sciences, and Natural Sciences

Summary of Activities 

Six Schools were established in Fall 2019: School of Arts and Letters, School of Aviation, School of Business, School of Computing, School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, School of Health and Natural Sciences.  Each School offers majors specific to the academic discipline.  All students are assigned to a major and therefore fall under one of the six schools.  Learning Support students as well as Dual Enrolled students also select a major of their choice. 

Outcomes/Measures of progress 

Each student is assigned to an academic School. Undecided major has been eliminated. 

Lessons Learned and Plans for the Future 

Since MGSU is a multi-campus institution and students tend to change their major as well as campus, some students are assigned to an incorrect major in Banner.   Major assignments in Banner must be monitored on a semester-by-semester basis. 

Changes because of COVID-19 

None

Strategy

Decentralize advising to reside in all academic Schools

Summary of Activities 

Academic advisors have been assigned to all the Schools and advise specific majors.

Outcomes/Measures of progress 

Each student has an academic advisor specific to their chosen major from the time of enrollment till they graduate.

Lessons Learned and Plans for the Future 

Advisor assignments in Banner are sometimes incorrect due to frequent major changes and campus switching.

Changes because of COVID-19 

All advising activity was virtual through an online platform (WC Online), email, and phone meetings.  No face-to-face advising appointments were held.

Strategy or activity 

Strengthen programs offered by the Center for Career and Leadership Development  

Summary of Activities 

Activities hosted by the Center included Internship Search Workshops; Career & Major Exploration Day; Resume Review & Career Fair Prep Day; and LinkedIn Assistance Day. The Center also hosted Professional Headshot Days.

Outcomes/Measures of progress 

Measures of progress include 53 career education programs, and the facilitation of 17 employer networking opportunities; 463 career advising appointments were conducted, and 3,750 students participated in the appointments and programs. By April 2020, the student use of the Handshake app was increased by 235% (from 744 to 2,491).

Lessons Learned and Plans for the Future 

Student use of career development was low, and it could be increased by improving outreach through technology and showing students and faculty that a comprehensive set of services was offered.  To increase access, students needed to be able to make appointments through the online scheduling system on Handshake.  Adding this change would also increase student use of Handshake, connecting them to the employers who were wanting to hire them. However, by December, Handshake was not set up to sync student data automatically each week.  The Center for Career & Leadership Development must use technology, particularly with the Handshake system, more effectively to make up for having a small staff.  This issue was fixed by August 2020 with the help of the Office of Technology Resources and Institutional Research.

Students also needed a more comprehensive career assessment that allowed them to research majors and degree programs.  The CCLD is implementing a program for career and major assessment called Focus 2 in the 2020-21 academic year.

In terms of programming, the same opportunities were not offered on each campus or did not allow for the promotion of services in an educational and sustainable way.  Programs were simplified so that they were offered multiple times on different campuses and focused on promoting our career development services.  Assessment data was collected after workshops on what students wanted so those needs could be addressed in Fall 2020. 

Changes because of COVID-19 

Employer information sessions and panels were moved to a virtual format.

Transparent Pathways

Strategy

To prepare program maps that include core English and math coursework, 30 credit hours, and 9 credits in the focus area in the first year of enrollment for beginning freshmen.

Summary of Activities 

Each School developed program maps for all the majors offered by the School for each campus to include the three strategies outlined above.

Outcomes/Measures of progress 

Program maps have been developed and uploaded on the MGSU website

Lessons Learned and Plans for the Future 

Due to curriculum revision, some of the maps developed will need to be reviewed and revised if needed.  This review will take place in Fall 2020.

Changes because of COVID-19 

None

Strategy or activity 

Implement Presence software 

Summary of Activities 

Presence software was piloted in Spring 2020.  Programs and events were advertised on the student life page and in the Knight Life App. 

Outcomes/Measures of progress 

Attendance is documented through card swipes at events and logs from virtual events.  Student engagement data will be pulled from this system. 

Lessons Learned and Plans for the Future 

Clubs and organizations will become active after Presence training during Fall 2020 and will conduct their events through Presence.

Changes because of COVID-19 

No adjustment had to be made due to Covid-19.  Presence can also include tracking of virtual events through Teams.

Strategy or activity 

Developing and offering co-curricular maps to students

Summary of Activities 

Attendance is documented through card swipes at events and logs from virtual events.  Student engagement data will be pulled from this system     

Outcomes/Measures of progress 

Posters are hanging in residence halls and campus buildings.  Academic advisors were also supplied co-curricular maps to give to students at advising appointments. 

Lessons Learned and Plans for the Future 

Co-curricular maps will be connected to the Week of Welcome events for new students, whether online or in-person, and, in a First Year Experience course that is being discussed as a future offering.

Changes because of COVID-19 

No changes needed due to Covid-19 since the maps are available virtually and as hard copies. 

Strategy or activity 

Offer Living and Learning Communities (LLCs)

Summary of Activities 

Four LLCs were offered in the 2019-20 academic year: First Year Residential Experience, Second Year Residential Experience, Aviation Maintenance Hall, and Volunteer Knights.

Learning community participants can choose to participate in weekly Small Community Programs and Community-Wide Programs. Small community involves the hall, wing, or floor the student lives on. Community-Wide Programming can be the entire residence hall that the student lives in up to the entire residential population of a campus. All residential programming falls into two categories--Social Programming and Educational Programming, and five subcategories: Financial Literacy, Sex Education, Health & Wellness, Alcohol & Drug Education, Mental Health.

Outcomes/Measures of progress 

At the end of Fall 2019, 92% of residential students who participated in residence life programming marked satisfied or very satisfied on the Programming Satisfaction Surveys. For Spring 2020, 84% of residential students who participated in residence life programming marked satisfied or very satisfied. Spring 2020 was disrupted mid-semester by campus closure due to COVID-19.

Lessons Learned and Plans for the Future 

Two Freshman Year Residential Experience LLCs, Pop Culture LLC and Information Technology LLC, were planned to be offered in Fall 2020. These did not make and were turned into themed housing options for students.  Faculty and staff involved designed activities based on the interests of the students.  Residence Life has added themed housing in each residence hall for Fall 2020.  Themes include:  Streaming into Fall (Movies theme); Throw Back (Building bridges of togetherness with campus organizations); Video games & life (Success strategies); Anderson Kingdom (leadership & careers); Conversations with Knights (Building connections through dialogue); Know you FAR AIM/AMY (Aviation FAA regulations and fun); 7 Wonders of UP (Cultures and Travel); and It’s a Small World (Cultural Appreciation).

A sustainable academic focused living learning community plan with residential programming support will be developed in Fall 2020 for Fall 2021 implementation.

Changes because of COVID-19 

It is difficult for LLC's to be successful until COVID-19 is behind us. Key components to LLC's are direct connections to the academic/classroom experience, access to intentional events and programs, and dedicated staff members who work to make the community a success. Right now, in-person new student orientations do not exist, and classroom experiences are varied. The ability to gather students together, to travel, and tour outside the classroom is severely limited.  Dedicated faculty and staff must be onboard for an LLC to be successful. Personnel with primary job functions related to the success of a community of learner's are not available at this time. Considering this and the new social consciousness, the Thematic Learning Communities (TLC's) will be continued in full force.  The aim is to focus TLC's on all-inclusiveness and open activities to everyone instead of hosting private activities and programs for select populations.

Academic Mindset

Strategy or activity 

Executed the USG Student Mindset Survey in Fall 2019 both at the beginning and at the end of the semester

Summary of Activities 

Students were asked to fill out the survey during fall orientation events and in the first two weeks as well as the last two weeks of the semester.

Outcomes/Measures of progress 

895 students participated in the early fall administration while 70 participated in the late fall administration.

Lessons Learned and Plans for the Future 

Student participation at the end of the semester was very low.  During Fall 2020, frequent reminders will be sent via the gateway courses to encourage students to complete the survey.  MGSU will also share a summary of the data obtained from the survey to stakeholders across the institution to help plan and execute more effective strategies for building the mindset.

Changes because of COVID-19 

None

General Overview and Observations

The School-based strategy adopted last year is working well in many aspects. Every student has a connection to an academic School and an academic advisor from the time of enrollment.  They also get a chance to meet with the Deans, Chairs, and some faculty during the in-person orientations.  However, during COVID-19, some adjustments had to be made.  Orientation was redesigned to move to a virtual platform, and all advising was done online or via email and phone meetings.  The in-person contact with the Deans, Chairs, and faculty was not offered; however, a virtual introduction to all the academic Schools and the degree programs was included in this revised orientation.   In-person orientation events are scheduled to begin in fall’20 that will include meetings with faculty and advising staff from each Academic School.

Decentralized advising has provided more focused and frequent communication between the student and the advisor and helped to establish a connection with the School and the discipline early in the degree program.  As students develop an advisor-advisee relationship, they will be better informed with regards to academic support services and opportunities to succeed academically and develop professionally.  Integration of academic support services with career advising and support is a high priority for MGSU.  The advising process, academic support resources, and career services, in conjunction with clearly defined pathways highlighted in program maps are strategies being employed to improve student success and retention.

Another retention strategy adopted by MGSU involves enhancing student engagement with the institution through student life activities including clubs, organizations, service learning, and other experiential learning opportunities like undergraduate research.  The use of Presence software, building of co-curricular maps, planning themed housing as well as Living and Learning Communities, and opportunities offered by the Center for Career and Leadership Development, are all efforts in that direction.  MGSU will continue to build and strengthen these efforts in the 2020-21 academic year.

Student response to the Mindset survey at the end of the fall semester was very low.  Using additional means of communication to encourage greater participation will be necessary.  Data obtained from the survey responses will help to define strategies to better support student success outcomes.  MGSU is also working to promote the concept of Academic Mindset in their faculty/staff through professional development and training opportunities.   The objective is to increase awareness and improve their understanding of how they can assist students in developing the academic mindset.  Each academic School has worked to develop a mindset plan that will include strategies to keep strengthening the students’ mindset every semester as they progress through their program of study.

Offering multiple degree programs completely online through the MGA Direct initiative has proved to be a very successful initiative with 1,657 students enrolled in Fall 2019 and 1,916 students in Spring 2020.  Of the 1,305 courses offered in AY 2019-2020, 471 courses were offered in fall 2019 and 501 in spring 2020 before the transition to a completely virtual platform due to the pandemic.

Follow up from Momentum Summit III - “Campus-Wide” Momentum Approach Activities (Beyond the Classroom)

Purpose

Priority Work

Assist students in career exploration

Description of Activities

Since all orientations for Fall 2020 were virtual this summer, the Center for Career & Leadership Development (CCLD) provided career and major exploration handouts and career assessment resources to the academic advising team and asked them to refer students to a career advisor through the Center for Career & Leadership Development’s virtual appointment process. 

Activity Status and Plans for 2020

The career assessment used in 2019-20 focused on personality only and did not provide any information about majors offered by MGSU.   When orientations became virtual in Spring 2020, a video was developed and included in enrollment communications sent to the students.  However, it was viewed by very few students.  Hence, Focus2, a career assessment tool that serves as a resource for major and career exploration, has been launched in August 2020.  It offers five assessments based on work interest, personality, skills, values, and leisure interest as well as helping students see the link between majors offered and related career information. 

Lessons Learned

Whether orientations are in-person or virtual, students must do some activity linked to career development as part of their University experience.  Students could then have follow-up appointments with the career advisors.  This would become a very useful component of retention building strategies.

Priority Work

 Data-driven decision making

Description of Activities

Educate and train academic advisors on the use of Excel software and data analysis.

Activity Status and Plans for 2020

Data is shared with the Deans, Chairs, Provost’s office leadership, and academic advisors on a daily basis through Excel spreadsheets showing the following: listing of currently enrolled students, new admits on a daily as well as cumulative basis, dual enrolled and learning support students, enrollment in courses offered each semester, etc.

Lessons Learned

Sharing data with all the academic leadership along with the executive leadership at the cabinet level has made a significant difference in the enrollment, advising and retention strategies. 

Mindset

Priority Work

Improve academic mindset of faculty through professional development

Description of Activities

Academic Mindset training was developed and offered to faculty and academic advisors; sessions on academic mindset were offered for faculty as part of their professional development opportunities

Activity Status and Plans for 2020

A considerable number of faculty and advisors have taken the training so far.  The rest will complete the training in Fall 2020.

Several faculty members attended the academic mindset sessions offered during faculty convocation events.

Lessons Learned

These initiatives have helped faculty to understand the concept of an academic/learning mindset and encouraged discussions between faculty groups on the importance of building an academic mindset in students as well as faculty/staff. 

Priority Work

Incorporate academic/learning mindset activities into the curriculum and programs offered by the academic Schools.

Description of Activities

Each School will develop an academic mindset plan for their unit.

Activity Status and Plans for 2020

Some Schools have already developed their plans, and the remaining will complete their planning process during Fall 2020.

In one School, a group of faculty members read, reviewed, and discussed books that relate to the academic mindset.

In another School, faculty researched videos on the academic/learning mindset and incorporated them into their courses.

Lessons Learned

Need to continue to improve our understanding of the concept of academic mindset so appropriate activities can be planned and executed.

Priority Work

Academic Mindset Awareness Campaign-University Wide

Description of Activities

Student affairs will develop programming linked to academic mindset and tag those events in Presence for increasing awareness of mindset for our students.

Activity Status and Plans for 2020

Residence Life and Student Life will market activities via flyers and social media

Lessons Learned

This work is taking place in Fall 2020.

Pathways

Priority Work

Early Alert

Description of Activities

Early alert reporting was designed and implemented in Spring 2020 for all courses at the 1000 and 2000 level offered in the full session.  It was again offered to faculty in summer’20.  The report generated was shared with the Deans, Chairs, academic advisors and the Student Success Centers (SSCs) staff.  Students were contacted and encouraged to seek tutoring offered by the SSCs.

Activity Status and Plans for 2020

Early alert reporting identified 1092 unique students of which one-third responded to the communications sent out by the SSCs.  Only 18% of those requested tutoring of which 70% were successful in their courses.

Early Alert reporting will continue each semester going forward.  It will be extended to 3000 and 4000 level courses in the 2021-22 academic year.

Lessons Learned

The biggest challenge is to have students take advantage of tutoring opportunities offered on all campuses as well as online.  The SSC staff continue to brainstorm additional ways of reaching out to the students in addition to emails, text messages, and flyers posted around campuses.

Priority Work

Develop an action plan responsive to the “lifecycle” of the student

Description of Activities

Develop effective communication strategies with the students as they embark upon their University education journey via the Open House, Orientation, Freshmen Convocation, Midterm check-in, etc. 

Activity Status and Plans for 2020

The action plan for the life cycle of the student will be developed during Fall 2020 as part of the culture of care strategic initiative. 

Lessons Learned

Will be able to respond once the strategy is implemented.

Priority Work

Embedded tutoring within courses in D2L

Description of Activities

Embedded tutoring within courses was piloted in 12 courses in the 2019-20 academic year.  Both faculty as well as students shared positive comments on their experience. 

Activity Status and Plans for 2020

Embedded tutoring has been expanded to 22 courses during Fall 2020.

Lessons Learned

Expansion of embedded tutoring in all gateway courses will require availability of additional qualified tutors as well as support from faculty who are willing to include an embedded tutor in their course.  MGSU will continue to work towards expanding the tutor pool as well as faculty involvement.

Student Success and Completion Team

Name

Title

email

Dr. Debra Matthews

Interim Provost and VPAA

debra.matthews@mga.edu

Dr. Jennifer Brannon

VP Student Affairs

jennifer.brannon@mga.edu

Ms. Jennifer Stenander

VP Enrollment Management

jennifer.stenander@mga.edu

Dr. Deepa Arora

Associate Provost

deepa.arora@mga.edu

Dr. Michael Gibbons

Interim Associate Provost

michael.gibbons@mga.edu

Dr. Mary Wearn

Dean, Arts and Letters

mary.wearn@mga.edu

Dr. Alex Koohang

Dean, Computing

alex.koohang@mga.edu

Mr. Adon Clark

Dean, Aviation

adon.clark@mga.edu

Dr. Stephen Morse

Dean, Business

steve.morse@mga.edu

Dr. Tara Underwood

Dean, Health and Natural Sciences

tara.underwood@mga.edu

Dr. David Biek

Dean, Education and Behavioral Sciences

david.biek@mga.edu

Ms. Samantha Boswell

Associate Director of Institutional Research and Student Success

samantha.boswell@mga.edu