Middle Georgia State University Campus Plan Update 2019

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 nineteen programs at the baccalaureate level and four at the master’s level in the 2018-19 academic year. Two additional baccalaureate programs and one additional master’s program will be offered in Fall 2019. The University awarded 1,333 degrees in the 2018-19 academic year which represents an increase of 3.4% over the 2017-2018 academic year. The number of baccalaureate degrees awarded increased from 743 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 to 775 in FY 2019, an increase of 4.3%.

Census data define the Fall 2018 student body to be Georgia residents (94.5%), predominantly White Non-Hispanic (52.0%) and Black/African American Non-Hispanic (34.8%), and under 25 years of age (72.6%). 62.7% of the student body were enrolled full-time. Females comprised 57.4% of the student body and males 42.6% of the student body.

In Fall 2018, 94.5% of enrolled students were Georgia residents representing 140 counties with most of the in-state students coming from Houston, Bibb, Laurens, Peach, Dodge, Bleckley, Henry, Fulton, Monroe, DeKalb, Jones, Gwinnett, and Pulaski. 127 out-of-state counties were also represented in the Fall 2018 enrolled student body. There were 296 students that came from out-of-state primarily from Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. International students represented 1.72% of the total Fall 2018 enrollment.

The number of MGSU students eligible for the Pell grant in Fall 2018 was 3,439 (45.4% of Undergraduates) of total enrollment as compared to 3,272 (45.3% of Undergraduates) for the 2017-18 academic year. The Fall 2018 enrollment was also comprised of 1,261 (16.2%) first generation college students and 2,139 (27.4%) adult learners. In Fall 2018, there were 505 military students that comprised 6.5% of the total enrollment as compared to 456 students (6.2%) of the total enrollment in Fall 2017. The ethnic minority student population in Fall 2018 was 3,448 (44.2%) as compared to 3,049 (41.5%) in Fall 2017.

MGSU has a blended mission-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. In order 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.

Update on Momentum Year

The following goals and strategies were planned and executed in Momentum Year:

Goal 1: Define focus areas and implement a school-based strategy

Update: Focus areas were identified, and academic schools were reconfigured based on focus areas.  Each student was assigned to a major that was aligned with a focus area. All students with the ‘Undecided’ major received assistance in selecting a major with the help of career services and the academic advisors. Both Dual Enrolled and Learning Support students also selected a major to help connect them with a focus area.

Goal 2: Establish a School-based strategy for onboarding and advising

Update:   A school-based strategy was implemented for onboarding to include orientation and advising with the goal of connecting students with their respective school following admission to the institution. Students were assigned to Orientation groups based on major/School and attended School specific academic sessions to meet and hear from their specific Dean, Chairs, and Faculty. Advising and registration sessions were also school specific allowing Advisors the opportunity to deliver information and provide classes most appropriate for the desired degree.

Goal 3: Establish various teams to develop recommendations for building an academic mindset

Update: Three teams provided recommendations on incorporating an academic mindset into 1) the curriculum, 2) the advising sessions, and 3) student life activities. These recommendations will be discussed and implemented through the six academic schools and the Division of Student Affairs. Faculty training is being currently planned to facilitate the inclusion of the academic mindset into the course design and instruction.

Goal 4: Transition the advising model from hybrid to decentralized to provide intrusive advising

Update: In keeping with the school-based strategy, professional advisors were assigned to each academic School and caseloads were redefined. Faculty were assigned to serve as both mentors and advisors to assist students from enrollment to graduation. All Dual Enrolled students or those in Learning Support were also assigned a professional advisor as well as a faculty mentor.

Goal 5: Build program maps in Degree Works

Build program maps in Degree Works (DW) whereby year 1 will include completion of thirty credit hours, core English and the required Mathematics courses, as well as nine credits in the selected major

Update: Professional advisors as well as faculty were trained in the use of DW. Templates for all the degrees were designed in DW to establish a 4-year program map. Advisors are currently being trained to incorporate curricular changes into the templates as they appear in the catalog.

Goal 6: Implement co-requisite remediation for English and Math

Update in Section 3.

Goal 7: Redesign selected gateway courses to improve student outcomes

Update in Section 3.

INSTITUTIONAL HIGH-IMPACT STRATEGIES, ACTIVITIES AND OUTCOMES

High Priority CCG Goal 1: Expand Access and Promote Student Success

High Impact Strategy 1: Restructuring of the academic units to align with focus areas

Activities:

• Six academic schools were established on the principle of aligning the degrees and majors offered with focus areas of interest
• School-based strategy was established to help incoming students identify an area of focus, and carve out an academic pathway from enrollment to graduation under the same focus area

Outcomes:

• All the degrees and majors offered have been placed under one of the six academic units
• All students in the ‘Undecided’ major received assistance in selecting a major in their focus area of interest and were placed under the selected academic unit

Lessons Learned:

Though there is overlap in the core content offered under each academic unit, there is still some distinct curriculum specific to the major. If students change their major, there is the possibility of losing credit towards their new program of study. Curriculum changes are therefore required to introduce flexibility into each program of study to allow for a transition from one major to another within the same academic unit as well as between different academic units with minimum loss of credit.

High Impact Strategy 2: Revision of the curriculum to introduce flexibility

Activities:

All the newly structured academic schools revised the curriculum for each of the degrees they offer to build in some flexibility for students to take elective courses, 1) towards meeting the requirements for an embedded certificate, or 2) to allow students to change their major without losing excessive credit, or 3) to take other elective courses of interest to diversify their learning

Outcomes:

The number of required credit hours for upper division courses in the major and upper division courses overall within each degree program were maintained to meet BOR policies while providing more options for elective courses, embedded certificates, or courses that would count towards another major or minor

Lessons Learned:

These curriculum changes will be implemented in the 2019-20 academic year. The barriers and the challenges will be visible in the next couple of years.       

High Impact Strategy 3: Strengthen the delivery and support of online instruction

Activities:

• Online courses were designed and developed by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) staff in collaboration with faculty during Fall 2018
• CETL personnel were reorganized and assigned to the academic schools as part of the school-based strategy implementation during Spring 2019
• MGA Direct template was finalized, approved and implemented in all relevant online courses 

Outcomes:

• The number of courses offered in a fully online mode increased in AY18 by 16.7% from 914 in AY17 to 1,067 in AY18
• The number of distinct students in online classes increased from 5,744 in AY17 to 6,431 in AY18, an increase of 12.0%
• 3-day workshops and online training were offered with 13 courses developed or redeveloped in the fall and spring, each scoring above 85 on an internal Quality Matters review
• 8 bachelor’s degree and 3 master’s degree fully online programs composed mainly of 8-week courses were designed and implemented

Lessons Learned:

As online courses and programs have become more common, the need to help faculty to migrate or create materials to teach students at a distance has become critical. In line with the school-based strategy, each academic school was assigned an Online Academic Coordinator position to assist faculty with developing online courses and programs following the template of MGA Direct. MGA will continue to strengthen its online offerings to support the significant growth in the online student population.

High Impact Strategy 4: Changing the advising model to provide an intrusive, decentralized process

Activities:

• Professional advisors were assigned to all academic units and located near the faculty and students
• An in-depth self-assessment of the advising process was conducted for each unit and modifications in processes were proposed to remove barriers
• Caseloads were established for each academic advisor, professional or faculty, so every MGSU student has the same professional advisor or faculty advisor or both from enrollment till graduation
• All professional advisors and faculty were trained to use Degree Works
• All students were assigned a faculty mentor in addition to an academic advisor
• Advising and mentoring were integrated to establish a more meaningful and impactful relationship between the student, the mentor and the advisor

Outcomes:

• Every student has a professional or faculty advisor and a faculty mentor assigned in Banner
• Every advisor has a defined caseload; professional advisors have up to 250-300 students each
• Students are being advised from the time of enrollment until graduation by their advisor
• Every student has an assigned mentor in banner

Lessons Learned:

Since MGSU moved to a decentralized advising process only by the end of Spring 2018, the impact and the barriers were experienced in the 2018-19 academic year. Some of the caseloads were not very distinct based on campus since MGSU students can take classes at more than one campus in a given semester. In addition, as MGSU moved to a school-based strategy, some of the advisors and their caseloads were redefined. All the academic schools will need to revisit the caseload assignments every semester to keep up with student major changes. Updates to advisor assignments also must be reflected in Banner each semester.

High Impact Strategy 5: Focus on career guidance

Career Services collaborated with community partners to meet the twofold purpose of 1) providing students/alumni career-focused, leadership development training and 2) connecting employers seeking full/part-time and internship candidates to students/alumni of MGSU who are ready to enter the workforce.

Activities:

• Implemented Handshake, a professional career development database that allows networking and job sharing between member institutions, to connect students/alumni to broader career opportunities
• Developed a comprehensive student leadership program to expand opportunities for students in the area of leadership development
• Expanded relationships and support from outside agencies in delivering full-time, part-time, internship, co-op, job shadowing, and volunteer opportunities to students and alumni
• Expanded student-focused professional development program offerings across 5 campuses

Outcomes:

• More than 10% of the student population created Handshake accounts in the first year of implementation
• Student leadership program was approved and funded for implementation starting Fall 2019
• 147 employer visits were confirmed for 2018-2019 academic year
• The number of opportunities for engaging in professional development and networking activities increased from 35 in 2017-2018 to 65 in 2018-2019. The 65 career development programs across five campuses included multiple workshops, career fairs, and employer networking events. The fall semester All Majors Career Fair and the Aviation Career Fair hosted the highest number of attendees in recent years; 362 and 302 respectively.

Lessons Learned:

With the addition of leadership development within Career Services, the department has re-branded itself as the Center for Career and Leadership Development.

The Center provides professional development to students and alumni on five campuses, during various times of the day and evening, in addition to serving an active online population. Additionally, this office supports the development of employer relationships nationwide, maintains a balanced schedule of program offerings on all campuses, and continuously accepts the call to collaborate with various academic units to increase retention, progression, and graduation rates university-wide.

High Priority Goal 2: Shorten the time to degree and decrease excess credits

High Impact Strategy 1: Implement the ‘15 to Finish’ initiative by emphasizing the need to take 15 credits per semester to earn a bachelor’s degree in 4 years.

Activities:

• Trained all the professional advisors to encourage students to take 15 credits per semester
• Provided financial incentives to students to take “free” credits over 15 hours
• Improved core course scheduling to enable students to create a 15-hour schedule

Outcomes:

• 1,846 (24.7%) degree-seeking undergraduates, including dual enrolled, were enrolled in 15+ hours in Fall 2018 as compared to 1505 (21.1%) students in Fall 2017

• Of the FTF Fall 2015 Cohort, 6.8% earned an associate degree in three years
• Of the FTF Fall 2012 Cohort, 26.1% earned a bachelor’s degree in six years
• The percentage of credits successfully completed versus attempted at the end of Fall 2018 was 81.47 as compared to 83.35 at the end of Fall 2017.  

Lessons Learned:

MGSU serves students on five campuses as well as online. Maintaining a balanced core and upper level course offerings on all campuses is very challenging with limited faculty resources. The Division of Academic Affairs has recently identified distinct associate and bachelor’s degree programs that will be offered on each campus which will enable more focused planning of course offerings that will allow students in those degree programs to take 15 credits per semester and maintain a four-year graduation timeline.

High Impact Strategy 2: Transform remediation to enable students requiring learning support (LS) to take remedial as well as the gateway English and/or math course in a co-requisite model

Activities:

Meetings were held with the LS professional advisors’ team, Math and English faculty who teach the co-requisite support and gateway courses, and the Office of Admissions director and staff to inform them of the new LS guidelines.  

Outcomes:

The Foundation course for Math Modeling was phased out in Fall 2018 while the Foundation course for English Composition was phased out in Fall 2017. Students were enrolled in a co-requisite support class and the corresponding gateway course.

Lessons Learned: 

English faculty were unable to differentiate between students in the co-requisite classes who were at different levels (Support and Foundations). Data obtained from those students after the elimination of Foundation of English Composition I showed that the success rates in English 1101 did go down. Further discussions are on to rethink the design of the support class.

The weighted average pass rate for students who passed Math Modeling after taking the Foundations course in 2017-18 was 19% as compared to 45% average pass rate for students following the co-requisite model in 2018-19. Future data on student performance in the next level math course will be studied to determine the effectiveness of the co-requisite model.

High Impact Strategy 3: Provide opportunities for dual enrollment (DE)

Activities:

• Each dual enrollment student selected a major course of study (which helps to better identify course needs and helps increase student retention.)
• Strengthened policies and procedures for advising dual enrolled students by assigning each student to an academic advisor and a content area faculty mentor.
• Redefined procedures for establishing DE on-site locations.
• Designed DE specific orientation sessions delivered within the larger MGSU orientation.
• Conducted focused high school visitations to facilitate better collaboration, strengthen communication between MGSU and high school guidance counselors, streamline processes and remove barriers for students.
• Designed and delivered a 4-day focused orientation for Georgia Academy students.
• Research and experiential learning opportunities were provided for Academy students.

Outcomes:

• 30 students participated in the Georgia Academy in 2018-19
• 13 students graduated from the Georgia Academy with an associate degree in Spring 2019
• 598 students were enrolled in the non-residential dual enrollment program in 2018-19
• 7 students in the non-residential program graduated with an associate degree in Spring 2019
• 58 dual enrolled students from 2018-19 continued in baccalaureate programs in 2019-20
• 7 dual enrolled students from 2018-19 continued in associate programs in 2019-20
• There was a 9% increase in the number of students completing Honors courses for 2018-19.
• 30% of Georgia Academy seniors took experiential learning opportunities

Lessons Learned:

Efforts to expand the dual enrolled population must continue. Marketing efforts for the Georgia Academy are necessary to build that population of students. Additional opportunities for Georgia Academy students to participate in experiential learning like undergraduate research, co-ops and internships must be offered. By selecting a major course of study, both the residential and the non-residential populations are now linked to their major and department of interest; they are more involved and more engaged with the faculty and the department. The DE academic advisor helps students maintain a general focus in their academic area, and also assists them to schedule classes to allow for timely completion of the program. The DE specific orientation session provides students with a sense of identity and community within the institution. Focused high school visits with the guidance counselors and students have helped establish better communication and working relationships; this also enables counselors to better understand the processes involved and how students can benefit from the programs offered. Counselors are also provided updates about students’ progress. Focused visits also provide better access to students for one-on-one, face-to-face advising and information dissemination.

High Impact Strategy 4: Develop Math Pathways for STEM and non-STEM students:

MGSU planned clear math pathways for STEM and non-STEM majors to ensure students take the appropriate math classes for their program of study.

Activities:

• Math Modeling was offered for non-STEM majors to satisfy the Area A math requirement
• Algebra was offered for STEM majors
• For students who did not meet the SAT requirement to take the Algebra class, an alternate pathway was provided via Math Modeling

Outcomes:

• 1576 students in non-STEM majors took Math Modeling to satisfy the Area A requirement
• 502 students in STEM majors took Algebra or a higher math course to satisfy Area A
• 344 non-STEM majors took Algebra

Lessons Learned:

While academic advisors are placing students in Math Modeling if they are non-STEM majors and into Algebra if they are STEM majors, there are still some non-STEM majors being placed in Algebra. Deans will investigate this issue further and provide training to their advisors as needed to ensure that only STEM majors are registered for Algebra or higher math courses.

High Priority Goal 3: Improve persistence and retention rates

High Impact Strategy 1: Implementing course redesign

Activities:

• Two redesigned courses-Introduction to Psychology and American Government-were offered
• POLS 1101 redesign focused on the assessment process and examined the effect of increasing the exam frequency on student success
• PSYC 1101 redesign involved the use of in-class activities to encourage and enhance student engagement and understanding. It also involved the use of active, learner-centered, web-based program - Learning Curve- to give individualized assistance, ongoing assessment, and prompt automated feedback. A more affordable textbook was adopted that included the Learning Curve-adaptive learning system. Additionally, in the 2018-19 academic year, Student Teaching Assistants (TA) offered group study sessions, individual study sessions (optional), and created an additional study guide for students
• Two additional courses, Algebra and Support for English Composition I were in the redesign planning stages
• Redesign of the Support for English Composition I was completed in Spring 2019 but due to the increase in learning support enrollment for Fall 2019, the design will be revisited
• The Algebra redesign will be piloted in Fall’19 by four faculty members

Outcomes:

POLS 1101 DFW rate:

• Fall 2018: non-redesigned sections 29.3% (48/164 students)
• Spring 2019: redesigned sections 22.1% (30/136 students)

PSYC 1101 DFW rate:

• Fall 2018: redesigned sections 30.4% (21/69 students)
• Spring 2019: redesigned sections 33.3% (17/51 students)
• Fall 2018-Spring 2019: non-redesigned sections 22.7% (300/1324 students)

Lessons Learned:

Preliminary results from POLS 1101 redesign suggest that students perform substantially better in the course when there are more frequent exams, each covering less assigned materials. However, having more frequent exams reduces the instruction time. The cost of adopting this strategy is likely to be lower in a fully-online course or a hybrid course. In Fall 2019, this strategy will be used to collect additional data and ensure the findings were not due to other factors, such as the campus location and the degree of student preparedness.

A statistical analysis studying interactions between student High School GPA and the PSYC 1101 redesign and also between SAT Math scores and the redesign suggested that the redesign effort trended in a positive direction for well-prepared students, but in a negative direction for the least prepared quarter of students. Among those with high school GPA’s from the lowest quartile, the grades were actually *lower* after the redesign. Similarly, among those with below-median SAT scores, students had lower grades in courses that were redesigned, whereas the grades of those with above-median SAT Math scores appear to have been statistically significantly increased by the redesign. It could be that more “at risk” students were less likely to complete some of the extra assignments meant to help them actively practice thinking about the material.

High Impact Strategy 2: Providing opportunities for Experiential Learning

The Office of Experiential Learning continues to oversee the implementation of Experiential Learning@MGA - the Quality Enhancement Plan of the institution. Experiential Learning@MGA strengthens student learning and engagement by increasing participation in an array of experiential learning opportunities including internships, undergraduate research, and service learning. The initiative encourages “exploration and application beyond the classroom,” transforming students’ perspective, their career trajectories, and our shared communities.

Activities:

• Experiential Learning Course Redesigns
• Faculty Professional Development
• Student Conference and Travel Funding
• Experiential Learning Speaker Bureau and Honorarium Funding
• Regional History Conference Hosting and Institutional Undergraduate Conference Hosting

Outcomes:

• Total EL Graduates Since the Start of the QEP – 1,637
• AY 2017/2018 – 487 Total (Silver = 210; Gold = 134; Platinum = 143)
• AY 2018/2019 – 655 Total (Silver = 334; Gold = 156; Platinum = 165)
• The most recent graduating cohort (Spring 2019) had the following outcomes:
• 343 of the 536 undergraduates had EL designation = 64% of the graduating class
• 134 of those are silver (participating in 1 High Impact Practice)
• 104 of those are gold (participating in 2 High Impact Practices)
• 105 of those are platinum (participating in 3 or more High Impact Practices)
• A 19% increase from the Spring 2018 graduation where 288 earned EL designation

Lessons Learned:

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.

High Priority Goal 4: Promote academic success for diverse populations

High Impact Strategy 1: Enhancing the academic success of athletes

Activities:

• Coaches were integrated into the new model of school based academic advising, serving a greater role as a direct academic resource for student athletes in addition to providing continued general advising and compliance with NAIA guidelines
• Academic success of athletes was recognized by the department, the university and the NAIA
• Athletes were educated on the benefits of and encouraged to register for summer hours to balance their academic workload during their off season

Outcomes:

• Team GPA’s have improved, with 6 of 10 teams maintaining a 3.0+ team GPA versus 5 of 10 in 2017-18
• 81.7% and 90.9% of student athletes earned 12+ hours in fall and spring semesters of the 2018-19 academic year respectively
• Percentage of athletes with a 3.75+ GPA increased from 20.7% in Fall 2017 to 24.9% in Spring 2018 and from 21.7% Fall 2018 to 24.5% Spring 2019

Lessons Learned:

Year-end GPA for all athletes increased to 2.97. 66.4% of student athletes earned a 3.0+ in Fall 2018 and 73% earned a 3.0+ for Spring 2019. Improved university wide planning and scheduling is allowing students to better map their degree path and schedule their time. Emphasis continues to be placed on students getting help early.

High Impact Strategy 2: Implement diversity/global learning to support an inclusive campus environment that results in educational excellence and student success

Activities:

• Hosted the second annual Unity @ MGA Art Installation Project to celebrate diversity
• Speakers were invited to lecture on “Building a Community of Inclusion and Safety” and other leadership topics to expose students to various concepts of diversity and inclusion
• Collaborated with Student Life to host the 3^rd Annual MGA Student Leadership Conference

Outcomes:

• At least 191 students participated in the Unity@ MGA Art Installation Project
• Over 5 hours of diversity, inclusion, wellness, and leadership training was presented in one day at the MGA Student Leadership Conference
• 97% of the students surveyed over the past three years at the Student Leadership Conference learned at least one diversity and inclusion concept

Lessons Learned:

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. The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity is working to increase learning and conversations around diversity and inclusion issues that could affect retention, progression, and graduation if students do not feel that their differences are welcomed. The impact of this strategy on retention and graduation rates will be more visible as the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity develops more programs and receives more feedback from the students who attend MGA over the next few years.

Observations and Next steps

MGSU has made significant changes in 2018-19 to promote student success. Six academic Schools have been built around focus areas to place students on a pathway towards program completion. Substantial curricular changes were also made to allow students to take other courses of interest or courses that could lead to an embedded certificate or a minor. If students were to change their major, there would be minimum loss of credit. Academic advisors as well as Online Academic Coordinators were also attached to the Schools as part of the School-based strategy. The aim is to engage the students with their department faculty, academic advisor as well as their academic mentor from the day of enrollment until graduation. As the online student population grows, MGSU will strive to offer the same level of student support that it has for its face-to-face student body to include additional online tutoring, online orientation and develop the online Academic Navigator. To reduce DFW rates in gateway courses, more redesign efforts will be supported. The outcomes of the redesign of the co-requisite courses for English and math will be analyzed to study the impact on student success. In FY 18, MGSU saw an increase in the number of baccalaureate degrees awarded by 4.3%; an increase in the number of students taking 15+ credit hours by 3.6%; and a 0.2% increase in retention. Planning for 2019-20 is focused on improving student retention and progression.

Student Success and Completion Team: