Observations and Next Steps:
Middle Georgia State University has made great strides in helping our students’ succeed by planning initiatives to build the persistence, retention and graduation rates. This is evident in improved one-year retention rates from 2020-2022: first time freshman (5.1% increase from 2020-21 and an additional 1.6% increase from 2021-22); first-time-full-time (FTFT) students (5.1% increase from 2020-21 and no change from 2021-22); students who began with learning support requirements (4.13% increase from 2020-21 and an additional 0.3% increase from 2021-22), FTFT students working towards an associate degree (5.6% increase from fall’21 cohort to fall’22 cohort) as well as FTFT students working towards a bachelor’s degrees (6.8% increase from fall’20 cohort to fall’21 cohort) (refer to the Tables 2-4 in the Appendices). Implementation of several new initiatives including some existing ones has shown encouraging trends and gradual improvements in persistence, retention, and course success outcomes. It is also important to note that of the total number of undergraduate hours attempted, 83% were completed (refer to Table 6 in the Appendices)
Our academic support initiatives include tutoring support provided through our Student Success Centers, the Mathematics Academic Resource Center, The Writing Center, and additional departmental tutoring centers. In addition to peer tutoring offered face-to-face and online, they also offer supplemental instruction and embedded tutoring. Peer mentoring that was piloted in fall’22 for students at high-risk has gained interest amongst our student body and grown significantly in fall’23 across all campuses.
Students identified through early alert reporting for low grades have shown higher success outcomes when tutored as compared to those who did not avail tutoring. The outreach and nudging provided to all students including those reported for absenteeism and low engagement has led to encouraging retention rates.Percentage of all early alert reported students that persisted from fall’22 to spring’23 was 69.3%; of those who received tutoring persistence was at 81.6%.
Focused outreach and communication with those on probation at the beginning of the semester has led to an increase in the percentage of students who complete the semester in good standing. This trend is also observed for students on probation in the English and math co-requisite courses. Persistence from one semester to the next for students on probation and also those in learning support is also reflecting an upward trend. MGA athletes continue to do well with a 85-89% completing the semester in good standing.
Additional efforts to promote student success include the hiring of success coaches to support our high-risk populations including our residential students by offering one-on-one coaching, developing action plans, offering study halls, and planning and presenting workshops for students. The development of a Knights Academy to provide an academic community for students to engage with and develop skills to succeed as college students including developing a growth mindset has offered an opportunity for students to engage with each other, with the academic advisors, as well as get involved in clubs and organizations. The addition of student success content to our Area B course offerings is another avenue for our students to learn and develop skills for succeeding as a college student.
The reestablishment of a Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning has opened up a number of opportunities for faculty development and training on course redesign, new pedagogies for enhancing student success, and strategies for promoting a growth mindset in students through the course offerings.
Even though MGA is observing encouraging outcomes, additional strategies are being planned to continue to address barriers and help our students. Student engagement with all the resources offered to provide academic and non-academic support still remains a challenge. Students in our learning support English and math classes need additional help to improve the course success outcomes through course redesign and academic support. MGA will continue to focus on our high-risk populations to help them succeed, and improve their academic standing, persistence, and retention rates. Following a holistic approach and forming collaborations with all the Divisions including Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, MGA can continue to achieve our goals of championing student success by improving our retention and graduation rates.
