South Georgia State College Campus Plan Update 2015

Total Enrollment

Fall 2011

Fall 2012

Fall 2013

Fall 2014

Fall 2015

3234

3059

2579

2611

2648

Enrollment Status

Full-Time

2209

2141

1877

1778

1828

Part-Time

1025

918

702

833

820

Gender

Female

2008

1916

1584

1686

1678

Male

1226

1143

995

925

970

Underserved

% Pell Recipient

65.18%

63.48%

63.67%

59.25%

55.02%

% First Generation

33.83%

33.08%

34.32%

29.80%

26.66%

% Adult Learner

22.26%

20.04%

18.61%

17.20%

14.88%

Race/Ethnicity

Hispanic

95

103

103

123

170

American Indian, Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander, or Asian

47

40

33

40

36

Black or African American

1165

1088

839

834

832

White

1769

1682

1585

1581

1556

Two or More Races

22

30

19

26

31

Race Unknown

136

116

0

7

23

Strategy #1

Quantway remedial mathematics

Goal

Transform remediation to increase likelihood of degree attainment; increase the number of undergraduate degrees awarded.

High-Impact Strategy

The vast majority of SGSC remedial students require only remedial mathematics.  Consequently, this strategy is quite significant.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s Quantway remedial mathematics strategy is in its 5^th year of implementation at SGSC and its 5^th year of funding and professional development support from Carnegie.  The Quantway course (formerly MLCS 0099, “Mathematical Literacy for College Students”; as of fall 2015 MATH 0987, “Foundation for Quantitative Reasoning”) affords non-STEM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics)) students the opportunity to complete a remedial mathematics requirement, no matter at what level of initial placement, in one semester.  The successful student is then eligible to enroll in the credit-level MATH 1001 Quantitative Skills course.  The Quantway course is comprised of modules developed by a network of colleges nationwide working with Carnegie staff.  The modules use “real-life” situational mathematical problems, significant student participation both individually and in groups, and instructor guidance to help students build a solid foundation of mathematical literacy and critical thinking skills.

Additionally, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching awarded SGSC a grant last year, one of only five grants awarded nationally, to develop a bridge course that will allow a student who has passed the Quantway course to go directly to college algebra (MATH 1111), rather than pursue the Quantitative Skills (MATH 1001) route.  SGSC was informed in June 2015 that the grant has been extended for another year.  SGSC is the only college in the nation developing the bridge course from Quantway to college algebra; the other four institutions are developing bridge courses from a remedial statistics course (Statway) to college algebra.

Summary of Activities

This strategy is fully implemented.  Activities include faculty development, development of courses in collaboration with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, collaboration with other institutions nationwide, and the piloting of a bridge and co-requisite remedial mathematics course.  Activity highlights include the following:

The SGSC Quantway team has been active in professional development in collaboration with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.  The team is comprised of mathematics faculty members, a campus Quantway administrator, and a campus Quantway institutional researcher.  All SGSC team members attend training sessions in California and continue to attend annual Carnegie Pathways forums, the most recent of which was this year (2015).  At Carnegie’s request, one of the SGSC mathematics instructors works with Carnegie apart from the regular meetings and forums to assist in developing processes, procedures, and teaching materials and pedagogy.

The Quantway course has been offered on the Douglas Campus each semester for over five years.  The course was offered at the Waycross Campus for the first time spring 2015. 

Bridge course/co-requisite course lessons were piloted summer 2015 on the Douglas Campus.

The bridge course from Quantway to college algebra, “Support for College Algebra” (MATH 0999) will be fully implemented on both the Douglas and Waycross Campuses fall 2015.  The bridge course is the co-requisite course for college algebra (MATH 1111).  The bridge course will enable a student who has passed the Quantway remedial mathematics course to go directly into the “Support for College Algebra” co-requisite course and the college algebra course (MATH 1111) at the same time.

Beginning fall semester 2015 the Quantway course will be renumbered and renamed to be more in keeping with the USG’s new Learning Support policies.  The new nomenclature is MATH 0987, “Foundation for Quantitative Reasoning.”

Interim Measures of Progress

The success rate in the Quantway course has shown steady improvement since the baseline semester of fall 2012.  “Success” is defined as earning a grade of C (70%) or better.  At the end of fall semester 2012 the success rate for the Quantway course (MLCS 0099) was 29.5%.  For fall 2013 the success rate increased to 64%.  At the conclusion of fall 2014 the success rate had climbed to 70%, while the rate for the “traditional” remedial math course (MATH 0099) was 36%.  SGSC’s goal is to maintain at least the 70% success rate for each fall semester’s student cohort and to encourage more non-STEM students to enroll in the Quantway course.   The table below records course success rates for MLCS 0099 and MATH 0099 for each fall semester from 2012 through 2014.

Source: SGSC Banner, Fall 2012-Spring 2015

Note: Success is defined as earning a grade of S and unsuccessful is defined as earning a grade of F, W, I, IP, or U.

Measures of Success

1.      The MLCS 0099 (MATH 0987) course success rate.  Baseline is fall 2012 rate of 29.51%. See table above.

2.      The MATH 0099 course success rate (for comparison).  See table above.

3.      The MATH 1001 course success rate of students who came to that course after passing MLCS 0099.  Baseline is fall 2012 rate of 37.50%.  The success rate for fall 2013 jumped to 66.67%.  There has not been sufficient time for fall 2014 students to have more than one attempt at passing MATH 1001; therefore, no data for fall 2014 is reported.  

4.      The number of attempts it takes MLCS 0099 students to pass that course and exit Learning Support.  Due to USG restructuring of Learning Support, SGSC will establish a baseline and begin tracking data fall 2015.

5.      The number of attempts it takes MATH 0099 students to pass that course and exit Learning Support (for comparison).  Due to USG restructuring of Learning Support, SGSC will establish a baseline and begin tracking data fall 2015.

Strategy #2

Increase Move on When Ready (formerly Dual Enrollment or ACCEL) Offerings on Area High School Campuses

Goal

Shorten time to degree completion through programs allowing students to earn college credit while still in high school.

High-Impact Strategy

The strategy is to increase Move on When Ready offerings on area high school and SGSC campuses in order to help those students graduate in as little time as possible and to develop a relationship with high schools that will positively affect overall enrollment.

Summary of Activities

The 2013-2014 goal of increasing the number of high school students enrolled at SGSC by 25% from a baseline of 95 students in fall 2013 has been far exceeded through the efforts of SGSC Enrollment Services personnel and others in communication with area high schools.  In addition, SGSC has been tracking grade distribution and course success rates (grade of “C” or better) of Move on When Ready students to monitor any need for intervention strategies.

Interim Measures of Progress

1. Numbers of students participating in Move on When Ready depicted in the table below reveal that such participation has increased by 300% since the baseline fall semester 2013.

Source: USG Academic Data Collection, fall 2010-Fall 2015

Note: All data prior to Fall 2013 has been combined due to institutional consolidation

2. Move on When Ready course success rates (A, B, or C) and grade distribution are quite positive.  During the period fall 2013 through spring 2015, the overall course success rate for such students is 95%, and in no semester during that period has the course success rate been below a low of 94.03% (which occurred during the baseline semester of fall 2013).

Course Success Rates and Grade Distribution for Move on When Ready Students (formerly Dual or Joint Enrolled)

Source: SGSC Banner, Fall 2013-Spring 2015

Source: SGSC Banner, Fall 2013-Spring 2015

3. Credits awarded to MOWR students have more than doubled for the period FY 11 – FY 15.

Credits Awarded to Move on When Ready (MOWR) Students
(formerly Dual Enrolled and/or Joint Enrolled)

Source: SGSC Banner, FY2011-FY2015

 Note: All data prior to Fall 2013 has been combined due to institutional consolidation.

4.      Continued SGSC enrollment data on MOWR students after high school graduation reveals that less than half of SGSC’s MOWR students continue at the institution through graduation.  However, it is assumed that most MOWR students not remaining at SGSC do go on to graduate from other USG institutions.  That assumption needs to be researched.

Enrollment Follow-Up of New MOWR Students Returning as First-Time Freshmen at SGSC (formerly Dual Enrolled and/or Joint Enrolled)

Source: SGSC Banner, Fall 2013-Fall 2014

Measures of Success

1. Numbers of students participating in Move on When Ready
2. Move on When Ready course success rates and grade distribution
3. Credit awarded to MOWR students
4. Continued SGSC enrollment data on Move on When Ready students after high school graduation

Strategy #3

Near Completers Initiative

Goal

Increase the number of undergraduate degrees awarded.

High-Impact Strategy

Piloted in spring 2014 and in full operation summer 2014, the Near Completer strategy identified students who have “stopped out” within 15 semester credit hours of earning an associate degree at SGSC.  Staff in SGSC’s Student Success unit contacted such students to schedule an appointment to determine what it will take for them to complete their degree, not simply in terms of courses needed, but also in terms of options to facilitate completion—such as online and independent study courses, legitimate course substitutions, change of program of study, and the like.  The goal of the pilot was that at least 30% of those re-enrolled would complete their associate’s degree within one calendar year. 

The “Near Completers” strategy (strategy #3) is terminated as a college completion strategy as of the conclusion of academic year 2014-2015 for two chief reasons.  It has become evident that this strategy is a one-time effort which achieved success in academic year 2014-2015 with a cohort of near completers of 22 students, approximately half of whom re-enrolled and graduated.  Subsequent attempts at establishing a second cohort have revealed that any future cohort would consist of so few students that campus resources devoted to the strategy are more effectively tasked with other aspects of recruiting and advising.  Also, the creation of the USG’s “Go Back. Move Ahead” initiative is a significant umbrella under which to cover the same kind of effort.  SGSC is developing a flagging process in the Office of Admissions to identify students who reapply after two years since last attendance and who are within 15 hours of completion of an associate’s degree.  The institution’s goal is to shepherd those students to graduation within one calendar year.

Summary of Activities

The academic year 2014-2015 near completer strategy continued and produced useful enrollment and graduation data.

Interim Measures of Progress

Of the 22 students in the cohort beginning spring 2014, 10 (45.45%) have since graduated from SGSC as of the end of spring semester 2015. The target of graduating at least 30% of those re-enrolled within one calendar year of re-enrollment was met.

Measures of Success

Numbers of re-enrolled students who are retained from semester-to-semester.  Original baseline of 10 students re-enrolled spring 2014 and retained to graduation.  This strategy is discontinued in favor of Go Back. Move Ahead initiative.

Percentage of re-enrolled students who graduate.  Original baseline of 45.45% spring 2014. This strategy is discontinued in favor of Go Back. Move Ahead initiative.

Strategy #4

“Strategies to Emerge, Progress, and Succeed” (STEPS)

Goal

Increase the number of undergraduate degrees awarded; provide intrusive advising to keep students on track to graduate.

High-Impact Strategy

The STEPS initiative began in fall 2012 as a collaboration between Academic Affairs, Academic Support Services, and Residential Life as an effort to increase the persistence and retention of residential students.  The student profile of those students who are primarily focused on and monitored is as follows:

• First-year residential students enrolled in at least one Learning Support course at SGSC or who had a high school GPA of ≤ 2.5.

Summary of Activities

The STEPS strategy involves numerous activities: student success workshops, Academic Success Center tutoring, STEM center tutoring, academic coaching provided by faculty and staff members, course grade monitoring throughout the semester, and individual academic, personal, and disability counseling. 

A section of SGSC 1000, the first-year-experience course, was formed for first-year residential students meeting the STEPS student criteria and offered in fall 2014. This course was led by a team of instructors from the Division of Student Success, including the Vice President for Student Success, Director of Campus Life, and the Director of Academic Support.  In addition, the team of instructors served as academic coaches for the course enrollees.  Another cohort of STEPS-eligible students from fall 2013 was selected as a comparator group, since they had participated in non-STEPS sections of the SGSC 1000 first-year experience course, in order to generate data on the apparent effects of the STEPS intervention.  Comparative data appear in the table below and indicate that STEPS interventions are very positive.

Interim Measures of Progress

First Academic Year Metrics for the Fall 2014 STEPS Cohort and Fall 2013 Comparator Group

Source: SGSC Banner as of 11/4/15

Note: Course success rates are defined as the sum of A, B, C, and S divided by the total of A, B, C, D, F, S, U, W, WF.

Measures of Success

Because the goals and focus of the STEPS program have changed quite significantly since the implementation of the SGSC Complete College Georgia Plan, most measures of success listed below will be assessed after the creation of a data repository to be developed by the SGSC Office of Institutional Effectiveness and the SGSC Academic Student Support Center.  Predictive analytics and an early alert system will be implemented.  Research necessary to the development of an assessment plan is currently being carried out (fall 2015).  Measures of success are as follows:

1. Relationship between visits to the Academic Success Center or STEM Center and grade distribution, as well as persistence.
2. Relationship between early intervention grade monitoring and grade distribution.
3. Comparison of grades of those students participating in academic coaching to those students not participating in academic coaching.
4. Comparison of learning support success rates for the following populations:
   1. First-year residential students enrolled in the Student Success SGSC 1000 Orientation course, compared to first-year residential students enrolled in SGSC 1000 with the general first-year SGSC population.
   2. First-year residential students from Fall 2013 with a high school grade point average or ≤ 2.5 or enrolled in a learning support course during the first semester of enrollment, compared to the first year residential students from Fall 2014 with a high school grade point average of ≤ 2.5  and enrolled in learning support courses during the first semester of enrollment. 
5. Graduation rates for the fall 2013 STEPS cohort will be computed at the end of fall 2015.

Strategy #5

Academic Advising

Goal

Provide intrusive advising to keep students on track to graduate; decrease excess credits on the path to getting a degree.

High-Impact Strategy

SGSC believes that academic advising can be the single most significant factor contributing to college completion.  Academic advising has always been a responsibility of the faculty, and the institution’s college completion agenda calls for enhancing faculty responsibility.  It also calls for educating students about academic advising and making use of the DegreeWorks technological tool that can be employed by both faculty advisors and student advisees.  However, usable student data related to the consolidation of former South Georgia College and former Waycross College has been problematic for students matriculating prior to fall 2013. The further we move from that term the more functional DegreeWorks has become.  Also, prior to the completion agenda, the institution had not assessed academic advising in any fashion.  Now there is a very deliberate and ongoing process of both faculty and student training, participating in, and assessing the academic advising process.

Summary of Activities

1. During spring semester 2014, an academic advising task force under the leadership of the VPAA became involved in a number of activities with consulting support from the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).
2. New vision and mission statements, as well as guiding values, goals, and outcomes for academic advising, were created.
3. An academic advisement module was completed for the college’s first-year experience course, SGSC 1000, a course in which 75% of new students enroll each fall semester.  Goals, student learning outcomes, and assessment measures for this module were also created.  One focus of the advisement module is to help students understand their own roles and responsibilities in degree completion.
4. During the major registration days that serve very large numbers of students, academic advising, financial aid processes, and registration take place in one location to keep students from having to trek across campus for various services.
5. All academic program maps have been revised so that students have a ready guide for program completion.  These maps were recognized by the USG Academic Affairs staff for their quality and serve as models for the USG.
6. Advising “tip sheets” have been created for academic programs in specialized areas, such as pre-nursing, STEM pathways, and education; and information sheets on learning support policies and rules are available.
7. “15-to-Finish” is being promoted through a three-pronged approach:  distribution to students and faculty of a bar-coded brochure linked to an information video; the addition of a “15-to-Finish” logo on every course registration form; and the training of faculty advisors to define “15-to-Finish” in terms of program completion rather than course enrollment.
8. Revision of the assignment method for matching students with faculty advisors is underway.
9. Development and implementation of assessment tools for advising continues.  A student and faculty advisor survey assessing numerous aspects of the SGSC advising process was administered to both students and faculty during the spring semester 2014.
10. Training opportunities in advising for faculty members have been established, including opportunities prior to orientation and registration sessions, as well as throughout the academic year.

Interim Measures of Progress

Three separate learning outcomes for student advising were assessed in each semester of the 2014-2015 academic year.  In addition, the college tracked the percentage of students enrolling for 15 or more credit hours in each 2014-2015 semester, as well as for the fall semester 2015 as of 06.18.15.  Finally, a survey recording opinions on the SGSC advising process was administered to first-time full-time students in the SGSC 1000 first-year experience course, and a survey on the advising process was completed by students from the general SGSC student population and by faculty advisors.  Data highlights of all these activities are as follows:

1. The achievement target for the student learning outcome to identify steps to avoid academic probation was not met for fall 2014 but was met for the spring semester 2015.
2. The achievement target for the student learning outcome on knowledge of the requirements of the academic advising checklist was met and far exceeded for both fall 2014 and spring 2015.
3. The achievement target for the student learning outcome on identification of differences in mathematics requirements for STEM and non-STEM students was not met in either semester of the 2014-2015 academic year.
4. While the percentage of students enrolling in 15+ credit hours for academic year 2014-2015 averaged 24%, the percentage of students enrolling in 15+ credit hours for fall 2015 is 27.83%.  The following table shows the steady progress from fall 2011 to fall 2015.

Number and Percentage of Students Enrolling in 15 or More Credit Hours

Source: USG Academic Data Collection, Fall 2011-Fall 2015

Note: All data prior to Fall 2013 has been combined due to institutional consolidation.

The table below reports data on student success when enrolling in 15 or more hours:

Number and Percentage of Students Successfully Completing 15 or More Credit Hours

Source: SGSC Banner, fall 2013-Spring 2015

5. The spring 2015 student survey on advising administered in the SGSC 1000 first-year experience course provides the following data:
   
   1. 87% of students agreed or strongly agreed that as a result of class sessions they have declared a specific program of study.
   2. 93% agreed or strongly agreed that they know the course requirements for their program of study.
   3. 57% agreed or strongly agreed that they know how to generate a DegreeWorks audit for their path to graduation.  This topic needs further action to better student learning.
   4. 89% agreed or strongly agreed that they know the name and office location of their academic advisor.
   5. 89% agreed or strongly agreed that they know the general education learning outcomes of the SGSC core curriculum.
   6. 82% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they know the differences between the math and science requirements for STEM and non-STEM programs of study.
   7. 92% agreed or strongly agreed that they believe themselves to be competent in using components of Desire2Learn (D2L).

6. The fall 2014 advising survey administered to the overall student population provides the following data highlights:
   
   1. 82% of students surveyed said that they had met with their advisor one or more times during the semester.
   2. 81% of students were satisfied or strongly satisfied with the quality of their advising.
   3. 75% of students were satisfied or strongly satisfied with the information received from their advisor on courses, programs, and requirements.
   4. 79% of students agreed or strongly agreed that overall, their advisor is a good source for academic advice about a degree and/or program of study.

7. The fall 2014 advising survey administered to the faculty provides the following data highlights:
   
   1. 88% of faculty surveyed believe that they give accurate advice and answers to student questions.
   2. 88% of faculty stated that they found advising rewarding or very rewarding.

8. 100% of spring and summer term 2015 students declared a specific program of study by the beginning of their second semester of enrollment.  The following table depicts progress toward 100% since summer 2013:

Percentage of New FTFT Students Declaring Specific Program of
Study by Beginning of Second Semester

Source: SGSC Banner, summer 2013-Summer 2015.  Note: All data prior to fall 2013has been combined due to institutional consolidation.

One of the goals of the SGSC completion plan directly related to the importance of academic advising is to reduce the number of excess credit hours students earn on their path to graduation.  The baseline for capturing data related to this effort is established as FY 14, the first year of the consolidated institution’s curriculum and course offerings.  The table below identifies the baseline numbers for each of the college’s academic programs.

Average Credit Hours Earned at Graduation by Degree Conferred

Source: SGSC Banner

Note: (1) Duplicate graduates were removed from the averages. (2) BS Biological Sciences program began in Fall 2014 and students are expected to graduate in Spring 2016.

Because effective academic advising is so crucial to college completion, several of the most important completion metrics are reported here.  The following data tables focus on one-year retention rates, percentage of credit hours successfully completed, and degrees conferred.  The data shows that, while not much time has transpired since the fall 2013 initial semester of institutional consolidation, the trend for all metrics has been positive.

SGSC First-Time Full-Time Degree-Seeking Freshmen One-Year Retention Rates

Source: USG Retention Report, fall 2009-Fall 2013. Fall 2013 is the most recent data available from the USG.
Note: All data prior to Fall 2013 has been combined due to institutional consolidation.

Note: Retention rates are defined as the percentages of students in a given cohort who are enrolled in a USG institution in a specified term (in this case, one year later) or are not enrolled in the specified term but have graduated from a USG institution between matriculation and that term. The number of students in the cohort is the denominator of the rate; the number of students enrolled or graduated but not enrolled one year later is the numerator of the rate. The one-year institution-specific retention rates for South Georgia State College are the sum of the first-time full-time freshmen retained at SGSC divided by the total SGSC first-time full-time freshmen cohort. The one-year system-wide retention rates for South Georgia State College are the sum of the first-time full-time freshmen retained at SGSC or with the University system of Georgia divided by the total SGSC first-time full-time freshmen cohort.

Percentage of Credit Hours Successfully Completed –All Students

Source: SGSC Banner, fall 2011-Fall 2014

Note: All data prior to Fall 2013 has been combined due to institutional consolidation.

South Georgia State College Degrees Conferred by Degree Offered

Source: USG Degrees Conferred Report, FY2011-FY2015

Note: All data prior to Fall 2013 has been combined due to institutional consolidation

Measures of Success

Note:  fall 2013 was the first semester of consolidated institution curriculum and course offerings.