During the past several years, the CSULB campus has experienced an increased awareness of and growing emphasis on “student success” throughout campus support units, academic departments, and administration. Groups such as the Enrollment Planning Committee and the University Academic Advising Council have undertaken efforts to identify and address campus concerns regarding undergraduate retention and graduation. Data supplied by Institutional Research and Assessment and Enrollment Services have highlighted issues that constitute other barriers to graduation. These preliminary considerations have identified the following other potential barriers to graduation:
To fully understand academic barriers that may hinder undergraduate graduation, a descriptive approach was utilized that combined quantitative data gathering as well as qualitative reports in the form of presentations from campus-wide program directors and administrators. Institutional Research and Assessment, as well as Enrollment Services were instrumental in providing data from multiple sources that include: (1) retention and graduation data for each college and academic department; (2) information on the remediation need for math and English by incoming freshmen cohorts; (3) gender enrollment, retention and graduation data; (4) ethnicity enrollment, retention and graduation data; (5) academic status data that included student probation and disqualification information; (6) data results from the 2006 CSULB NSSE survey; (7) ASI student survey that identified academic advising as a problem; and (8) data summary from the Academic Advising Center on the numbers and types of student academic appeals.
In addition, the Enrollment Planning Subcommittee on Student Success requested presentations on the following topics: (1) University 100 seminar, (2) information on the Low Completion Rate Courses Project, (3) academic technology, and (4) African American students’ issues. On the basis of information collected from these multiple data sources in AY 2006-07, the following barriers to graduation were identified:
For two years (AY 2006-07 and AY 2007-08), the CSULB Academic Senate has been engaged in consideration of General Education reforms. These policy reforms consist of lowering the General Education unit requirements from 51 units to 48 and streamlining the double-counting opportunities to make the GE pattern more transparent, more relevant to enhancing degree attainment, and easier for undergraduates to understand.
In AY 2006-07, the Academic Senate established a task force (Academic Senate Task Force on Advising) to address the need for a faculty advising policy. Spearheaded by faculty focus groups, this task force has reviewed other institutions’ advising policy, NACADA advising standards, and expectations of faculty advisors who have requested a policy that delineates (1) workload issues, (2) compensation, (3) advising accountability, and (4) training expectations.
Campus-wide discussions have suggested a need to request the assistance of outside consultants for both CSULB’s First-Year Experience programs and academic advising. Consequently, two outside consultants have visited the campus. Dr. Joe Cuseo, a nationally recognized academic researcher and faculty member at Marymount College was invited to an August 2007 retreat of the Collaborative Staff group made up of directors of student support services from the Divisions of Academic Affairs and Student Services. Dr. Cuseo led discussion of current research on first-year experience programs that provide a comprehensive and meaningful transition experience to first-time freshmen. A decision was made to develop learning outcomes for CSULB’s freshmen at the conclusion of their first year and each attendee was to develop appropriate points that will be discussed at a subsequent meeting.
In addition, Tara Stopfel, Assistant Dean for academic advising, Center for Exploratory Studies in the College of McMicken Arts and Sciences at University of Cincinnati visited CSULB in October 200. Ms. Stopfel spent two days visiting the major professional advising units on campus and developed a comprehensive report that delineated suggestions to improve academic advising.
In fall 2007, a decision was made to appoint a part-time Senior Director of Advising for the Division of Academic Affairs. Some of the tasks undertaken by this appointee include the development of an action plan for academic information dissemination. Currently, CSULB does not have a comprehensive plan to disseminate academic information to professional advisors, faculty advisors, and appropriate administrators. As a member of the Provost’s 2007-08 Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Technology, the appointee is bringing the issue of necessary academic technology to enhance campus-wide academic advising to the Committee.
The Senior Director, as a member of the Academic Senate Task Force on Faculty Advising is providing assistance in the development of an appropriate advising policy. The Senior Director is promoting collaboration with the Academic Advising Center and the Division of Student Services to develop appropriate training sessions on academic advising issues for faculty and staff advisors. The Senior Director, as Chair of the current Academic Advising Council, is reviewing the role and 1995 charge of the original University Academic Advising Council. As a result, the Senior Director, along with the Academic Advising Steering Committee, are considering the following changes: (1) to change the name of the Council to the University Advising Council, (2) to bring the purpose and goals of the Council back to its original intent which is to examine current advising practices and develop action plan to strengthen advising processes, and (3) to include the Chair of the General Education Governing Committee as an official member.
A new advising initiative in starting Spring 2008 (Second Semester Freshman Mandatory Advising). For the first time, CSULB will be coordinating an advising project that brings together all faculty and professional staff advisors for two common goals (1) to ensure that all second semester freshmen have a comprehensive advising experience connected to their faculty advisors and (2) to ensure that second semester freshmen enroll in appropriate third semester classes that lead to degree completion. The success of this advising project requires the advising coordination between all divisions and colleges.
During AY 2006-07, the Enrollment Planning Subcommittee on Student Success focused on “gaps in student support services” and determined that the four top gaps included (1) campus-wide academic advising issues; (2) an early alert/red flag system; (3) the retention and graduation of African American students, especially males; and (4) the complexities of General Education. Since items 1, 3, and 4 were being by other initiative, the Committee determined that the priority for AY 2007-08 would be further consideration of development of an early alert/red flag system for CSULB.
With the assistance of an external review, a campus-wide committee was selected to review the GWAR and develop alternate pathways to facilitate successful completion of the requirement. To that end, appropriate courses have been and will continue to be developed and implemented in the different colleges in the effort to provide students with additional avenues to meet the GWAR.
Faculty members and advisors have highlighted the difficulty of scheduling required key major courses appropriately so students can complete degrees (i.e., space for classes and labs). Continually changing university policies, procedures, practices, and interpretations make it difficult for advisors to disseminate information and for students to make long-term plans. An Inter-divisional Action Team would provide valuable assistance, both in and out of the classroom, to students-in-difficulty who have been identified by an early alert/red flag system.
The Enrollment Planning Subcommittee on Student Success needs to address several academic advising issues including (1) improved coordination between faculty and staff advisors; (2) a review of advising technology needs; (3) improved advising in the second year; (4) improved training of faculty advisors, staff professional advisors, peer advisors and department front-line staff; (5) improved transfer advising; (6) lack of consistent academic information disseminated to students by campus-wide academic advising units and departmental advising; (7) lack of required academic advising at the upper division level that would identify academic issues that may cause delay or prevent graduation. A systematic graduation intervention such as upper-division intrusive advising must begin before students enter their last year, otherwise our current process is not effective and graduation solutions are minimal; (8) systematic assistance and advising for pre-majors; and (9) lack of a comprehensive campus-wide academic advising policy and administrator to lead the efforts.
The Enrollment Planning Subcommittee on Student Success needs to develop an early alert system to include (1) an early warning system for academic difficulties and (2) a “Red Flag” intervention system for non-academic difficulties. Focus also needs to be directed toward improved support for African American students, particularly males who have low six-year graduation rates. General Education needs continued review and discussion relative to meeting the mission of CSULB, efficiency to degree attainment, and enhancement of majors and specialized interests.
Any discrepancies between academic information provided by (1) Degree Progress Reports (DPR), (2) Major Program Planners, (3) department Road Maps, and (4) CSULB Catalog need to be identified and resolved. Advisors and students continue to struggle with complexities of CMS’s DPR, including (1) reading and understanding information, (2) accuracy of information, and (3) inability to calculate negative grade points to assist students on probation/DQ. Advisors also need appropriate transition program/assistance for transfer students.
