An Analysis of the Impact of Early Alert on Community College Student Persistence in Virginia

Student attrition has been a significant challenge facing higher education for decades and is particularly pronounced within community colleges. Specifically, first-time postsecondary students only experienced a 59.3 percent retention rate between Fall 2013 and Fall 2014; at two-year colleges, less than half (46.9 percent) of students were retained during the same period (National Student Clearinghouse, 2015a). As institutional leaders attempt to increase student retention rates, they often invest in early alert systems, which promise to be a key part of a student success solution. The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) implemented an early alert system in 2013. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the use of the early alert system and persistence for students taking developmental education courses and students taking college-level courses in the VCCS. All data were existing data provided by the VCCS Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness. A quasi-experimental, non-randomized research design with matched-control groups was used evaluate impact on student persistence. Data analysis was conducted using multiple binary logistic regressions. Results indicate that the early alert system, across all flag types, has a substantial and positive impact on developmental mathematics students. Specifically, for every Academic or Attendance flag raised (up to three flags), developmental mathematics students are nearly 20 times more likely to persist than those that were not flagged in the early alert system; those that received In Danger of Failing flags were more than 37 times more likely to persist. Students enrolled in developmental English courses, however, experienced a positive, but much more modest impact. For every Academic flag raised (up to three), they were 1.5 times more likely to persist than developmental English students who did not receive a flag. The impact of Attendance and In Danger of Failing flags were not statistically significant. Lastly, students enrolled in college-level courses experienced a very mild impact, in some instances positive and others negative. These findings suggest that college leaders and practitioners should focus early alert resources on developmental mathematics students and continue exploration of implementation practices and alternative retention strategies for students enrolled in developmental English and college-level courses. In addition, results indicate the value of an early alert system in a comprehensive retention plan

Building a Culture of Evidence for Community College Student Success: Early Progress in the Achieving the Dream Initiative

Achieving the Dream is a multiyear, national initiative, launched by Lumina Foundation for Education, to help community college students stay in school and succeed. The 82 participating colleges commit to collecting and analyzing data to improve student outcomes, particularly for low-income students and students of color. This baseline report describes the early progress that the first 27 colleges have made after just one year of implementation

Student Retention and First-Year Programs: A Comparison of Students in Liberal Arts Colleges in the Mountain South

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the retention rate and 9 firstyear student programs at Liberal Arts Colleges in the Mountain South, a region in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States. Nine first-year programs were studied: Summer Bridge Programs, Preterm Orientation, Outdoor Adventure Orientation, Targeted Seminars, Learning Communities, Early Warning/Early Alert Systems, Service Learning, Undergraduate Research, and Assessment. The data for this study were accessed via the college database of The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2013). Chi Square tests were used for analysis to identify associations between first-year student retention and the presence of each of the 9 programs. The results indicated that the presence of each of the 9 first-year programs was not significantly related to first-year student retention

Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (iPASS): State of the Literature

This paper examines the current state of the literature on Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (iPASS), an increasingly popular approach to technology-mediated advising reform. We limit our analysis to sixty relevant documents that have been released since 2010. We categorize these items into four different groups based on their aim and rigor: (1) descriptive documents (39 items) that describe processes and challenges of iPASS implementation, (2) output reports (12 items) that examine usage data to better understand iPASS implementation, (3) correlational studies (5 items) that examine non-causal associations between different functionalities of iPASS tools and student outcomes, and (4) rigorous outcomes studies (4 items) that employ experimental or quasi-experimental methods to provide causal or near-causal estimations of iPASS-oriented interventions. iPASS is a relatively recent reform approach, and while few studies are available that rigorously evaluate its effects, early findings suggest that individual components of iPASS interventions may have a positive impact on student outcomes, including persistence and credit accrual. This paper also offers suggestions on how colleges can use non-causal research to support and improve iPASS

A Comparison of Student Retention and First Year Programs Among Liberal Arts Colleges in the Mountain South

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Identification of Noncognitive Factors as Predictors of Freshman Academic Performance and Retention in a Community College Setting

This study identified noncognitive factors (via the use of discriminant analysis) that impact freshmen academic performance and retention in a community college setting. The study used a modified version of the Freshman Survey, that had been validated for use at an urban four-year institution, to determine the predictive validity of the instrument for use with first semester freshmen in a two-year college setting. Existing research suggests that cognitive factors can, at most, explain 10 to 20 percent of the variance in student retention and academic performance. The remainder (approximately 80 percent) of the variance in student academic performance and retention lies in the noncognitive domain. The survey was successfully replicated at a small, rural community college located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The study findings, using probation and attrition scores, indicated that overall noncognitive factors discriminated between those students who were at risk of academic difficulty/academic success and were significant at the p \u3c .001 level. The analysis provided similar significant findings for attrition and retention. The overall hit rate for number of cases correctly classified for academic difficulty was 37.14%. The overall hit rate for number of students correctly classified as drop-out was 56.8%. The findings also indicated that, in general, the higher a student\u27s discriminant score the greater the probability of student academic difficulty or attrition. The results of this study can provide college counselors and instructors with additional student information that can be used to develop effective early intervention strategies. Research suggests that early intervention can have a positive impact on student academic performance and retention

A Case Study of First-Year Persistence of Marshall University Freshmen

College enrollment is rising but there has not been a corresponding increase in graduation rates. Nationwide, 30% of students who enter college do not return for their sophomore year. This case-study was conducted to determine what factors influenced the first-year persistence of the 2009 Marshall University freshmen cohort. This research used extant data from two MAP-Works surveys and Marshall University’s student academic management system. Data from a cohort of 467 students were analyzed using logistical regression to determine which factors, if any, were statistically significant predictors of persistence. Logistic regression analysis produced statistically significant relationships with 27 pre-entry characteristics, 12 student satisfaction variables, four enrollment profile variables, and three academic performance variables. The results of this study indicate that the persistence of the 2009 Marshall University freshmen cohort was influenced moderately by pre-entry characteristics, student satisfaction, enrollment profile, and to a much higher degree, academic performance. It appears that academic integration is more important for persistence than social integration. The findings of this study suggest that a commitment to education is the predominant influence on persistence. Students who persisted in this cohort exhibited academic behaviors and attitudes that were related to a commitment not only to completing a college education but also to Marshall University. Persisters became satisfied with their academic life and developed positive relationships with peers. Commitment to the completion of the freshmen year and subsequent commitment to Marshall University was strengthened by the interactions with the university’s academic and social systems making what happened once students were on campus the most influential aspect of first-year persistence

Persistence to an Associate of Applied Science Registered Nurse Degree: The Impact of Placing Into Developmental Education Courses on Student Success

Student retention and success in nursing school has gained favor in educational research due to an increasing shortage of Registered Nurses. The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of student placement recommendation into developmental education courses on persistence to an Associate of Applied Science Registered Nurse degree. Using ex post facto research methodology rooted in the retention theories of Tinto, Bean and Metzner, and Jeffreys, this study aims to measure the effect of high school diploma type, age, race/ethnicity, and pre-requisite courses on student placement recommendation in developmental education and persistence to an Associate of Applied Science Registered Nurse degree. This inquiry attempts to fill a gap in the scholarly literature focused on community college Registered Nurse program student retention, specifically in studying the likelihood of success for under-prepared students in nursing programs

The Creation of Successful Student Subjects: Foucault’s Power/Knowledge Framework and the Danger of Failing Early Alert

The purpose of learning analytics is to improve and optimize learning using student data (Siemens, 2013). An early alert warning is learning analytics designed to promote student success (Baneres et al., 2019; Foung, 2019; Lawson et al., 2016; Villano et al., 2018). An early alert has an intervention component that includes, at minimum, an email that provides information about college resources to address the issue (Arnold & Pistilli, 2012). Some early alert interventions include a personal outreach by a staff member at the college through a phone call or text message (Choi et al., 2018). At Care Community College, when faculty raise an early alert, the system sends an email to the student at risk of failing a course. The email intervention can initiate a relationship between the student and the faculty member or an advisor. In this study, I examined formation of the successful student subject through students’ experiences with an early alert and the interactions and building of relationships between students, faculty, and advisors with the early alert phenomenon. Previous studies have focused on the outcome of an early alert intervention, such as retention or course grade (Calvert, 2014; de Freitas et al., 2015; Lourens & Bleazard, 2016; Miller & Bell, 2016; Villano et al., 2018). Instead, I wanted to focus on human interactions to view what happens with an early alert learning analytic. This post-intentional phenomenological study focused on connections between students, faculty, and staff involved in the danger of failing alert at Care Community College, a community college in a mid-Atlantic state. Using Vagle’s (2018) post-intentional phenomenology methodology, I analyzed the data using Foucault’s (1975/1995, 1976/1990) power/knowledge as my theoretical framework. I discovered that power operated to form knowledge to shape at-risk students as successful college students. Findings reinforced literature about the role of interventions and the importance of relationships for student success (Felton & Lambert, 2020; Tinto, 1993). Results also supported Foucault’s (1975/1995, 1976/1990) power/knowledge framework that both poles of biopower create knowledge. The interaction of power and knowledge shaped at-risk students into successful students