Development of an integrative, student-centered program to improve student progression and retention.

Thursday 2:45pm - 3:30pm Admiral | Poster 5
Poster Presentation

Jennifer Louten, Kennesaw State University
Student retention and progression are critical issues for academic institutions. Student attrition directly translates into a loss of tuition income, fees, and alumni contributions (Stillman 2009). Moreover, it represents the failure of a University to accomplish its educational mission (Bean 1990). Although the focus is often on underperforming students, top students changing their major or leaving the university also contribute to attrition; in fact, 21% of Kennesaw State University students transferred to another institution in 2015 (Hutchinson 2016).

In an attempt to address this issue, we created an "Advanced Majors Program" (AMP) for the top 30% of students entering our College of Science and Mathematics. The overarching goal of AMP is to facilitate student progress, involvement, and accountability by integrating known high-impact educational practices (AAC&U 2013). AMP students take part in learning communities that incorporate a first-year seminar and integrative, student-centered science and mathematics courses. Weekly research seminars and guest speakers introduce students to career options and undergraduate research opportunities within the college, and events with fellow students, faculty, and upper-level students foster community and student involvement.

In the program's inaugural year, 125 incoming students elected to take part, 46% of whom were from underrepresented populations. Following their first year, AMP and academically comparable control students were retained at similar proportions, but 47.5% fewer AMP students had changed to a major outside the college. This difference was even more dramatic in students from underrepresented populations, where only 8.6% had changed their major, a 60.3% decrease compared to control students. By assisting students in finding their path early and providing a holistic and degree-focused academic experience, we anticipate that the program will result in a reduced time-to-graduation and lower overall education costs for the students. Our results are applicable towards facilitating retention and progression of students in any discipline.