CODEVAL: IMPROVING STUDENT SUCCESS IN PROGRAMMING ASSIGNMENTS

Context: New Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education accreditation standards were implemented in summer 2020 and will require the entry-level degree in athletic training to be at the postbaccalaureate level in fall 2022. Many institutions have already transitioned their respective degree level or are seeking initial accreditation for a postbaccalaureate program. An exploration into admission requirements across those programs was conducted. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the current admission requirements of professional postbaccalaureate programs during the 2019–2020 application cycle. Design: Cross-sectional, online survey. Setting: Higher education institutions with accredited professional athletic training programs at the postbaccalaureate level. Patient or Other Participants: Program directors (n = 71) from 223 institutions representing both public (59.15%, n = 42) and private institutions (40.85%, n = 29). Data Collection and Analysis: Survey was piloted to establish content validity, then distributed with a consent form via email to participants. Descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS (version 27; IBM Corp) to summarize the demographic and admission requirements for the 2019–2020 application cycle. Results: Among respondents, 78.87% (n = 56) reported an accreditation status of active, 4.22% (n = 3) as degree change pending, and 9.86% (n = 7) were seeking initial accreditation. Regionally, 31.25% of programs in District IV, 25.81% of programs in District IX, 43.33% of programs in District II, and 16.67% of programs in District V responded to the survey, representing the 4 districts with the largest number of professional programs. Less than one-third of program directors (32.4%, n = 23) indicated having an admissions counselor dedicated to the program. Of those who provided data on application processes (n = 63), the majority (68.3%, n = 43) of respondents reporting using ATCAS as an application portal. A minimum 3.0 GPA was the most common academic requirement (69.8%, n = 44), and 5.0% of respondents (n = 3) identified the minimum overall grade point average (GPA) requirement for admission was greater than a 3.0. Over half (57.4%, n = 36) of respondents require a minimum prerequisite GPA for program admission. A total of 63 respondents (74.1%) provided data on standardized testing, recommendation letters, observation hours, and interview requirements for admission. The GRE was required for admission by 22.2% (n = 14) of respondents. Completion of 50 observation hours was the most common expectation (41.3%, n = 26) for program admission, and 28.6% of respondents (n = 18) identified that the program required 0 observation hours by the applicant. Only 12.7% of respondents (n = 8) required 100 or more observation hours as an admissions requirement. Nearly all respondents (93.6%, n = 58) required at least 1 letter of recommendation as part of the application, and 69.8% (n = 44) conducted interviews in the admissions process. Conclusions: A majority of programs required application submission via ATCAS; however, less than one-third of programs had a dedicated admissions counselor. Among professional athletic training programs at the postbaccalaureate level, common academic requirements for admission included a 3.0 GPA and a minimum prerequisite GPA. However, less than 25% of programs required the GRE for admission. If requiring observation hours, 50 hours was the most common expectation, but 28.6% did not require any observations to apply to the postbaccalaureate program. Key Words: Admissions, athletic training education, master's degree.Context: Beginning fall 2022, Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education accreditation standards will require that the entry-level degree in athletic training be at the postbaccalaureate level. An investigation of enrollment trends across professional programs at the postbaccalaureate level was conducted, given that many institutions are amid transition to the master's degree level or starting new postbaccalaureate programs in athletic training. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the current status of applicant numbers and enrollment yields at postbaccalaureate program during the 2019–2020 application cycle. Design: Cross-sectional, online survey. Setting: Higher education institutions with professional athletic training programs at the postbaccalaureate level. Patients or Other Participants: Program directors (n = 71) from 223 institutions representing both public (59.15%, n = 42) and private institutions (40.85%, n = 29). Data Collection and Analysis: The survey was piloted to establish content validity and was then distributed electronically with a consent form to all qualified program directors (n = 223). Descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS (version 27; IBM Corp) to summarize the demographic, application, and enrollment data reported by program directors for the 2019–2020 application cycle. Results: The survey's 38.12% response rate (n = 85) from 223 institutions yielded 71 (31.84%) program directors who were able to report data from the 2019–2020 application cycle. Program directors (n = 62) reported a mean 18.71 ± 7.05 available admissions slots and a mean 17.98 ± 11.95 applications received. More than half of respondents, 54.8% (n = 33), indicated there were fewer applicants than total number of available seats in the cohort. The composition of applicant pools was reported by program directors (n = 61). The mean percentage of applicants who had completed a bachelor's degree at another institution was 60.2% ± 30.5%. The mean number of denied applicants was 2.53 ± 4.04. The overall program enrollment among responding postbaccalaureate programs (n = 60) for 2020 was 16.05 ± 9.86 students. The mean class size for the 2020–2021 admits among programs that successfully enrolled students (n = 59) was 9.31 ± 5.51. Among the respondents who provided data on enrollment goals (n = 63) for the 2019–2020 application cycle, 79.4% (n = 50) indicated that the program had not met its enrollment goal for the academic year. Among respondents who provided data on both 2020 admits and enrollment goals (n = 61), the mean difference between available admission slots and first-year students who enrolled in the program was 9.44 ± 6.53, with 49.2% of program directors (n = 30) reporting that the cohort was underenrolled by 10 or more students. Conclusions: The mean number of applications received during the 2019–2020 cycle by postbaccalaureate athletic training programs was less than the mean enrollment goal. The majority of the program applicants were external to the institution. Nearly 80% of respondents reported not meeting the institution's enrollment goal for the 2020–2021 academic year, and the overall mean admitted class size was under 10 students. Key Words: Enrollment, athletic training education, master's degree.Context: When authentic clinical experiences are unavailable, instructors may need to consider alternatives for evaluating clinical reasoning. Objective: Describe an educational technique that simulates clinical experiences to allow students to demonstrate clinical reasoning. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created a situation in which providing clinical experiences became impossible. Yet, students still needed to exercise clinical judgment as part of their athletic training education program. The unfolding case study technique aligns well with Kolb's theory of experiential learning and can be used to help students improve clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills. Description: An unfolding case study was used to simulate a clinical experience for students when clinical sites became unavailable to students due to COVID-19. The technique involved using a case study over time in which the student received information, evaluated the information, made a clinical decision in response to the information, and received further information and feedback based on their decision. This repeated until the student reached the conclusion of the case. Clinical Advantages: Students found this assignment to be beneficial because it allowed them to practice clinical reasoning and critical thinking in a realistic yet low-risk environment. Students were able to learn new skills in documentation and billing for services. The assignment allowed for critical feedback to be given to the students at multiple points.Context: Coordinators of clinical education (CCEs) play an important role in clinical education, yet they often receive little to no formal training in the role. The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) Standards outline basic roles of the CCE; however, institutional autonomy dictates that the role may be more nuanced than the Standards outline. The experiences of the CCE and preparation for their role is unknown; therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the professional socialization of CCEs into their roles. Methods: A total of 36 CCEs with a minimum of 1-year experience as a CCE (31 women, 5 men; 5.2 ± 4.7 years of experience as CCE) participated in this qualitative study. Data saturation guided the number of participants. Participants were recruited via purposive sampling. Seven focus group interviews were completed following a semistructured interview guide developed on the basis of previous socialization research. There were 5–8 CCEs in each focus group. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed through consensual qualitative review, with data coded for common themes and subthemes. Trustworthiness was established via peer review and multianalyst triangulation. Results: Two themes emerged from the data: role and socialization. Role was described as the responsibilities, collaboration, and challenges of the CCE. Participants described many responsibilities including complete oversight of students within clinical education, preceptor development, evaluation and assessment of clinical skills, clinical placements, and administrative duties such as documentation and maintaining accreditation. The CCEs described the importance of collaboration, both internally and externally. Internal collaboration included primarily communication with the program director and other health care faculty, whereas external collaboration included other health care providers, CCEs, and alumni. The CCEs faced challenges tied to their role such as time management, conflict management, and navigating institutional policies. Socialization was defined as preparation necessary for the role, integration into the role, resources and development needed to be successful. Some CCEs described their preparation before taking the role including coursework, assistantships, and working clinically. However, most did not feel prepared to take on all aspects of the role as CCE. CCEs described a variety of ways in which they were integrated into their role. This included meeting with the program director, reviewing the job description and Standards, and trial and error. During the socialization process, they identified many needs including a specific job description with an outline of functions, a flowchart or timeline for tasks, professional development on the new standards, and institutional policies, procedures. Last, they described a variety of resources such as the CAATE accrediation conference and Athletic Training Educator Conference, the CAATE Standards, and published research to provide guidance. Areas in which CCEs felt they needed additional development included training on legal aspects of contracts and mentoring specific to university policy. Conclusions: Overall, participants felt prepared for some aspects of their roles (eg, assigning students to clinical sites), but less prepared for other aspects (eg, affiliation agreements, conflict management, time management). Additional professional development is necessary to make CCEs more successful.Context: Health information technology (HIT) is quintessential to contemporary athletic training practice. The tool most associated with HIT is the electronic medical/health record (EMR/EHR). Previous research has demonstrated that athletic training students' (ATS') role during patient encounters (PEs) affects their report of how often they are able to implement HIT. However, it is still unclear to what extent ATS' role affects the inclusion of HIT behaviors during individual PEs. Objective: To assess how student role influences ATS' integration of HIT behaviors during PEs throughout their clinical experiences. Design: Multisite, panel design. Setting: Convenience sample of 12 Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education–accredited professional athletic training programs (5 baccalaureate, 7 postbaccalaureate). Patients or Other Participants: A total of 329 ATSs at 278 clinical sites entered 30 630 PEs during clinical experiences. Data Collection and Analysis: After formal training, ATS used E*Value software to track PEs during clinical experiences for 3 semesters (spring 2018–spring 2019). Student role (observed, assisted, performed) was collected per PE. During each PE, students were asked to report whether either of 2 behaviors (or none) associated with HIT occurred. The behaviors associated with HIT (documenting information obtained in an EMR/EHR, use of data from EMR/HER to assist in decision-making, and none of the above) were each analyzed to determine differences by student role using generalized estimated equations with a logit link to accommodate the multiple reported PEs within participants and a Bonferroni post hoc correction (P < .05). Results: Among the 30 630 PEs logged, ATS observed 3669 PEs, assisted in 5053 PEs, and performed 21 801 PEs (107 missing). A significant main effect was observed for both HIT behaviors and the answer none of the above. When asked about documenting the PE in an EMR/EHR (P < .001), students who observed the encounter were more likely to document in an EMR/EHR (mean = 0.77) that those that assisted in (mean = 0.71; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.12, P = .010) and those who performed (mean = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.04, 0.16, P < .001) the PE. When asked about using information from an EMR/EHR to assist in clinical decision-making (P = .003), students who performed the PE were more likely to report this behavior (mean = 0.96) than those who observed the PE (mean = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.07, P = .004). Finally, for PEs in which none of the above was reported (P = .001), students who performed the PE (mean = 0.34) were more likely to select none of the above for HIT than were those who observed (mean = 0.25; 95% CI 0.03, 0.16, P = .001), and those who assisted with (mean = 0.32) were also more likely to select none of the above than were those who observed (95% CI = 0.02, 0.12, P = .006). Conclusions: Students who observed a PE were more likely to document the encounter in an EMR/EHR, whereas ATSs who performed a PE were more likely to use information from the EMR/EHR to assist in decision-making. These findings suggest that although students were learning to document in an EMR/EHR while they observed PEs, the habitual practice of patient care documentation was not being translated as students shifted toward performing PEs. Further research is needed to explore the factors that influence students' decisions to document in and use information from EMRs/EHRs during patient care. Key Words: Electronic medical records, patient encounters, core competencies, health care informatics.Context: The inclusion of evidence-based practice (EBP) principles within athletic training programs is required by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. However, an important skill that drives EBP, unlearning, often receives little to no attention. Unlike deskilling (ie, decline of skill proficiency over time, often due to lack of use), unlearning is an intentional act of removing knowledge and skills that are no longer effective to implement techniques better supported by evidence. Educators play an important role in ensuring students have the decision-making capability to implement unlearning as their careers progress. Objective: To explore athletic training educators' familiarity with and perceptions of unlearning. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Online survey with open-ended questions. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 679 of 6925 athletic trainers accessed the survey, with 640 completing it in full (94% completion rate). Of those who accessed the survey, 189 identified as an educator and were included in the analysis (age = 42.7 ± 9.7 years; years of experience as an educator = 12.6 ± 9.0). Data Collection and Analysis: We distributed a survey composed of 10 demographic variables, 1 quantitative item assessing participants' familiarity with unlearning, and 5 open-ended questions via Qualtrics. Participants' responses regarding the meaning of unlearning were coded as correct or incorrect on the basis of an operational definition. Responses coded as an accurate understanding of unlearning were included in the succeeding analyses. Following the consensual qualitative research approach, 3 research team members developed a consensus codebook through the analysis of the first 30 open-ended responses. Two researchers confirmed the codebook by analyzing the next 30 responses. After analysis of all open-ended responses, our findings were verified by an external auditor. Summary statistics (counts, percentages) were calculated. Results: Of the educators, 74% (n = 130/175; missing = 14) self-reported being minimally to not at all familiar with unlearning. Of those who reported some level of familiarity (n = 115), 55% (n = 61/110; missing = 5) provided an accurate explanation of the concept. Analysis of open-ended responses revealed 2 themes: (1) barriers to unlearning and (2) facilitators for unlearning. Educators identified barriers that were personal in nature, such as lack of time, habitual practice, and keeping up with the evolving evidence base, as well as external factors, including pushback from stakeholders (eg, colleagues, students), Board of Certification exam, and technology access, which were typically out of their direct control. Suggested facilitators for unlearning largely involved formal continuing education opportunities and increased access to different resources and evidence. Educators emphasized the importance of a team approach to unlearning, characterized by encouragement and discussions among colleagues, and support from administration to make necessary changes because the best available evidence adapts and evolves over time. Conclusions: Given the limited understanding of unlearning among athletic training educators, educational opportunities, either through formal continuing education or the production and dissemination of easily accessible and digestible resources, should be provided to improve educators' knowledge and abilities to perform and teach this skill. Integrating unlearning concepts in athletic training curricula may enhance students' abilities to incorporate evidence in clinical practice. Key Words: Evidence-based practice, lifelong learning, self-reflection.Context: Clinical education is essential in helping students develop competency of athletic training skills and knowledge. However, with the challenges posed to traditional in-person simulation by the current pandemic, telehealth simulations have become a popular alternative to achieving learning objectives. Telehealth is rapidly gaining attention and use in athletic training to provide safe and effective patient care in spite of pandemic restrictions. In addition, telehealth can also be implemented to provide equitable health care access to rural or underserved populations, making telehealth an important tool for athletic trainers (AT) to implement into clinical practice well beyond the pandemic. Objective: To create an opportunity for students to apply athletic training clinical skills using telehealth through simulation-based experiences. Background: simulation to create a realistic and safe learning in which students can be observed by faculty, and also the opportunity for to experience medical that they may not during their In addition, contemporary technology such as telehealth may be integrated into simulation to teach students the skills to with telehealth is the use of electronic and technology to provide health care from a In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has identified as an important tool for health care are among the using technology to to new health and to patient care. Description: students participated in multiple telehealth simulations to perform a clinical for and Telehealth simulations used participants recruited from the as well as the medical class to students to with different abilities and students integrated students into the clinical evaluation to improve and Telehealth simulations were by the simulation and integrated a of a and a software software with access in simulation was by a using the with judgment in which students their to the their overall and and their students were also required to complete a assignment on their clinical the of their and regarding health and with medical Clinical students skills regarding the telehealth process, and In addition, students their understanding and skills providing health care for patient and Conclusions: Telehealth simulations are an effective and safe to practice clinical reasoning and athletic training skills with participants. In addition, there is a need for students to be to patient to develop their and provide health care. Key Words: A learning experience between athletic training students and students to care of a Objective: The goal of this educational collaboration between athletic training and is to further develop the skills of team and before clinical practice. The use of simulation student during clinical education, ensuring and effective of through student skills, patient care. Patients from provided by and athletic training students to development of important team skills. Finally, this experience can as a for opportunities between and athletic training programs. Background: Health care have in and other health are prepared to their specific of practice. best in health care require collaboration with other to of care and patient an to this by to their prepared to the among This simulation and athletic training students to the need for Description: Students were into of team to assess a patient a patient with a Students were to assessment findings and on care during the and were completed in this student experience to that the standards of best practice for simulation were was A student evaluation to assess learning was completed through at the conclusion of the Clinical This on and created a clinical experience for and athletic training students. This the and application of was an development and between the 2 The educational experience clinical assessment skills in both professional programs as identified by their respective Accreditation also learning This experience was not in either program and on the to incorporate across the This experience used simulation to assess of care by an team of and students. Students who develop and communication skills through simulation the of and effective team care. through this experience can to with other health care Key Words: education clinical education, the education is the from stakeholders to be able to report student learning in student learning has its in educational such as health are of educational student learning as a of ensuring public The development of standardized and of assessment is a in health care education but more limited in athletic training To this in the it is important to first which student learning that athletic training programs are can be developed that are most to athletic training programs. Objective: The purpose of this study was to the of student learning that professional athletic training programs are Design: This as a survey design. Setting: professional athletic training programs. Patients or Other Participants: were to program directors of all professional athletic training programs that were in with the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education programs at the time of data rate was (n = Data Collection and Analysis: The developed a of health care and athletic training or professional from the different The survey was to program The survey allowed program directors to demographic information about their program and then to select the number of the program and select each of that the program a Descriptive statistics were to the number of that programs and to determine the most across programs. To a the of the sample was with the using a of Results: with a response the was found to be of the The number of that the participants reported in their assessment was reported a between 3 and in their assessment A on the number of for each is in The 2 most student learning were or and Clinical or Clinical (n = for each of (n = (n = and (n = out the 5 most There is some among programs in to the they are in their assessment If and research to develop and assessment for athletic training they should focus on most evidence-based practice and critical Key Words: student learning athletic Many athletic training programs are to program standards that are based on of student including and and and overall on the Board of Certification to standards not athletic training programs to but also students their program may not them for a in athletic training. have that of student are associated with factors, such as and by on factors, athletic training program and may be able to student and program Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether of student including to or grade point and academic be by (ie, external identified and and Design: with a Setting: athletic training programs of all degree and in all university Participants: Participants included Athletic members who a student for the 2020 year. Data Collection and Analysis: from all were using an electronic survey and to the using the Survey the the survey to members who met the were 4 additional over an data analysis included an analysis and a A multiple analysis was used as the main Results: was by = = P < .001) and 1 of identified = = P < to was by = = P = A of grade point average was academic = = P < academic was by another of = = P < Conclusions: Athletic training program and may be able to influence program and student by student and by ensuring students have of identified and and a academic of student and program programs will their accreditation and students that they can them for a in athletic training. research is needed to the between factors and Board of Certification Key Words: Student program

Anatomy and physiology courses have been identified as a major barrier to the persistence and graduation of undergraduate students seeking careers in the health professions. This break in the health profession’s educational pipeline may have implications for perpetuating racial/ethnic educational attainment disparities that further health disparities through a lack of representation in healthcare providers. Although Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a well-developed, evidence-based program for improving student success, it has traditionally been used primarily in lecture-based courses. In addition, much of the literature on peer-assisted learning in anatomy and physiology focuses on medical school students. Therefore, it is difficult to extrapolate the effectiveness of SI on freshman and sophomore undergraduate students in a laboratory-based course. Here, we describe the expansion of our SI program, in conjunction with a complete curricular redesign, to address student success in an undergraduate gateway anatomy and physiology laboratory. Students who participated in the SI laboratory sessions held outside of instructor-led class time were significantly more likely to be high performers in the course, and there were no students who participated in SI sessions who earned a final course grade below a C. In addition, students expressed high satisfaction with the SI program and indicated that SI leaders provided both content and emotional support. In conclusion, SI is a valuable program to address student success in a laboratory-based course, particularly when integrated thoughtfully and intentionally with other evidence-based best practices in curriculum.

How does early feedback change the programming problem solving in an online environment and help students choose correct approaches? This study was conducted in a sample of students learning programming in an online course entitled Introduction to C++ and OOP (Object Oriented Programming) using the ANGEL learning management system platform. My overall observations on teaching online introductory programming courses for 7 years (2005–2012) convinced me that online students try various ways to solve a problem. I found that some of the students' problem solving approaches generated the correct output but are not straightforward and thus difficult to understand. However, some of the solutions were innovative, challenging, and unique but gave an early impression that they were wrong (before a little investigation). The students apparently used trial-and-error in conjunction with their own logic to get to the correct output. The lack of communication and weak dissemination of information between instructor and students have caused a major problem in selecting a right problem solving approach. In this study, three problem sets are taken from the course text and are discussed in module 1 and module 2 of the term. The problems were to compute the salary of an employee with a given input such as number of hours worked and the hourly rate. In order to learn progressively, students were asked to program an employee's gross pay, net pay with a fixed tax rate, net pay with a variable tax rate, marital status, and overtime pay. The course communication was mainly through discussion boards between students and instructor, e-mails, instructor announcements, and the area where the assignment was to be submitted. In addition, students could call the instructor's cell phone to seek assistance in clarifying programming problems. The present study will show the effectiveness of early feedback in helping students to develop the right programs. Early and consistent feedback to students increases the awareness of potential errors and avoidance of having students choose a wrong path. However, there was an undesirable side effect in giving early feedback which resulted in limiting possible student-innovation. Early feedback seems to have inhibited the creativity of innovative students and thus to have skewed such students radically toward the classroom main stream.

Background. While student enrolment has increased in the South African (SA) higher education system, the undergraduate throughput rate has been abysmal. Consequently, the literature has largely focused on the negative discourse of understanding the hindrance of student success in higher education. Objectives. To take a positive discourse viewpoint of understanding student success in the Bachelor of Emergency Medical Care (BEMC) degree in SA. The paper uses Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory to explore students’ motivation to succeed in attaining the BEMC degree in SA. Methods. Participants were BEMC students recruited from 4 universities. Third- and fourth-year students who had not repeated a module/subject while studying for the BEMC degree were purposively sampled and invited to join the focus group discussions. These groups were conducted at the respective institutions during the participants’ free time. The audio recordings were transcribed to produce a written text of the focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data with the aid of NVivo 11 (Microsoft, USA). Results. The thematic analysis yielded two themes, i.e. intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Some students were intrinsically motivated to complete the degree in the minimum time. It is more likely that students’ intrinsic motivation increased with continued success in the programme and that it also satisfied their feeling of competence. Some students succeeded owing to extrinsic motivational factors – to prove some people wrong or because of the financial implications of failure. Conclusion. The emergency care departments need to assist students to maintain motivation, which may satisfy their feelings of autonomy and competence. Addressing students’ motivation may allow for more continued success in the academic programme.

State of the Academy-Challenges to Student Success.

ABSTRACTStudent persistence and completion are paramount in higher education, and institutions are employing targeted programs and initiatives to address these concerns. The academic library can play an especially important role in these efforts, given its unique interdisciplinary mission and its integrated instructional programs. With a foundation in both higher education and library and information science literatures, this article describes how one academic library engaged in cross-campus programs, partnerships, and initiatives to contribute to student success efforts. Other libraries may find these examples useful as they consider how to frame their work in the context of their institutions’ student persistence efforts.

Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs are designed to leverage a student’s prior academic achievements and professional experience, integrating them into the curriculum for their nursing degree. This allows students to receive credit for previous core courses and move through the nursing program at an accelerated rate. This, however, brings special challenges for both students and faculty. At our university we noticed the attrition rate of students in the second-degree BSN program was significantly higher than the traditional BSN program. Investigation into this issue revealed students in the Second-Degree Program had significant issues with role conflict, poor time management, poor study habits, and unfamiliarity with active learning. Under a grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordination Board a student success program was initiated that included both student mentoring and faculty development. As a result of the program student retention improved from 87 to 94%.

Introductory Chemistry is a foundation course that provides students with the basic knowledge and skills to enable them to be successful in the subsequent General Chemistry courses. Despite being an introductory course, it is still challenging for many students, making it ideal for the implementation of various pedagogical initiatives. One such initiative is an Early alert and intervention (EAI) program. Early alert and intervention programs can be described as communication systems which are put in place to help with the timely identification and intervention of students who display attrition risk factors. Data has shown that identifying at risk students early in courses such as Introductory Chemistry and intervening accordingly makes positive impacts on student success. In the fall 2016 semester, pass rates in Introductory Chemistry at one of Miami Dade College’s (MDC) campuses saw a sharp decline from that of the collegewide average. An early alert and intervention program was implemented to reverse this decline. This initiative involved the use of a mathematics diagnostic assessment at the beginning of the semester to identify students at risk of failing the course, thus providing the necessary interventions early in the semester. More frequent assessments were also administered throughout the semester to consistently monitor students’ progress and provide interventions where necessary. This initiative was conducted over a two-year period and resulted in more than a twenty-percentage point increase in student pass rates for Introductory Chemistry.

Ensuring Learning: Supporting Faculty to Improve Student Success is the second book in a two-book series. This book highlights the importance of teaching and learning in student success reform and is a deep dive into the fourth pillar, ensuring learning, of Guided Pathways which is a national movement focused on increasing the number of college students who earn a degree or credential. It emphasizes how institutional strategies such as investing in faculty development through Centers for Teaching and Learning and revising reward structures can significantly improve student achievement and completion rates. This book calls for colleges to prioritize teaching and learning and provides college leaders with guidance on how to do so. For example, strategies to develop and enhance Centers for Teaching and Learning and increase professional development programming that provides ongoing, substantial support to faculty are shared. Readers will benefit from numerous practical suggestions on how to help faculty improve teaching and learning practices and ultimately improve student success outcomes.

An increasing number of university students in Canada are from East Asian countries and enrolled in graduate programs. For these students, unique factors may contribute to a stressful study environment, which in turn can impact academic performance. This article draws on literature to identify five such factors and appropriate coping strategies: (1) occupational factors, (2) sociocultural factors, (3) academic factors, (4) gender, and (5) age. While acknowledging that stressors are complex and can have both additive and subtractive effects on each other, the article recommends several intervention strategies that may be deployed at the institutional level to address and mitigate stress‐related risks to ultimately improve student persistence and success: (1) comprehensive social supports, in which graduate supervisors and peer groups play prominent roles; (2) development of problem‐solving skills early in a student's program, when acculturative and occupational stressors are most severe; and (3) enhanced campus awareness of sociocultural and occupational limits and benefits.

Three models of course delivery are being used in higher education in North America: onsite, online, and hybrid learning. This study examines the hypothesis that non-science majors perform at least as well when taking introductory biology in a hybrid delivery format as they do in a tradit ional onsite format. At Harold Washington College, a hybrid biology course for non-science majors was offered for the first time in 2010 and the effectiveness of the course for achieving its intended outcomes was evaluated. Multiple assessment strategies were used to measure students' success in terms of ach ieving a high rate of student performance, student satisfaction, and student retention.

Programming assignments are a common form of assessment in introductory courses and often require substantial work to complete. Students must therefore plan and manage their time carefully, especially leading up to published deadlines. Although time management is an important metacognitive skill that students must develop, it is rarely taught explicitly. Prior research has explored various approaches for reducing procrastination and other unproductive behaviours in students, but these are often ineffective or impractical in large courses. In this work, we investigate a scalable intervention that incentivizes students to begin work early. We provide automatically generated feedback to students who submit their work-in-progress prior to two fixed deadlines scheduled earlier than the final deadline for the assignment. Although voluntary, we find that many students welcome this early feedback and improve the quality of their work across each iteration. Especially for at-risk students, who have failed an earlier module in the course, engaging with the early feedback opportunities results in significantly better work at the time of final submission.

Introduction. Despite an increase in the rigor of entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program admission, programs still struggle with student retention and success. The purpose of this study was to examine demographic and preadmission factors predictive of first year and overall program success in an entry-level public physical therapist education program. Subjects. Retrospective data from 473 DPT students at the Texas Woman’s University in Houston, TX, who entered the program between 2010 and 2018. Methods. This study included the following predictor variables: last 60 hours undergraduate (UG) grade point average (GPA), UG math/science GPA, overall UG GPA, science/nonscience major, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) component scores, GRE summed score (GRE-S), size and type of UG institution (dichotomized), gender, age, and personal grit score. Success in the program was measured by first-semester GPA, cumulative third-semester GPA, final program GPA, three-tiered ranking of academic and clinical education (CE) standing, completion of first-year program, and completion of the entire 3-year program. Results. First-year program success (first-semester GPA, cumulative third-semester GPA, and first-year completion) was predicted by age, overall UG GPA, GRE-S, and all GRE components. GRE scores and UG GPA when entered together predicted 45.8% of the first-year GPA. Overall program success was predicted by UG GPA, GRE-S, and all GRE components. GRE-S and UG GPA when entered together predicted 34.8% of final program GPA. Academic standing was predicted by multiple predictors, whereas CE performance was only predicted by 2 components of the GRE and GRE-S. When comparing students who completed the program versus those who did not, significant differences were found in all GRE components and overall UG GPA. Receiver-operating-characteristics analysis was used to determine cutoff scores for the GRE and overall UG GPA, which best predict first-year and program retention. Conclusion. Admissions committees of DPT should analyze their program-specific data to better guide their admissions decisions. Overall UG GPA and GRE continue to be strong predictors of physical therapist program success. In order to increase retention rates, DPT programs should consider additional resources for students who may be at risk.

Improve Student Success – Increase Graduation Rates and Decrease Time to Graduation

Co-operative (co-op) education programs have become integral to engineering curricula, merging theoretical learning with real-world experience and developing skills essential to student career readiness. However, defining and measuring success in these programs remains complex, given the diverse experiences and outcomes they produce. This paper presents a framework to evaluate student success in the Engineering Co-op program at Ontario Tech University. By examining academic outcomes, skill development, career readiness, and student and employer feedback, the framework provides a holistic view of success metrics. Data from the program, including Grade Point Average (GPA) trends, participation rates, and self-assessments, support the effectiveness of experiential learning in enhancing professional skills and academic performance. Preliminary findings suggest a positive correlation between co-op participation and GPA improvement, as well as an increase in students’ confidence and employability. These insights highlight the need for a multi-faceted evaluation model, offering engineering programs a pathway to refine co-op education to better prepare students for professional success.