Clayton State University Campus Plan Update 2021

SECTION 1: INSTITUTIONAL MISSION AND STUDENT BODY PROFILE

Clayton State University is a predominately black institution committed to “cultivating an environment of engaged, experience-based learning, enriched by active community service, that prepares students of diverse ages and backgrounds to succeed in their lives and careers” (Clayton State University Mission Statement, 2016). Located in the south Atlanta metro area, Clayton State’s diverse student body represents every region of the United States and some 50 foreign countries and reflects a mixture of ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic strata. Table 1 below illustrates the diversity of the students and the 5-year enrollment demographics by ethnic group.

Table 1: Enrollment by Ethnic Group

The Retention Challenge

As illustrated in tables 2 & 3 below, from 2014-2020 first-year retention rates for all students at Clayton State has averaged 69%. The first-year retention rate for Black or African American also reflects this same trend students reflects a similar trend – 69%.

Table 2: Retention Rate for All Students

Table 3: Retention Rate for Black or African American Students

While a small increase in rates can be seen within the overall student body and the Black or African American student cohort, the percentages for first-year retention rates in both groups still fall below the 2018 cohort national average of 80% and Georgia average of 77% for 4-year public institutions as reported by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS, 2021).

Graduation Rates

Tables 4 & 5 below indicate the 6-year graduation rates for all student and the Black or African American student cohorts at Clayton State who matriculated from Fall 2005 to Fall 2015. The average 6-year graduation rate for all students and the Black or African American student cohort were both 31%. However, the 6-year graduation rate in the Fall 2015 cohort for both groups did show an increase.

Table 4: 6-Year Graduation Rate for Bachelor’s Degree Seeking Students by Cohort

Table 5: 6-Year Graduation Rate for Black or African American Bachelor’s Degree Seeking Students

Graduation Rates in Underrepresented Degrees

Clayton State offers the following degrees where Black or African American students are considered underrepresented: Information Technology (AAS), Bachelor’s Degree Level, Biology (BS), Biology with Teacher Certification (BS), Chemistry (BS), Computer Science, Information Technology (BIT), Information Technology (BSIT), Mathematics (BS), and Mathematics with Teacher Certification (BS).

Table 6 below shows the 6-year graduation rates at Clayton State for all bachelor's degree seeking students in disciplines listed above. The data indicates that the graduation rates of students within the above disciplines is equal to the overall student body and greater than that of Black or African American students.

Table 6: 6-Year Graduation Rates for Bachelor’s Degree Student in Underrepresented Degrees

Financial Need

In terms of socio-economic status, during the 2020-2021 academic year, 2603 students were considered needy, 1756 students were considered low-income, 2,477 students were first-generation, and 3,801 students were Pell Grant recipients. These numbers/percentages related to socio-economic status impact our students by creating additional stressors to finding funds or relying on Pell Grants to pay for school. In many cases, our students are forced to "stop-out" and research has shown that "completion rates decrease with the length of stop-out" with 63% of students who stop-out not completing their degree if the stop-out period was within 3 years. (National Student Clearinghouse, 2019)

SECTION 2: IMPROVEMENT PRACTICES

Over past six months leadership at Clayton State University worked closely with our Institutional Research and Information Technology departments to become more agile in the way institutional data is reported, analyzed, and shared with the campus constituencies.  These efforts have involved Academic Deans, Academic Department Chairs, Information Technology team members, and student support offices.  From this work we have developed deeper understandings and actionable plans related to the following items:

• Utilization of D2L activity data to inform student engagement and outreach strategies;
• Grade distributions and the impact of changes to learning modalities;
• Impact of first-year student success based on when students interact with student support offices

As a result of these efforts, we have taken the following actions:

• Expanded Academic Department Chair self-service reporting ability to allow for deeper insights at the section and instructor level;
• Developed and identified a tracking mechanism for first-year students that have not been advised and that have not engaged with a student support office (i.e., Campus Life, Career Services, Tutoring, Recreation Center) which allows for more customized outreach efforts;
• Implemented a student belonging survey approach that goes to all new students once a month that addresses topics related to transition, social engagement, and academic success; and
• Integrated with the underlying D2L database to allow for better visualization of D2L activity within existing university applications and process (i.e. No Show reporting).

Our Strategic Plan 2022 identifies strategic priority number one as increasing enrollment, retention, and graduation rates.  The most recent 6-year graduation cohort graduation rate increased 5.3% to our highest rate ever of 35.9%.  During the same four-year period we realized a 6.4% gain in our 5-year graduation rate with our highest 5-year graduation rate ever at 31.4%. Overall trends for the IPEDS cohort remained consistent with pre-pandemic retention rate gains.   The 2-year (+3.6%) and 3-year (+4.1%) retention rates project to be among the highest rates achieved by Clayton State. We realized a decline in our first-year retention rate to 64.3%% from 69.2%.  In analyzing our first-year retention rate, we identified three populations of students that contributed to the decline: Pell eligible students, African American men, and students living in our first-year residence hall. An analysis of course related success rates identified that the move to fully online courses disproportionately impacted first-time freshmen. Clayton State redoubled our efforts this fall to proactively engage with these populations through our AAMI grant funded living-learning community, targeted outreach and engagement efforts from our student success located in Laker Hall, as well as prioritizing in-person courses to incoming freshmen and returning sophomores.

SECTION 3: BIG IDEA

After reflecting on the activities that had taken place on the Momentum Approach and the progress that had been made, the administration at Clayton State became aware that while the commitment to the momentum areas remained, the largely top-down approach to implementing the plans was impeding further progress. At the beginning of the 2021-2022 academic year, those key members of the Momentum Approach team decided to hit the reset button and involve more stakeholders across the university in the implementation of the associated activities. Additionally, instead of standing alone as a single initiative, the idea was to embed the activities in a larger plan that looked to increase retention and graduation rates in not only the first year, but in subsequent years. The overarching initiative branded as "Bridging Pathways from College to Career" involves not only strategies from the Momentum Year but also student academic support, co-curricular engagement, and faculty professional development designed to meet the needs of a diverse student body. Work in this area will be focused on: 1) Refining and revising course plans of studies so that students schedule Core Math, English, 9 credits of focus area courses, and credits during their first year; 2) Continue pressure testing program maps to further identify roadblocks to student success and implement strategies to mitigate the blocks; 3) Establish a website and a communication plan that illustrates the impact of a degree on a chosen career and helps students make purposeful choices when selecting a degree; 4) Provide support for faculty professional development in the areas of high impact practices and different teaching modalities; and 5) Provide support, workshops, and events for students and faculty that help promote a growth mindset and showcase best practices involving student success.

SECTION 4: MOMENTUM PLAN PROGRESS UPDATE

4.1: RESILIENCE PLAN

Clayton State’s commitment to the Momentum Year has positively contributed to gains in IPEDS cohort retention and graduation rates which are discussed further in section two. The pandemic caused us to modify several of our approaches to our momentum work for AY 22.  Our commitment to the principles of the Momentum year and Approach remains unwavering.  Based on lessons learned over the past year, Clayton State changed our internal structure to further embedded momentum work into our campus culture.  This resulted in a new working group structure that created sub-groups that are chaired by department chairs. The official home of the momentum work was also moved from the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Success to the Division of Academic Affairs.

Initiative:  Math, English, and 15 credits for incoming students

Results:  Fall 2021 realized an 8.7% increase in freshmen currently being on track to complete Math, English, and earn 30 credits by the end of their first year (71.2%).  Much of this continued gain is attributed to the focus on pre-registering students to a default schedule of 15 credits and the expansion of the utilization of eCore.  Overall, 88.3% of our incoming freshmen were registered as full-time (1% Increase from fall 2020) with 44.8% registered for 15 or more credits.  We continue to experience challenges getting students to attempt 15 credits.  These challenges include students unable to afford the full cost of a 15-credit semester with housing and meal plan charges, concerns about work and family commitments outside of school, co-requisite placement that results in a student stopping at 13 or 14 credits rather than enrolling in 16 or 17 credits.  Improving the percent of enrolled first-year students in English and Math remains a priority.  Due to staffing limitations, Clayton State will explore how to further strategically leverage instructional capacity provided through our eCore partnership.  

Table 7: Fall Freshmen Enrolled or Earned Credit in English and Math

Initiative:  Embedding faculty with student academic mindset

Results: For fall 2021 Clayton State changed our administration of the mindset survey.   Due to challenges with completion rates during virtual orientation sessions Clayton State moved the administration of the survey into our ENGL 1101 courses.  The pre and post surveys were distributed via D2L and faculty also encouraged their students to participate in the survey.  We anticipate this will help address our historically low participation rate on the post survey. In addition to the Student Mindset Survey shared with students in these courses, the Faculty Mindset Survey was piloted with all faculty teaching core classes in which freshman were enrolled.  These results will be combined with the student results to inform our work on next steps for addressing student mindset and faculty mindset.

Initiative: Centralization of student engagement and alert data 

 Results: For fall 2021 we centralized the collection of student engagement and faculty alert data.  Clayton State continue to track in real -time the number of academic and non-academic engagements of our first-year cohort in coordination with advising, student affairs, and academic support offices across campus.  Moreover, we targeted our early alert program on 16 key gateway courses that had significant gains in their DFW rates during Fall 2021 and for which there is a larger enrollment of first-year students.

We also implemented an anytime student success faculty referral and embedded that tool within our D2L course structure so that any faculty member could submit a referral if a student was not engaging with the course or was not achieving academic success. These efforts resulted in a 29.8% increase in the utilization of our Center for Academic Success for fall 2021.  Moving forward, we plan to analyze the academic and non-academic engagement data to identify key metrics to automate interventions based on student engagement patterns.

Initiative: Updating Pathways and Pressure Testing

Results: The Academic Engagement and Student Success Committee spent several weeks during July and August 2021 reviewing the recommended course plans of study for every academic degree program at Clayton State to determine adherence to Momentum Year guidance and pressure test the curriculum to determine if roadblocks to degree completion existed. Based on this analysis, we determined that all the program plans are aligned with Momentum Year guidance and include one major-related course in the first semester and 9 hours of major-related coursework in the first year. In reviewing the scheduling that took place from spring 2017 through spring 2021, it was determined that the scheduling of classes was aligned with the established course plans of study so course offerings were available to help students progress toward degree completion. In the year ahead, we plan to work with USG Academic Affairs to pilot a pressure testing tool that further analyzes the curriculum.

Initiative: Analysis of Success Rates in Key Gateway Courses

Results: A subcommittee of the Academic Engagement and Student Success Committee with assistance from Institution Research conducted an analysis of success rates in key gateway and core classes to ascertain a list of historically high DFW rate courses. In conducting this analysis, any course that was identified as required for completion in one or more-degree programs was tagged as such. Using a threshold of 33.3% DFW rates for required courses as a potential barrier to degree completion, the committee identified 21 courses (Table 8 below) that fell within the threshold. Based on the finding, funds were requested from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Act (HEERF) and the Federal Department of Education Predominantly Black Institution Grant to provide support for student learning assistants who work in concert with the faculty member teaching the course to provide peer academic tutoring and in-class support.

Table 8: Courses within the 33.3% DFW Rate Threshold

Initiative: Math Pathways (MATH1401)

In response to the Math Pathways Initiative, MATH 1401 (along with co-requisite MATH 096) was added to Core Curriculum Area A over this past summer to offer another option for non-STEM students who are not required to take a calculus course and whose major requires a standard elementary statistics course. The course also remains as an Area D option (previously approved) for all majors. Course plans have been adjusted to include this new option.

4.2: GLOBAL SUPPORT

Over the past year, several groups were set up to look at goals surrounding the infusion of the momentum approach beyond the first year and to track progress in developing the plans. The plan for more global support involved five major themes: 1) Communication Planning, 2) Faculty and Staff Professional Development and Support, 3) Data Visualization Plan, 4) Faculty and Student Mindset, and 4) Program Maps and Pressure Tests. Work continued throughout the year and progress was made in some of the activities associated with the themes listed above; however, progress toward completion of the some of the activities was impeded by pandemic related contingency plan implementations and the acknowledgement that a change in strategy was needed to diffuse the activities into the broader culture of the university. Beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year, Clayton State implemented a new committee structure described in section 4.2. This restructuring was implemented to enable global momentum support and increase the ownership of momentum work beyond campus senior leadership. A sub-group was appointed to identify and address opportunities for further improvement in the communication of our momentum work to all campus constituencies. This group identified the need to rebrand the momentum work as part of "Bridging Pathways from College to Career" and embed the work within the larger context of existing campus student success initiatives and USG initiatives (see Section 3: Big Idea).  The launch of a new university strategic plan and brand campaign starting in January 2022 will further cement our efforts to integrate the components of the momentum initiative through the lifespan of a student as well as ensure a consistent and transparent update structure on Clayton State’s work. The sections that follow address both the work that had been started and continues to progress.

1. Communication Planning

Activity 1.1: Develop a message campaign that incorporates the momentum approach.

• Websites containing information on Graduate Sooner CSU, career explorations associated with majors, program plans for majors have been implemented but a centralized "concierge" site that helps students better navigate and access information is still in development.

2. Faculty and Staff Professional Development and Support

Activity 2.1: Highlight momentum approach work during council meetings and campus wide events for faculty and staff

• Campus-wide events included a faculty and staff day that focused on challenges that students face and ways to overcome those challenges; presentations were given at administrative council meetings to update units across the institution.

Activity 2.2: Place momentum approach evaluation methods into the annual evaluation process

• This strategy was not implemented in 2020-2021 but will be included in future changes to the evaluation process for staff and faculty.

3. Data Plan

Activity 3.1: Implement a dashboard the tracks activities and measures related to student success

• TargetX was purchased during this past year and dashboards are currently in development to visually represent the work done within student success and career connections.

4. Program Maps and Pressure Testing

Activity 4.1: Identify courses that push students off track as they progress towards completion

• An initial review of suggested plans of student was implemented. Additional pressure testing will take place during the coming year.

Activity 4.2: Identify courses with high numbers of course substitutions

• Work on this is still in progress

Activity 4.3: Develop and refine program maps for every major/modality

• Program maps are completed for every major/modality and are currently being refined based on an analysis of courses by semester that suggested potential scheduling challenges for departments due to personnel demands.

5. Faculty and Student Mindset

Activity 5.1: Student Mindset Surveys

• Surveys were transitioned to introductory English courses to promote a high completion rate.

Activity 5.2: Faculty Mindset Surveys

Surveys were administered to faculty teaching introductory English courses and Core courses that contained freshmen students