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Bainbridge State College Campus Plan Update 2016

Campus Plan Update (PDF version)
Appendix
Strategies: 
AdvisingTracking Student SuccessEarly AlertsFinancial Risk AlertsDual EnrollmentDecrease Credits at graduationProgram Maps

Institutional Mission and Student Body Profile

Bainbridge State College, a state college of the University System of Georgia, provides an accessible, affordable, and excellent education for the diverse population of southwest Georgia and beyond through certificates, diplomas, associate degrees, and select baccalaureate programs as well as through continuing education, adult education, and collaboration with other educational providers, resulting in life-long learning, economic development, and graduates empowered for success in a global society.

Table #1: Enrollment Data

Bainbridge State College Students

Fall 2011

Fall 2012

Fall 2013

Fall 2014

Fall 2015
           

Total Student Body

3734

2939

2699

2470

2401
           

Average Age

30

30

29

29

25.9

Percent <25 years of age

59.6%

59.4%

64.9%

70.4%

75.0%

Percent >25 years of age

40.4%

40.6%

35.1%

29.6%

25.0%
           

Student Enrollment

          

Percent Enrolled FT

54%

52%

43%

38%

34%

Percent Enrolled PT

46%

48%

57%

62%

66%
           

Military/Veterans

          

Total Students

59

62

65

49

50

Percent of Student Population

1.6%

2.1%

2.4%

2.0%

2.1%
           

Students by Gender

          

Female (F)

2,593

2,085

1,936

1,745

1,655

Male (M)

1,141

854

763

725

746

Totals

3734

2939

2699

2470

2401
           

Students by Race

          

American Indian

6

5

4

5

4

Asian

14

4

12

10

10

Black/African American

2162

1636

1484

1268

1,193

Hispanic

63

55

70

82

101

Native Hawaiian

2

1

1

2

0

White

1,378

1,160

1,081

1,058

1,042

Two or More Races

21

21

21

27

22

Race Unknown or Undeclared

88

57

26

18

29

Totals

3734

2939

2699

2470

2401
           

Students by Ethnicity

          

Hispanic of any race

63

55

70

82

101

Non-Hispanic

3,583

2,827

2,603

2,370

2,271

Not Available

88

57

26

18

29

Totals

3734

2939

2699

2470

2401

Source: USG 123

Measures of Student Achievement

Source: BSC Office of the Registrar

As enrollment has drastically declined, BSC has also increased the number of degree and certificate completions. From fall of 2011 to fall of 2015, degrees conferred have increased by a net of 9.4% (See Appendix A, Chart 1). During the same timeframe, enrollment decreased by 38% (net headcount) and by 45% (net FTE). While enrollment declined in terms of both headcount and FTE from 2011-2015, the number of graduates actually increased. During the same timeframe Student Retention has also increased:

Academic Year

1 year institutional retention rates

2 year institutional retention rates

2012

40.3%

25.5%

2013

49.2%

33.4%

2014

54.8%

33.5%

2015

54.0%

in progress

2016

in progress

in progress

Source: USG 123

Institutional Completion Goals, Strategies, and Activities

Related CCG Goal(s)

Goal #1 Increase in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded by USG institutions

Goal #2 Increase the number of degrees that are awarded “on time”

Goal #3 Decrease excess credits earned on the path to getting a degree

Goal #4 Provide Intentional Advising to keep students on track to graduate

High Impact Strategy

Continuation of establishing criteria for identifying students who may need special interventions in the semester

Demonstration of Priority

Meeting this goal helps BSC staff identify and intervene as soon as possible for students with academic, and as necessary, personal needs. The Always Alert and Early Alert programs provide specific data which allow timely contact tailored to the urgency level of each alert.

Primary Point of Contact

Dr. Sam Mayhew

Assistant Dean of Student Affairs

Samuel.mayhew@bainbridge.edu

Summary of Activities
  • Continuation of Always Alert and Early Alert systems.
  • Early Alert process requires that students be contacted earlier in the semester after the drop/add period
  • Always Alert and Early Alert processes include a comment section on the alert file that provides instructors an opportunity to clearly explain the student’s needs and weakness; while also providing valuable information to advisors to assist students in developing a more specific success plan
  • Have embedded peer mentors in some Learning Support and DFW courses; plan to add to FYE courses but need increased funding for peer mentors
  • Continuation of success coaching in online courses
  • Have implemented proactive advising model for first-year students with professional counselors
  • Degree Works has been successfully and fully implemented
  • Students are required to choose a major before the end of their first term
  • Major changes are limited to 1 per Academic Year and 3 all time
  • If a student attempts to withdraw from 50% or more of their courses, they are required to meet with an Academic Advisor

Measures of Progress and Success

 

Baseline Status

The institution’s Early Alert and Always Alert initiatives were fully implemented in Fall 2012, with continual updates to the process since inception.

  • Reported alerts included
    • 2012-13 à Strategy implementation
    • 2013-14 à 484 alerts reported; 346 negative _ 138 positive
    • 2014-15 à 1834 alerts reported; 1,404 negative + 403 positive
    • 2015-16 à 2022 alerts reported; 1445 negative_ 588 positive
      • Total alerts includes students that may have received more than one negative or positive alert from one or more faculty members
  • Number of students with reported alerts (duplicated)
    • 2013-14 à Data not available
    • 2014-15 à 1,459 students
    • 2015-16 à 1647 students
  • Faculty participation in the Always Alert system included
    • 2012-13 à implementation year
    • 2013-14 à Data not available
    • 2014-15 à 58 faculty
    • 2015-16 à 81 faculty
  • During the 2012-2013 academic year the embedding of peer tutors was piloted. The college has continued this process, identifying and then embedding peer mentors into courses that have significantly higher D,F,W rates
    • 2012-13 (implementation year)à 46 sections had embedded peer tutors
    • 2013-14à 84 sections had embedded peer tutors
    • 2014-15à 58 sections had embedded peer tutors (for Fall 2014 and Spring 2015)
    • 2015-16à 64 sections had embedded peer tutors  (for Fall 2015 and Spring 2016)
  • Success coaching in online classes has also been implemented at the college and has proven successful.
    • Fall 2014 there were 127 online classes in which a success coach was present
    • Spring 2015 included 112 online classes with a success coach
    • Summer 2015 included the involvement of a success coach in 88 online classes
    • During Fall 2015 and Spring 2016, 100% of completely online courses had a success coach
  • In Fall 2015 the college implemented a faculty advising model that places students with 31 or more hours with a faculty advisor in their discipline
    • In Spring 2015 1,189 students were identified as enrolled and who had more than 31 hours. These individuals were reassigned to faculty advisors
    • Returning students with 30+ earned hours reassigned to faculty advisors during AY 2016:
      • Spring 2015: 209
      • Summer 2015: 310
      • Fall 2015: 107
      • Spring 2016: 230

Measures of Success
  • Number of contacts generated by each Alert system as well as the Online Coaching program
  • Number of faculty members who use Always Alert
  • Completion rates for courses with embedded peer mentors
  • Number of students with 30+ earned hours transitioned to faculty advisors each term
  • Number of contacts generated by reassignment of returning students to faculty advisors
  • Number of returning students who register early
  • Number of major changes per academic year
  • Number of withdrawals per term (see Appendix B, Chart 2)

Lessons Learned

Retention rates have improved markedly at BSC (see Appendix A, Table 1), due in large part to the extensive work done in increasing timely intervention, advising, and online coaching. These initiatives are in their infancy, which dictates continued innovation in methods and materials. Requiring students to meet with their advisor before they initiate path altering changes including major changes, withdrawals, and course choice has positively affected retention, course completion (see Appendix B, Charts 3, 4, 5, and 6), withdrawal rates (See Appendix B, Chart 2), and program of study completion, among other measures.

Related CCG Goal(s)

Goal #1 Increase in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded by USG institutions

Goal #2 Increase the number of degrees that are awarded “on time”

Goal #3 Decrease excess credits earned on the path to getting a degree

Goal #8: Restructure instructional delivery to support educational excellence and student success

High Impact Strategy

Comprehensive review and redesign of all WEB (online only) courses via the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP); expansion of course delivery including delivery methods, parts of term, and updated pedagogies

Demonstration of Priority

Meeting this goal allows BSC to offer courses that fit a larger variety of academic (learning styles), personal (student scheduling), selective admission program requirements (such as Nursing), and completion needs

Primary Point of Contact

Dr. Ruth Salter

Director of Institutional Effectiveness

Ruth.salter@bainbridge.edu

Summary of Activities
  • During SACSCOC reaffirmation in 2011, BSC designated online learning as the focus for a Quality Enhancement Plan; during Academic Year 2012, the QEP Plan was set into motion
  • Faculty training was first conducted in groups, but after reviewing this process, future training was done one on one; all courses were scheduled to be completely revised within 5 Academic Years
  • As a result of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), all current online classes have met a standard of quality as measured by a nationally accepted rubric.  Any new online class must also meet that standard of quality before being taught for the first time.  All program and curriculum development, review, and approval processes are consistent regardless of instructional methodology or location of instruction.
  • A “Georgia View Tutorial” instrument was created to measure student preparedness for online courses; all students are required to complete this tutorial before they can register for an online course
  • Students who wish to take a fully online course must be exempt from Learning Support requirements, either by examination or course completion
  • Two teams of faculty were trained to review online course offerings according to predetermined rubrics and standards; these faculty members were paid a stipend for their work
  • New teaching methods have been introduced and encouraged including:
    • Short term course delivery (A term, B term, C term)
    • Hybrid Classroom (partially online, partially face to face)
    • Flipped Classroom
    • Emporium Classroom
    • Technology Enhanced Classroom

Measures of Progress and Success

 

Baseline Status
  • 100% of faculty are trained in course design standards by the Center for Teaching Excellence
  • 4 year (Fall to Fall) history of percentage of students who successfully completed full term online courses (see Appendix B, Chart 6):
    • Fall 2012: 68.32%
    • Fall 2013: 68.59%
    • Fall 2014: 71.88%
    • Fall 2015: 73.41%
  • 4 year (Fall to Fall) history of percentage of students who successfully completed full term hybrid courses (see Appendix B, Chart 5):
    • Fall 2012: 71.75%
    • Fall 2013: 71.39%
    • Fall 2014: 71.89%
    • Fall 2015: 78.07%
  • In Appendix B, charts (3, 4, 5, and 6) for each delivery mode (Lecture only, Lecture/Supervised Lab, Hybrid, Online only) provide a comparison between success rates of each mode of delivery as well as full term offerings and partial term offerings for each mode of delivery

Measures of Success
  • Success rates for students in online only courses
  • For the sake of comparison, success rates for students in courses of all modes of delivery
  • Student Satisfaction with online only courses
  • Student Satisfaction with hybrid courses

Lessons Learned

The QEP has greatly improved online course delivery at BSC. Faculty members are also encouraged to design more hybrid sections and to offer courses during different parts of term. Due to the QEP and various other retention and completion related initiatives, successful course completion has increased in online only courses by 5.09%. Overall course completion has improved by 8.27%. For a comprehensive comparison between all instructional methods, please see Appendix B, Chart 7. These improvements are due in large part to the implementation of the QEP.

Related CCG Goal(s)

Goal #1: Increase in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded by USG Institutions

Goal #2: Increase the number of degrees that are earned “on time”

Goal #3: Decrease excess credits earned on the path to getting a degree

Goal #4 Provide Intentional Advising to keep students on track to graduate

High Impact Strategy

Implement Degree Works as a primary advising tool and go “Live” with the Student Educational Planner feature; this is designated as a priority activity due to the accuracy, consistency, and institutional flexibility inherent to Degree Works and the SEP

Demonstration of Priority

Meeting this goal provides a framework by which all advisors and staff can consistently access, contextualize, and disseminate student progress; this has already led to increased completion and retention and will further increase these metrics in future academic years 

Primary Point of Contact

Ridge Harper

Director of College Completion

Ridge.harper@bainbridge.edu

Summary of Activities
  • As of August 2015, Degree Works has been available to all students, staff, and faculty
  • As of September 2015, Academic Plans were created in the Student Educational Planner for all programs of study
  • In most cases, Plans are assigned before mandatory Orientation sessions; in all cases, a Plan is created and edited by students and their professional advisors before the end of their first term
  • Since implementation began in AY 2013, Degree Works has undergone many changes; it has, however, functioned as a primary source of completion evaluation for the Office of the Registrar

Measures of Progress and Success

 

Baseline Status
  • Degrees conferred by academic year(see Appendix A, Table 2)
  • Beginning Fall 2015, all newly enrolled students have been assigned a “Plan” in the Student Educational Planner and roughly 70% of returning students have been assigned a “Plan”

Measures of Success
  • Number of degrees conferred
  • Number of degrees conferred “on time”
  • Number of students with a “Plan”
  • Number and percentage of students taking courses outside of their “Plan”
  • Number and Percentage of staff and faculty using the SEP in Advising

Lessons Learned

Though implementation of Degree Works has been long lived, the program has been completely “Live” for 6 terms. The Student Educational Planner has been implemented and “Live” for 4 terms, much earlier than other USG schools. Degree Works has been very successful in helping BSC evaluate, analyze, and confirm program completion for the vast majority of our students. The many features of Degree Works and the SEP must be leveraged to better contextualize student data pertaining to advising, completion, and student achievement. Training in Crystal Reports has begun to assist with reporting capabilities via Transit and the SEP. The results of this training will allow BSC staff to better mine for completers and forecast course demand for coming terms. Degree Works has already changed the way that BSC advisors communicate with students about their programs of study. The Student Educational Planner has the potential to revolutionize advising by standardizing the way that student progress and complete their studies.

Related CCG Goal(s)

Goal #1 Increase in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded by USG institutions

Goal #2 Increase the number of degrees that are awarded “on time”

Goal #3 Decrease excess credits earned on the path to getting a degree

Goal #4 Provide Intentional Advising to keep students on track to graduate

Goal #6 Shorten time to degree completion through programs that allow students to earn college credit while still in high school and by awarding credit for prior learning that is verified by appropriate assessment

Goal #9: Improve access for underserved and/or priority communities

High Impact Strategy

Recruitment and enrollment of higher numbers of Move On When Ready (MOWR) students

Demonstration of Priority

Meeting this goal provides high school students with the opportunity to earn college credit at no cost to them or their HOPE eligibility

Primary Point of Contact

Spencer Stewart

Associate Dean of Student Affairs

sstewart@bainbridge.edu

Laura Brown

Admissions Advisor

Laura.brown@bainbridge.edu

Summary of Activities
  • Beginning Fall 2015, recruitment and enrollment of eligible MOWR students was drastically increased following comprehensive legislative amendment of the program
  • A full time Admissions Advisor is primarily responsible for establishing and facilitating relationships with school districts in the BSC service area
  • Consistent and structured testing opportunities extended to area high schools at the BSC campus as well as at high school campuses
  • Open House and Visitation Day events created to reach out to secondary students and their families
  • Orientation sessions specifically created for MOWR students each Fall term
  • A paradigm relationship exists with Mitchell County High School in which a counselor accompanies MOWR students to the BSC main campus during the first few weeks of each term to help them adjust to increased expectations, academic rigor, and new resources

 

Measures of Progress and Success

 

Baseline Status
  • MOWR eligible students enrolled at BSC during Academic Year 2016:
    • Fall 2014: 234
    • Spring 2015: 236
    • Summer 2015: 4
    • Fall 2015: 403
    • Spring 2016: 460
  • 5 Year history of Credits earned by MOWR students:
    • 2011-12: 1017
    • 2012-13: 904
    • 2013-14: 1815
    • 2014-15: 2598

2015-16: 3770

  • Sections of first year courses created and reserved for MOWR students
    • Fall 2015: 41 individual sections; 34 taught on high school campuses
    • Spring 2016: 47 individual sections; 37 taught on high school campuses
  • During Academic year 2016, 19 MOWR students completed an Associate of Arts degree before they completed high school; 1 student completed during summer 2016
  • BSC also awards credit for prior learning experience; during AY 2016 the Office of the Registrar reviewed student transcripts and awarded the following credits:
    • Advanced Placement Credit: 102 credit hours
    • CLEP credit: 63 credit hours
    • Departmental Examination: 124 credit hours
    • Military (ACE) credit hours: 83 credit hours

                                                   Other (unspecified): 8 credit hours

  • Course Completion rates for courses attempted by MOWR students
    • Summer 2015: 100% successful
    • Fall 2015: 97.03% successful

                                        Spring 2016: 96.91% successful

Measures of Success
  • Number of MOWR students enrolled each term
  • Number of MOWR students completing a program of study each Academic year
  • Course Completion Rates for courses attempted by MOWR students

 

Lessons Learned

Increases in MOWR enrollment during each term have been exponential due to the tireless recruitment, enrollment, and counseling efforts of the Office of Admissions. There are several school systems in the BSC service area however, in which our relationships and presence can be improved. Intentionality is vital when communicating with secondary schools. The degree to which educational relationships are fostered dictates the overall quality of experience for MOWR students. Further expansion of educational opportunities for eligible high school students will remain a major focus going forward.

Related CCG Goal(s)

Goal #1 Increase in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded by USG institutions

Goal #2 Increase the number of degrees that are awarded “on time”

Goal #3 Decrease excess credits earned on the path to getting a degree

Goal #4 Provide Intentional Advising to keep students on track to graduate

High Impact Strategy

Transformation of Financial Aid processes and SAP Policy

Demonstration of Priority

Meeting this goal helps Financial Aid staff identify students taking advantage of needs based financial aid, reduce loan default rates, reduce return to Title IV, etc.

Primary Point of Contact

Haley Hooks

Director of Financial Aid

Haley.hooks@bainbridge.edu

Summary of Activities
  • During Academic Year 2016, the SAP Policy has been continuously reviewed and amended to reflect changes in federal and state financial aid programs; the current format of the SAP policy highlights the most important aspects of maintaining SAP and possible consequences if not
  • The number of Financial Aid counselors has been increased to meet the demands of student account review and financial aid advising
  • Financial Aid Information sessions are conducted each term in all First Year Experience (FYE) 1102 courses
  • The financial aid appeals committee has been expanded to include members from all departments of Student Services as well as one member from Academic Affairs
  • Communication to students regarding SAP policy and general financial aid knowledge has been drastically increased and includes mailings, email correspondence, financial aid information workshops, digital signage, etc.
  • Intentionality of contact with Financial Aid counselors has been increased; for example, students are required to meet with their Financial Aid counselor if they wish to change their major, have financial aid status of “NO” or “ACADEMIC PLAN”

Measures of Progress and Success

 

Baseline Status
  • 5 year (Fall to Fall) history of percentage of students with financial aid status of SAP “YES”
    • Fall 2011: 49.33%
    • Fall 2012: 63.17%
    • Fall 2013: 67.39%
    • Fall 2014: 70.74%
    • Fall 2015: 74.62%
    • Spring 2016: 79.71%
  • For Academic Year 2016, Percentages of students receiving needs based financial aid:
    • PELL: 57.3%
    • HOPE: 23.1%
  • For Academic Year 2016, Percentage of students receiving student loans:
    • 35.8%
  • As of the last publication of student loan default rates, BSC’s default rate has been reduced
    • FY 2011 Default Rate: 28.4
    • FY 2012 Default Rate: 29.7
    • FY 2013 Default Rate: 28.1

Measures of Success
  • Number of students with SAP “YES” status during each term (see Appendix A, Chart 2 and Table 2)
  • Number of students on financial aid appeal
    • Percentage of appeals approved
    • Percentage of appeals denied
  • Number of students receiving PELL
  • Number of students receiving HOPE
  • Number of students receiving student loans
  • Number of students in loan default

 

Lessons Learned

During Academic Years 2012-2016, the Office of Financial Aid has evolved in many positive and encouraging ways. Successful maintenance of SAP by students has increased due to better communication and more contact with financial aid counselors, intervention by academic counselors and advisors, and the collaborative efforts of administration, staff, and faculty. Percentages of students who are SAP “YES” have increased by 10% since Fall of 2014. Overall, the percentage of students who are SAP “YES” has increased by 30% since AY 2012! This is incredibly important due to the direct correlation that SAP status has with all aspects of progression, retention, and completion. Revisionary efforts in Financial Aid processing and SAP policy reform are ongoing to ensure that BSC is always compliant with federal and state regulations.  

Observations

There has been much change at Bainbridge State College during the past 5 academic years. In an ever evolving college environment, the administrators, staff, and faculty at BSC have collectively focused on efforts that have produced the greatest amount of success.

  • The implementation of Degree Works has proven to be a boon to our advising, retention, and degree completion efforts; continued work and new resources in our proactive advising model have proven to increase student retention and program of study completion rates
  • Early Alert and Always Alert have both created new opportunities to intervene for our underperforming and at risk students
  • Embedded tutors and online mentoring have increased our outreach to students who need supplemental instruction.
  • Increased focus on recruitment and enrollment of MOWR students has expanded educational opportunities for high school students at all socioeconomic levels
  • Financial Aid and SAP policy reforms have led to a 30% increase in financial aid eligible students
  • The QEP and efforts to expand variety in course delivery have provided BSC students with the opportunity to choose courses that suit their personal, academic, and developmental needs

These efforts and many more have enriched the academic and developmental lives of BSC students. Due to these and other efforts, retention and degree completion have increased dramatically (see Appendix A, Table 1 and Chart 1).

Transforming remediation and the Summer Academy program have been included in previous CCG Campus Plan Updates. While the Summer Academy has been discontinued due to a lack of funding, Learning Support reform is an ongoing initiative which will likely feature as a high impact strategy in future Campus Plan Updates once the program has been relatively static for another academic year.

In the future we would like to focus on our current strategies while identifying potential high impact initiatives such as:

  • Further expansion of the Student Educational Planner in Degree Works as an advising, retention, reporting, and completion tool
  • Mining for potential completers across all curricula via Banner, Crystal Reports, Transit, the SEP, and more
  • Restructuring of transfer and non-transfer degree level pathways
  • Increasing adoption of “open source” texts in all courses
  • Expanding academic relationships past our current articulation agreements with Georgia Southwestern, Thomas University, and UGA Tifton
  • Expanding professional relationships, internships, and job placement opportunities with local and regional industries

We have seen the most direct success with our intervention efforts as well as course redesign, proactive advising, Degree Works implementation, and financial aid reform. In the coming academic years, with the CCG Goals as a guide, BSC will continue to pursue the most innovative and impactful methods of improving student retention and degree completion.