PACE is a first-year student program that provides intentional interventions through both curricular and co-curricular activities that support academic perseverance and enhance a sense of belonging. Beginning with First Chime, a fun convocation to “ring” in the beginning of the school year, students are connected to faculty members in their focus area and peer mentors to understand expectations for the first weeks of school. Interventions are planned and implemented in Perspectives (our first-year seminar course). Advising and campus resources presentations are given followed with lab activities intended to integrate students into these critical areas of support. Understanding the importance of engagement, additional activities are weaved into the curriculum to encourage connection to campus. Through the Perspectives class, students are provided reflection opportunities to help synthesize their learning. The program is coordinated through the Student Success unit but involves faculty from all academic departments, Office of Student Transitions, Office of Student Engagement & Belonging, Peer Education and the Advising Center.
The Quality Enhancement Plan seeks continuous improvement relative to two Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills that develop their academic perseverance.
2. Students will describe an enhanced sense of belonging within the College.
PACE leadership coordinates and collects data at various points of the year, including a biannual report of plan project areas, annual administration of NSSE, and course reflections rated with the AAC&U Lifelong Learning VALUE rubric. The PACE Ambassadors and a group of volunteer faculty and staff assessed the associated artifacts, which were reflections on in-class presentations on advising, campus resources, and engagement. Each artifact was double scored to ensure inter-rater reliability. In lieu of suggested best practices of a 20% randomized sampling, a randomized sampling of 15% was assessed, due to the bandwidth of evaluators and the volume of the artifacts.
KPIs, Measures, Targets, Results, Goals
- Associated Competencies with PRSP course—Increase understanding of someone else’s views by imagining how an issue looks from their perspective. Measure: NSSE question 2e: Tried to better understand someone else’s views by imagining how an issue looks from his or her perspective.
Targets: 2023 – 65% chose “often” or “very often,” 2024 – 68%, 2025 – 71%, 2026 – 74%, 2027 – 76%
Results: 2023 – 72% chose “often” or “very often,” 2024 – 71%, 2025 –79% Assessment: NSSE results indicate that Dalton State exceeded its target not only for 2025 but also for the life of the QEP. - 2. Design interactions for students to understand available engagement opportunities.
Measure: NSSE 14e: Felt the institution placed emphasis on providing opportunities to be involved socially.
Targets: % students choosing “often or “very often.” 58% baseline established in 2020. Targets include: 60% (2024); 63% (2025); 66% (2026); 68% (2027) Results: In 2025 80% chose “often” or “very often.”
Assessment: NSSE results indicate that Dalton State vastly exceeded the target on this measure. Additionally, the Modern Campus App, DSConnect is at the point of full implementation. Although not reflected in this data cycle, “Fledge Fest,” our half-day event for first-year students was in and of itself an engagement opportunity and included an engagement fair. Consequently, we anticipate that this event will positively affect NSSE data for 2026. - Develop common PRSP activities (engagement with reflections)
Measure: Foundations and Skills for Lifelong Learning Rubric (AAC&U) scoring for PRSP course reflections
Targets: 51 presentations (baseline established year 1), rubric mean 1.61/4 (baseline established year 2)
Results: Advising and Campus resource reflections for Fall 2025 will be scored at the end of the semester. Engagement reflections will be assessed later this semester through a different program, called “Fledge Fest.”
Assessment: Efficacy of Fledge Fest was assessed through a student survey. However, the results of the survey are not available as of this writing. - Expand outreach from Student Success and Advising Center.
Measure: Budget positions in the Student Success and Advising Center. Targets: 1 new budged position, move 2 grant-funded positions to budgeted positions, 1 part-time adviser
Results: Student success and advising met these targets in a previous reporting cycle and are maintaining work with recent growth.
Assessment: Interventions are implemented. - Create campus traditions for first-year students
Measure: Plan and implement First Chime, our new student convocation. Targets: 78% of incoming first-year students attend First Chime.
Results: For Fall 2025 1,751 new freshmen students were admitted and 1,426 attended First Chime (81%), exceeding our 78% goal. - Expand outreach from student resources across campus.
Measure: NSSE 14c: How much the institution emphasized using learning support services.
Targets: % choosing “very much” or “quite a bit.” 63% baseline established in 2020. Targets include: 66% (2023); 69% (2024); 72% (2025); 75% (2026); 80% (2027).
Results: 2023: 78%; 2024: 80%, 2025: 83% Assessment: NSSE results indicate that Dalton State vastly exceeded the target for this measure for the life of the QEP.
This year, findings from the AAC&U Lifelong Learning VALUE Rubric of the advising and campus resources presentations were statistically significant. However, there was still a low response rate of students who completed the reflection. One intervention to improve response rates is that Perspectives faculty discussed administering these reflections in class. The previous section on assessment points to student interventions being highly effective. First Chime’s second annual iteration had some logistical adjustments but was highly successful. Also, as previously mentioned, we piloted Fledge Fest. Consequently, a framework for student transitions to college is becoming more solidified on our campus.
PACE program is associated with our QEP and has two more years in its duration. We are currently transitioning the program’s director which we do not anticipate being disruptive. As we complete the Fall 2025 semester, we will assess student reflection’s and avenues for Perspectives class faculty to provide feedback for improvements in the next year.
Maintaining momentum of the program as we continue to make improvements each year will be the biggest challenge. Faculty engagement in the program is critical to its success in the classroom so particular efforts will be made to ensure the program’s value and impact on student success.
