Free Report - Institutions' Use of Data and Analytics for Student Success

https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/DATA2018_DOWNLOAD.pdf

If you love higher education technology and data analytics as much as I do, you will love this report from NASPA (The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators), Educause, and the Association for Institutional Research. This report was written by Amelia Parnell, Darlena Jones, Alexis Wesaw, and D. Christopher Brooks.

The report contains the following:

Executive Summary

Discussion of Findings

Part I: Types of Student Success Data Projects

Part II: Structures in Place

Part III: Level of Coordination

Part IV: Programs, Interventions, and Outcomes

Implications and Recommendations

References

The report also includes a methodology, additional resources, and acknowledgements.

Here are the recommendations from the study:

Recommendation 1: Identify and expand institutionally appropriate roles for IR, IT, and student affairs.

Recommendation 2: Transcend or remove certain organizational silos to improve communication across all position levels.

Recommendation 3: Prioritize measuring student outcomes.

Recommendation 4: Increase the use of qualitative data, especially from students.

My reflection: This report was great and included many institutions. However, as a higher education researcher and former higher education administrator, I think the report would benefit greatly from numerous reflections from higher education adminstrators.

For example, the first recommendation highlights the expansion of institutionally appropriate roles, but most institutions have very limited budgets that cannot accommodate the expansion of positions or add additional responsibilities to roles.

Also, I recommend that institutions provide a set of guidelines for effective communication with students (for student retention efforts), but I am not a proponent of large communication committees or councils. The formation of these groups can slow down progress for retention. Sometimes these councils that usually consist of individuals from institutional research, institutional technology, student affairs, enrollment management, and academic affairs and exist to control the distribution of messages to students.

Also, I wanted to share this infographic that I created about Student Success Technology.

Read the report, view the infographic and digest the information. Feel free to write about the report during the comment box! I would love to read it!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

My Social Media Channels!
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Three Student Success Action Items for Student Success Collaborative and Navigate Professionals!

If your campus utilizes the Student Success Collaborative (Navigate) platform, consider yourself to be extremely lucky! We had a few awesome training sessions at my university and I was incredibly lucky to facilitate these sessions for the faculty, staff, and students at my university and also Texas A&M University's advising team.

We had several sessions that focused on the features of the Navigate platform. Yes, I know that the Education Advisory Board company will continue to update the platform, but the basic components of the platform will remain the same (I hope). The components are easy for the faculty, staff, and students to navigate, but these important individuals at the university also need special reminders about the key clicks they need to make to "make things happen" on the platform.

So, here are three things that faculty, staff, and students at higher education institutions (colleges and universities) need to know in order to effectively navigate the platforms.

Action Item 1 - How to Boost Your Student Success Collaborative Campaign (2-3 Days After Sending the Invitation)

Action Item 2 - How to Schedule an Advising Appointment on EAB Navigate (formerly the Student Success Collaborative)

Action Item 3 - How to Create Tutoring Appointments on EAB Navigate (formerly the Student Success Collaborative)

Enjoy these three action items and please let me know if you have any questions. I will be happy to help! My contact information is listed below.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
Remember to Subscribe to Me on YOUTUBE
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Facebook - Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
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Transition Week - First-Time in College Tips for Freshmen Students

When the beginning of the year starts at Tarleton State University, many first-time in college students comprise the newest class of students at the university. Since 2012, the university as offered a unique interactive learning experience for these new students.

This experience is Transition Week and it engages almost 1,500 students each fall semester. The students persist through a very organized schedule to learn about campus resources, the location of their classes, and they have a change to get to know their class peers before the rest of the students come back to campus (you know those - sophomores, juniors, and seniors). 

During this week, we also have a first-year convocation which simulates an actual graduation ceremony for new first-time in college students. Here's a glimpse into the ceremony.

Unfortunately, some students are not able to attend the sessions as a result of attending national guard boot camp or finishing up a college class at a local community college. The students receive transition week credit for attending the classes and they have to complete the Online Transition Week components.

So, I created an alternative way to complete the online components through Blackboard Modules. Here's the overview of the Blackboard Module course:

Enjoy the content! Please feel free to ask me questions about the Online Transition Week. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
Remember to Subscribe to Me on YOUTUBE
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Facebook - Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Creating an Engaging Retention Resource for College Students

Can you believe it? The beginning of the fall semester is here and I am VERY excited about meeting the new students. Over the summer, I was tasked with creating an engaging powerpoint for freshmen students who were transitioning to Tarleton State University.

I did not want to create anything that was a mere power point, but I wanted to add some color, music, and movement to the presentation. Here's the list of Top 10 Study Resources for Tarleton Students:

Top 10 Study Resources for Tarleton Students

1 - Attend Study Skills Sessions

2 - Get to Know Your Advisor

3 - Attend Your Professor's Office Hours

4 - Go to Class On-Time

5 - Make a Tutoring Appointment

6 - Attending ARC-C Sessions (Formerly Supplemental Instruction)

7 - Pick Up a FREE Planner from Student Success

8 - Take the Learning Styles Assessment (LASSI)

9 - Form Study Groups with Students in Your Classes

10 - Check Out the Math Clinic

Also, Check Out the Writing Center and the Science Clinic.

Questions? Contact Student Success - 968-9480 Remember to Eat Healthy Food!

Also, here's another student success video that was embedded on the Blackboard Course:

Here's a Quick Video for first-year students focused on "Module 4 - Learning How to Learn/Study Skills/Support Services (Math Clinic, Writing Center, Tutoring, SI, Library, Blackboard)". This is the best week for first-year students (freshmen) at Tarleton).

Please let me know some additional ways that this format or the content of the video can be used by different areas. I am excited!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
Remember to Subscribe to Me on YOUTUBE
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Facebook - Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Linking Essential Learning Outcomes and Marketable Skills in Texas

Linking Essential Learning Outcomes and Marketable Skills in Texas

Linking Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, American Association of Colleges and Universities (Liberal Education and America’s Promise), and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE Outcomes)

***Created by @LEAPTexas Fellow - @drjtedwards***

THECB Core Curriculum	LEAP Learning Outcomes	NACE Job Outlook
Critical Thinking (CT)	Info. Literacy VALUE Integrative Learning VALUE Problem Solving VALUE	Problem Solving (4) Technical Skills (10)
Communication Skills (COM)	Oral Communication VALUE Written Communication VALUE	Leadership (1) Written Communication (3) Oral Communication (5)
Empirical and Quantitative Skills (EQS)	Reading Rubric VALUE Quantitative Literacy VALUE	Analytical/Quantitative (8)
Teamwork (TW)	Teamwork VALUE	Ability to Work in a Team (2)
Social Responsibility (SR)	Intercultural Knowledge VALUE Civic Responsibility VALUE	Strong Work Ethic (6) Initiative (7) Flexibility/Adaptability (9)
Personal Responsibility (PR)	Ethical Reasoning VALUE Lifelong Learning VALUE

Source: Job Outlook 2016, National Association of Colleges and Employers

Direct Link to the Content - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRgv-KLjoM2GBXj9JVax-Hp9U3xrZ5ALIFeXTyDCK0AavEP6uzcdZUdAc4Kq7gK5vgw5rlmJfZRk8eO/pub


Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
Become a Fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Telling Your Student Success Technology and Retention Story - Crafting Press Releases and Making YouTube Videos

Today, I am preparing for our first Student Success and Retention Technology Meetup! I am very excited and I am including an interactive session focused on how to tell your How to Tell Your Student Success Technology/Retention Story.

I decided to include artifacts of our Student Success Technology/Retention story at Tarleton State University. Here are some examples...

October 24, 2016
Tarleton uses programs to retain students (Crystal Ogbuehi)

October 19, 2017
Tarleton raises bar in graduation, retention rates for regional A&M schools

November 1, 2017

Tarleton using cell phones, text messages to retain, motivate students

November 15, 2017
Tarleton academic advisor receives national award (By TSU Media Relations)

The Tarleton SSMI Youtube Channel Featuring "How to Videos"
https://www.youtube.com/user/TarletonSSMI

If you would like to partner on a Student Success Technology project with Tarleton, please let me know!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
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If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Congratulations to the The Paul P. Fidler Research Grant Winner - National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition

This year, I worked with a team of individuals from my university to write a grant focused on the experiences of senior-year college students who are seeking post-graduation employment. Unfortunately, the proposal was not funded, but I am excited to see the results from the other researchers who submitted proposals!

The winner of the Paul P. Fidler grant from the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition was Mauriell Amechi of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His study titled “Our Stories (Un)Told: Community Cultural Wealth and the College-Going Experiences of Transitioning Youth in Foster Care". His study will “address barriers associated with college choice and enrollment for populations in foster care.” We look forward to his exemplary research and the contributions he will make to the knowledge base on students in transition. Congratulations! I cannot wait to hear more about your research!

The other finalists for the 2017-2018 Fidler Grant were:
Linda DeAngelo of the University of Pittsburgh: “Self-efficacy in the transition into and through the first college year for women engineering students”

Ryan Hudes of Seton Hall University and Katherine Aquino of Manhattan College: “Student-College Matching Tendencies and Mobility for Students Transferring Within Four-year Institutions”

Cindy Ann Kilgo and Lauren Bennett of the University of Alabama: “Examining TRANSition: An Overview of Inclusive Practices to Support Transgender Students’ Success in College”

Kim McAloney of Oregon State University: “What am I Doing Here?!: An FYE Course in which first generation college students study first generation college students”

We received some great feedback about the grant and we cannot wait to revise!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
Become a Fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Congratulations to the The Paul P. Fidler Research Grant Winner - National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition

This year, I worked with a team of individuals from my university to write a grant focused on the experiences of senior-year college students who are seeking post-graduation employment. Unfortunately, the proposal was not funded, but I am excited to see the results from the other researchers who submitted proposals!

The winner of the Paul P. Fidler grant from the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition was Mauriell Amechi of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His study titled “Our Stories (Un)Told: Community Cultural Wealth and the College-Going Experiences of Transitioning Youth in Foster Care". His study will “address barriers associated with college choice and enrollment for populations in foster care.” We look forward to his exemplary research and the contributions he will make to the knowledge base on students in transition. Congratulations! I cannot wait to hear more about your research!

The other finalists for the 2017-2018 Fidler Grant were:
Linda DeAngelo of the University of Pittsburgh: “Self-efficacy in the transition into and through the first college year for women engineering students”

Ryan Hudes of Seton Hall University and Katherine Aquino of Manhattan College: “Student-College Matching Tendencies and Mobility for Students Transferring Within Four-year Institutions”

Cindy Ann Kilgo and Lauren Bennett of the University of Alabama: “Examining TRANSition: An Overview of Inclusive Practices to Support Transgender Students’ Success in College”

Kim McAloney of Oregon State University: “What am I Doing Here?!: An FYE Course in which first generation college students study first generation college students”

We received some great feedback about the grant and we cannot wait to revise!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
Become a Fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Providing Incentives for Academic Advisors During Key Advising Times

Academic Advising occurs like clockwork at our institution. I always look forward to running the numbers to see how many students have not been advised and who have not registered for next semester's classes.

I am very excited about our multi-week campaign for re-registration (especially for our freshmen students). Our campaigns have been very successful in reaching first-year students, but now I am focused on second-year and third year students.

Check out our multi-week advising campaign: Academic Success Re-Recruitment Campaigns 

 I cannot wait to see the next steps!

Here's our plan for the next few weeks!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
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If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Making a Social Media Analytics Plan

This video is focused on simple ways to understand social media analytics. Produced for the Social Media graduate students at Tarleton State University, this video is meant to be a starting point for analytics newbies.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
Become a Fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Do Your Class Activities Reach Beyond the Classroom? Do It With Periscope!

Online graduate students periscoping their presentations? Why yes!

If your students conduct research and/or finish a project and it never reaches beyond the borders of you classroom, did it really happen? During my first two years of teaching, this was something for which I struggled.

Each semester, the graduate students in my online course present their research for the public to view via Periscope and Twitter. The reason that we utilize Periscope is because it is one of the only social media video-focused technologies that has the capability to reach external audiences. You are not typically able to view a Facebook group video (livestream) without following the person.

These presentations are archived (with student permission on the Texas Social Media Research Institute (@TSMRI) YouTube account and the number of views grow each semester.

I always give them instructions focused the best practices of "Periscope/Live Streaming on Twitter".

I always have to remind the students to...

This entire process is beneficial for the students (digital portfolio) and the faculty member (student engagement on their curriculum vitae).

Here's an example of one of the presentations:

Do you have any questions about having your students livestream during an online or face-to-face class?

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting the Millennial Professor Blog!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

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The 13 Social Media Categories - According to Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

This semester, I am focused on how professors and other higher education professionals can incorporate easy-to-read and understand infographics to help others understand potentially complicated information.

Here's the information that could be perceived as a complicated concept. If you've ever read the Social Media Bible book, I know that you've discovered the various social media categories introduced in the book. This book has not been updated in awhile and social media is changing DAILY. This means that I had to make my own list of social media technologies.

Here it is!

This infographic represents an updated list of social media technology categories to reflect the changing social media landscape.

by Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards - @drjtedwards

Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Associate Professor of

Communication Studies at Tarleton State University

Here's the text copy of the infographic.

1 - Multi-Focused Social Media

This category includes social media incorporating three or more of the social media categories listed below as primary features for users of the technology. Example - LinkedIn, Facebook (pictures, video, live-casting, commerce, gaming-focused)

2 - Photo-Focused Social Media 

Example - Instagram, Pinterest

3 - Video-Focused Social Media

Example - YouTube, Vimeo

4 - Audio-Focused Social Media

Example - Soundcloud, Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora

5 - Social Media for Content Curators

Example - Flipboard, Stumble Upon, RSS Feeds

6 - Blogging

Example - Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr

7 - Microblogging

Example - Twitter

8 - Commerce-Focused Social Media 

Example - Amazon, EBay, Offer Up, Varage Sale, LetGo

9 - Rating-Focused Social Media

Example - Amazon, Yelp, Trip Advisor

10 - Anonymous Social Media

Example - Livewire, Yik Yak, Sarahah

11 - Gaming-Focused Social Media 

Example - MPORG - MultiPlayer Online Role Playing Games

(World of Warcraft, Minecraft, League of Legends)

12 - Learning-Focused Social Media

Example - Coursera, Lynda, Udemy, Blackboard

13 - Business-Focused Social Media

Example - Asana, Slack, Yammer, Sharepoint, Basecamp

References

Aichner, T. & Jacob, F. (2015, March). Measuring the Degree of Corporate Social Media Use. International Journal of Market Research, 57

Safko, L. (2012). The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success. Wiley Press.

Please let me know what you think!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards

My Social Media Channels!
Of Course You Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Am Also on Instagram! http://www.instagram.com/drjtedwards/
Have You Subscribed on YOUTUBE yet?
Become a Fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook!
If You Love Periscope as Much as I Do...Follow Me There! - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com