2024 National Conference Posters

It Still Takes a Village: A Systematic Review of the Literature on High-Achieving Black Collegians Engaged in Honors Education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities 

J. Elijah Bratton, Howard University Center for HBCU Research, Leadership & Policy Inaugural Cohort Graduate Fellow, Howard University  

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been the intellectual home for generations of academically gifted, talented and high-achieving students. While there is much praise for what HBCUs can do for academically underprepared students, HBCUs are also making great impact with high-achieving students, namely those who pursue honors education and benefit from honors programming.  For generations, historically Black colleges and universities and a handful of other institutions have traditionally served as the incubators of Black academic exceptionalism. While the outcome of Brown v. Board of Education (1954) greatly reduced the percentage of college-bound Black students choosing to study at HBCUs (Richardson & Harris, 2004), these resilient institutions continue to cultivate the intellectual prowess of countless high-ability students through honors education (Davis & Montgomery, 2016), living learning communities (Arroyo et al., 2016), honors societies and preparation programs for prestigious national merit awards, among other initiatives. This continues to be an important part of the HBCU legacy, considering the fact that participation in honors colleges has a positive impact on student engagement, particularly in the first year of college (Miller & Dumford, 2018). The high impact practices of honors colleges are shown to have a positive impact on student development (Miller, Silberstein, & BrckaLorez, 2021), and this serves to enhance the legacy of student identity development that HBCUs already possess (Arroyo & Gasman, 2014, Russell & Summerville, 2019). For the purposes of this review, the term “high-achieving” will encompass talented, gifted, and honors students as their institutions have deemed them.  

Beyond the List: Navigating Meaning in Disciplinary Gen-Ed Course

Candyce Reynolds, Director, University Foundations (General Education), Boise State University
Kay Wingert, Assistant Director, Boise State University

The first provocation for Equity/Excellence in the Boyer 2030 report asks: Will we prioritize transformative education for life, work, and citizenship in an age of daunting challenges in need of world-embracing solutions? Will we ensure such education for all students, not only those already privileged? As discussed in the report, general education has the potential to start a transformative educational path. However, the courses in these programs often don't fully meet the up to the challenge. American General Education programs typically have introductory disciplinary courses as part of their curriculum. Exposing students to a variety of disciplinary lenses hopefully provides students with a multitude of ways to view real-world problems and issues. Too often, however, students experience the curriculum as a checkbox and not as a delightful foray into understanding the world. Twelve years ago, Boise State underwent general education reform which resulted in two interdisciplinary introductory courses, disciplinary introductory courses, and a capstone course. While the interdisciplinary courses have shown great success, the disciplinary courses can feel very disconnected to students, leaving them wondering why they need to take these courses. Bridging this gap is an equity issue. Students need to understand and benefit from these courses. To create greater coherence across our curriculum, our General Education Committee recently adopted the framework KNOW, DO, BECOME (aligned with fostering growth in key transferable knowledge, skills development, and building the dispositions of a lifelong learner). In doing so, we are creating structures and supports for faculty that teach these disciplinary courses to enhance learning as well as help students build connections between these courses. This poster will describe the process of facilitating the development of our framework and the subsequent strategies we have used to impact the delivery of over 140 courses. These include curricular adjustments, faculty development efforts and assessment protocols. These changes are allowing students to address the purpose of college early on in their academic career.

SpringForward: A Scholarship Program Envisioned For Equity/Excellence

Amanda Donahue, Program Manager, SpringForward, The Ohio State University

SpringForward was designed as a retention program to support students who were at risk of not being retained with a specific focus on historically underserved populations. Prior to 2020 students who participated received a scholarship to pay tuition and live on campus over the summer. Then, COVID struck, and it didn't leave. The decision was made to move the program online and to everyone's surprise-- it has grown exponentially every year since!

The Boyer Report points out that High Impact Practices (HIPs) are often not accessible for many students due to the time commitments or expenses involved (pg 24). By moving the program online, students were able to participate from home. This meant that they were still able to work full time as needed to pay for school the rest of the year; they were able to take care of siblings which eliminated the cost of childcare; they saved on travel costs of having to move in and out of residence halls for another semester. Moving this HIP to an online format resulted in saving money for both the students and the program, which ultimately allowed the program to expand the number of students it supported.

SpringForward acted intentionally when moving the program online to ensure students were still receiving the same level of support and engagement as when they were in person. As the Boyer report indicates, “research shows that students learn more and more likely to succeed when research-proven pedagogical techniques are used, and learning environments are inclusive.” (pg 26). During the summer, SpringForward students are enrolled in a credit-bearing course designed taught by SpringForward staff. In designing and implementing the course we made sure to ensure students felt engaged and supported. To do this, we provide extensive feedback on assignments, implement a “flipped” classroom environment, and use inclusive pedagogy with a specific awareness to not hinder the learning of BIPOC students.

SpringForward has three full time staff members and many, many more campus partners to help support our efforts. The staff consists of a program manager, academic coach, and academic advisor, with a significant amount of cross-training done between roles. Working as a team, students receive a holistic experience that allows them to feel supported in their academic, career, social, wellness, and financial goals. The relationships between students and staff is developed over the 61 summer program through meeting for class and multiple 1:1 required check-ins. These interactions build trust with the student to ensure that in the future, when hard times happen, they are comfortable and confident to reach out for support.

Equity and Excellence are weaved throughout the work of SpringForward, and the results are undeniable. In this presentation we will share results from student surveys and third-party studies that illustrate the success of this work.

Life, Work, and Citizenship: Improving Student Learning and World Readiness through Changes to a Food Science Program

Paul Dawson, Professor, Clemson University
Julie K. Northcutt, Professor, Clemson University
Alex Thompson, Extension Agent for Food Systems & Safety, Clemson University
Belinda Ann Cochran, Research Assistant, Clemson University
Bridget Trogden, Dean of Undergraduate Education, American University

If the first job is an unpaid internship, how can we frontload that opportunity into the college curriculum? How can we ensure that students with fewer socioeconomic resources and higher financial need can participate in career Core Competencies at equitable rates?

With a grant from the USDA’s REEU (United States Department of Agriculture, Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates) program, Clemson University created a sequence that includes Extension-Integrated Food Science curricular opportunities, a paid internship after the junior year, and professional Core Competencies infused in the undergraduate program. Institutional research via NSSE (National Survey on Student Engagement) showed that students in the Food Science program were less likely to plan on an internship during college and less likely to clearly connect their academic experiences with work preparation. We designed interventions to improve the students’ education in line with Provocation 1 of The Equity/Excellence Imperative – ensuring world readiness through “transformative education for life, work, and citizenship in an age of daunting challenges…” and “education for all students, not only those already privileged.”

Students were presented with opportunities for training and professional development. Undergraduate students participating in a Food Science special topics course completed training in food safety where they gained credentials in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and USDA food safety regulatory standards. Upon course completion, students became certified in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System (HACCP) and FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls for Human Food (Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk- Based Preventive Controls for Human Food). Under the new curriculum, undergraduate students interacted with and learned from industry experts while completing their course assignments and earning industry credentials at no additional cost.

Additionally, students from a Food Chemistry and Analysis course participated in new laboratory activities that included the chemical analysis of actual food products prepared by food entrepreneurs and submitted to Clemson Cooperative Extension Service for product safety and shelf-stability testing. Students conducted tests (under faculty supervision) on real-world products while faculty and Extension Agents taught them to interpret findings and file reports to entrepreneurs and state agencies.

In a final phase of the program, undergraduate student interns were placed with various food companies and industry partners throughout South Carolina for a 10-week paid internship. Students worked with these mentors to develop individual projects based on relevant topics within the industry. Over the course of their 10-week internships, students were exposed to tasks and skills needed to perform well in the food industry. The student interns create a report on their internship experience presented to the grants team and included in the reports to the USDA. At all stages, students generated reflective portfolios based around Core Competencies for career readiness. Our program was driven by student learning outcomes and programmatic outcomes for measuring success and student growth. In our poster session, we wish to relay to UERU attendees what worked well and how different tweaks to pedagogy and curricular design can improve student engagement with Provocation 1.

Predictive Analytic Intervention Alignment to Improve Gateway Course Student Success

Jason Mastrogiovanni, Assistant Provost for Student Success, University of Florida
Aaron Thomas, Principal Data Scientist, University of Florida
Toby Shorey, Director of Curriculum Monitoring and Analysis, University of Florida

Are you preparing to implement a predictive analytics intervention? Have you aligned your predictive tool to contextual campus interventions? Do you understand how your predictive model works or is it a “black box”? Understanding how to communicate to your campus community about predictive models may be key to successful implementation.

The University of Florida utilizes machine learning to classify student likelihood to succeed when enrolled in one or more of 37 gateway courses. This poster will provide relevant data and scope for the machine learning approach at our campus. We believe predictive analytics are often misunderstood by many end-user practitioners who utilize their output. Our research team has developed a visual concept for understanding predictive analytics models and their appropriate alignment to campus intervention uses.

This poster session presents a conceptual visualization developed by our research team for understanding predictive analytics models and their appropriate alignment to campus intervention uses. Additionally, the poster will outline our perceive advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to predictive analytics. We welcome discussion, questions, and criticism as we iterate this model for an upcoming publication and better practice.

Elevating Post-Graduation Outcomes for All Students: Strategies and Programs at Florida State University

Joe O'Shea, Associate Provost, Dean of Undergraduate Studies
DeOnte Brown, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Director of CARE

Inequities that exist among students before and during college can persist after graduation, with uneven outcomes for students after they leave college. How can research universities elevate the employment and graduate education outcomes of all their students? In this poster, we outline a series of strategies and programs Florida State University developed to amplify students’ post-graduation outcomes, providing structured programming and new resources to prepare students for opportunities after graduation. Examples include a Bridge to Graduate School program for first-generation and Pell-eligible students; integrated post-graduation planning into student success initiatives and advising; leadership and post-graduation planning for students who aged out of foster care or experienced homelessness or relative care; micro credentials to boost student career readiness; student-alumni engagement and mentorship at scale; expanded career services for students and alumni; student badging to expand informational interviews, job shadowing, internships, and various forms of experiential learning; and other opportunities to help build student awareness and readiness to fulfill their potential and launch successfully after graduation.

Unconquered Scholars at FSU: Empowering Former Foster Care and Homeless Youth

Joe O’Shea, Associate Provost, Dean of Undergraduate Studies
DeOnte Brown, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Director of CARE
Lisa Jackson, Assistant Teaching Faculty, College of Social Work

The Florida State University Unconquered Scholars Program (Program) provides various support services promoting the overall success of youth who have experienced foster care, homelessness, relative care, or ward of the State status. Many students in the Program faced profound hardships during childhood that increased the risk of leaving academia without a degree. Florida State University is committed to meeting the unique needs of Unconquered Scholars Program participants (Scholars) so that they experience the long-term professional and personal benefits associated with educational attainment. The mission of the Unconquered Scholars Program is to provide qualified students guidance, continual mentorship, advocacy, security, and a voice to further ensure their academic success and long-term independence. 

The Unconquered Scholars Program currently serves 127 active students: 227 since the Program's inception in 2012. The Scholars are first-generation undergraduate students, Pell-grant eligible, aged 17-25, and are diverse across race, ethnicity, gender, and other identities. The Scholars have no forever family on which to rely for emotional or financial support as they pursue a college degree. Campus-based support programs have improved outcomes for former foster youth and homeless college students. The Unconquered Scholars Program participants have outperformed the general student body at FSU in first-year retention, graduation, and cumulative GPA several times since the Program began in 2012. The Scholars have an 85% graduation rate, a 90% retention rate, and a 2.9 cumulative GPA. In comparison, only about 11% of former foster care youth attain a bachelor's degree.

Unconquered Scholars Program's success is partly because of the shared leadership culture with a student advisory board and the Program's staff. Former foster youth must be able to exercise their agency regarding their lives, including but not limited to the college context. Through the collaborative relationship, relevant and impactful programming can be implemented for the scholars. Additionally, strategic partners in the College of Social Work, Division of Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, Undergraduate Studies, non-profits, and individual donors support the Program's efforts.

To achieve the above outcomes, The Unconquered Scholars Program provides support services best categorized as academic, funding, engagement, and overall stability. Academic services include tutoring, academic-based workshops, and complementary academic advising. Funding services include guidance on completion of tuition and fee waivers, access to vital needs funding, and other assistance with financial aid. The program's engagement services include opportunities for coaching or mentorship from dedicated staff and community-building activities. Overall stability incorporates advocacy for gap housing or mitigation of homelessness, food pantry, and assistance with health insurance. The Program also provides students access to a designated study and lounge space. Two of the signature experiences within the program include the annual Family Weekend A-Way Trip to Orlando, FL, and the end-of-the-year Awareness and Graduate Recognition Banquet.

FSU CARE: A Model for Access and Success at Scale for First-Generation, Low-Income Students

Joe O’Shea, Associate Provost, Dean of Undergraduate Studies
DeOnte Brown, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Director of CARE

FSU’s Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) is one of the nation’s largest and most successful programs supporting access and success for students with identities traditionally underrepresented in higher education. CARE partners with these students in navigating barriers that exist for them based on educational and socioeconomic circumstances.

The Summer Bridge Program within CARE provides first-generation AND Pell-grant eligible students with a comprehensive program of orientation into college and support through college completion. CARE Summer Bridge Program students are highly diverse regarding geographic location and academic achievement. Our students are also some of the most active on campus, holding positions in various campus leadership, honorary, scholarship, and research organizations/activities.

In collaboration with the Office of Admissions and Office of Financial Aid, CARE reviews thousands of applications each year to select students that will comprise the 350-student cohort. Our collaborative review process employs a holistic review of a student’s admissions application, which includes the University Application, a CARE Summer Bridge application, and any supporting materials students provide. In our process, each applicant is reviewed by a member of admissions and a member of CARE. The Office of Financial Aid confirms via FAFSA that a student is Pell Grant eligible. Through our process, we focus on finding students who embrace FSU’s values of strength, skill, and character with an understanding that students within this specific population often have limited access to opportunities or possess different types of capital to aid them in navigating college. The students admitted through Summer Bridge do not have to meet a GPA condition to remain enrolled after their summer semester; however, they must commit to active participation in the program through college graduation. 

The components of the Summer Bridge Program include the initial 7-week summer experience followed by yearly curricular and co-curricular engagement. The 7-week summer program includes a 1-week orientation experience that begins with the University’s official orientation followed by foundation-building sessions coordinated by CARE. Students enroll in at least six credit hours of college-level coursework. The co-curricular experience for summer includes peer mentorship, small group workshops, social events, and required study hours. Each academic year, Summer Bridge participants engage in activities and services, which include a first-year experience seminar course, study hours, college life coaching, career development workshops, academic college-focused activities, financial literacy, and wellness activities. 

Through the model of support provided, CARE Summer Bridge Program students consistently meet or exceed the university average for retention and graduation rates. Most recently, the program achieved a 96% retention rate and an 85% 6-year graduation rate. In comparison, only 82% of first-generation students at public, four-year universities are retained after one year, and only 20% of first-generation students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in 6-years across institution types.

FSU’s Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE): Pipelines of Excellence from Elementary through Graduate School

Joe O’Shea, Associate Provost, Dean of Undergraduate Studies
DeOnte Brown, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Director of CARE

Student Success is engrained in the fabric of Florida State University's identity and has been a decades-long commitment inclusive of underrepresented student populations such as first-generation college students. Two of FSU's initial support programs designed to support the transition and success of underrepresented populations were Horizon's Unlimited (1968) and Summer Enrichment Program (1978). Over time, these two programs spawned similar support programs and gave birth to offices such as Multicultural Student Affairs and Minority Academic Programs. In 2000, University leaders made a conscious and impactful decision to merge multiple offices and respective programs into a comprehensive support service, the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE).

The development of CARE centralized and strengthened the necessary work on transitioning students into college and providing a consistent "home" for students to have as they navigated the campus. As a dual-reporting department, CARE is connected directly to academic affairs and student affairs to support students' social and academic integration. Many factors that impede retention and graduation for first-generation college students are addressed through the services offered to students. In knowing the rewards that await students and their families for degree completion and the challenges experienced in persisting towards degree completion, CARE's model is a critical factor to positive outcomes.

This poster will highlight CARE's evolution and organizational structure as a priority for FSU's student success efforts. CARE is one of the most comprehensive centers addressing college readiness and completion among underrepresented students. CARE offers multiple pre-collegiate programs, including a summer reading enrichment program for elementary and middle school students, multiple TRIO Upward Bound Programs for high school students, and a college readiness summer program for rising high school seniors. Through our high school-based programs, we have achieved 100% high school graduation rates and 80% college enrollment.

CARE's collegiate efforts include five institutionally funded programs – FGEN Noles Living Learning Community, Summer Bridge, Unconquered Scholars, QUEST Scholars, and Illuminate – and two federal grant programs – Student Support Services and Student Support Services STEM to support students from various underrepresented identities (first-generation, Pell-Grant recipients, former foster youth, students from rural or limited resourced communities).

Many of the programs above have been launched since 2021 to bolster our efforts to strengthen the college-going pipeline and ensure each student has access to a robust success team. As such, this poster will provide focused insight into the FGEN Noles Living Learning Community, QUEST Scholars, and Illuminate. Through conversation, attendees will learn more about the staffing model, student experience within CARE, and considerations for developing similar initiatives.

Students at the Center of our Teaching

Ruth Poproski, Associate Director for Teaching & Learning, University of Georgia
Ashley Harlow, Assistant Director for Instructional Development, University of Georgia

FSU’s Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) is one of the nation’s largest and most successful programs supporting access and success for students with identities traditionally underrepresented in higher education. CARE partners with these students in navigating barriers that exist for them based on educational and socioeconomic circumstances.

The Summer Bridge Program within CARE provides first-generation AND Pell-grant eligible students with a comprehensive program of orientation into college and support through college completion. CARE Summer Bridge Program students are highly diverse regarding geographic location and academic achievement. Our students are also some of the most active on campus, holding positions in various campus leadership, honorary, scholarship, and research organizations/activities.

In collaboration with the Office of Admissions and Office of Financial Aid, CARE reviews thousands of applications each year to select students that will comprise the 350-student cohort. Our collaborative review process employs a holistic review of a student’s admissions application, which includes the University Application, a CARE Summer Bridge application, and any supporting materials students provide. In our process, each applicant is reviewed by a member of admissions and a member

of CARE. The Office of Financial Aid confirms via FAFSA that a student is Pell Grant eligible. Through our process, we focus on finding students who embrace FSU’s values of strength, skill, and character with an understanding that students within this specific population often have limited access to opportunities or possess different types of capital to aid them in navigating college. The students admitted through Summer Bridge do not have to meet a GPA condition to remain enrolled after their summer semester; however, they must commit to active participation in the program through college graduation.

The components of the Summer Bridge Program include the initial 7-week summer experience followed by yearly curricular and co-curricular engagement. The 7-week summer program includes a 1-week orientation experience that begins with the

University’s official orientation followed by foundation-building sessions coordinated by CARE. Students enroll in at least six credit hours of college-level coursework. The co-curricular experience for summer includes peer mentorship, small group workshops, social events, and required study hours. Each academic year, Summer Bridge participants engage in activities and services, which include a first-year experience seminar course, study hours, college life coaching, career development workshops, academic college-focused activities, financial literacy, and wellness activities.

Through the model of support provided, CARE Summer Bridge Program students consistently meet or exceed the university average for retention and graduation rates. Most recently, the program achieved a 96% retention rate and an 85% 6-year graduation rate. In comparison, only 82% of first-generation students at public, four-year universities are retained after one year, and only 20% of first-generation students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in 6-years across institution types.

Getting to Equity/Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Access, and Career Preparation through The Challenge for Achieving Success in Undergraduate Programs

June Griffin, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Christina Fielder, Senior Director of Student Academic and Career Development, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

There are many factors contributing to equity gaps, some of which are outside of faculty’s control. Faculty cannot change that a first-generation student has not had the benefit of family knowledge and experience to help shape expectations, provide useful stories, role models, and counsel. Faculty cannot ameliorate the financial constraints students have, nor can faculty alter the family or work obligations many students face. Most campuses have many groups and efforts dedicated to addressing these and other factors. All of these are important, but they do not directly influence the most significant opportunity to make impact: our courses. To truly improve student success and to do so in ways that meet the equity/excellence imperative, we need intentional action promoting and protecting equity in every classroom by all faculty.

To achieve this goal, the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln began an annual program called CAS UP!, The Challenge for Achieving Success in Undergraduate Programs. CAS UP! was born out of the recognition that there are always too many asks and opportunities coming at faculty (and department chairs in particular) for them to be able to reflect on and choose where to devote time and attention in order to best serve their students. The program identifies four key functions for undergraduate programs, attracting students (recruitment), keeping them (retention), graduating them, and launching them into their next phase (career or advanced education). It then collects University, College, and Departmental data pertaining to each category and challenges each unit to choose strategies from a selection of research-backed approaches to teaching and learning and/or college or university initiatives aimed at advancing one of the 4 four functions.

Embedding our Students’ Well-Being in Learning Environments: A Training Partnership Between Academic and Student Affairs to Support Effective Teaching

Sara Marcketti, Assistant Provost and Executive Director, Iowa State University
Laura Bestler, Program Specialist, Iowa State University
Paul Hengesteg, Assessment Coordinator, Iowa State University
Brian Vanderheyden, Director of Student Wellness, Iowa State University
Ann Marie VanDerZanden, Associate Provost for Academic Programs, Iowa State University

For four years, Iowa State University's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) has provided required annual training to the ~60 academic departments of the university. For the AY23-24 Annual Student-Centered Learning Workshop, CELT partnered with the Student Health and Wellness Unit of the Division of Student Affairs to focus on embedding student well-being in learning environments.

While health and well-being issues existed before the pandemic, COVID-19 amplified the urgency of transformative, systematic change in prioritizing well-being in higher education. Consistent with students at other post-secondary institutions, our undergraduate, graduate, and professional students identified mental health and well-being as key areas of concern impacting their student experience, reporting stress, poor sleep, depression, and anxiety as the top factors impacting their academic performance. Poor well-being can negatively impact higher education goals and outcomes, including student retention, learning, and academic achievement. Positive well-being, on the other hand, is a key predictor of learning and student success. Strategically embedding student well-being through learning experiences is paramount to student success and is a shared responsibility of all, including faculty, staff, administrators, and the students themselves.

In the required workshop, evidence-based teaching strategies were provided to help faculty make small shifts in their teaching, mentoring, and advising that could make a difference in our student's well-being. Additionally, normalizing student self-help seeking was prioritized through online resources and discussion. The strategies presented could apply to diverse teaching contexts, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, and include ideas for small-scale and large-scale changes across modalities and class size.

In each of the annual trainings, effective teaching practices were modeled including:

• Data-driven content with information specific to the local ISU context.
• Transparency of learning objectives.
• Use of a flipped classroom approach in which participants spend 30-60 minutes in pre-work content (readings, discovery, and submitting a self-reflection).
• Facilitated synchronous workshop in which participants applied the concepts through individual reflection and small and whole group discussions.
• Resources, strategies, and tools for future exploration and implementation
• Optional participation in a co-created learning community focused on that year’s topic

Objectives of the AY 23-24 training included: 1) describe how a student's well-being impacts their learning; 2) identify teaching strategies to help embed well-being in learning environments; and 3) recognize the significance of normalizing help-seeking as integral to embedding well-being in learning environments. Post-workshop reflections have emphasized the efficacy of the content, the tone of the training, and the department-specific focus. Representative comments include:

"I really like this approach of normalizing help-seeking since it gets in front of a crisis & encourages students to act. By doing so it reinforces the students’ power to control/direct their path even if baby steps."

“That I can leverage and tweak many of the things I already do to focus more effectively on mindfulness and help-seeking.”

“It was helpful to discuss practical techniques that we can implement in our classrooms. This can be daunting individually, talking with colleagues helps.”

The poster will highlight the training outcomes and provide links to online training resources.

Putting Students First: Strategies for Increasing Retention and Graduation at the University of Kentucky with Consideration of the Boyer 2023 Commission Report

Cultivating and Sustaining a Culture of Empathy Amongst Faculty

Leveraging HIPs to Enhance Student Wellbeing: Evidence from Academic Service-Learning

(Re) Envisioning a University Teaching Center to Meet the Needs of New Learners and Online Learners with a Focus on Equity and Excellence

Ann Marie VanDerZanden, Associate Provost for Academic Programs, Iowa State University
Sara Marcketti, Assistant Provost and Executive Director Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Iowa State University
Susan Arendt, Director Iowa State Online, Iowa State University
Jessica Stolee, Senior HR Partner, Iowa State University
Tiffany Thuney, HR Partner, Iowa State University

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted higher education and thrust online learning to the forefront at many institutions. As a result, students have come to expect the flexibilities that online learning offers, and instructors have become more proficient and accepting of online teaching. Iowa State University (ISU) leveraged this disruption to create a central unit to support all course modalities, including online offerings, across the institution. Previously, some, but not all, colleges provided varying levels of faculty and student support for online courses and degree programs.

The reorganization was informed by a thorough review and analysis of distance education at ISU over a 24-month period. This included input from a working group of college deans, an institutional online learning taskforce, input from the institution's external governing body, and external consultants. The reorganization built on the existing strength and outstanding reputation of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching by increasing its capacity to support the continuum of teaching formats from face-to-face to fully online. University goals for the reorganization included creating operational and fiscal efficiencies to ensure a seamless and high-quality teaching and learning experience for instructors and students, support growth and innovation in online offerings, and fostering opportunities to meet workforce needs.

A flat organizational structure of 12 employees reporting to one supervisor was transformed into a narrow hierarchical structure of four units, each with six to fifteen employees totaling 48 staff members. Already existing functions of enterprise-level support for course design and quality and instructional technology (e.g., Canvas, learning tool integrations, etc.) were expanded with additional staff members and university-wide responsibilities, including administration and management of testing centers and classroom media production spaces. A new Iowa State Online unit focused on cohesive branding, marketing, and online support for current and prospective students was created to support students enrolled in online degree programs and certificates. The already existing faculty development unit of CELT was untouched in the reorganization. The (re)envisioned teaching center launched in January 2023.

In addition to the structural changes, the poster will also highlight the ongoing focus on organizational change management both within and outside of the center. As there were many changes to existing business processes such as strategy, structure, goals, and performance metrics, the CELT leadership team embedded rich onboarding, professional development opportunities, and new ways to acknowledge success to help employees succeed, including previous CELT staff members, those new to CELT, but not new to the university, and those new to higher education and to the university. External to the unit, strategic conversations, collaborations, and interactions with administrators, faculty, staff, and students that spanned six academic colleges, academic affairs, and student affairs units helped enable forward progress.

Empowering Students. Transforming Campuses.

Brian Mikesell, Vice President of Solutions Consulting, Stellic

Many students must navigate significant complexity on their path to graduation, turning to multiple, siloed resources to make decisions along their degree journey — or to simply complete standard processes like registration. It leads to students feeling lost and unengaged, overwhelmed academic advisors, and inefficient use of campus resources.

Created by first-generation students, this poster depicts how unified, student-centric, and modern degree progress technology solves this challenge for students, delivering numerous benefits to the entire institution as a result. Metrics and voices from students, advisors, and campus leadership will illustrate how the technology has empowered students to take greater ownership over their path and enhanced advisor collaboration along the student's journey. You’ll understand how that's delivered powerful insights to administrators, helping them make data-backed decisions about campus resources — all to meet the needs of their students and stakeholders in unprecedented ways.