My Academic Plan (MAP) system: nudging, guaranteed counseling, online planning tool, and integrated data system

Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description

The MAP system is a technology-based intervention the South Orange County Community College District developed to scale counselor-approved academic planning. It has four components: "Targeted nudging" delivered through Sherpa, a recommendation and personalization engine, via emails, texts, MySite portal notices, and robocalls; guaranteed counseling appointments in two-hour group workshops or one-on-one sessions; access for all students to the online MAP planning tool; and an integrated data system coordinating MAP, Sherpa, and the SARS scheduling software to deliver nudges, track responses, schedule sessions, and track attendance and plan completion.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• Every student's academic plan must be reviewed and approved by a counselor, a requirement the counseling department added beyond the Student Success Act mandate
• Counseling capacity must be organized so guaranteed appointments do not lengthen wait times for non-study students, using strategies such as greater use of adjunct counseling faculty

Constraints

• The study was not designed to assess which type of nudge worked best
• In fall 2012, before the intervention, less than 10 percent of students opened the district's MAP tool

Target Learners

• First-time community college students

Learning Goals

• Semester-by-semester academic planning aligned to education goals, majors, and transfer or credential requirements

Claims

• Workshop Nudging Increases Academic Plan Completion [+M]
• One On One Nudging Increases Academic Plan Completion [+M]

Related Designs

Examples

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Key Sources

• Visher, M. G., Mayer, A. K., Johns, M., Rudd, T., Levine, A., and Rauner, M. (2016). Scaling academic planning in community college: A randomized controlled trial (REL 2017–204). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory West. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	design
id	map-system-four-components
title	My Academic Plan (MAP) system: nudging, guaranteed counseling, online planning tool, and integrated data system
description	The MAP system is a technology-based intervention the South Orange County Community College District developed to scale counselor-approved academic planning.
status	review
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-11-01
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — visher-2016

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