Foster a culture of success with mandatory orientation, gateway-course registration, and full-credit loads¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

San Diego State University leaders attribute their gains in Hispanic graduation and gap-closing to "fostering a culture of success that raised expectations of students (by making orientation mandatory, force-registering students into gateway courses, and advising students to take a full-credit course load), putting in place critical supports so that student success was no longer left to chance, and structuring second chances, when necessary." The report presents this as a replicable bundle of expectations-raising and support practices.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Mandatory orientation and proactive advising structures
• Critical supports and structured second chances for struggling students

Constraints¶

• Attributed by campus leaders; the report does not independently evaluate which practice drove the gains

Target Learners¶

• Hispanic students
• underrepresented minority students

Target Learning Goals¶

• raising graduation rates
• narrowing access and success gaps

Related Strategies¶

• Institutionalize equity efforts through organizational leverage, critical mass, and embedded strategic plans
• Institutional leaders should examine their own data, identify troublesome equity trends, and engage faculty, staff, and students in deliberate action to support all students

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Mary Nguyen, Erin Ward Bibo, and Jennifer Engle. (2012). Advancing to Completion: Increasing degree attainment by improving graduation rates and closing gaps for Hispanic students. The Education Trust. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED535510