Advise particular student types to delay specific difficult courses until a later stage of their academic career¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (2 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 associational), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article recommends using persistence-gap analysis by student type and stage to guide advising and placement. Where first-term transfer students taking a course persist 15-20% less often, "keeping new transfer students out of this particular course would be an obvious, and easily accomplished step toward higher retention"; the same course posed no problem in later terms.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Persistence data broken down by student type and stage for individual courses
• Advising and placement mechanisms with flexibility, e.g., curricula with flexibility in course choice and timing

Constraints¶

• The article notes the general education requirement structure gave flexibility that is often not present in highly structured majors

Target Learners¶

• first-term transfer students
• undergraduate students

Target Learning Goals¶

• retention
• successful course completion

Claims¶

• First-semester transfer students taking one general education course persisted at rates 15-20% lower than similar non-takers, an effect absent when the course was taken in a later term [+W]
• Gap analysis comparing observed to predicted DFW rates recasts course rankings, revealing courses that exceed or fall below expectations in a way raw DFW ranking does not [+W]
• A course whose DFW grades produced no expected persistence drop suggests some courses may act as guardrails associated with retained persistence after failure [~W]

Related Strategies¶

• Benchmark Dfw Against Expected Population Rates

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Bloemer, W., Day, S., & Swan, K. (2017). Gap analysis: An innovative look at gateway courses and student retention. Online Learning, 21(3), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i3.1233