In the fall 2021 semester, the University of Pittsburgh made great strides in the space of student success, and we could not have done it without the support and commitment of faculty and advisors. Pitt is proving to be a leader in this area - see below for details about some institution-wide initiatives and preliminary results.
It is important to note that while individual instructors support students in their own courses, the initiatives outlined below support Pitt’s larger student success effort by providing support staff (e.g., advisors, mentors, administrators) with a holistic view of student performance. By identifying students who are struggling in multiple courses, support staff can leverage the most appropriate resources to help students (e.g., directing students to academic resources, tutoring, personal or counseling resources, withdrawal).
Early Progress Report Pilot
In the fall 2021 semester, the Office of the Provost piloted an Early Progress Report (EPR) campaign for the first time. The EPR campaign allowed faculty members to identify students of concern in their courses within the first few weeks of the semester. That information was then shared with students and their advisors, who provide outreach to students as appropriate. The pilot was a huge success!
Pittsburgh Campus Results
- 1,161 faculty members across 1,934 courses were asked to complete an EPR, reflecting a total of 13,165 EPRs
- 46% of these EPRs were completed
- 285 unique students were identified as “of concern” by at least one instructor
- “Kudos” were offered for 298 EPRs
- 72% of the students identified as “of concern” by at least one instructor earned a fall term GPA less than 1.0
Greensburg Campus Results
- 139 faculty members across 318 courses were asked to complete an EPR, reflecting a total of 3,411 EPRs
- 60% of these EPRs were completed
- 172 unique students were identified as “of concern” by at least one instructor
- “Kudos” were offered for 315 EPRs
- 72% of the students identified as “of concern” by at least one instructor earned a fall term GPA less than 1.0
Given the success of this pilot, we will now leverage EPRs with interested units in upcoming terms .