Research Proposal: Student Success Center

College students at the California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) manage multiple stressors while trying to adjust to college and execute new responsibilities, leading to poor academic results such as reduced GPA. When a learner’s GPA falls below 2.0, they are subjected to probation. The probation may be either Academic or Terminal Probation, depending on multiple variables, such as the student’s cumulative GPA, their first time on probation and more(Sneyers & Witte,2018). As a result, multiple probation times can lead to dismissal from their college, which causes more stress on the student. At CSUB, the student success center is the cornerstone of the institution’s commitment to fostering academic excellence and student well-being. However, recent observations show a concerning trend of increasing probations within the institution. This trend underpins the imperative for the CSUB’s Student Success Center to re-evaluate its strategies and resources to mitigate academic challenges such as probations effectively. Therefore, assessing the dynamics contributing to student Probation and strategically positioning the Student Success Center’s programs with the dynamic needs of the student organization is fundamental to fostering a thriving academic environment and improving CSUB performance in GPA exams.

Rationality

The concept of student success emanates from the educational viewpoint, developing a sense of independence, insight, academic guidance, responsibility, and a critical relationship with the broader community, encompassing university or college students. As a result, most colleges in the United States have student success centers that act as hubs for academic advising, guiding course choices, degree minimum requirements and career pathways. Still, according toSmith et al.(2015), the centers provide tutoring services, workshops for study skills, and resources to promote student’s learning approaches and academic performance. Additionally, student success centers are crucial spaces for enhancing a sense of belonging, particularly for minority groups, providing mentorship initiatives, peer support connections and platforms for interactions in college activities. Therefore, the student centers play a significant role in facilitating persistence and academic excellence, particularly for racially underrepresented students such as students of color. Thus, assessing performance challenges in such centers ensures their effectiveness in supporting student success and reducing their academic probations at CSUB.

Additionally, the necessity for re-assessing the CSUB student center is informed by the urgent need to reduce racial, gender, income and other variances in opportunities and results among the minority groups. After the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, we acknowledged how student’s lives are closely entangled with economic and educational factors. Smith et al.(2015) opine that due to the adverse impacts of the dynamic health and political environment locally and abroad, community college initiatives and services need to address racial and social injustices, particularly in the academic realm. Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic, we acknowledged inequities in employment, education, health, and other realms deepen specifically against minority groups. In higher education, enrollment reduced precipitously for almost all students but most extremely for the Black and Native American learners(Bragg,2023). The pandemic exacerbated an already big inequity between low-income earners and top-income and wealth earners, thus underscoring the systematic racism and inequity experienced by people of color. Thus, inequities underpin the need for acknowledging and addressing systematic inequalities that impact marginalized student populations.

At CSUB, equity-minded strategies that cater to the interests of racially underrepresented students will be developed through promoting the adoption and implementation of effective practices and policies across the CSUB and advancing the system’s aim for success. Additionally, the assessment creates equity-mindedness for special populations as it proposes disability services such as specialized academic advising addressing special needs and support groups, enabling peer connections and advocacy that enhance their sense of belonging and academic excellence(Bragg,2023). Also, racially underrepresented students could benefit from the assessment as it proposes cultural curriculum initiatives that provide spaces for identity exploration and diversity training programs that enhance inclusive campus environments, which contribute to their persistence, thriving, and sense of belonging at CSUB.

Assessment Approach

The assessment approach will significantly use quantitative methods to collect empirical data on the performance issue at the CSUB Student Success Center. Survey research design is characterized by the use of questionnaires that will be distributed to students and staff. The questionnaires will encompass 25 questions aimed at collecting structured feedback on students’ and staff’s experiences, perceptions and satisfaction with the Center’s resources and services. Additionally, utilization data from the Student Success Center, such as appointment attendance, workshop attendance entries, and resource utilization rates, will be analyzed to evaluate the engagement patterns and field of underutilization. Survey research design as the quantitative research strategy will provide numerical knowledge on the efficacy and accessibility of the existing initiatives and services. The results of data analysis will enable a systematic assessment of performance indicators and data-driven decision-making.

Assessment Activities

The execution of my assessment proposal for the performance issue at CSUB’s Student Success Center will encompass systematic strategies across multiple dimensions. First, a project team comprising of faculty, institutional researchers and staff from the Student Success Center will be assembled to supervise the assessment process. The timeline will be divided into different stages, with each stage taking 1 month. Development of the survey tools and data collection methods will be the first stage, followed by the distribution of survey questionnaires and collection of utilization data over a 2-week. Subsequently, data analysis using Correlation and regression analysis in SPSS software will be conducted to identify the main findings and patterns, which will inform the development of feasible interventions. To ensure research validity and reliability, piloting the survey will be done, plus regular meetings and progress updates will be scheduled.

Budget

Strengths and Limitations

The assessment proposal depicts several strengths that enhance its feasibility in addressing performance problems at CSUB’s Student Success Center. The proposal integrates both quantitative methods to capture diverse viewpoints and give a nuanced knowledge of the issues under investigation. Using the survey method as a quantitative strategy enhances the reliability and validity of the assessment results, enabling more rational decision-making. Also, the proposal collects viewpoints from key stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, and community partners, thus ensuring its relevance and potential for success.

Limitations

One key limitation is the expensive nature of the proposal due to personnel, equipment, human resources and software costs, which are causing financial constraints to institutional budgets. Still, despite the approach to ensure inclusivity and stakeholder engagement, it is possible that concerns of the marginalized may be underrepresented, leading to biases in findings.

References

Bragg, D. D. (2023). Necessary change: What student success centers can do to support more equitable student success. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2023(201), 89-104.

Sneyers, E., & De Witte, K. (2018). Interventions in higher education and their effect on student success: A meta-analysis. Educational Review, 70(2), 208-228.

Smith, C. A., Baldwin, C., & Schmidt, G. (2015). Student success centers: Leading the charge for change at community colleges. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 47(2), 30-39.