Counseling and Student Success

Transcription

1 Counseling and Student Success Detailed Assessment Report Mission / Purpose University of West Alabama Counseling Services enhances opportunities for students to pursue a quality education and assists in the development of important qualities of independent thinking, respect for the ideas of others, personal integrity and character in order to realize their quests for a philosophy of life and self-fulfillment through provision of guidance to promote academic success and personal and professional growth. I. Goals and Outcomes/Objectives, with Any Related Measures, Targets, Findings, and Action Plans A. Goal: Address regional issues Address the major educational, social, cultural, and economic issues of the region and in doing so promote a positive image of the institution and the area. 1. Objective: Retention for at risk students Assist with retention efforts related to "at risk" students. a. Measure: Student Retention Counseling services will work to increase student retention, especially among at-risk student populations such as freshmen students who have been conditionally admitted. Increase retention for "At Risk" students by 5 percent. 2. Findings ( ) - Target: Partially Met The retention rate for will not be available until after school starts in August However, the persistence rate for conditionally admitted freshmen increased from 32% in to 54% for the academic year. 2. Objective: Contact on excessive absences. Provide UWA faculty with an option for contacting students with excessive absences. a. Measure: Excessive Absence Follow-Up Follow-up will be conducted with students reported by faculty to have excessive absences. Increase contact with students having excessive absences to 100 percent of all reported to Counseling Services by faculty. 100% of all students submitted to Retention Alert for excessive absences was contacted by the Director of Counseling Services and provided with the appropriate academic or psychology service. 3. Objective: Success skills and tools Provide students with skills and tools necessary to achieve success in academics, social skills, personal growth, and personal development. Page 1 of 7

2 a. Measure: Success Skills and Tools Personal and group counseling will be conducted and documented aimed at assessment, diagnosis and treatment of deficiencies in academics, social skills, and personal growth and development. Increase number of students utilizing Counseling Services for individual and group needs by 10 percent. Increased the number of students utilizing Counseling Services for individuals and groups by 30%. 4. Objective: Education on mental health issues Educate students, faculty, and staff about mental health issues that may contribute to impairments in academic, social, and personal functioning. a. Measure: Mental Health Education for UWA Community Satisfaction with knowledge and help received through dissemination of mental health education materials and face to face educational events. Increase dissemination of mental health education to information racks in all residence halls and classroom buildings and at least one campus wide seminar during school year. Increased dissemination of mental health education to information racks in all residence halls and classroom buildings and provided 4 campus wide seminars on campus relation to Mental Health Promotions. This took place during Mental Health Awareness Week in April. 5. Objective: International student support Support success of international students attending University. a. Measure: Satisfaction with Support for International Students Support provided by Counseling Services for international students attending UWA will be satisfactory per feedback from students and instructors. Implement usage of UWA Counseling Services by international students. Director of Counseling Services provided a seminar on counseling services to International Programs. This increased the utilization of international students from 0 to 8. B. Goal: Address issues of the region Address the major educational, social, cultural, and economic issues of the region. 1. Objective: Student Success Coordinator guidance Provide guidance for Student Success Coordinators assigned to each academic college. a. Measure: Student Success Coordinator Feedback Page 2 of 7

3 Feedback from academic college Student Success Coordinators that indicates satisfaction with support from Counseling Services. Attain 100 percent feedback from academic success coordinators during each semester of school year. All success coordinators submitted s where 100% of students placed on academic warning or probation were contacted and provided information about tutoring and academic support. 2. Objective: UWA 101 support Provide support for the UWA 101 classes. a. Measure: UWA 101 Course Success UWA 101 courses taught by the Director of Counseling Services will be successful per student evaluations at the end of each course taught. Obtain feedback from students participating in UWA 101 courses taught each semester regarding their satisfaction with the UWA 101 course that reflects at least a 3.0 average satisfaction rate out of 4.0 satisfaction rate for courses taught. The feedback obtained from students participating in the UWA 101 course taught in the fall, reflects an overall satisfaction rate of about 3. The most common complaint was the entertainment at the cultural event. 3. Objective: University committees Serve on and effectively contribute to appointed university committees. a. Measure: Contribution to Appointed University Committees Contribution of the Director of Counseling Services to appointed University committees will be satisfactory per feedback from University leadership and other committee members. 100 percent active participation in all appointed committees. Director of Counseling attended all committee meetings regarding committee assignments. 4. Objective: Academic college collaboration Promote collaboration between Counseling Services and University academic colleges. a. Measure: Satisfactory Collaboration with Academic Colleges Collaboration between Counseling Services and University colleges will be satisfactory per feedback from leadership of respective academic colleges as indicated in response to written survey. Increase collaboration with academic colleges by 10 percent. Page 3 of 7

4 More than 10% of total faculty referred or consulted with counseling services regarding assistance for a student in distress or other services provided in the local community that the student needed. C. Goal: Comprehensive use of information technologies Meet the needs of its various publics, both internal and external, through the comprehensive use of information technologies. 1. Objective: Counseling services for online students Promote use of counseling services by University online students. This was accomplished by the online counselor establishing chat discussions regarding different types of mental illnesses and treatment for online students to discuss. a. Measure: Increased use of counseling services by University Online Students Increased incidents of use of Counseling Services by UWA online students. Increase usage of Counseling Services by University Online students by 10 percent. Students enrolled in online programs decreased their participation in therapeutic services. However, students enrolled in online programs significantly increased their use of other resources such as the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center, National Alliance of Mental Health, and Mental Health Screening site. II. Other Plans for Improvement A. Increase Retention Rate of At Risk Students by 5 percent. Through collaboration with Student Success Coordinators with Colleges, provide tutoring and skills training support to increase retention of students who have been conditionally admitted or who are on academic probation or academic warning. Established in Cycle: Implementation Status: In-Progress Priority: High Implementation Description: Needs will be assessed per feedback of Student Success Coordinators and interventions provided to address needs. Projected Completion Date: 09/29/2012 Responsible Person/Group: Director of Counseling Services Budget Amount Requested: $0.00 (no request) B. Structured experience for conditionally admitted freshmen For the academic year, students who were conditionally admitted were placed in designated sections of UWA 101 where they were provided with extra academic support and a structured first year experience. Established in Cycle: Implementation Status: In-Progress Priority: High Implementation Description: Created designated section for conditionally admitted freshmen in UWA 101 Responsible Person/Group: Debbie Dean III. Analysis Questions and Analysis Answers Page 4 of 7

5 A. What specific strengths did your assessments show? (Strengths) % of all students submitted to Retention Alert for excessive absences were contacted by the Director of Counseling Services and provided with the appropriate academic or psychological service. This resulted in an increase persistence rate, students remaining in good academic standing, and retention rate for those students that received academic and psychological services. 2. Counseling Services increased the number of students utilizing counseling services to 30 %. In addition, tutorial services were utilized by 165 students which is an increase of 70 students from the previous assessment cycle. 3. Counseling Services was successful in capturing funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services grant in the amount of $300,000 for 36 months. This allowed the department to hire a full-time Outreach Coordinator who provided increased access to mental health promotions. These promotions were in the form of more publications placed in high traffic areas on campus, more workshops and seminars on mental health issues, and mental health activities such as a Mental Health Wellness fair and a "walk out-of-darkness" event for suicide prevention. 4. Success Coordinators contacted all students in their majors who were placed on academic probation and warning both in the form of contacts and face-to-face meetings. These at-risk students were required to meet with the Director of Counseling Services for learning assessment and tutoring for learning strategies development. 5. Freshmen students enrolled in UWA 101 Freshmen Seminar for the fall semester continues to rate satisfaction with the course above the 3.0 level. The major complaint continued to be mandatory participation in the fall cultural event. 6. The Director of Counseling Services participated in all assigned university committees which resulted in increased number of students utilizing counseling services as well as developing and conducting workshops and seminars in the residence halls that addressed particular problem areas for students such as substance abuse and student misconduct. 7. The increased number of international students utilizing counseling services resulted in development and conducting workshops on topics to help international students better assimilate into the campus culture. These seminars were regarding hygiene, communication, and sex education. B. What specific weaknesses or challenges did your assessments show? (Weaknesses) The major challenge for Counseling Services continues to be the absence of another licensed therapist to address the increased volume of students utilizing psychological services. A budget request has been submitted for a part-time licensed therapist who can assist the Director in working with these students. C. What plans were implemented? 1. For conditionally admitted freshmen, 4 sections of UWA 101 Freshmen Seminar were designed to provide additional academic skill building activities and academic support. The result of this plan was an increase of 22% more freshmen ending the spring semester in good academic standing. 2. The grant award from the US. Department of Health and Human Services provided additional resources for a full-time Outreach Coordinator that implemented mental health promotional activities resulting in an increased utilization of psychological counseling and increased use of screening resources for depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders. 3. The plan implemented by Counseling Services to increase the number of students utilizing counseling services and the number of students using tutorial services was implemented by the Director speaking to all freshmen seminar classes, BY 101 classes, and conducting an information workshop for residence assistance and hall directors. 4. Adding the requirement that Success Coordinators contact all students in their majors who were placed on academic probation and warning both in the form of contacts and face-to-face meetings and requiring these at-risk students to meet with the Director of Counseling Services for learning assessment and tutoring for learning strategies development resulted in an increased utilization of psychological and academic services by these students. 5. Semester assessment of freshmen students enrolled in UWA 101 Freshmen Seminar for the fall semester continues to rate satisfaction with the course above the 3.0 level. The major complaint continued to be mandatory participation in the fall cultural event. 6. The Director of Counseling Services Page 5 of 7

6 participated in all assigned university committees which resulted in increased number of students utilizing counseling services as well as developing and conducting workshops and seminars in the residence halls that addressed particular problem areas for students such as substance abuse and student misconduct. 7. The needs assessment conducted by a sample of international students regarding mental health and academic needs increased number of international students utilizing counseling services and resulted in presented workshops on topics to help international students better assimilate into the campus culture. These seminars were regarding hygiene, communication, and sex education. D. What plans were not implemented? 1. The retention rate for will not be available until after school starts in August However, the persistence rate for conditionally admitted freshmen increased from 32% in to 54% for the academic year. 2. Students enrolled in online programs decreased their participation in therapeutic services. However, students enrolled in online programs significantly increased their use of other resources such as the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center, National Alliance of Mental Health, and Mental Health Screening site. E. How will assessment results be used for continuous improvement? The Director of Counseling Services along with the Outreach Coordinator for the Suicide Prevention Program will continue to organize focus groups of faculty, staff, and students to determine the mental health and academic needs of the students as to increase persistence, retention, and graduation rates for the campus. The results of these focus groups will be to develop a strategic annual plan that will raise the level of awareness and increase knowledge of the campus community regarding mental illness, academic struggles and barriers, and provide access to resources on campus and in the community that will result in mentally healthier students and student achievement. IV. Annual Report Section Responses A. Key Achievements 1. The Award of $300,000 for a Suicide prevention grant from the US Department of Human Services division of Substance Abuse and mental illness 2. As a result of this award, Counseling Services was able to hire of a full-time Outreach Coordinator to supervise peer educators and develop mental health promotions, activities, and events. 3. The increased utilization of students accessing psychological services and academic support. 4. The Director of Counseling Service successfully completed a suicide prevention course and became a certified suicide prevention instructor. 5. The Director of Counseling presented at state and national conferences regarding protocol for providing on-line counseling and student services for students enrolled in distance education. 6. The development of UWA 101 sections that targeted conditionally admitted students and set aside seats in key courses such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, fine arts, physical education, and speech classes that provided for special attention and more academic support for these at-risk students. B. Faculty Achievements Assisting Dr. Hollingsworth in the College of Education in developing concentration for students enrolled in counseling courses to become certified in substance abuse, trauma counseling, distance counseling, and wellness. C. Staff Achievements The grant award of $300,000 from the US Department of Health and Human Services to establish and implement a Suicide Prevention Model on campus that includes a written protocol on how to deal with a situation where a student is threatening or attempting suicide. Page 6 of 7

7 D. Public/Community Service Debbie Baker-Dean: Served as a volunteer each Monday evening at Wesley House Community Center as an instructor for parenting classes. Page 7 of 7

8 'I' Planning and Assessment Approval Department or Division: Counseling and Student Support Services Chair or Director: Dr.. Debbie Dean~Baker or Vice President: Dr. Vicki Spruiell Goals are broad statements describing what lite unit wants to accomplish. Goals relate to bolh tbe Ullit's mission and tbe University's missioa The goal(s) is stated as lite University goal(s) a unit is attempting to meet. YES,,.. Outcomes and objectives are statements dtat describe in some detail what lite unit plans to acoomplish. Outcomes/objectives are associated with all applicable goals, strategic plans, standards, and institutional priorities. YES.,. 1 / Objectives are active-verb descriptions of specific points or tasks lite unit will accomplish or reach. Outcomes are active-verb descriptions of a desired.end result related to stodent learning and the unit's mission. YES~ Measures are statements to judge success in achieving tbe stated outcome or objective. Measures contain infonnation on tbe 1ype of evidence and assessment tool tltat a unit will use to verily if stated outcomelol!jeclive bas been met YES II.._,I Targets Achievement targets are lite thresholds that tbe measures moat meet for tbe unit to detennine lhat it has been succcssfu1 in meeting its specified outcomes/objectives. Achievement targets are measurnble statements. YES,,,_ "

9 I: i Findings are indications whether an outcome/objective was met or YES y "---<" not. Findings are put into the system under each achievement target. Findings include an interpretation of resnlts, possible nses of results, reflection on problems encountered, indicated O improvementsfcbanges and strengths or weakness. N Action Plans Action plans are detailed plans created by the unit to meet an YES 11, "' outcome/objective that was only partially met or not met or to make improvement to tltose outcomes/objectives that were met but still need some strengthening. The plan includes a projected completion date, implementation description, responsible person(s)/greup, N 0 resources required, and budget amowtt (if applicable). ~on plans. created in previous cycles have been updated with YES C\~ unplementation notes. ~ 1 Annual Report The Awtual Report section contains information on key achievements, facully and/or staff achievements, and community/public. YES lj'=' Analysis Report The unit lias reflected on and created lllllllllives for each ofthe YES v " -' following areas: specific strengths and progress made on outcomes/objectives, specific weaknesses or challenges, plans that were and were not implemented, and how assessment results will be used for continuous hntv'n'lta.ft'le>nt Approved by:~~~~,_-~ Si ~ qr i Prtsldent- Received by OIE: Uj(,V~ ;;.}8 V!fVJAlfv Signal of of ng and Assessment Date: Date:!osltJ2./2LJL4 I fy:v//1 I