The expansion of data capabilities and leveraging existing analytic tools are a key part of the CSUN’s Matadors Rising Initiative to improve graduation rates and eliminate opportunity gaps. The challenge for faculty is to become proficient in using data tools and to understand how best to employ them to improve student success metrics.
Data Champions
Data Champions 2018-2019
Early problems for first-time transfer students that slow graduation rates by department.
A.J. McCaffrey, Assistant Professor of Music
Looking at the lower division classes which are prerequisites for upper division classes in the majors.
Who needs help from the start?
Gina Giotta, Associate Professor of Communication Studies
Using Mapworks and Freshsurvey self-reported data that have been shown to be excellent predictors of freshman retention to develop some supportive programming for first-time freshmen.
Data Champions 2017-2018
Transfer Students and Lower Division Major Requirements
Stephanie Bluestein, Department of Journalism
Study majors in the college that have lower division requirements and the effect these have on the time to graduation of transfer students.
Effective Advising
Sakile Camara, Department of Communication Studies
Using focus groups of students and focus groups of advisors to research what students want, when they want it, what kind of help they need, and how they feel about advising from the Student Resource Center and department advisors.
Work and Commute Hours of Students - “Person on the Street Interviews”
Robert St. Pierre, Department of Art
Work and commute hours; Evening and weekend class (including Sundays) needs; MW/TTH cohort scheduling workability.
Data Champions 2016-2017
Retention from Year One to Year Two
Matthew Jackson, Department of Theatre
The presentation will indicate the relationship between retention rates and DFU grades based on data received from CSU By The Numbers and CSUN By The Numbers, specifically after the first year on campus (freshman to sophomore year or the first to second year after transferring from a community college). Additionally, I will examine student grades in GE classes vs. their chosen major and how these results affect their return to campus to continue toward graduation.
Barriers and Opportunities: Optimizing Student Success in High-Impact Courses
Dave Keating, Department of Communication Studies
Courses that are required within a major and courses with large enrollment numbers can have a high impact on student success trends. In particular, better understanding DFU rates in these classes---including any achievement gaps in these rates---can offer new techniques and approaches to optimize student success. Thus, this project sought to examine the barriers and opportunities for students in high-impact courses in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication.
Effective Pedagogy and Retention
Magdy Rizk, Department of Art
The presentation will show, with quantitative and qualitative evidence and data, the direct and indirect relationship between pedagogy styles and retention rates. This will include high DFU and critical lower and upper division courses that impede successful program experiences for students.
Improve Student Success in MCCAMC by Using Institutional Data
Yue Zheng, Department of Journalism
By using and analyzing the institutional data in the past ten years, this research project aims to identify the current problems on student retention and graduation in Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication, and meanwhile figure out the solutions to improve the retention and graduation rate. This plan will help achieve CSUN Graduation Initiative 2025 by figuring out the students who are getting close to graduation and also identifying the bottle neck classes.
