Student Success Scan Initial Report

On September 23, 2024, the Student Success Scan project team was charged by President Keller to swiftly gauge the progress of student success efforts to inform long- and short-term strategies for improving student success at the University of North Texas.

This project aims to complete a rapid assessment of our current student success efforts to identify key challenges, potential quick wins, and recommendations for transformational improvement. A project team sought to map the current student success landscape at UNT and across peers who are advancing innovative approaches, by addressing the following questions:

What is the current state of student success at UNT today, including student persistence, completion, placement, and other measures of success, as well as current UNT support programs and initiatives?
How are other institutions organizing to improve student success, especially recognized leaders in student persistence and success?
What are the key barriers and enablers to success for UNT?
What steps should UNT take in the near term and for the longer term so the university may earn a reputation as a national leader in student success?

The project has collected information from a number of sources for the initial scan of the current state of student success at UNT. The next steps of the project include:

Seek input from the university community on the Student Success Scan Initial Report.
Release updated Student Success Scan Initial Report reflecting input from the university community.
Seek input from the university community on the revised report with recommendations.
Present the final plan to the President and university community.

General Observations

From its founding in 1890 to the present day, UNT has undergone numerous transformations. In the past 10 years, UNT reached designation as a Carnegie R1 university, the highest classification for research universities. In that same time, the enrollment grew from 36,000 students to more than 46,000. Demographic changes in the region and state are also reflected in UNT’s enrollment as the university obtained the status of both a Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving Institution. UNT has the distinction of being one of only 22 universities in the U.S. to be both an R1 and HSI.

Recent enrollment has also shown changing trends in the type of students. This includes an increase in the size of First-Time-in-College (FTIC) cohorts and a decrease in new undergraduate transfer students coming to the university. FTIC fall-to-fall retention rates had been increasing prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching a high of 82% for the 2019 cohort, but have now fallen to below 77%. While the rate for new transfer student fall-to-fall retention also dropped from a high of over 84% for the 2019 cohort, students in recent cohorts have been retained at a rate of about 83%. At the graduate level, enrollment in Master’s programs increased by almost 300% from 2014 to 2023. There has also been growth in students who are in locations other than the original Denton campus, including those at Discovery Park, Frisco, and online.

UNT’s growth in enrollment, changes in demographics and locations of students, and growing research stature provide both unique challenges and opportunities for the institution.

Student Success Scan Data

The project team has collected information from sources across campus to inform the review of the current state of student success at UNT and the factors that can affect it. Information has been gathered through discussions and from a call to the university community to provide their input through a survey. More than 1,400 survey responses were received during the week of Oct. 7. Respondents included undergraduate students (37%), graduate students (13%), faculty (19%), and staff (27%). The survey data, along with other information, is being used by the project team to identify what student success means at UNT, what UNT is doing well, and what needs to be improved.

Defining Student Success

As defined by community feedback, student success at UNT means that students will excel academically, grow personally, be prepared for the next step in their academic or professional career, and continuously seek to improve and adapt. Preparing students for success encompasses a holistic approach that integrates the resources, support, and opportunities they need to achieve academic excellence, personal growth, and career readiness and success in an engaging and welcoming environment. Student success at UNT is not just about academic performance but also about fostering a well-rounded and supportive environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive and that prepares students for life beyond university.

Strengths at UNT in Supporting Student Success

The following are resources and activities at UNT that have been identified as enablers of student success at UNT:

UNT has a rich and welcoming community that fosters a strong sense of belonging. This is repeatedly mentioned as a major strength of the university. Students and staff feel UNT is a place where people are accepted and supported.
UNT has dedicated faculty and staff who are passionate about teaching, supporting students, and care about their students' success. Faculty and staff are perceived as being knowledgeable, helpful, and supportive.
UNT provides a wide range of resources and services to support students academically, personally, and professionally. These resources include academic advising, research opportunities, tutoring, academic support centers, career preparation, mental health counseling, the food pantry, and the clothes closet.
UNT offers a variety of academic programs and opportunities for students to get involved. UNT has a wide range of academic programs, student organizations, and events that provide students with opportunities to learn and grow outside the classroom. Students and staff perceive this as a strength of the university because it allows students to find their niche and build community.

Student Success Challenges at UNT

The following were identified as challenges to student success at UNT. This list has been organized into three categories: Academic, Infrastructure, and Student Work/Life.

Academic Challenges

Academic Advising and Degree Planning:

Undergraduate students report academic advisors could provide more personalized guidance. Concerns included:
- Long wait times and limited appointment slots make it difficult for students to receive timely guidance.
- Difficulty scheduling appointments, and advisors not being up to date on important information like catalog or course changes, resulting in a perception of some advisors being unhelpful.
Course scheduling is not streamlined or predictable. Course availability does not always match need.
Degree requirements and degree audits are complex and difficult for students to navigate. This is especially true for transfer students who may have credits that don't transfer easily or who are unfamiliar with UNT's degree plan structure.
Academic programs with multiple prerequisites, check points, and varied options are confusing for students to navigate and graduate in four years. Having varied “tracks” also creates difficulties scheduling all the variations so students can build a progressive schedule.

Graduate Student Mentoring:

Graduate students expressed dissatisfaction with the mentoring they receive. They feel some faculty lack the necessary training to effectively support students. Students report receiving incorrect information or insufficient support from their advisors, leading to unnecessary coursework and difficulty graduating on time.
A lack of mentoring support is particularly problematic as tools (such as degree audits) to help navigate academic progression are not widely available for graduate students.

Academic Preparedness:

Concerns about UNT’s capacity to provide fundamental academic and college success skills training to students who need this assistance and an inability to identify students who may be at risk at the start of their experience for early intervention.
TSI-incomplete students are retained after the first year at a much lower rate.

Student Academic Engagement:

- Concerns were noted by faculty about high absence rates in classes.
- Faculty and staff report many students are not fully engaged in their learning.

Instructional Challenges:

Limited resources and support for faculty to gain the knowledge and skills they need to improve instruction.
- Time for class development is limited.
- Faculty evaluation structure is not conducive to taking risks in instructional innovation.

Limited resources to assist new faculty with implementing effective teaching strategies.
Some students report issues with professors who are unresponsive, use outdated materials, or have inadequate teaching styles.
Students desire more engaging and effective teaching methods, including a willingness to adapt teaching styles based on student needs.
Faculty can feel underprepared for the level of support students need.
Large class sizes, particularly for courses with high DFW rates and for students who require additional support.
As class sizes have grown, faculty are challenged to incorporate key skills valued by employers and provide students meaningful, individual feedback on performance of those skills.

Admissions:

Concerns were expressed about a focus on growing enrollment numbers over educational quality.
Students who are admitted too close to the start of the semester can encounter problems with advising due to incomplete processing of records and difficulty finding the courses they need.

Infrastructure Challenges

Communication:

Survey responses indicated a need for clearer and more coordinated communication from UNT to students, particularly regarding events, student resources, and academic requirements. Students report feeling confused and overwhelmed by the numerous platforms and channels used for communication, often missing important information or receiving contradictory information from different departments.

Systems and Processes:

Students report difficulty navigating UNT’s numerous systems and processes. There are too many systems for students to navigate, frustrating students and hindering their ability to be successful.
Some staff note that UNT has many platforms but does not use some of them to their full potential.

Student Support:

Concerns about providing a similar UNT experience (services, resources, community) to students at all UNT sites, including Discovery Park, Inspire Park, and Frisco Landing.
Staffing and infrastructure have not kept up with enrollment growth. Staff feel overwhelmed and underpaid, leading to increased turnover.
Students are, at times, referred to multiple offices when trying to get an answer to a question.
Many students, particularly those who are working, commuting, or taking online courses, report facing barriers in accessing resources and services due to limited hours, in-person requirements, or lack of awareness.
Limited opportunities for research and internships.
Students desire more practical, hands-on career experiences and better connections with potential employers.
Limited on-campus housing for returning students and limited support for connecting students to off-campus housing options.
Difficulty in scaling of known high impact practices.
Many support systems and programs are targeted toward first-year students and less for continuing students.

Financial Concerns: Many students, particularly graduate students and international students, report concerns about the financial burden of attending UNT.

Graduate student stipends: Students note that current stipends are insufficient to cover their cost of living.
The high cost of health insurance, particularly for international students, is a recurring concern.
Students express frustration with administrative inefficiencies, particularly within departments like financial aid and payroll.
Faculty noted concerns about funding and support for Graduate Students, including stipend levels, tuition reimbursement, and health insurance.

Parking and Transportation:

Many students express frustration with parking and busses, stating they feel forced to arrive on campus very early to get to class on time.

Student Work/Life Challenges

Mental Health Resources:
- Students experience high levels of stress and burnout, often from balancing work and coursework, which impacts their success. Students report long wait times and difficulty scheduling appointments with mental health services.
Many students struggle with basic needs insecurity, such as housing, food, and transportation.
Student work obligations combined with full-time enrollment cause difficulties with attendance and completion of academic work.
Several sources identified a lack of a sense of community as a challenge for students, particularly commuters and those from underrepresented groups.

How Are Other Institutions Supporting Student Success?

UNT can look to its strengths to build on existing resources as we address the challenges that have been identified. Student success efforts at other universities may also serve as models to provide UNT with approaches that might be adapted for use. Some potential examples of successful initiatives include:

Georgia State University (GSU): GSU has implemented a comprehensive set of initiatives, including predictive analytics and proactive advising, to support student success.
University of California, Riverside (UCR): UCR has focused on comprehensive student success initiatives, including academic advising, tutoring, degree planning, course scheduling, and financial aid counseling.
University of Texas System: UT System embarked on a system-wide student success initiative where they defined pillars of success - Advising, Belonging, Finances — that guided research on student outcomes. An Exemplary Student Pathway Project focused research on gaps in student success and action plans to improve outcomes.

The authors of this report utilized Microsoft 365 Copilot, a large language model, for assistance with analyzing and summarizing survey data.