Enhanced Case Management/Strategic Direction Three
Original Goal: Building on “intrusive advising” practices, the college staff advising center will shift to a
assigned case manager model for advising. It will invest in comprehensive student engagement software
connecting various support offices and interfacing with the student information system to support the
new model. As a result, cohort students will more quickly progress through AtD success milestones.
Action: During AY 2012, the College continued to update and refine this strategy based on new data and
connection with other DEI initiatives. For example:
• Based on a study from the Institutional Research & Math departments, beginning in fall 2012
the college students testing ONLY into the highest developmental math will no longer be
mandated into the advising program
• The advising department increased its level of referrals to the ABLE/Solutions program,
especially for students going into pre-health programs for semester conversion. This was done
to help students more efficiently meet new health science gateway prerequisites for completion
of all developmental coursework. The department also increased referrals of existing
developmental students to ABLE/Solutions who were midway through their sequence.
Summary progress results: Since fall 2011 was the first cohort to extensively receive this intervention,
their performance outcomes are tracked against prior cohorts using the key AtD measures for Year 1.
The 2011 cohort continued to show strong performance in developmental math outcomes. Note
gateway outcomes are not tracked because most students at NC State did not require college-level math
until semester conversion in fall 2012. Writing outcomes did fall, but that may be partially attributed to
the new placement policy which moved nearly 200 previously developmental students to the collegelevel.
Reading outcomes also declined, though the college implemented a placement change in 2011 diverting
all students testing below 60 on COMPASS to ABLE Solutions. Despite having fewer students with
predicted reading difficulty, the attempt and completion rates remained stagnant.
Term-to-term retention increased slightly, while fall-to-fall remained constant and kept pace with the
whole cohort. The 2011 cohort also completed a higher ratio of credits than past cohorts. Also,
developmental students with less than 30 credit hours have reported increasing positive perspectives on
advising through the CCSSE survey – the most recent covering partial implementation of the model.
Satisfaction with Acad. Advising Developmental
Importance of Acad. Advising - Developmental
2006
2006
2008
73%
46%
43%
32% 36%
7% 7% 8%
N.A.
Not at all
2011
60% 64%
53% 51%
8% 6%
4%
2008
2011
34% 31%
6%
Somewhat
Very
5%
Not at all
25%
3%
Somewhat
Very
Post-DEI plans: In summer 2012, the college merged its admissions intake and staff advising
departments after an extensive internal operational study. Based on this consolidation, it will have
increased capacity to service students in the developmental advising program. Moreover, the
conversion to semesters decreases by one term the number of mandatory meetings for continuing
students, which will also add to program advising capacity. The college will also investigate the best
means for the college is balancing this developmental intake/advising strategy with consumer demand
for rapid registration. Finally, the college has completely moved away from RetentionZen software
originally purchased through DEI funds, and this year will implement a new early alert module.