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UTSA recognized by Eduventures for fostering ecosystem of student success and innovative learning strategies

June 17, 2024
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UTSA’s Steve Wilkerson, associate vice provost & chief analytic officer (second from left), Tammy Wyatt, senior vice provost for student success, and Melissa Vito, vice provost for academic innovation, accept the 2024 Innovation Award at the Eduventures Summit in Chicago on June 13. Also pictured is Dennis Syracuse, division president for Encoura (far left) and Todd Boullion, chief marketing officer at Encoura.

 

UTSA is living up to its vision of becoming a model for student success and others are taking notice. The university has received a 2024 Eduventures Innovation Award for its data-informed learning innovation initiative that has focused on bridging the gap between the student and faculty experience to maximize student success outcomes.

Over the last decade, UTSA has experienced dramatic increases in student success, including significant improvements in student retention, graduation rates and overall academic success.

These positive outcomes are a result of the university’s efforts to steadily cultivate an ecosystem of student success by promoting collaboration across the institution, building a unified approach to student support, and using data-informed practices and analysis to offer more precise and proactive support to students to increase their success.

Motivated by the successes of the data-driven strategies implemented across the university’s student-facing programs, a collaboration formed between the divisions of Student Success, Academic Innovation, Undergraduate Studies and Institutional Research and Analysis to focus on faculty development and curricular changes to further improve academic outcomes and deepen student engagement.

This unified approach — known internally as the Learning Innovation Initiative — has enabled UTSA to develop and measure the impact of various faculty development programs and curricular transformations on student outcomes.

"UTSA’s Learning Innovation Initiative began with a shared goal to create a unique framework and pilot projects focusing on key metrics of student success. It has evolved into a remarkable collaboration, producing impactful programs and fostering data-driven accountability as we continue to build an ecosystem that has an enduring role in increasing student success," said Tammy Wyatt, senior vice provost for student success.

Eduventures recognized UTSA for the following projects, which have demonstrated measurable improvements in student performance and engagement, reinforcing UTSA's role as a leader in higher education innovation.

ACUE Fellow Faculty Development
Since 2020, the division of Academic Innovation has sponsored 160 faculty members to complete courses on effective and equitable teaching practices offered by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE). These faculty become ACUE-certified and join a university-wide ACUE Fellows community dedicated to fostering student success by discussing, implementing, and sharing effective teaching strategies within their respective colleges and departments. From 2020-2023, these faculty have experienced 3.6% reduction in DFW (Drop/Fail/Withdraw) rates and higher rates of A and B grades in their courses.

Curricular Analytics
UTSA is in its third year utilizing an interactive visualization tool called Curricular Analytics to refine degree pathways to reduce complexity and improve time-to-degree, especially for non-traditional students. Over 80 degree programs have been analyzed, leading to significant curriculum simplifications in 28 programs. The redesign of Political Science 1013, impacting 7,000 students annually, utilized innovative tools to enhance engagement and digital fluency, reducing DFW rates and increasing relevance to students' lives and careers. The project has also reduced student petitions for curriculum waivers by 26-34% over two academic cycles.

Equitable Student Pathways
The Equitable Student Pathways project at UTSA, funded by the Lumina and Trellis foundations, aims to improve student success metrics like persistence and graduation rate by redesigning curricular pathways and integrating micro-credentials into targeted core curriculum courses. Phase one focused on sustainable environment majors, reducing time-to-degree. Phase two targets business programs, evaluating employment outcomes. The project uses data analytics to guide these efforts, significantly reducing DFW rates and improving retention and graduation rates.

First-Year Student Experience and Faculty Mini-Grants
The First-Year Student Experience and Faculty Engagement Mini-Grant program at UTSA enhances student-faculty engagement, promoting a sense of connection and belonging among first-year students. Launched in spring 2022, the program offers $1,000-$1,250 mini-grants to faculty for organizing discipline-related activities. Since its inception, 30 faculty members have reached over 670 students, of which 88% reported feeling more connected and 84% feeling a stronger sense of belonging. Due to its success, funding has doubled, offering up to 20 grants of $1,500 annually.

Student Experience Project
The Student Experience Project (SEP) at UTSA is a community of practice aimed at improving learning environments and enhancing student success. SEP focuses on cultivating belonging, promoting growth mindset, and fostering learning mindsets to improve classroom performance and degree completion. In the 2023-24 academic year, 52 faculty across 74 course sections participated, impacting over 5,600 students. The project achieved a 2% reduction in DFW rates and a 3% increase in ABC grades. Improvements were also noted in students' sense of belonging, identity safety, and self-efficacy. For the faculty, the overwhelming majority agreed that participating in the SEP enhanced their understanding of student needs and expectations in the classroom.

"Empowering faculty through continuous development is the cornerstone of student success; well-equipped educators inspire and guide students toward their full potential through transformative learning experiences," said Melissa Vito, vice provost for academic innovation. "By providing resources for faculty growth, we ensure that educators can continually adapt and excel in their roles, creating a ripple effect that enhances the entire academic community."

The award, presented last week at the Eduventures Summit in Chicago, showcases the achievements of individuals and organizations leading impactful strategies to improve three areas integral to higher education: enrollment strategy, student experience and learning outcomes. Now in its eighth year, the Eduventures Innovation Awards Program honors organizations and teams that are shaping the future of higher education.

"This award is a testament to UTSA’s collective dedication to enhancing the academic experience and success of our students," said Heather Shipley, UTSA provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. "At UTSA, everyone has a role in student success. We have experienced greater gains and collective wins as a result of creating organizational structures and processes to break down silos and support cultures of collaboration across the institution."

Eduventures is the research division of Encoura®, an educational data science and research organization that focuses on empowering colleges and universities for success.

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