Internet Learning Volume 6, Number 1, Spring 2017/Summer 2017 | Page 15

Internet Learning
administrative functions. The ability to
identify predictors offers an opportunity
to apply a community of practice
process to the collection of actionable
student interventions. The multi-member
educational community once again
agreed to an open research process that
resulted in a common framework. The
framework was based on the updated
model of retention, predictors from the
dataset, and the recognition of a student
life cycle during which particular interventions
might be more or less effective
at different times. The student life cycle
periods (see Table 2) that were identified
included: connection, the period
from when a student first contacts the
institution, through admissions and initial
advising until they first take classes;
entry, the first year or so of classes when
students get most of their general education
courses taken and, if they have
not already, decided on a major; progress,
the major period of progression
toward a degree; and completion, when
students finish up the requirements of
their degree and make plans for employment
or further studies.
Table 2 illustrates how the combination
of predictors addressed and
stage in the students’ academic life cycle
resulted in the creation of the Student
Success Matrix (SSM X ) (Wagner, Daston,
Shea, Sloan, & Swan, 2013). The
SSM X provides an efficient structure for
inventorying, organizing, and conceptualizing
supports aimed at improving
student outcomes. An exploratory research
process was used to test whether
interventions would fit into these
categories. In 2012, the 16 then-members
of PAR were asked to submit on a
spreadsheet the interventions that were
used at their institution. The collection
yielded over 1,000 interventions, all of
which fit into the intervention categories
(Swan & Daston, 2014). The PAR
team has since refined and automated
the intake process and interventions are
now collected online. Using the SSM X ,
member institutions have contributed
descriptions of supports currently in
use on their campuses including pro-
Table 2. Predictor Categories by Stage in Academic Career Instantiated in the Student
Success Matrix
Learner characteristics
Learner behaviors
FIT (academic and psychosocial
integration)
Other support
Course/program
characteristics
Instructor behaviors
Connection Entry Progress Completion
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