Dixie State University
Library & Learning Services

Academic Performance Center
Annual Report 2018–2019

2019 Annual Review
Introduction

Department Name: Academic Performance Center

College Name: Library & Learning Services

Department Head: Rob Gray

Department Mission Statement (required for NWCCU):

The mission of the Dixie State University Academic Performance Center is to facilitate an active learning environment wherein all students can engage in peer-to-peer instruction and excel in their coursework. Our focus is high-enrollment, high DWF rate lower-division courses. We aim to create a community of academic collaboration, both at Dixie State University and in southern Utah.

Goals and Accomplishments

Report progress on goals identified in last year’s report.

LLS Goal 2: Expand Resources and Enhance Services

Strategy: Develop multiple advertising strategies to reach both faculty and students in order to increase the number of consultations the APC completes each year.

• We accomplished this goal through creation and implementation of a marketing plan. Some of the strategies we used are listed below:
  • Dixie Announce faculty and staff emails
  • Campus A-frame advertising
  • Trailtracker Student newsletter
  • Email to parents
  • Faculty information flyers
  • Canvas announcements
  • Social media campaign
  • Campus TV monitor ads
  • Blazer Digest ads

Strategy: Work with department chairs and professors to hire better tutors and improve the APC’s reputation.

• We accomplished this goal by creating a policy that all new tutors must be recommended by at least two faculty members and that each tutor must have received an A or A- in each course they tutor. This policy assured that we hire more qualified tutors, and it also increased our reputation across campus. Also, now that faculty is involved in the hiring process, they have more buy-in with our program.

Strategy: Create an online tutoring program.

• We have partially accomplished this goal. Our final obstacle is programming a mandatory email field into our appointment software. IT has not been able to help with this, so our software company has offer to create the field at a cost of $700. Before committing, we are currently researching EAB Navigate to see if it can work as our management software in place of our current system.
• The online tutoring goal is still feasible and will be implemented next year.

Strategy: Implement one-on-one tutoring sessions and possible group tutoring.

• We partially accomplished this goal. We did implement one-on-one tutoring as a service option to student while still maintaining our study hall tutoring service. We have not offer group tutoring. The problem we’ve encountered is that few lower-division courses are on the same schedule and use the same textbook. In order to have enough demand for group tutoring, many classes have to be taught with the same resources and on the same schedule.
• After careful consideration, we feel this goal is no longer feasible.

Strategy: Improve the quality of tutoring in the APC by instituting a tutor-training course for the APC’s tutors and plan to implementing CRLA program certification into the APC.

• We completed this goal by creating a tutor-training course (LLS 2790) and have received CRLA certification.

Strategy: Create additional LLS courses.

• We accomplished this goal by adding two peer mentor-training courses: LLS 2780- mentoring for peer coaches and LLS 2770, mentoring for supplemental instruction leaders.
• We also created master courses for LLS 2790, LLS 2780, and LLS 2770.
• Our total student count in these courses for 2019-2020 was 50 (LLS 2770 debuts Fall 2019).

LLS Goal 3: Contribute to Campus-Wide Retention Efforts

Strategy: Create measurable objectives that align with the Library and Learning Services and University goals.

• We accomplished this goal. The following is a list of our new PLOs:
  • Students who visit the Academic Performance Center will demonstrate an ability to solve complex problems.
  • Students who visit the Academic Performance Center will develop an increased understanding of course material and the skills necessary to study effectively.
  • Students who visit the Academic Performance Center will enhance their approaches to learning by becoming strategic learners and identifying common errors in reasoning.
  • Students who visit the Academic Performance Center will benefit from increased confidence in learning independently.

LLS Goal 4: Remove Barriers to Access and Improve Efficiencies

Strategy: Create a LLS Newsletter.

• The Academic Performance Center created a Library and Learning Services internship class, which enabled us to have student interns create a newsletter to promote LLS goals and highlight LLS information for the entire campus to access.

Strategy: Assess the APC’s current traffic and capacity by reviewing week-by-week, day-by-day, and hour-by-hour consultation data to accommodate students’ tutoring needs as efficiently as possible, with tutoring hours corresponding directly with demand.

• We completed this goal. We adjusted the number of tutors on staff during various days of the week and hours of the day according to demand. We are in the process of adding online tutoring during all our open hours, plus extended evening hours. We have extended hours for athletes also to accommodate their busy schedules.

Strategy: Create a mission statement that limits the APC’s scope to general education courses and high-enrollment, high-demand lower division courses, with the exceptions of English and math courses.

• We accomplished this goal. As part of our mission statement, we added a sentence about our focus on lower division. This allows us to focus efficiency efforts on the areas we do tutor.

Strategy: Assess program effectiveness with quantitative and qualitative studies.

• We partially accomplished this goal. We administered surveys to faculty, tutors, and students. We plan to do a case study next year.

Strategy: Create a DSU style guide.

• We accomplished this goal. The Academic Performance Center created a more accessible style guide for UMAC to create consistency in writing across campus, especially for those writing for formal or external audiences.

2. Summarize department and faculty highlights. (Provide a brief account of this year’s significant happenings and department accomplishments. Include faculty recognitions, honors, publications, presentations, etc.)

Staff Accomplishments and Honors

Director of Learning Services:

Rob Gray attended the Utah CRLA convention and the national CRLA convention. He also attended tutor center management training at Engineerica’s corporate office. He was a co-writer on a large Atwood Retention Grant, and helped create the University’s supplemental instruction program. He served on several task forces and committees including the University’s Trailblazer Connection committee. He suggested and implemented study hall tutoring for athletes. He also implemented a Library and Learning Services internship to publish a monthly, student-written newsletter. He received grants to develop three online tutor and mentor training courses and recently received a grant to develop an English course using OER.

Student Coordinators:

Cambron Sherman worked as a writing tutor to begin the academic year and was promoted to Academic Performance Center coordinator before accepting a management position at Techie for Life in the fall.

Emma Lee began the academic year as a tutor in the Writing Center and was soon promoted to coordinator in the Academic Performance Center to take Cambron’s spot. She presented her senior thesis at the Sigma Tau Delta national convention and was the managing editor for the LLS Newsletter. She graduated from DSU this spring and has accepted an offer to attend USU Master of Technical Writing program in the fall.

Student Tutors:

Brooke Rawlinson presented research at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference in Hawaii. She was a member of DSU's Booth Honors Program, graduated Summa Cum Laude honors, was accepted into six law schools across the country, and has chosen to attend BYU law starting Fall 2019.

Jane Lo was DSU’s Female Student of the Year.

Jordan Nelson volunteered at the Family Support Center of Washington City, completed two internships—one at Dixie Regional Medical Center in the ICU and one at Precision Genomics—and graduated with Bachelors in Individualized Studies. He plans on attending medical school next year.

Camila completed a Spanish Service Learning Trip to Mexico and participated in the Give Kids a Smile program.

3. Complete the table below for faculty (excluding adjuncts) as of May 2019, then provide adjunct information below the table.

Name and Degree	Tenure Status T = Tenured TT = Tenure Track NTT = Non Tenure Track	Rank	Faculty FTE	Released Time in Credit Hours
Rob Gray, MFA	NTT	Interim Director	1.0	N/A

Number of part-time student tutors, receptionists, and coordinator: 18

Department Effectiveness

10. Please add any other performance data you might like to include here that will help inform an accurate snapshot of your department.

Department Highlights:

A. During the 2018-2019 academic year, the Academic Performance Center had 7,511 student visits, a 1,684 percent increase in total visits over the 2017-2018 academic year (421 visits).

B. The Academic Performance Center added a study hall for athletes during fall semester. The Athletic Department announced that their athletes recorded the highest GPA on their record for that semester.

C. In an online survey administered to faculty on their perceptions of the Academic Performance Center, we found that most faculty believe that the tutoring center is effective in helping their students study subject matter. However, from this same survey, the Academic Performance Center also found that many faculty members have misconceptions about the tutoring center’s services; although, we added a “faculty resources” page to our website last year. To provide a more effective message, we plan to have an open house for faculty and staff during the first week of the fall 2019 semester. Some questions and answers from our faculty survey are below.

D. In a survey given to students as they finished tutoring appointments, our tutors scored perfect results in nearly every category. Questions and results are below.

11. Conduct SWOT Analysis—Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (Identify internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats. Analysis of facilities, resources, administration/staff, budgets, outside influences, competition and stakeholder satisfaction.)

Strengths

• We have excellent tutors
• We have strong relationships across campus (athletics, department chairs, etc)
• We are growing at a phenomenal rate
• Our dean allows us to try new ideas
• We have strong management software that creates reports that allow us to make decisions based on data
• We have a very modern, inviting work space
• Many divisions, departments, and programs are willing to collaborate with us
• We have adequate funding
• We have a computer replacement rotation schedule (adequate technology)
• We have an excellent assessment plan

Weaknesses

• As we continue to expand, we will run out of space soon
• We rely mainly on student fee funding instead of permanent institutional funding
• Part-time, student coordinator makes turn-over inevitable (new coordinator this summer)
• Our reputation will take time to repair
• Some faculty and staff still have misconceptions about our services

Opportunities

• We have funding to expand services
• Many departments wish for tutoring in their subject areas
• We can create a stronger marketing plan to alleviate misconceptions
• Supplemental instruction and CircleIn

Threats

• Outsourced tutoring is always a threat
• Lack of permanent funding
• New athletic department requirements might create challenges
• Some of our new service overlap other areas on campus and these areas may want to “claim” our programs and work

Chair’s Response—Planning for the Future

12. Based on the above data, list specific goals your department will target to accomplish during the coming academic year. Note: In next year’s report, follow up reporting on these goals will be covered in #1 and #2 as in this report.

LLS Goal 2: Expand Resources and Enhance Services

Strategy: Increase total consultations next academic year

• This goal is not being carried over from the previous year.
• Action Plan: Hire an intern to increase social media marketing and other forms including brochures and radio ads. Hold an open house for faculty and staff.
• Desired Outcome: Ten percent increase in total visits from this year.
• Timeline: One year
• No additional resources are needed.

Strategy: Increase Subject Tutoring

• This goal is not being carried over from the previous year.
• Action Plan: Poll departments to see which would like departmental tutors, consider demand, assess available candidates.
• Desired Outcome: Add two more tutors to staff.
• Timeline: One year
• No additional resources are necessary.

Strategy: Begin a proposal to acquire a Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant

• This goal is not being carried forward from a previous year.
• Action Plan: Plan process, recruit committee members, begin to write grant, and plan implementation.
• Desired Outcome: Expand supplemental instruction program, expand tutoring program to include upper-division courses, implement CRLA training and certification across campus.
• Timeline: Two years
• No additional resources are necessary.

Strategy: CRLA certification

• This goal is being carried forward from a previous year.
• Action Plan: Market certification across campus, apply for mentor certification for Student Affairs.
• Desired Outcome: Acquire certification for peer mentoring and supplemental instruction programs and market the accomplishment.
• Timeline: One year
• No additional resources are necessary.

LLS Goal 4: Remove Barriers to Access and Improve Efficiencies

Strategy: Increase Department Efficiency

• This goal is not being carried forward from a previous year.
• Action Plan: Track days and hours for efficiency and make adjustments according to what the data suggests.
• Desired Outcome: Adjust tutoring schedule for better efficiency.
• Timeline: One year
• No additional resources are necessary.

15. What are departmental projected needs for the next 3-5 years? Include staffing, space, budget, etc.)

The Academic Performance Center’s biggest need in the next few years will be additional space. As our program continues to grow and as the Athletic Department will require additional tutoring to meet Division 1 standards, Learning Services will need additional room. Our suggestion is to combine the Honor’s Lab with the English Department Collaborative Learning Space, as both are underused, and create one large tutoring space between the Academic Performance Center, the Writing Center and the Honor’s lab space.

Another need will be additional funding, and we plan to address this with a Title III grant.