Progress on Mission Fulfillment
- Objective 1: Students develop and achieve UAA’s Core Learning Competencies.
Indicator 1: Qualitative data from the UAA Graduate Exit Survey
Benchmark: Fall 2023 (first implementation of the survey)
Target: Improvement
The Graduate Exit Survey is administered in the Fall and Spring to graduating UAA students. It is designed to understand students self perceptions around core competency preparation, sense of engagement, usefulness of student support services, and post-graduation plans.
- Objective 2: Students persist, are retained, and graduate at increasing rates.
Benchmarks: AY2018-2019 (end of previous accreditation cycle)
Targets: Straight-line Projections
Thresholds: No lower than our dual mission peers
Comparisons with Dual Mission Peers: When available
(Targets are represented by a gold line and adjust based on the selected metric, degree level and course load type.)
- Indicator 1: Baccalaureate and Associates Persistence Rates
DEFINITION: The % of first-time, full-time and first-time, part-time associate and baccalaureate degree-seeking freshmen who enter in a given fall term and return the following spring term.
RATIONALE: When a student persists from their 1st fall to their 1st spring, it can indicate that the student felt welcomed, supported, and connected inside and outside the classroom. This welcome and support has been shown to motivate students to remain enrolled in their studies at an institution. Laying a foundation in the first semester and seeing the student continue is a strong indication of ongoing retention and ultimately graduation.
AVAILABLE PEER COMPARISONS: N/A
- Indicator 2: Baccalaureate and Associates Retention Rates
DEFINITION: The % of first-time, full-time and first-time, part-time associate and baccalaureate degree-seeking freshmen who enter in a given fall term and return for a 2nd fall term 1 year later.
RATIONALE: Retaining students from their 1st to their 2nd fall semester is one measure of a student’s intent to remain at the institution to complete their studies. The strong foundation of connection and support created inside and outside the classroom in the first two semesters should increase the student’s commitment to continuing at UAA.
AVAILABLE PEER COMPARISONS: IPEDS
- Indicator 3: Baccalaureate and Associates Graduation Rates
Baccalaureate Graduation Rates
DEFINITION: The % of first-time, full-time baccalaureate degree-seeking freshmen who enter in a given fall term and earn their degree within 6 years (150% of catalog time).
RATIONALE: Measuring how long it takes a defined group of entering students to complete their degree programs is a traditional measure of student success. Timely completions save students money and can indicate effectiveness of academic planning and student support. Because many UAA students transition from full-time to part-time enrollment from one semester to the next, extending the timeframe for tracking graduation provides a more complete picture of UAA student completions.
AVAILABLE PEER COMPARISONS: IPEDS
Associate Graduation Rates
DEFINITION: The % of first-time, full-time associate degree-seeking freshmen who enter the institution for the first time in a given fall semester and earn their degree within 4 years (200% of catalog time).
RATIONALE: Measuring the graduation rates for students entering as 2-year associate degree seekers recognizes this significant cohort of students. As with baccalaureate degrees, timely completions save students money and can indicate effectiveness of academic planning and student support. Because many UAA students transition from full-time to part-time enrollment from one semester to the next, extending the timeframe for tracking graduation provides a more complete picture of UAA student completions.
AVAILABLE PEER COMPARISONS: N/A
- Indicator 1: Baccalaureate and Associates Persistence Rates
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Objective 3: Gaps in student learning and achievement are narrowed.
Benchmark: AY2018-2019 (end of previous accreditation cycle)
Targets: Narrowed gaps at UAA
Comparisons with Dual Mission Peers: When available
- Indicator 1: Disaggregated Data for Baccalaureate and Associates Persistence
DEFINITION: The % of first-time, full-time and first-time, part-time associate and baccalaureate degree-seeking freshmen who enter in a given fall term and return the following spring term.
RATIONALE: When a student persists from their 1st fall to their 1st spring, it can indicate that the student felt welcomed, supported, and connected inside and outside the classroom. This welcome and support has been shown to motivate students to remain enrolled in their studies at an institution. Laying a foundation in the first semester and seeing the student continue is a strong indication of ongoing retention and ultimately graduation.
AVAILABLE PEER COMPARISONS: N/A
- Indicator 2: Disaggregated Data for Baccalaureate and Associates Retention
DEFINITION: The % of first-time, full-time and first-time, part-time associate and baccalaureate degree-seeking freshmen who enter in a given fall term and return for a 2nd fall term 1 year later.
RATIONALE: Retaining students from their 1st to their 2nd fall semester is one measure of a student’s intent to remain at the institution to complete their studies. The strong foundation of connection and support created inside and outside the classroom in the first two semesters should increase the student’s commitment to continuing at UAA.
AVAILABLE PEER COMPARISONS: IPEDS
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Indicator 3: Disaggregated Data for Baccalaureate and Associates Graduation
Baccalaureate Graduation Rates
DEFINITION: The % of first-time, full-time baccalaureate degree-seeking freshmen who enter in a given fall term and earn their degree within 6 years (150% of catalog time).
RATIONALE: Measuring how long it takes a defined group of entering students to complete their degree programs is a traditional measure of student success. Timely completions save students money and can indicate effectiveness of academic planning and student support. Because many UAA students transition from full-time to part-time enrollment from one semester to the next, extending the timeframe for tracking graduation provides a more complete picture of UAA student completions.
AVAILABLE PEER COMPARISONS: IPEDS
Associate Graduation Rates
DEFINITION: The % of first-time, full-time associate degree-seeking freshmen who enter the institution for the first time in a given fall semester and earn their degree within 4 years (200% of catalog time).
RATIONALE: Measuring the graduation rates for students entering as 2-year associate degree seekers recognizes this significant cohort of students. As with baccalaureate degrees, timely completions save students money and can indicate effectiveness of academic planning and student support. Because many UAA students transition from full-time to part-time enrollment from one semester to the next, extending the timeframe for tracking graduation provides a more complete picture of UAA student completions.
AVAILABLE PEER COMPARISONS: N/A
- Indicator 4: Disaggregated Data for the Leading Indicator, Course Pass Rates
DEFINITION: The % of students who receive a passing grade (A, B, C, P) for all undergraduate students and (A, B, P) for graduate students in a course offered by a program compared to the same rate calculated for all courses at that level. Based on a 5-year trend. Included in the denominator for undergraduate courses are the grades D, F, W, I, NP, NB. Included in the denominator for graduate level are the grades C, D, F, W, I, NP, NB.
RATIONALE: Low pass rates are one critical way to identify courses that are barriers to student success and degree completion. Failing key courses correlates with low retention and more major switching. Mitigation strategies can be internal or external to the course itself, including, among other things, the use of high-impact pedagogical practices, appropriate placement, course sequencing, tutoring, and other means to ensure student success within a particular course. This metric and the disaggregation of the data can inform planning, decision making, and allocating resources to programs and services designed to mitigate gaps in achievement and equity.
AVAILABLE PEER COMPARISONS: N/A
- Indicator 1: Disaggregated Data for Baccalaureate and Associates Persistence
Note: To assess student learning in the core competencies for mission fulfillment, UAA intentionally selected qualitative assessments through indirect indicators in order to hear directly from the students themselves. This qualitative assessment is supplemented by the ongoing direct assessment of student learning in general education. UAA’s general education student learning outcomes intentionally align with the core competencies.