Provost Jim Dalton announced today that The University of Alabama’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), a project to fulfill requirements of UA’s 2025 SACSCOC reaffirmation process, will focus on students’ success in courses with high attrition rates.

“After considering several very good initiatives to demonstrate that UA is committed to student success, a panel of leaders in undergraduate education determined that supplemental instruction offered the greatest opportunity to impact the largest number of students,” Dalton said. “I couldn’t agree with them more.”

The proposal to use an enhanced version of supplemental instruction in courses with high attrition rates (drop-fail-withdraw) rates, especially those courses required for general education or pre-requisites for the major, was presented by Jennifer Roth-Burnette, Director of the Learning Commons in the Capstone Center for Student Success; Lisa Dorr, Associate Dean for Social Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences; Nathan Loewen, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and A&S Faculty Technology Liaison; and Summer Rawls, Coaching Coordinator in the Learning Commons. This team has piloted faculty workshops about supplemental instruction and pedagogical strategies to enhance student engagement. As a part of the QEP, this project will receive additional institutional support to expand supplemental instruction in more courses and colleges.

Said one proposal reviewer, “This was a very specific plan, well researched, clear data, and clear next steps. Additional support for students on these key classes is vital to helping with retention and graduation rates. This seems like such a great plan to increase student success.”

Monitoring student success measures is a part of the University’s strategic plan including graduation rates and retention rates of first-time, full-time student cohorts. It is the purpose of this QEP to increase student retention and graduation rates with the introduction of supplemental instruction.

Supplemental instruction provides course-embedded, peer-led learning assistance in courses with high attrition rates. Supplemental instruction sessions are peer-led and aligned with a course’s pacing and learning materials. Sessions allow students to clarify and think critically about what they are learning in a class, ask questions in a safe environment, and build study habits preparing them for excellence in foundational courses and beyond.

A pilot of the plan will be conducted in Academic Year 2023-24. Once the pilot is complete, the initial proposal and implementation plan will develop into a five-year project submission to SACSCOC in January 2025 for review and acceptance.  Phased implementation of supplemental instruction in additional courses will allow for ongoing evaluation and improvement of the project.