First in the World: FY 2014 Project Abstracts

First in the World Program: FY 2014 Project Abstracts

Jacksonville State University

P116F140299

1. Applicant institution: Jacksonville State University; Partners: University of West Alabama, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and Civitas Learning

2. Project Title: Demonstrating the Collaborative Regional Education (CORE) Comprehensive Model for Higher Education: Improving Access and Success among Low-Income and Rural Students

3. Project Director: Dr. Alicia Simmons, Jacksonville State University, (256) 782-8145 -Office, (256) 473-4931,

4. Evaluator: Civitas Learning, 1145 W. 5th Street, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78703, (512) 215-9628

5. Abstract:

Jacksonville State University proposes Demonstrating the Collaborative Regional Education (CORE) Comprehensive Model for Higher Education: Improving Access and Success among Low-Income and Rural Students, a study of three cohorts of largely under-represented, low income, low achieving and rural students in Alabama. Through this demonstration project, faculty in the treatment group will receive professional development to support revised curriculum, improved classroom environments, and expanded use of technology and new methodologies leading to increased student critical thinking and technology skills. Baseline data will be collected from the fall 2014 cohort of first-time freshmen at JSU.

The fall 2015 cohort will serve as the treatment group and the fall 2015 cohort at a comparable regional university will serve as the control group. Randomized selection will occur to produce 300 students in both the control and treatment groups for the quasi-experimental design. In addition, fidelity of intervention and predictive analytics studies will also be conducted. Ultimately, the intervention is predicted to increase student retention and success, which will also be computed. Concurrently, high school students with the same characteristics who are participating in dual enrollment courses through CORE, will receive an intervention designed to increase awareness of the affordability of college.

6. Absolute Priority: 1- Increasing Access and Completion for Underrepresented, Underprepared, or Low-Income Students

7. Citations and links for the Evidence of Promise studies:

Oreopoulos, P., & Dunn, R. (2012). Information and college access: Evidence from a randomized field experiment (NBER Working Paper No. 18551). Retrieved from

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse. (2013, July). WWC review of the report: Information and college access: Evidence from a randomized field experiment. Retrieved from

8. MSI: Jacksonville State University has received a letter of approval as an Eligible Institution under Title III and/or Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

9. Total number of (unduplicated headcount) students involved in the project over the four year period: 4900

Arizona State University Abstract

P116F140280

1. Applicant: Arizona State University (ASU)

2. Title: Innovations for Success@ASU to Increase Equity, Excellence, and Affordability

3. Principal Investigator: M. Jeanne Wilcox, Ph.D.

4. Evaluators: Chaouki Abdallah, Provost, University of New Mexico

Gerardo M. Gonzalez, Ph.D., Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and Dean of Indiana University’s School of Education, Telephone: 812-866-8010; Fax: 317-274-6864

E-mail:

5. Abstract:

The goal of Innovations for Success@ASU is to increase access and success forstudents from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who are Hispanic, African American orNative American. Equity, excellence, and affordability comprise the conceptual framework forthree distinct but complementary innovations.

First is the development and iterative testing ofsix new project-based majors at ASU that are culturally responsive and self-paced by thestudents. The program is based on “move on when ready” and it is expected to significantlyshorten time to bachelor’s degree attainment. Second, an Early Start program will be developedthrough a partnership the Phoenix Union High School District (PUHSD) that includes 16 Title Ihigh schools. In Early Start seniors will work on a project during their senior year, continueduring a summer transition program and finish in their first few weeks of enrollment at ASU andreceive up to 12 credits toward ASU degree requirements. Third, also in collaboration withPUHSD a near-peer and parent-to-parent mentoring program will be established to provide co-curricular supports for incoming freshman. Expected outcomes are increased graduate rates,less time to graduation, and increased access and retention.

6. Absolute Priority 1: Increasing Access and Completion for Underrepresented, Underprepared, and Low Income Students.

7. Competitive Preference Priority Citations:

a. O'Mahony, T.K., Vye , N.J., Bransford , J.D., Sanders, E.A., Stevens, R., Stephens, R.D.,Richey, M.C., Lin, K.Y., Soleiman, M.K. (2012). A Comparison of Lecture-Based andChallenge-Based Learning in a Workplace Setting: Course Designs, Patterns ofInteractivity, and Learning Outcomes, Journal of the Learning Sciences, 21:1, 182-206,DOI: 10.1080/10508406.2011.611775

b. Castleman, B. L. & Page, L. C. (2013). The not-so-lazy days of summer: Experimentalinterventions to increase college entry among low-income high school graduates. NewDirections for Youth Development, 77–97. doi: 10.1002/yd.20079

8.Not an eligible Minority-Serving Institution

9. Total number of students involved in the project over four years: 2,600 (1,600 intervention and 1,000 comparison controls)

University of Southern CaliforniaAbstract

P116F140097

1. Applicant Institution: University of Southern California; Partners: California Student AidCommission, California Opportunity and Access Programs, Get Schooled Foundation, &Future Bound Inc.

2. Project title: Improving Access to College through Games, Technology and Social Media

3. Project director: William G. Tierney

4. Evaluator: Robert Riechardt

APA Consulting

1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 1101

Denver, CO 80203

720-227-0098

5. Abstract:

Improving Access to College through Games, Technology and Social Media addresses three national challenges pertaining to increasing the rates of underrepresented and lowincome students enrolling in college: the need engage and motivate students to learn aboutcollege in relevant and effective ways; the need to expand access to college and financial aidinformation and support; and the need to implement and sustain programs on a widescalelevel. The purpose of the project is to implement and evaluate an innovative game-basedintervention designed to boost college going outcomes in high schools throughout California.

The key project innovation is in meeting students where they spend time – in online andgame spaces – by using of games, technology and social media tools to motivate, educate andsupport students in applying to college and for financial aid. The project team draws onexpertise from leaders in academic, practitioner, policy, technology, and business spaces todramatically change the way students from under-served communities engage with andaccess information about college and financial aid. Through random-control trials and casestudies from selected sites, researchers will explore the effects of game-based learning onstudents’ college-going efficacy, college knowledge, FAFSA completion and collegeenrollment.

6. Absolute priority: I—Increasing Access and Completion for Underrepresented,Underprepared, or Low-Income Students

7. Evidence of promise: N/A

8. Eligible minority-serving institution: N/A

9. Total number of students involved in the project: 7,500

Georgia Institute of Technology Abstract

P116F140452

1.Applicant Name:Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Georgia Institute of Technology, AMACAccessibility Solutions and Research Center

2.Project Title:The Center for Accessible Materials Innovation

3.Project Director:Christopher M. Lee, Ph.D.;

4.Project Evaluator:Travis Tatum, Ph.D.;

5. Abstract:

Students with disabilities are a significant, underrepresented segment of the higher education population that cut across all demographic boundaries. They comprise 11 percent of allundergraduate students. Only 34.8 percent of students with disabilities at four-yearinstitutions will complete college, versus 51.2 percent of the general student population. Onecause of this discrepancy is the limited availability of accessible digital instructionalmaterials that students with disabilities can utilize to succeed in college. Therefore, The Georgia Institute of Technology proposes the creation of the Center forAccessible Materials Innovation to expand access to digital content for students withdisabilities, thereby improving their retention and graduation rates. The Center will targetstudents who are enrolled in Minority Student Institutions (MSIs) with a diagnosed print relateddisability.

We propose four major activities to accomplish these goals: (1) Develop and deploy aninnovative marketplace application which discloses information about the accessibilityfeatures of instructional materials; (2) Produce and distribute accessible textbooks andassistive technology; (3) Research causes of under-utilization of accessible textbooks byMSIs; (4) Produce and deploy accessibility training utilizing a Massive Open Online Course.

6. Absolute Priority I—Increasing Access and Completion for Underrepresented,Underprepared, or Low-Income Students.

7. We are not using the Evidence of Promise competitive preference priority.

8. MSI: Georgia Institute of Technology is not an eligible Minority-Serving Institution.

9.Total number of students served:The project has the potential to impact all postsecondary students with print-relateddisabilities within the grant period (estimated 25,000+ students). There will be 400students in the research study.

Kennesaw State UniversityAbstract

P116F140432

1.Applicant Institution: Kennesaw State University

Partners: Georgia Perimeter College,

Chattahoochee Technical College & Georgia Highlands College

2. Project Title: Strengthening Bridges for Student Success: Increasing Transfer & CompletionRates for Underrepresented, Underprepared, & Low-Income Community and Technical College

Students Seeking Four‐Year Degrees

3. Project Director and Contact Info:

Jennifer A. Wade-Berg, Ph.D., CNP, Kennesaw State University

1000 Chastain Road, Mailstop #4303, Kennesaw, Georgia 30144

Telephone: 678-797-2878; E-mail: Fax: 770-794-7559

4. Evaluator: Carolee Larsen, Ph.D. – Evaluator, University College Assessment Director

Kennesaw State University, 1000 Chastain Road, Mailstop #2402, Kennesaw, GA 30144-5591

Telephone: (678) 797-2365;E-mail:

5. Abstract:

The overall goal of this initiative is to increase institutional transfer rates and shorten time to degree attainment for underrepresented (in terms of race and ethnicity) and low-income students who transfer to Kennesaw State University from two-year colleges. The strategy by which to accomplish these goals is to create a simple and effective lifecycle process that reduces the number of non-productive contacts that transfer students experience by developing an integrated service delivery model known as the Transfer Advocacy Gateway (TAG) that streamlines enrollment services, advising, and academic support. Key characteristics of this model call for the use of Enrollment Services Specialists, Transfer Graduation Coaches, Peer Mentors, Transfer Learning Community and Peer Transfer Advisors.

The project will target 4,000 students over a four-year period of time. Anticipated results are an increase in the number of underrepresented and/or low-income students transferring from two-year by25 percent. Within this goal lies a secondary goal of ensuring that those students actuallycomplete their Associates degree prior to transfer; having a retention rate of 81-83; andincreasing the graduation rate to over 60 percent.

6.Absolute Priority IV: Reducing Time to Completion, Especially for Underrepresented, Underprepared, or Low-Income Students

Secondary Absolute Priority II: Increasing Community College Transfer Rates to Four-year Colleges for Underrepresented, Underprepared, Or Low-Income Students

7.Competitive Preference Priority: Using Evidence of Promise - Bettinger, E. P., & Baker, R.(2011). The effects of student coaching in college: An evaluation of a randomized experiment in student Mentoring(Working Paper No. 16881). Retrieved from

8. Minority Serving Institution: N/A

9. Unduplicated headcount: of students involved in this project over the four-year period: 4,000 (minimum number served)

Central Georgia Technical College Abstract

P116F140301

  1. Applicant institution and partners: Central Georgia (GA) Technical College (applicant institution); partners include: Complete College America, Achieving the Dream, Jobs for the Future, Middle GA Regional Commission-WIA-10, Middle GA Consortium, and Goodwill
  2. Project title: Collaborative Learning Academy Project
  3. Project director: Sam Lester, Director, Professional Development and College Initiatives; Achieving the Dream Core Team Leader, (478) 218-3247,
  4. Evaluator: Terri M. Manning, Ed.D., Associate VP Institutional Research/Founder, Center for Applied Research, Central Piedmont Community College, P.O. Box 35009, Charlotte, NC 28235, (704) 330-6592,
  1. Abstract:

The CLA project will address three goals: Improving persistence and graduation rates of the target population with emphasis on African-American students; Providing enhanced Support Services designed to support the overall success of the target population with emphasis on African-American students; and Implementing a cohesive, holistic Development, Evaluation, and Assessment program to provide evidence based strategies to inform student learning, student success, and student completion.

The target population includes Learning Support (i.e., remedial) and Accelerated Opportunity students who will receive interventions to ensure access and completion. Expected outcomes of the cohort: Remedial students will be as successful as all other students. Proposed Activities: corequisite remediation; collaborative learning, telepresence instruction and tutoring; time/intensity initiatives; academic maps, structured schedules, and advising; student activities; expanding data driven research practices to create comprehensive assessments; a Web-based solution to focus on six factors-strongest predictors of student retention and persistence; advanced evaluation tools and reporting capabilities; and a Teacher Development Academy.

  1. Absolute priority: Central Georgia Technical College will address ABSOLUTE PRIORITY I – Increasing Access and Completion for Underrepresented, Underprepared, or Low-Income Students.
  2. Evidence of Promise competitive preference priority: The following studies, classified as Evidence of Promise per What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards, were used as the basis for proposed student coaching and the integration of interactive, online learning:
  • Citation #1: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse. (2012, August). WWC review of the report: The effects of student coaching in college: An evaluation of a randomized experiment in student mentoring. Retrieved from Link:
  • Citation #2: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse. (2014, June). WWC review of the report: Interactive learning online at public universities: Evidence from a six-campus randomized trial. Retrieved from Link:
  1. Indicate whether you are an eligible Minority-Serving Institution: Central Georgia Technical College is an eligible Minority-Serving Institution and has current eligibility approval as defined by the Department’s FY 2014 eligibility process for Title III and/or Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
  2. Total number of (unduplicated headcount) students involved in the project over the four-year period: 1,275

Indiana State University Abstract

P116F140237

1. Applicant institution and partners: Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana

2. Project Title: Accelerating College Completion Through Academic Mindset

3. Project director with contact information: Joshua Powers, Associate Vice President forStudent Success, Indiana State University, Telephone: 812-237-8378, E-mail:

4. Evaluator with contact information: Daniela Schroeter, Director of Research, TheEvaluation Center, Western Michigan University, 4405 Ellsworth Hall, Kalamazoo, MI49008-5237. Telephone: 269-387-5895; E-mail:

5. Abstract:

An emerging body of research evidences the power of mindset interventions forclosing achievement gaps for disadvantaged college students. The purpose of this project is toextend that knowledge through to its impact on college completion in a previouslyunexamined context, the regional state university.

This project tests an intervention at two common barrier points for students, gateway math at three levels, remedial, non-STEM degree, and STEM degree, as well as introductory psychology with typically large sections. The project objectives are to develop and to validate: (1) a student mindset intervention; (2) a faculty training intervention on growth mindset; and (3) to scale the innovations for use by other regional state institutions.

The focal outcomes include a set of short and longer term facilitators to completion as well as actual time to completion for study participants. Each intervention will examine treatment versus control outcomes for the total sample as well as for the subpopulations of historically underrepresented students (African American), underprepared students, and low income students (Pell recipients). Anticipated results are significant improvements in time to degree as well as intermediate milestone performance achievements that are cost-effective and easily adaptable for use by others.

6. Absolute Priority: Absolute Priority IV – Reducing time to completion, especially for

underrepresented, underprepared, or low-income students.

7. Competitive Preference Priority: The two studies cited below provide Evidence of Promisethat academic performance and persistence of historically disadvantaged students can besubstantially increased and achievement gaps reduced via mindset interventions.

Walton, G. M. & Cohen, G. L. (2011). A brief social-belonging intervention improvesacademic and health outcomes of minority students. Science, 331, 1447-1451.

Yaeger, D. S. & Walton, G. M. (2011). Social-psychological interventions in education:

They’re not magic. Review of Educational Research, 81, 267-301.

Yeager-267-301.pdf

8. Minority Serving Institution: Yes

9. Total number of students involved over four year period: 10,700

Purdue University Abstract

P116F140459

1. Applicant institution: Purdue University and University Innovation Alliance

2. Project title: Success through Transformative Education and Active Mentoring (STEAM)

3. Project director: Dr. Chantal Levesque-Bristol, Center for Instructional Excellence, PurdueUniversity, Hall for Discovery and Learning Research, West Lafayette, IN 47907, E-mail:; Telephone: 765-496-6424

4. Evaluator: Dr. Omolola Adedokun, Discovery Learning Research Center, Purdue University,West Lafayette IN 47907, E-mail:; Telephone: 765-494-0726

5. Abstract:

Goal: The overall goal of STEAM is to identify the pivotal mechanisms that make active learning strategies successful in engaging STEM undergraduates, particularly women andunderrepresented students, to complete a STEM degree.

Objectives: 1) Encourage more STEMfaculty to redesign large-lecture courses by participating in the study, 2) assess students’ perceptions of their autonomy, competence and relatedness in active learning (intervention)courses vs. traditional lecture courses, 3) analyze perceptions to compare DFW rates of studentsin active-learning courses vs. students in traditional lecture courses, 4) determine specific factors,strategies and technologies that increase student success, 5) create and disseminate facultyprofessional development guide for other institutions to implement active-learning principles.

Target population: Freshman and sophomore female and underrepresented students in large,introductory core STEM courses at Purdue. Proposed activities: 60 sections of foundationalSTEM courses will serve as experimental and control groups to assess students’ perceptions ofhow much autonomy, competence and relatedness they have in active learning vs. traditionallecture courses, and the differences between the groups’ DFW rates. Anticipated results: Theinterventions will increase students’ sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, thusleading to better course grades and ultimately higher degree completion.