White Paper
How an Undergraduate Health and Wellness Course Improved First Year Student Success and Retention
Abstract
Adult learners come with numerous traditional risk factors to college success, such as having dependents, being a single parent, working full-time, or being a first-generation college student. According to the U.S. Department of Education (BPS 2012/2017 Data) students with risk factors such as these have 6-year graduation rates as low as 19% (single parents), and only as high as 47% total. At University of Phoenix, our average student has three or more of these risk factors, including being a first-generation college student (60%), working full-time (76%), and having dependents (87%). Serving a population with numerous risk factors to college success motivates us to consistently test new strategies to improve student outcomes. An outcome we track closely is course pass rates, particularly within students’ first year. Our study aimed to test if moving a high-pass-rate health and wellness course earlier in the student journey could improve second course pass rates while maintaining or improving progression and pass rates in the two subsequent courses. The positive outcomes of our testing led the College to change the first-year course sequence. Six months post-change, improved outcomes persisted.
Authors
Briana Houlihan, MBA, is Dean for the College of General Studies at University of Phoenix. Houlihan is a strong advocate for first generation and underserved working learners. She has made it her mission to enhance the skills focus within General Education coursework to bring value to Undergraduate students from day one of their program. She has served non-traditional online learners in higher education for over 21 years, holding positions in Student Services, Academic Affairs, and College and Campus Operations. Her diverse experience and authentic leadership style has allowed her to develop high performing teams that put students at the center of everything they do. She holds a Master of Business Administration and Post-Graduate Certificate in Project Management from the University of Phoenix. She resides in Phoenix, Arizona.
Jacquelyn Kelly, Ph.D., is an Associate Dean at University of Phoenix with more than 15 years of experience in science and math education. Her expertise is in translating STEM education research into practice at institutions of higher education. Kelly earned her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Science Education from Arizona State University. Her master's degree is in Materials Science and Engineering from Arizona State University. Her undergraduate degree is in Physics and Chemistry from California State University, San Marcos. She has been principal investigator and co-principal investigator of multiple federal grant projects to develop science education support for rural area K-12 teachers and to develop student government science officer roles in K-12. Kelly’s previous positions include science teaching, teacher evaluator for the county education service agency, and program director for professional development programs for science and math educators.
