June 25, 2024 5 min read
Ohio Wesleyan University Drives Student Success Through Strategic Initiative
Industry:
Solution:
The Customer
Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.
The Challenge
Ohio Wesleyan University, a 1,450-student private liberal arts college north of Columbus, Ohio, launched an “all-hands-on-deck” initiative aimed at improving retention rates and student success by identifying barriers to progression and completion. The initiative has multiple components, including a six-day orientation program for new students, a summer bridge program to support incoming students who are considered at-risk due to their identity, the creation of a first-generation office specifically to support and celebrate students who are the first in their families to attend college, and more. The components of the initiative were designed to help students feel like they are part of a campus community from day one.
Key strategies of the initiative are to build community, help students develop a sense of belonging, and help them feel like they can access the resources they need to be successful – and that they can help their peers do the same. To support these efforts, the Division of Student Engagement and Success and Office of Student Integrity and Community Standards leveraged existing resources to provide students with foundational knowledge about critical safety, wellbeing, and inclusion topics. All incoming students participate in a two-and-a-half-hour “Get to Know Your Community” session in which students learn about and discuss how to look out for themselves and each other and how to help keep their community safe. Students engage in small group discussions about college life and some of the challenges they may face and the resources that are available on and off-campus.
“We are very intentional about what we’re doing. We could assign the courses, check them off and never talk about them again, but we use Vector as a foundation and then follow up. So, whether it’s a first-year student taking beginning college experience courses, or a student who is taking the courses as a result of a particular type of conduct we are concerned about, there’s always ongoing opportunities for support.”
Emily Paetz
Director of Student Integrity and Community Standards, Ohio Wesleyan University
Building Foundational Knowledge
Among the resources used in the “Get to Know Your Community” sessions, is Vector Solutions’ online Student Safety & Wellness courses. The university had been using Vector Solutions’ online courses to support students prior to the initiative and decided to incorporate the courses into the “Get to Know Your Community” sessions. because the course topics directly align with the well-being and inclusion issues that the university wants to address. All incoming students are required to take Vector’s courses on sexual assault prevention, hazing, alcohol misuse, mental well-being and diversity and inclusion. The university also uses some of Vector’s prevention courses for student athletes which provides additional support to that student population.
The Vector courses:
- Provide first-year students with strong foundational knowledge and help them build skills around important well-being topics. The courses also help students understand what the university’s values and expectations are around these topics and how students can contribute to supporting those values. University leaders especially appreciate how engaging the courses are.
- Include student surveys that provide data and insights that can be used to further the discussion about critical well-being issues. Leaders noted they value how the data is broken down in a way that’s helpful for students. The university also uses the data to update its prevention and wellness programming as needed. Knowing where students stand on certain issues helps the university better support their needs.
Looking Ahead
The university has a peer education program on campus and plans to use Vector’s Mental Well-Being for Students course to support the program. It is also planning to offer Vector’s Leadership and Career Readiness course as an additional optional support for students in the peer educator program. “Students might be in their first job or internship and these courses could really help them,” said Paetz. University leaders will also do more education around Ohio’s Issue 2, which legalized marijuana in Ohio, and will incorporate Vector’s CannabisEdu course as part of that education.
The “all-hands-on-deck” initiative at Ohio Wesleyan University has already seen results, with the retention rate rising from 94.5% between the fall and spring of the first year to 94.9% the second year.
Dr. Brad Pulcini, Dean of Student Services for Ohio Wesleyan University, attributed the success of the initiative to first creating a culture of collaboration among faculty, staff, and departments in which student retention and success were a focus campus-wide and then creating programming that supports students in strategic areas to help them overcome barriers to success.
“It’s been an all-hands-on-deck initiative because we’re hitting this from different sides and different life cycles of the student experience. That helps students connect with the institution and connect with one another. It also helps us think through what it means to be a student in college and how our students are experiencing college and then making changes to help them progress through to graduation.”
Brad Pulcini
Dean of Student Services, Ohio Wesleyan University
About Vector Solutions
Vector Solutions provides expert-authored online courses addressing a wide variety of important safety, well-being, and inclusion topics in higher education. The courses empower students to make safe and healthy decisions so they can be safe and successful in college. The engaging courses combine academic and industry research, expert insights, best practices in online learning, and feedback from industry partners.
Course Topics Include:
- Sexual Assault Prevention
- Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention
- Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
- Wellness and Safety
- Athletics
- Sorority and Fraternity Life
- Career Readiness
- Personal Development
Many courses include built-in surveys that help institutions gain insights about learner attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and experiences related to the course content. To learn more, request a demo today!
