A new $225,000 grant will help keep students in school and graduate on time at Doña Ana Community College (DACC). The initiative focuses on students enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs at the community college.
The grant will allow DACC to purchase an integrated planning and advising for student success (iPASS) system. Faculty, and staff will be able to advise, counsel, track progress and provide academic early alerts to coordinate services. Over the course of the three-year project, DACC will endeavor to reach a 10 percentage point increase in year-to-year student retention.
iPASS will provide a jumpstart to a campus paradigm shift in philosophy, technology, and practice to integrate currently unconnected services toward increased student success. As a result of the grant, campus-wide STEM awareness and its role in the regional economy and job market will be highlighted at the community college.
STEM education and training provides future employees that meet the state’s workforce demands. Many STEM related jobs require an associate degree where graduates can enter fields that offer greater employment opportunities, higher pay and greater potential for job growth.
The iPASS initiative sponsored by EDUCAUSE was created with funding from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The initiative requires improvement on current technology and services in three areas.
Education planning: Guiding students to select courses and programs of study that are efficient and relevant to completing a degree or credential that meets their academic and career goals.
Counseling and coaching: Connecting students to on- and off-campus resources and allowing students and advisors to monitor progress, provide ongoing feedback and create personalized action plans for educational success.
Targeting risk and intervention: Providing faculty, advisors, students, and administrators with the ability to better predict course failure and program stop-out, in order to support timely and effective interventions.
Information from DACC