The University of Texas at Brownsville Learning Enrichment Center

The University of Texas at Brownsville
Learning Enrichment Center
May 18, 2015
Volume 1, Issue 2
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Pass Rates for ENGL 1301 ....... 2
Pass Rates for ENGL 1302 ..... 2
Pass Rates for HIST 1301 ........ 2
Pass Rates for HIST 1302........ 2
Pass Rates for MATH 1314 ...... 3
Pass Rates for MATH 1332 ..... 3
What’s going to happen to
L2S in Fall 2015? ………………...4
Concluding Statement…………. 5
LINK2SUCCESS NEWSLETTER
The L2S program has another successful semester!
The Spring 2015 semester has been successful for the L2S program!
Once again, the L2S program has positively impacted the pass rates
for ENGL 1301 & ENGL 1302, HIST 1301 & HIST 1302, and MATH
1314. While the data does not take into account a variety of other
factors that may have contributed to this success metric, it should
be noted that taking the academic support services directly to the
students plays a major role in their overall success rates, which are
instrumental in achieving student retention and reducing time to
graduation.
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LEC CRLA CERTIFICATIONS
FOR SPRING 2015:
 CRLA Level 1: Basic Tutor
34 student employees
 CRLA Level 2: Advanced
Tutor
42 student employees
 CRLA Level 3: Master
Tutor
17 student employees
Spring 2015 L2S Pass Rates
ENGL 1301 & ENGL 1302
100%
90%
74%
80%
82%
67%
70%
60%
79%
77%
56%
Spring 2013 (non-L2S)
50%
Spring 2014 L2S
40%
Spring 2015 L2S
30%
20%
10%
ENGL 1301
ENGL 1302
The results show an increase of 21 percentage points for ENGL 1301 and 15 percentage points for ENGL 1302
when comparing the pass rates for the last three Spring semesters (2013-2015). Based on the results, the pass
rates in ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 have continued to climb with the inclusion of the L2S program.
Spring 2015 L2S Pass Rates
HIST 1301 & HIST 1302
100%
90%
65%
70%
60%
79%
77% 77%
80%
69%
Spring 2013 (non-L2S)
53%
50%
Spring 2014 L2S
40%
Spring 2015 L2S
30%
20%
10%
HIST 1301
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HIST 1302
The results show an increase of 23 percentage points for HIST 1301 and 17 percentage points for HIST 1302
when comparing the pass rates for the last three Spring semesters (2013-2015). While the pass rate in HIST
1302 has continued to climb, the pass rate for HIST 1301 for the last two Spring semesters remained constant.
The LEC staff will continue to work with the HIST 1301 faculty and the L2S History leaders to determine what
changes, if any, need to be made with regard to improving the leaders’ training and to solicit recommendations for improvement from the History faculty.
Spring 2015 L2S Pass Rates
MATH 1314 & MATH 1332
100%
90%
80%
66%
70%
60%
50%
40%
62%
52%
46%
57%
Spring 2013 (non-L2S)
Spring 2014 L2S
34%
Spring 2015 L2S
30%
20%
10%
MATH 1314
MATH 1332
The results show an increase of 20 percentage points for MATH 1314 when comparing the last three Spring
semesters (2013-2015). The pass rates in MATH 1332 have fluctuated from Spring semester to Spring semester yet have remained above the Spring 2013 pass rate which did not include L2S. The Spring 2015 semester
was the first semester in which the L2S program offered a 1:15 tutor to student ratio with smaller breakout
study sessions. In the past, the large number of repeaters in these courses have had a negative impact on the
pass rates. This is an issue that we will continue to investigate. The LEC staff is available to continue working
with the Math department to provide academic support for its students.
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What’s going to happen to L2S in Fall 2015?
The Link2Success program will continue into UT-RGV under the management of UT-RGV’s Learning
Center. Unfortunately, due to the lack of room availability for the Fall 2015 semester, the Learning Center
will not be able to offer L2S as a mandatory program but instead will offer faculty an alternative academic
support option. Any faculty interested in continuing to provide academic support for their former L2S
courses can submit an email request to the Learning Center staff. Since space is an issue, not all requests
may be fulfilled. The Learning Center staff will commit to honoring as many requests as possible.
Please email your requests to the following program coordinator, Mr. Armando Garza:
[email protected]
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CONCLUDING STATEMENT
The purpose of this newsletter is to share the results of the Link2Success program with the university community. It is the hope
of the Learning Enrichment Center staff that this information will answer any questions the university community may have
regarding the implementation of a peer-led learning model on such a grand scale. The results have consistently revealed that
the L2S program has positively impacted the pass rates for ENGL 1301 and 1302, HIST 1301 and 1302, College Algebra, and
Contemporary Math and has proven to be an excellent return on investment.
In addition to the increased pass rates, the L2S program also had a positive impact on the students and the student employees.
The students developed a greater sense of community in the L2S study sessions, and with the help of their leaders, were provided guidance in transitioning to college life and expectations. The student employees improved their personal, academic, and
professional skills development and were provided with opportunities to receive mentoring from a faculty member. In addition, one hundred percent of the student employee wages went right back into their pockets.
Based on the overall positive impact the Link2Success program has had on pass rates, as well as the positive impact it has had
on the academic development of the students and the personal, academic, and professional development of the L2S leaders
who have participated in the program, the LEC staff has recommended transitioning and scaling the L2S program or a similar
peer-led learning program into UTRGV as one of its premier student success initiatives. This type of model can be customized
to meet student and faculty academic support needs in all disciplines. We look forward to working with all departments to improve the academic success of their students.
A big thank you goes out to the faculty and administration that have participated and supported the Links2Success initiative.
Your dedication to student success has been the primary contribution to the improved pass rates. We have enjoyed and appreciated your collaboration.
Sincerely,
The LEC staff
Please email any comments, questions, or concerns to Dr. Leslie Jones, Director of the Learning Center, and/or Dr. Arlene
Ready, Associate Director of the Learning Center:
leslie.jones@utrgv
arlene.ready@utrgv
Coming Fall 2015!
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