Many freshman students are underprepared for success at the university level. This is most clearly seen at the first freshman midterm when significant numbers of students fail. But what if we could identify these students in the first two weeks of the course, before they fail that first exam and refer them to tutoring or other support services? Could this approach reduce the DFW rates in our introductory courses? To find out, we have begun combining assessment data with early engagement data to identify students at risk of DFW and to refer these students to support services. We combine data already collected as part of assessment efforts with new online tracking data to identify at-risk students in the first two weeks of the class. The goal is to reduce DFW rates and to develop college survival skills among the students. This presentation explains how our two-pronged approach can significantly improve our identification of at-risk students and help us to improve overall student performance in the classroom and reduce DFW rates contributing to the retention, progression, and graduation of students.
