The CONSORTIUM for STUDENT RETENTION DATA EXCHANGE
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The UNIVERSITY of OKLAHOMA

An Easy, Cost-Effective Way To Remain Current With Student Success


Twelve presentations are selected from the top rated sessions at our National Symposium on Student Retention each year for live presentation as webinars.

All webinars take place from 1:00 – 2:00 pm Central Time on the designated date, during which time participants may ask questions and provide feedback. An unlimited number of colleagues from the registrant’s institution may attend. CSRDE members and non-members are invited to participate. Each registration includes 5 weeks of access to the recorded podcast.

"We have found the CSRDE webinars to be an essential value-added component of our membership. The menu of award-winning presentations by colleagues who have “walked the walk” makes this option a convenient, efficient, and economical way to maintain both currency and contacts in our field. This webinar platform provides easy scheduling along with - yet another featured bonus! - options to share within our organizations. The level of coordination and support of these programs from the CSRDE staff/team is always amazing, always professional."
John Rollins, Director, Academic Performance Studies
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Webinar Cost
  • CSRDE members:
    One to six webinars are included with membership, depending on level
  • Add'l webinars for members:
    $129 each
    $79 each for blocks of 3 or more
  • Non-CSRDE members:
    $229 each

2026 - 2027 Webinar Series

DiAnna Washington, Karen Cassidy & Tamara Cooper of University of North Carolina-Wilmington

As higher education navigates rising expectations and constrained resources, institutions are seeking innovative, scalable approaches to strengthen student success and retention. This webinar will highlight how the Student Success and Retention (SSR) team at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) implemented transformational strategies that contributed to record 88% retention rates for the fall First-time Full-time (FTFT) 2023 and fall FTFT 2024 cohorts. Participants will learn how SSR enhanced communication practices, leveraged student success platforms and tools more effectively, and expanded intentional cross campus collaborations to drive measurable impact. You’ll leave with actionable strategies you can adapt to your own campus whether your goals include strengthening retention, streamlining outreach, or deepening collaboration across departments.

Ali Abdullah & George Bogaski of University of Oklahoma & Paul Regier of University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

Placement exams play a pivotal role in shaping first-year math trajectories, yet initial test scores often underestimate student ability. This paper examines the impact of a 2025 policy reform at a large public university in Oklahoma that altered ALEKS retesting procedures by eliminating the preparation requirement for the second attempt and implementing proctored, tutor-supported study for the third attempt. Using administrative data from three cohorts (2023–2025), we evaluate whether the reduced barrier increased participation in second attempts and whether structured support improved score gains on third attempts. The results offer practical insight into how targeted adjustments to retesting policy may affect student participation patterns and placement outcomes.

Michael Morsches, Lauren Zajac, Rita Ferriter, Jennifer Lee-Good & John Halliwell of Moraine Valley Community College
Grant J. Matthews of Lane Community College
Stephanie Merritt of Tulsa Community College
Mary Luz Contreras, Registered Nurse

Good instructors make real-time decisions based on discernable evidence and intuitive notions. Whenever instructors slow down, pause, speed up, check on a particular student, or choose how to react to a student inquiry or annoyance, they do so based largely on the intuitive ideas they gather. This paper details the journey of several instructors who have endeavored to understand and reify their beliefs about intuitive teaching and the role intuition plays in the comportment of their classrooms with the premise that their intuition is embedded in experience. The instructors accepted the challenge of verifying their intuitive abilities using several novel tools. Finally, these instructors examined the less-than-conscious attributions they make about students and their learning. The paper mirrors the four steps of the instructors’ journeys: 1) understand how and when they use intuition; 2) test and verify their intuitive notions and judgment; 3) learn how to use intuition proactively; and 4) expand the role of praxis to reify their intuition.

Victoria Black & Jason O'Brien of Texas State University

The Early Academic Progress (EAP) initiative at Texas State University (TXST) is designed to enhance student success through early grade reporting and personalized interventions. With over 40,000 students, scaling academic support services is a growing challenge. EAP focuses on early grade submission for general education courses, with 63% of faculty participating during weeks four and five of the semester. This initiative allows for proactive outreach by identifying students at risk of a failing grade and connecting them with tailored support. EAP utilizes a multi-level intervention strategy, ensuring that students receive assistance based on their academic performance. Students earning a D or F in one course receive subject-specific text messages encouraging them to seek academic support while those failing multiple courses receive personalized interventions from their success team. Data from Fall 2024 demonstrates the program’s impact: students with an EAP grade of A were significantly more likely to achieve a 2.25+ term GPA and make the Dean’s List while those with an EAP F were at higher risk of poor academic outcomes. This paper will explore EAP’s structure, key findings, and intervention strategies, providing insights into how early academic progress tracking can drive student retention, engagement, and overall success.

Jennifer Ludwig & Sarah Kyte of University of Arizona

Early alert systems engage classroom instructors as partners in student success by offering systems for flagging students who may be struggling, often in meeting course expectations. These alerts offer actionable signals that can also cue impactful interventions. However, we know less about how these tools are adopted across disciplines—even at a single institution—and how those patterns of adoption shape student success. This paper reviews the design and implementation of Trellis Progress, a comments-based feedback tool for faculty launched in 2019 at the University of Arizona. Further, it offers a multidisciplinary assessment of the impact of receiving an early alert on student academic outcomes across several large high-enrollment introductory courses in chemistry, Spanish, math, and the general education curriculum. In doing so, it considers multiple outcomes, including course grades, retention, and academic progress (GPA and units completed). Finally, we unpack these findings to offer some transferable insights about how best to leverage early alerts as signals for student success.

Diann Kelly of Adelphi University

How does a student go from “I learn differently” to an affirmative statement of “I belong in this neuroinclusive environment.” The college must set an engaging supportive setting that is “student-ready” as per McNair et al. (2022). Approximately 1 out of 5 students are neurodivergent. This includes being on the spectrum, having a diagnosis of attention-deficit, hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or a learning disability. When colleges do not have supportive programs and resources for neurodivergent students, the likelihood that they will finish college is low. To ensure a college is neuroinclusive, colleges need to make certain their classrooms and syllabi are inclusive for neurodivergent students. In addition, colleges need to have programs focused on holistic advising, tutoring, executive function coaching, and advocacy to ensure a neurodivergent student has the resources necessary to progress to graduation. This discussion will highlight the successes of Adelphi University’s neurodivergent programs and how we’ve achieved retention of 90% first-time, full-time (FTFT) among neurodivergent students.

DiAnna Washington & Kevin Meaney University of North Carolina-Wilmington

"Successful and sustainable student success and retention efforts require intentional, strategic collaboration across the entire university. At the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), a new model for advancing student success emerged through a strong partnership between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. Together, these divisions launched the Student Success Working Group (SSWG), a cross campus team charged with driving three foundational initiatives: 1. Create a shared operational definition of student success 2. Map and align student success initiatives across the university 3. Develop a coordinated student success marketing campaign. In this webinar, we’ll share how UNCW built a collaborative model that breaks down barriers, aligns campus partners, and creates a shared vision for student success and retention. You’ll walk away with strategies you can adapt immediately no matter the size or structure of your institution."

Danae Romrell, Samuel Brubaker & Ben Fryar of Brigham Young University-Idaho

Implementing the mantra “retention is everyone’s responsibility” is easier said than done. Student success initiatives are most effective when campus departments work closely together to achieve well-defined goals. At our university, we created a Student Success Council that integrates academics, student life, and institutional data and research in a way that allows for tight coordination, cross-departmental brainstorming and goal setting. To complement the council’s work, we also formed smaller subcommittees focused on specific projects. These cross-departmental teams have specific charges and work on practical issues, such as developing an early alert system, overhauling our onboarding process, redesigning our new-student orientation, proposing policy changes, and developing a comprehensive first-year communication plan. Our collaborative approach has led to meaningful outcomes, including a 5% increase in student retention. Additionally, this way of working together has improved campus relationships and created a stronger sense of shared responsibility for student success and retention. In this webinar, we will share what we’ve learned, along practical tools, clear examples, and a strategic framework that participants can apply to their own institutions to enhance student success through effective collaboration.

Matthew Little & Amy Little of University of Tennessee Southern

How do you help international students as they transition to American academic culture in a rural community? How do you build community between your international students and a town where less than 30% of residents have a passport? This presentation will provide examples of the failures and successes a small, rural university has had as they support their international students through their transition in a small town. The presenters will share how they have built a community for these students on campus and beyond, and have helped engage the overall community through initiatives and resources.

Laura Edmunds & Eric Morton of Georgia State University

Georgia State University’s newest strategic plan redoubles its commitment to being a nation-wide leader in promoting student success. The University is currently engaged in an initiative to increase student success by engaging faculty to explore and implement best practices in targeted courses aimed to improve completion rates.  Because this type of initiative is faculty-centric, the role of academic leaders such as department chairs is much more crucial to its success (in way that is not the case for the initiative for which Georgia State University is best known such as chatbots, predictive analytics, and completion grants). This facilitated discussion will explore approaches to training, supporting and overseeing department chairs to promote an academic culture focused on student success. It will be led by two Associate Deans at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College. They will share their college’s current approach to onboarding, developing and supporting chairs and the difficulties chairs can experience connected with promoting faculty engagement and in promoting a student success focused culture.  Participants will be invited to share challenges and successes on their own campuses connected with faculty engagement and the role department chairs can play in promoting the culture necessary for faculty-centric initiatives to succeed.

Christine Moran of McDaniel College

Mental health challenges remain a growing concern in higher education, with significant implications for student success and degree completion. Students experiencing mental health struggles are more likely to earn lower GPAs, withdraw from courses or institutions, and take longer to complete their degrees, highlighting the need for sustained institutional attention and action. Colleges and universities play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges by investing in coordinated resources, integrated support systems, and proactive approaches to student well-being. In this webinar, we will examine how institutions can move beyond reactive responses to the mental health crisis and instead build intentional, campus-wide cultures of well-being that support student success. Participants will explore research-informed strategies for embedding mental health and wellness into institutional practice, including proactive supports, coordinated care systems, and holistic approaches across the student experience. Ultimately, investing in student mental health is not only a moral imperative, but also an academic and economic necessity for higher education and society at large. This session will challenge leaders and practitioners to reframe well-being as a foundational element of institutional culture and a key driver of student success.

Danielle Lindley & Taylor Boyd of University of Oklahoma

Working in student success, many would say our ultimate goal is degree attainment. Students who retain and graduate are our successes and students who transfer elsewhere are considered failures...But are they? If we believe that education is transformational, it shouldn’t mean just at “our” institution. College fit is vital to student success. Incompatibility or failure at one institution does not warrant giving up on Higher Education as a whole. Obtaining a college degree, regardless of where it is from, should be our guiding principle as we support students. These “Transfer” students are transferring out of our institutions but are we providing the same care as our continuing students? Does the University’s investment and attention stop as soon as a student says they are leaving? How do we make the leaving process as gentle and constructive as possible for a student during this major life decision? Join us as we discuss how we are tackling these questions at the University of Oklahoma and how can we as educators best support these students as they exit.

Register

CSRDE institutional members sign up for webinars using their membership registration forms. The number of webinars depends on the level of membership. If your institution is a CSRDE member and you would like to participate in a webinar, email csrde@ou.edu and we will put you in contact with the CSRDE representative on your campus. If you are an individual member, your membership includes one webinar. If neither you nor your institution are CSRDE members, you may use this form to register for a webinar.

If you are interested in purchasing podcasts from previous years’ presentations, please review the information using the dropdown box above for each year.

Accessing the Webinar

For each webinar, CSRDE will send the following emails:

  1. One to two weeks before webinar – Confirmation of your registration plus instructions to test your computer for compatibility. You may test your system now.
  2. One day before webinar – Login information and instructions for accessing the webinar
  3. Registrants will have five weeks in which to access and review the podcast and share the link with other colleagues at your institution.
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The Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange at the University of Oklahoma is a consortium of two-year and four-year institutions dedicated to achieving the highest levels of student success through collaboratively sharing data, knowledge, and innovation.