Midsemester Academic Interventions in a Student-Centered Research University

In this descriptive study, the use of a midsemester Success Workshop is evaluated within the context of the persistence and motivation of students placed on academic probation in a state university between 2005 and 2010. Elements of the Success Workshop are described. The self-assessments, workshop evaluation results, and other institutional data for 2,630 diverse first-year students who showed signs of academic struggle and were required to attend a success-planning workshop at midsemester are examined. The value of early, personalized, resource-intensive outreach to at-risk students is discussed, with an emphasis on literature related to the correlation between student engagement and student success.