Title III Grant

U of A Hope-Texarkana Title III

On October 1, 2018, the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT) was awarded a $2.1 million Title III grant from the U.S. Department of Education. This award is the largest federal grant the College has ever received. The grant, paid out over a five-year period, will enhance the College’s continued efforts to improve student success, retention, and graduation rates.

The plan UAHT submitted for consideration, titled “Strengthening UAHT by Improving Retention,” will serve to increase student success, including completion and transfer rates, through a variety of objectives. The grant monies will increase services for currently enrolled students, develop intervention and transfer advising, secure classroom technology updates, enhance early alert systems for student success, implement course redesigns, and add support staff to increase the on-time graduation of students.

“The College has focused on persistence, retention, completion, and graduation for the last several years, so this grant fits perfectly into the overall strategic goal of student success,” said John Hollis, UAHT Title III Project Director and Dean of Institutional Effectiveness.

For more information on the Title III Grant please contact the Title III Project Director, Misty Hughes at misty.hughes@uaht.edu.

Year 1: 2018-2019

  1. Develop an Advising Center on U of A Hope Campus.
  2. Hire a Transfer Advising Coach and design and pilot transfer advising.
  3. Redesign mathematics courses.
  4. Develop Supplemental Instruction training room on U of A Hope Campus. Develop Supplemental Instruction support for redesigned courses.
  5. Purchase human synthetic patient simulators at Hope and Texarkana campuses.

Year 2: 2019-2020

  1. Develop an Advising Center on U of A Texarkana Campus.
  2. Hire a Health Professions Advising Coach and design and pilot pre-healthcare advising.
  3. Redesign health science courses.
  4. Pilot Supplemental Instruction in re-designed mathematics courses.
  5. Develop SI support for health sciences courses.

Year 3: 2020-2021

  1. Hire a Personal Interventionist Advising Coach and design and pilot personal intervention advising.
  2. Redesign business related courses.
  3. Pilot Supplemental Instruction in redesigned health science courses.
  4. Develop SI support for re-designed business courses.
  5. Purchase and install a new advising software that will help track students and use data and analytics to better serve our student population.

Year 4: 2021-2022

  1. Hire a Career Advising Coach and design and pilot career advising.
  2. Redesign English and speech courses.
  3. Pilot Supplemental Instruction in redesigned business courses.
  4. Develop SI support for English and speech courses.
  5. Train faculty and staff on new advising software.

Year 5: 2022-2023

  1. Redesign and pilot psychology and history courses.
  2. Pilot Supplemental Instruction for re-designed English and speech courses.
  3. Develop and pilot SI support for redesigned psychology and history courses.
  4. Conduct final summative grant evaluation.

Year 1 2018-2019
1.1 At least 100 students will take advantage of transfer advising in the Purtle Advising Center.
1.2 Course redesign will be 100% complete for MATH 0083; MATH 1053; MATH 1153. These courses will be ready for piloting.
1.3 Supplemental Instruction support design will be 100% complete for MATH 0083; MATH 1053; MATH 1153.

Year 2 2019-2020
2.1 At least 100 students will take advantage of pre-health professions advising in the Purtle Advising Center.
2.2 Course redesign will be 100% complete and ready for piloting for BIOL 1204, BIOL 2203, BIOL 2214, and BIOL 2234.
2.3 Supplemental Instruction support design will be 100% complete for BIOL 1204, BIOL 2203, BIOL 2214, and BIOL 2234.
2.4 The percentage of students earning a grade of C or better in redesigned and SI supported math courses will increase by 5% points over the previous year and over performance in untreated sections of the same courses in the same year.

Year 3 2020-2021
3.1 At least 100 students will take advantage of Personal Intervention advising in the Purtle Advising Center.
3.2 Course redesign will be 100% complete and ready for piloting for ACCT 2103, ACCT 2113, BUSS 1203, and BUSS 1213.
3.3 Supplemental Instruction support design will be 100% complete for ACCT 2103, ACCT 2113, BUSS 1203, and BUSS 1213.
3.4 The percentage of students earning a grade of C or better in redesigned and SI supported biology courses will increase by 5% points over the previous year and over performance in untreated sections of the same courses in the same year.
3.5 At least 90% of staff and faculty participating in training on early alert and student progress tracking software will be piloting the system.
3.6 Retention from freshman to sophomore year will increase by at least 3 percentage points from a baseline average of 35.7% to 38.7% for Fall 2021.

Year 4 2021-2022
4.1 At least 100 students will take advantage of Career advising in the Purtle Advising Center.
4.2 Course redesign will be 100% complete and ready for piloting for ENGL 2123, ENGL2253, and SPCH 1313.
4.3 Supplemental Instruction support design will be 100% complete for ENGL 2123, ENGL2253, and SPCH 1313.
4.4 The percentage of students earning a grade of C or better in redesigned and SI supported Accounting and Business courses will increase by 5% points over the previous year and over performance in untreated sections of the same courses in the same year.
4.5 Retention from freshman to sophomore year will increase by at least 6 percentage points from a baseline average of 35.7% to 41.7% for Fall 2021.
4.6 At least 10 courses will be offered using Blackboard Collaborate.

Year 5 2022-2023
5.1 Total enrollment will increase to at least 1850 (Fall 2016 Baseline: 1531)
5.2 Fall to Fall retention of entering students will increase from a baseline average of 35.7% to at least 45%.
5.3 Spring to Fall persistence will increase to at least 55% (Spring 2016-Fall 2016 Baseline = 45.7%)
5.4 The 3 year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohorts entering in Fall 2018, 2019, and 2020 will increase to an average of at least 20% (2016 baseline: 13.5%)


Year 1 2018-2019 Title III Operations Manual

Year 2 2019-2020 Title III Operations Manual

Year 3 2020-2021 Title III Operations Manual

For more information on the Title III Grant please contact the Title III Project Director, Misty Hughes at misty.hughes@uaht.edu.