What is the Undergraduate Student Success and Graduation Rate Dashboard? (GRD)
Designed by Dr. John Etchemendy, Stanford University Provost and a member of the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), the GRD uses six data points from the institution to automatically calculate two completion measures.
The Unit Redemption Rate (URR) is a completion measure that can be applied to institutions serving any population of students (full-time or part-time; first-time, transfer or swirling), as well as institutions offering different degree programs or mixes of degree programs. It is not a direct measure of graduation rate, but still provides a completion measure that is comparable across all institutions.
The Absolute Graduation Rate (AGR) is the proportion of entering students who eventually graduate, regardless of how long it takes them. This number, combined with the institution’s Average Time To Degree, provides all the information needed for prospective students to estimate their chances of receiving a degree and the time it will likely take to do so.
Why was the Undergraduate Student Success and Graduation Rate Dashboard developed?
The needs of an ever-evolving global and knowledge-based economy and consideration of and care for the public good continually ratchet up the value of higher education. Given that just over 50% of U.S. citizens have no more than a high school diploma, college degree completion has become the focus of national debate and a point of primary emphasis for WSCUC. As a result, there has been increasing attention on measures of student success including student retention, progress towards a degree, and graduation rates. While a majority of this attention has been given to undergraduate degree completion, similar concerns exist about graduation and time-to-degree for students enrolled in graduate-level and professional programs. (WASC Task Force on Student Success, July 2010)
Traditionally, IPEDS has been the primary source of data on degree attainment for institutions. But, IPEDS methodology for calculating graduation rates fails to accommodate the variation in students' paths to degrees: IPEDS graduation rates are based on first-time, full-time students, while a significant number of WSCUC institutions have students that transfer in with some or a great deal of prior higher education experience. The fact that transfer students are not included in their results make IPEDS a less reliable indicator for these institutions. Also, the IPEDS methodology uses a prescribed time period to frame the results, typically six years for baccalaureate degree programs. Yet a significant number of institutions in the WSCUC region serve "non-traditional" or "post-traditional" students, e.g. working adults or students with families who need to attend part-time, or engage in "swirling" enrollment patterns. The success of these students is also excluded from IPEDS results, because they may need to attend part-time or take more than six years to complete their programs.
Traditionally, IPEDS has been the primary source of data on degree attainment for institutions. But, IPEDS methodology for calculating graduation rates fails to accommodate the variation in students' paths to degrees: IPEDS graduation rates are based on first-time, full-time students, while a significant number of WSCUC institutions have students that transfer in with some or a great deal of prior higher education experience. The fact that transfer students are not included in their results make IPEDS a less reliable indicator for these institutions. Also, the IPEDS methodology uses a prescribed time period to frame the results, typically six years for baccalaureate degree programs. Yet a significant number of institutions in the WSCUC region serve "non-traditional" or "post-traditional" students, e.g. working adults or students with families who need to attend part-time, or engage in "swirling" enrollment patterns. The success of these students is also excluded from IPEDS results, because they may need to attend part-time or take more than six years to complete their programs.
More information can be found at: wascsenior.org/resources/about-undergraduate-student-success-and-graduation-rate-dashboard-pilot
