UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The majority of students at the University Park campus who received a “seek tutoring to-do” from Starfish progress surveys in fall 2023 sought help from Penn State Learning, according to recently released data. 

Penn State Learning (PSL), the tutoring and learning center at the University Park campus, has been using Starfish to identify students who have received progress survey flags and to-dos from their instructors. PSL then communicates directly with students who receive flags and to-dos for various undergraduate mathematics, science and writing-intensive courses. 

In fall 2023, 59% of University Park students with a “seek tutoring to-do" from Starfish progress surveys (now called “Seek tutoring or learning support”) went on to participate in PSL tutoring or a Guided Study Group (GSG). Of those who received follow-up tracking items from PSL, 41% of students referred for a GSG, 33% referred for math tutoring or GSG and 18% referred for writing tutoring participated in the recommended PSL services. 

“My colleagues and I are encouraged by the response rates of students we contacted via Starfish last fall, and we will continue to encourage faculty to make referrals and let them know we followed up with their students,” said Neill Johnson, director of Penn State Learning. “In line with Penn State strategic initiatives, we plan to demonstrate that these collaborative interventions are helping to close outcome gaps for students from historically underrepresented groups as well as helping more students persist and graduate on schedule.” 

There are two progress survey periods each semester. Instructors and teaching assistants formally listed as instructors of record in LionPATH receive an email prompting them to complete progress surveys for their full-semester undergraduate courses, numbered 499 and below. In addition to recording “kudos” to let students know they are on the right track, instructors can raise flags or give specific “to-dos” to help alert students and those who support student success to act proactively. 

“Connecting students to resources that can enhance their learning is furthered by the usage of Starfish progress surveys,” said David Smith, associate dean for advising and executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies. “Building this network of interconnected supports for students will move Penn State closer to achieving its goal of equitable student outcomes.” 

Penn State Learning helps thousands of students each semester 

Penn State Learning helped more than 14,000 students with tutoring, GSGs and Study Smarter sessions in 2023-24, resulting in more than 100,000 contacts with students. 

Guided Study Groups have increased in popularity in the last few years, according to data from the 2023-24 academic year. Penn State Learning’s Guided Study Groups provided academic support for 12,717 unique students with 82,391 contacts, an increase of 5.7% and 56%, respectively, from 2022-23. In a survey of Guided Study Group participants, more than 90% of respondents said GSG support gave them “moderate” to “a great deal” of help. 

In 2023-24, 3,957 tutorials were conducted for MATH 4-141 and 396 for MATH 200-252. There was a total of 5,445 attendees for live and in-person exam reviews. The Writing Center @ Penn State Learning supported 2,179 students through peer tutoring through in-person, asynchronous and online modes to assist in various writing projects. The Writing Center also conducted 89 personalized workshops for Penn State courses. 

For more information on Penn State Learning’s impact on academic success, see the 2023-24 annual report. 

Penn State Learning’s Teresa Burkhart, Starfish tenant administrator, and Brandon Schadle, Math Center coordinator, will present Starfish outreach data from the 2023-24 semester at the National Organization for Student Success (NOSS) annual conference in February.  

“Our results show clearly that more students will follow up and get help when instructors and on-campus academic support staff provide consistent, positive messaging,” Johnson said. “Starfish has facilitated and streamlined this messaging and success tracking. We will continue to investigate the degree to which these integrated communication efforts help to close graduation gaps, promote the persistence of undergraduates and shorten program completion times.” 

The Division of Undergraduate Studies and Penn State Learning are part of the Penn State Office of Undergraduate Education.