Nearing the end of its first full academic year of implementation, the University of Delaware Blue Hen Success Collaborative (BHSC) is already leading to strong gains in advising and student support. An important component in keeping students on track to graduate, the BHSC is helping more advisers recognize and intervene with students who need extra support, while empowering students with technology to make getting help easier.

This spring, student access to the BHSC was expanded to allow students in the Associate in Arts Program, the College of Health Sciences and the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics to schedule advising appointments, in addition to University Studies students and student athletes who previously had access. Over 5,500 students have scheduled an advising appointment through BHSC in the 2017-18 academic year.

“I found that the system was more compatible with whatever device I was using,” said Rachel Gorsage, a sophomore health behavior science major. “I really appreciated the appointment reminders it gave me via text and email as well. Overall, a much better system for booking advising appointments.”  

The Office of Enrollment Management, which oversees the Blue Hen Success Collaborative, is planning to provide access to additional undergraduate students in the 2018-19 academic year, pending more advisers enrolling in the system. In the 2017-18 academic year, over 190 advisers logged 20,744 advising reports and appointments.

“I am already seeing an increase in the number of student appointments,” said Emily Lodyga, academic adviser in the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition. “I can't believe how easy it is for students to schedule and for me to add advising reports. This system has saved me and students a lot of time.” 

Tom Giardina, assistant professor in the Associate in Arts Program, said, “For students, BHSC takes all the pain out of scheduling appointments – two clicks and they’re all set. This convenience means that students who might otherwise never schedule advising are more likely to get the help they need.”

Also significant is advisers’ use of the Coordinated Care Network, part of the BHSC system that assists advisers in proactively guiding students to other non-urgent support services, such as tutoring, financial services, career counseling, veterans’ services or other campus resources. The BHSC saw a 200 percent increase in the number of referrals issued this fall compared with spring 2017.

For example, the network includes the Office of Academic Enrichment (OAE), which saw 496 students for drop-in tutoring, 1,455 students for group tutoring and 415 students for individual tutoring appointments. OAE, which subsequently renovated its space and expanded hours, is using BHSC functionality to track services and provide valuable planning data, for example, identifying courses with the highest tutoring demand.

“Using the BHSC has made my first year as a faculty adviser a smooth one,” said Alexia Mintos, assistant professor in the Associate in Arts program. “It has an array of student information right at my fingertips and allows me to give the best advice possible to advisees based on their academic history, current experiences and future aspirations.”

BHSC training is available for all faculty and staff advisers who support undergraduate students. Visit the website for more information.