Atlas and ECoach will be tailored to meet the needs of students on the Dearborn campus
Sean Corp, Communications Lead
Systemic inequities in higher education prevent many students from achieving their full academic potential, at worst leading to stop outs, debt, and no degree. These structural problems affect students at all types of institutions, in particular students who are the first in their family to go to college, students who are balancing work and care responsibilities, and students who face financial challenges. Tackling the problem requires broad stakeholder engagement and, increasingly, responsible adoption of technology.
The University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation, Axim Collaborative, and the University of Michigan-Dearborn are partnering to extend proven technologies that support student success to a broad range of students with the goal of improving academic momentum, retention, and graduation rates.
The project initially aims to develop a Student Success & Momentum Toolkit using the Center for Academic Innovation’s ECoach and Atlas technologies, which have demonstrated student success outcomes at UM-Ann Arbor’s campus. ECoach provides tailored support through real-time data from student information and learning management systems, boosting student engagement and performance. Atlas offers detailed course data and planning tools, aiding in students’ course selection and academic planning. The project will test these interventions’ scalability and effectiveness at UM-Dearborn. Axim is providing $600,000 in grant funding to support the project.
“We are proud of the success that ECoach and Atlas have demonstrated in supporting student success and agency in Ann Arbor, but their potential to benefit students is much greater,” said James DeVaney, special advisor to the president, associate vice provost of academic innovation, and the founding executive director of the Center for Academic Innovation. “We’re excited to work with our partners to adapt these tools to meet the unique needs of Dearborn students and, eventually, to make them accessible to students across the state of Michigan.”
UM-Dearborn has more than 6,000 enrolled students and more than 100 major programs. It also boasts the second-lowest average annual cost among Michigan’s 15 public universities. The students are serious about education but are also balancing their education with other commitments, and they deserve support.
“Many of our students are the first in their families to go to college, and they often have jobs and are responsible for family care. These tools will provide valuable support to help our students stay engaged, on track, and graduate on time so they can begin the next exciting phase of their lives,” said Joan Remski, associate provost at UM-Dearborn.
Axim Collaborative is a joint endeavor between Harvard and MIT and is the successor to edX, the online learning platform launched in 2012. Stephanie Khurana, Axim’s chief executive officer, sees this initiative as a great example of an innovative project that will have a real positive impact on learners.
“At Axim, we’re excited that partners at the University of Michigan are sharing innovations across campuses, collaborating with each other to provide customized tools to support students from all backgrounds in planning for and reaching their goals,” Khurana said. “This work has the potential to spark further change across the system, and build momentum for all students to graduate and realize their full academic potential.
Subsequent phases of the project will see convenings of leaders from a broad range of two- and four-year public institutions engaged in student success work, with a goal of sharing findings from across the state, including those from deploying the Toolkit in the U-M context. Ultimately, the project aims to extend practices and technologies that support student success to benefit more students in Michigan and beyond.
