MAP-Works aids in new student success
This year’s MAP-Works transition survey had a 96 percent participation rate by the freshmen class.
This is the third year the MAP-Works survey has been administered at GCSU, this year also had the highest success rate so far. The first and second year it was voluntarily taken by 86 percent of the new freshmen. This year, because of the survey’s thoroughness and great detail in providing students with feedback, 1,157 out of the 1,198 freshmen voluntarily took the MAP-Works survey.
The program, specifically designed for new students, is a product of the company EBI. This online survey, which consists of about 100 questions and takes approximately 25 minutes to complete, is being used to aid students with identifying the opportunities and possible challenges that come with a successful college career.
“MAP-Works is a vehicle that provides the ability for new students to complete a transition survey that both provides them with valuable information on what they’re self reporting about in ways that they’re adjusting academically and socially and also helps do some what is called social norming,” Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Paul Jahr said. “To help students with social norming, the survey might report back to a student that he or she is expressing some concerns with time management, the survey would also then tell the student that of their colleagues, his or her concern is consistent with what most freshman are reporting at this stage in their college career.”
The survey also assists the students in recognizing the gaps that exist between their behavior and their desired outcomes, helping the students grasp the elements that can impact their academic and social success, and helps the student in identifying and maximizing campus resources that can help them.
“I think the MAP-Works survey helped me because it asked a lot of personal questions about yourself such as time management and study habits. The survey asks you to evaluate how you perform,” freshman general business major Ryan Vitello said. “By doing surveys like this, it helps the campus staff adapt the campus to fit the needs of the upcoming students. I think the survey helped me open my eyes to see specifically what I actually needed to work on.”
The voluntary MAP-Works survey also asks students to provide information that is useful to the institution. The survey asks the students questions pertaining to why they chose to come to GCSU. Since the survey was administered several weeks after classes started, MAP-Works was able to provide professors with feedback about what teaching methods the students preferred. MAP-Works also allows the university to recognize what campus programs are beneficial to students.
Feedback from MAP-Works showed 94 percent of the first-semester freshmen—who had only been at GCSU for a few weeks— were aware of S.N.A.P., the school concluded that it is an effective program.
The MAP-Works survey also asked institutional questions to find out more about the freshmen, such as their previous campus involvements from high school. Nearly 75 percent of the incoming freshmen had some sort of previous campus involvement.
“I feel MAP-Works benefits freshmen because they’re able to plug in where they are at that current moment in time. It shows freshmen how they relate to other students and shows them how to change their study style which is definitely something most freshmen should do,” junior biology major and community advisor Mark Jestel said. “Just by answering questions it shows new students where they should be regarding other students or if they’re already at the point they’re supposed to be at. It helps freshmen realize that they’re not alone in the endeavor.”
Although the MAP-Works survey results were the highest percent out of all three years the survey has been taken at GCSU, whether or not it will be used again next year is a decision that is still being made by the university.
“MAP-Works is a fairly labor intensive program and process because it helps faculty advisers identify what students may be at risk for not succeeding in college and allows the advisers to help identify those students and assist them before it’s too late,” Jahr said. “We hope that this program continue to be used in the future; that literally is a decision that the university is in the process of making because it has a price.”
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