Jefferson College uses open source software to beef up student advising

Last fall, Jefferson College implemented an integrated planning and advising system called Student Success Plan, to support students in the MoSTEMWINs Grant programs.

Student Success Plan is an open source, customizable software package developed by Sinclair Community College. Jefferson’s custom installation has been branded Personal Resource and Education Plan or PREP. PREP provides students with a personalized map to their academic and career success.  At this time, this service is available to students studying in the Electronics Technology Certificate pathway and students in the Pre-Health Occupations pathways, through Round IV of the Department of Labor’s TAACCCT Grant.
This technology, when combined with the support of caring people, has the potential to greatly improve student success. Students work with holistic advisors known as navigators who use PREP to maintain case notes, build a custom path to degree completion called My Academic Plan (MAP), track student progress, and identify helpful resources to address student challenges. Students then have access to their MAP, Action Plan, and resources via the Web.
“I am so excited to be using PREP,” Health Professions Navigator Brenna Young said, “Being able to customize and save a student’s degree MAP is so helpful to an advisor. I also appreciate that once the MAP is created, I get daily reports on my advisees. If a student deviates from their MAP, I am notified. This is an amazing resource!”
Navigators use a powerful journal feature to maintain case notes in PREP. Student notes from various campus systems are all presented in a central location in PREP, effectively eliminating silos and providing immediate access to navigators. Navigators and students no longer need to hunt for resources. Student challenges are aligned with support services in a robust, centralized database, curated with the help of support professionals within the college and community. When faced with a challenge, these resources are assigned to students as Action Plan items that provide ease of access and accountability.
Navigators have proven especially impactful in increasing student retention and completion. Jefferson College employs two grant navigators who have been using the new system to support MoSTEMWINs students since August.
“PREP is an amazing tool for storing all of the information you need for a student in one easy and accessible place,” Electronics Technology Navigator, Melissa Schall Willmore said. “Not only does PREP house resources for students, it also lets you know at a quick glance if a student is missing any requirements for their degree or are struggling in any courses.”