GIFTS: Reimagining a Student Academic Success Program in Terms of Development Rather than Improvement

Benjamin D McPheron

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: First-Year Programs Division (FPD) GIFTS Session 2: Foundational Skills in the First-Year Engineering Classroom
Tagged Division: First-Year Programs Division (FPD)
Page Count: 9
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/56660

Paper Authors

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Benjamin D McPheron Ohio Northern University

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Benjamin D. McPheron serves as the Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Affairs in the T.J. Smull College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University. He also holds rank of Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering. Dr. McPheron received his B.S.E.E. in Electrical Engineering at Ohio Northern University in 2010 and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2014 from The Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

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Abstract

Many student success structures take a deficit-based, or problem-based, approach, treating student challenges as problems to be solved. In these approaches, it is common to develop prescriptive, problem-focused planning, which may increase feelings of shame and inferiority in struggling students, leading to a feeling of disconnectedness, disengagement, and for many students, a breakdown in the student success system. Not only can these approaches potentially harm students, they can also be detrimental to student success professionals. These professionals may develop a sense of paternalism in solving problems for students and may also experience burnout or disengagement when these interventions fail.

One alternative approach is a strengths-based, or asset-based, approach. This method helps students discover and leverage their intrinsic individual strengths in hopes of helping them succeed by shifting the focus to student assets. Additional factors considered in the strengths-based approach include extrinsic assets such as relationships, resources, and community funds of knowledge.

In this work, a deficit-based ‘Student Improvement Plan’ (SIP) is reimagined as an asset-based ‘Student Development Plan’ (SDP). The intent is to assist students in developing study and life skills that will allow them to grow beyond their historical academic challenges and apply these skills long-term, even as students move beyond their first year. Practically, the plan includes changes in language to make it feel less punitive, as well as additional prompts to enable students to participate in identifying their strengths, specifying academic development strategies, and committing to practices for holistic wellness.

The re-envisioned plan is designed for first-year engineering students who earn under a 2.0 GPA in the fall semester, and is also required for students on Continued Probation (less than 2.0 cumulative GPA for two consecutive semesters).

To assess the effectiveness of this method, a comparative analysis will be conducted between students who participated in the deficit-based SIP and those who participate in the asset-based SDP, focusing on changes in their average cumulative and semester GPAs. The baseline data will be presented, along with results for a pilot group under the new plan.

Citation
Format

McPheron, B. D. (2025, June), GIFTS: Reimagining a Student Academic Success Program in Terms of Development Rather than Improvement Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/56660

TY - CPAPER
AB - Many student success structures take a deficit-based, or problem-based, approach, treating student challenges as problems to be solved. In these approaches, it is common to develop prescriptive, problem-focused planning, which may increase feelings of shame and inferiority in struggling students, leading to a feeling of disconnectedness, disengagement, and for many students, a breakdown in the student success system. Not only can these approaches potentially harm students, they can also be detrimental to student success professionals. These professionals may develop a sense of paternalism in solving problems for students and may also experience burnout or disengagement when these interventions fail.

One alternative approach is a strengths-based, or asset-based, approach. This method helps students discover and leverage their intrinsic individual strengths in hopes of helping them succeed by shifting the focus to student assets. Additional factors considered in the strengths-based approach include extrinsic assets such as relationships, resources, and community funds of knowledge.

In this work, a deficit-based ‘Student Improvement Plan’ (SIP) is reimagined as an asset-based ‘Student Development Plan’ (SDP). The intent is to assist students in developing study and life skills that will allow them to grow beyond their historical academic challenges and apply these skills long-term, even as students move beyond their first year. Practically, the plan includes changes in language to make it feel less punitive, as well as additional prompts to enable students to participate in identifying their strengths, specifying academic development strategies, and committing to practices for holistic wellness.

The re-envisioned plan is designed for first-year engineering students who earn under a 2.0 GPA in the fall semester, and is also required for students on Continued Probation (less than 2.0 cumulative GPA for two consecutive semesters).

To assess the effectiveness of this method, a comparative analysis will be conducted between students who participated in the deficit-based SIP and those who participate in the asset-based SDP, focusing on changes in their average cumulative and semester GPAs. The baseline data will be presented, along with results for a pilot group under the new plan.

AU - Benjamin D McPheron
CY - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DA - 2025/06/22
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - GIFTS: Reimagining a Student Academic Success Program in Terms of Development Rather than Improvement
UR - https://peer.asee.org/56660
ER -