Academic Planning for Equitable Student Success

An initiative designed to elevate the importance of the course schedule and leverage it to improve student outcomes in higher education.

Contact us to learn more.

Removing barriers to student success.

One of the most essential elements to a student’s academic success is getting the courses they need to complete their degree. Yet, research indicates that at most institutions, the course schedule has become a structural barrier to success.

AASCU received funding from The Ascendium Education Group to improve course scheduling and ensure that access to courses required for degree completion is not a barrier to success, especially for low-income students and students of color.

Created in partnership with Ad Astra, the project included: two convenings, monthly webinars, benchmarking with technical assistance, data coaching, and change management consulting for eleven institutions. These structured engagements supported institutional capacity for data-informed course scheduling and improved scheduling policies and practices.

Participants

  • After an initial application process, 11 institutions from AASCU’s Student Success Equity Intensive were selected to participate. The following map identifies the states represented by participating institutions and the number of participants in that state.
+
Guam
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
Bahamas
Canada
Mexico

    Outcomes

    Through this work, institutions have identified actionable strategies to:

    • Improve degree velocity
    • Close equity gaps
    • Improve course scheduling policies and practices
    • Align academic resources with student needs and academic pathways
    Program Impact

    Increase in momentum

    For students starting in Fall 2023, there was an 8% increase in the overall momentum year rate, with rates for Native American, Black/African-American, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiians having an average increase of between 7% and 13%.

    Increase in degree velocity

    The average annual productive credits increased by 1% for students starting in Fall 2023 as opposed to students beginning in Fall 2022.

    Texas A&M University

    Had an increase of students taking 15+ credits per semester from 23% in fall 2023 to 45% in fall 2024.

    Western Kentucky University

    Had 25% improvement in the Overloaded Course Ratio, specifically in first-year (100-level) courses, between fall 2023 and fall 2024.

    Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

    From fall 2023 to fall 2024, classroom utilization increased by 5%, while Primetime Compression decreased by 11%; in Fall 2024 Off-Grid Waste decreased over two percentage points compared to Fall 2023.

    Texas A&M University-San Antonio

    From fall 2023 to fall 2024, overall primetime utilization increased in classrooms while off-grid meeting pattern utilization decreased by 10% and off-grid waste decreased by three percentage points.

    “Helping our member institutions reengineer their course scheduling policies and practices to put students at the center is a critical component of AASCU’s strategy to scale student success. The course schedule is the engine of degree completion. You simply cannot drive better outcomes without a course schedule designed with student success in mind.”

    Terry Brown

    Vice President of Academic Innovation and Transformation
    AASCU
    Resource

    Course Scheduling Playbook

    The playbook, created as a result of this initiative, is a guide for any institution interested in levering their course schedule as a strategy for improving student success. It introduces project phases designed to drive innovation and momentum, project management strategies, and relevant metrics, to support the teams empowered to do this work.

    COVER Course Scheduling: A Strategy to Support Equitable Student Success Outcomes (2024)

    Supported by:

    In partnership with:

    Questions about Academic Planning for Equitable Student Success? Let us know.

    "*" indicates required fields

    2025 American Democracy Project Summit Call for Proposals

    Submit proposals by March 18.
    Meeting theme

    Full Participation

    AASCU invites submissions to present at the American Democracy Project Summit, happening July 13-14, 2025 in Indianapolis, IN. We seek a diversity of perspectives and experiences, and we especially encourage presentations that include students and feature teams. 

    Democracy can be frustrating, slow, and contentious. Often, the civic engagement work done on a campus can feel isolated and be un- or under-appreciated. This meeting will change that narrative by showcasing that, through AASCU’s American Democracy Project, there are resources and a community that exists to help build and grow civic engagement within higher education. 

    Meeting details.
    Proposal formats 

    Topical Sessions (45-minute sessions): Presentations, which could be led by an individual or a group, designed to share best practices and/or facilitate conversations about the practical application of civic and community engagement projects. If accepted, you may be paired with another concurrent session to share the 45-minute time block.

    Ignite Talks (5-minute sessions): Designed for individuals to share compelling, innovative practices on a large stage, ignite talks use 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds and requires speakers to be concise, prepared, and dynamic. 

    Poster Sessions: Textual and graphical presentations of civic engagement projects or research. 

    Proposal topics

    We recognize how interconnected the field of civic engagement is. This topic selection allows us to maintain a diverse portfolio of options.

    What are the key features of the thriving democracy we hope to enact and support through our work?  

    • Navigating legislative challenges 
    • Incorporating and supporting student voice 
    • Redefining political engagement 
    • Incorporating diverse voices in our work 
    • Higher education’s democratic responsibility 
    • Honoring community voices and wisdom—especially for indigenous-serving institutions 
    • Exploring/understanding foundational, democratic documents and their relationship to current affairs 
    • Understanding interrelated concepts of civic engagement, democratic engagement, civic learning service learning, activism, and advocacy 

    What knowledge, skills, and dispositions contribute to a thriving democracy, and how do we embed this in our work?  

    • Voter engagement work and results 
    • Increasing civic engagement beyond social sciences; encouraging interdisciplinary efforts 
    • Practicing/modeling difficult conversations/dialogues 
    • Digitial literacy 
    • Bringing curricular and co-curricular efforts together 
    • High impact practices 
    • Experiential learning 
    • AI possibilities 
    • Address the colonization of our educational system 

    How can we build the institutional culture, infrastructure, and relationships needed to support learning that enables a thriving democracy? 

    • Institution-wide collaboration and building campus stakeholders 
    • Collaborating with other campuses 
    • Building leadership supports for civic engagement 
    • Aligning institutional mission/values with civic engagement 
    • Integrating campus and community efforts 
    • Building regional support structures 
    • Understanding different campus models for student engagement 
    • Implement and assess institution-wide civic learning objectives 

    Please submit your proposal by March 18, 2025.

    Note that you will need to complete this form in one sitting, and we recommend that you prepare your materials in a word document and then copy/paste into the form. 

    "*" indicates required fields

    Session Format*
    (See above for format descriptions.)
    Selected Session Topic*
    (See above for topic descriptions.)
    All proposals will be reviewed for relevance to the summit theme of “Full Participation.” For topical sessions, please explain your session goals and how you would engage the audience. For ignite talks and poster sessions, please explain the practice or research that you would share.

    Presenters

    Eligibility

    By submitting this proposal, I agree to the eligibility guidelines.*
    Please review the requirements listed below before submitting your proposal.
    Eligibility guidelines:

    • Presenters must register for the conference.
    • Presenters are responsible for expenses incurred in conjunction with the conference.
    • Presentations will occur on July 14. Session timing will be decided by AASCU.
    Each presenter will:

    • Provide AASCU with presentation materials for posting to the meeting app two weeks prior to the conference.
    • Inform AASCU with more than two weeks notice if an unavoidable conflict arises, making every attempt to substitute a presenter.
    • Be publicly listed on the meeting website and meeting app as a session presenter.
    • Provide a headshot and brief bio, if not already on file.
    Please click the button below to submit your session proposal. You will receive an email confirmation that your submission is successful.

    American Democracy Project Past Programs

    Explore past initiatives that support a well-rounded education rooted in local and global community.

    Opportunities to expand our community and to increase civic awareness and work on campuses.

    Read more.

    Explore the history, outcomes, and impact of these ADP programs.

    Read more.

    Access resources to promote civil discourse within classrooms and across campus.

    Read more.

    Join a cohort of campus leaders committed to operationalizing civic and community engagement.

    Read more.