CBM Lunch and Learn: My Professor Cares: Results from a Random Controlled Trial to Improve Student Success

Can a low-cost intervention improve student success and retention among non-traditional and historically underrepresented students? This study examined the impact of increased and individualized instructor feedback on student success. Borrowing from Carrell and Kurlaender (2023), the strategically timed intervention, in contrast to the negative tone of early alerts, consisted of positively-focused, personalized emails indicating the students’ current standing in the course, keys to success, and a reminder of the instructor’s availability. Sixteen instructors from a variety of disciplines teaching the same course over the two semesters were selected and randomly assigned to test/control groups for the fall/spring semesters, with each instructor doing the intervention in one semester and their usual practice in the other. Results suggest that this intervention has the potential to improve student performance, especially for returning students and in face-to-face sections, but the effects are not universally significant.

Join us via Zoom.

Dr. Allen Bellas is a Professor of Economics with the College of Business and Management at Metro State University, where he has been a faculty member since 2004.

Angela Bowlus, Ed.D. serves as the Senior Director of the Office of Student Academic Services in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia in Athens. Prior to joining Franklin College, Angela lived and worked in Minnesota.

The College of Business and Management Lunch and Learn is part of an ongoing monthly series of presentations and discussions hosted by the College of Business and Management. This conversation is open to all educators, administrators, instructional designers, and students of Minnesota State Education System. This series allows everyone to meet during lunchtime (Central Standard) and bring their questions and ideas that will include conversation starters and possibly opportunities for both large and small group conversations.

To request accommodations for a disability, contact Accessibility Resources at accessibility.resources@metrostate.eduor 651.793.1549.