Mentor/s
Dr. Beth Luoma Dr. Amanda Moras Dr. Kathryn M. Kroeper
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
Struggling college students who receive academic warning notifications often have higher dropout rates than similarly performing peers who do not receive such notifications. This trend is partly driven by feelings of failure and shame, which undermine academic perseverance. To address this, we revised academic warning notifications to be more psychologically attuned—specifically, to support students’ self-worth, capability, and sense of belonging. In Study 1 (N = 247 SHU students), we compared students’ perceptions of a revised academic notification (v. 2.0) to a standard notification (v. 1.0). As expected, most students preferred the revised notification (83.6%) over the standard (16.4%). Further, students expected the revised notification to foster more positive feelings (e.g., hope, determination), reduce negative feelings (e.g., shame, guilt, anxiety), and increase their likelihood of taking adaptive steps to address academic difficulties (e.g., talking with an advisor, seeking tutoring). In Study 2 (N = 261 SHU students), we incorporated student feedback to further refine the notification (v. 3.0), adding clearer next steps and more explicit details about available academic support services. Students preferred v. 3.0 (63.5%) over v. 2.0 (36.5%), though by a smaller margin than in Study 1, suggesting that we may be approaching a saturation point where further refinements yield smaller, less noticeable improvements. As a next step, now that the revised notification has been implemented university-wide, we plan to analyze academic performance and retention data to assess its broader impact.
College and Major available
College of Arts and Sciences, Farrington College of Education
Academic Level
Undergraduate student
Location
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-25-2025 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-25-2025 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Prize Categories
Best Multidisciplinary Research or Collaboration, Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Best Visuals
WARNING! Revising academic warning notifications to support students’ emotions, motivation, and help-seeking
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Struggling college students who receive academic warning notifications often have higher dropout rates than similarly performing peers who do not receive such notifications. This trend is partly driven by feelings of failure and shame, which undermine academic perseverance. To address this, we revised academic warning notifications to be more psychologically attuned—specifically, to support students’ self-worth, capability, and sense of belonging. In Study 1 (N = 247 SHU students), we compared students’ perceptions of a revised academic notification (v. 2.0) to a standard notification (v. 1.0). As expected, most students preferred the revised notification (83.6%) over the standard (16.4%). Further, students expected the revised notification to foster more positive feelings (e.g., hope, determination), reduce negative feelings (e.g., shame, guilt, anxiety), and increase their likelihood of taking adaptive steps to address academic difficulties (e.g., talking with an advisor, seeking tutoring). In Study 2 (N = 261 SHU students), we incorporated student feedback to further refine the notification (v. 3.0), adding clearer next steps and more explicit details about available academic support services. Students preferred v. 3.0 (63.5%) over v. 2.0 (36.5%), though by a smaller margin than in Study 1, suggesting that we may be approaching a saturation point where further refinements yield smaller, less noticeable improvements. As a next step, now that the revised notification has been implemented university-wide, we plan to analyze academic performance and retention data to assess its broader impact.
Students' Information
Sophia Rogers is a Psychology major with an Education and Honors minor and will graduate in 2026.
Magdalene Corrodino is a Psychology major who will graduate in 2025.
Michele Chu is a Psychology major on the occupational therapy track with minors in Spanish and Neuroscience and will graduate in 2026.
Gianna Quintana is a Psychology major with a Social Work minor and will graduate in 2025.
Honorable Mention, Best Multidisciplinary Research or Collaboration 2025 Award
Honorable Mention: Dean's Prize: College of Arts and Sciences 2025 Award