A partnership to boost student access and institutional efficiency

Fast Facts

• 11 Texas A&M Institutions
  
• 130 courses needed to better support students
• 180,000 stop out students

The Challenge:

In 2022, the Texas A&M University System looked for sustainable ways to boost student success by addressing the stopping out of 180,000 students across its 11 institutions. The leadership behind one of the largest higher education systems in the nation realized that without access to timely and reliable scheduling information, students will struggle  to meet their graduation timelines — leaving them vulnerable to stopping out or dropping out altogether.

The university realized students must have access to courses when they need them. This availability is critical for retaining students and keeping them on track for a timely graduation. Efficiency in course scheduling also remains a key driver in determining the financial health of an institution and realizing the full yield.

The Solution:

While it’s impossible to eliminate all scheduling inconsistencies, the Texas A&M University System knew it needed a strategic, data-driven approach that acknowledged institutional gaps to predict course demand and prioritize student success. When students cannot progress, they are left with the choice of switching majors or schools, waiting it out, or stopping out altogether..

To address this issue, Texas A&M leaders leveraged the assistance of higher education partners Ad Astra and Acadeum to boost student access and improve institutional efficiency. Together, Ad Astra and Acadeum demonstrated how reliable course scheduling practices can offer Texas A&M the ability to boost student progress, support academic innovation, and generate new revenue for the system.

This included the application of rich data mined from Ad Astra tools to determine leading indicators and where a course is blocked or unavailable. With the ability to monitor section registration rates, Texas A&M is serving student-specific demand, pinpointing potential course scheduling roadblocks, and discovering new ways to work more strategically cross-institutionally.

When data reveals a blocked course, the university partners with Acadeum to find a timely course
alternative to help students stay on-track and graduate on time. Acadeum offers a reliable network of institutions to help colleges and universities fill scheduling gaps and expand academic capacity.

Using this information, Texas A&M is creating multi-term schedules that improve its students’ time-to-completion rates while maintaining financially sustainable academic programs. By increasing access to courses, institutions also have the ability to build relevance for programming and introduce students to new and engaging courses.

A COURSE-SHARING SUCCESS STORY with Matthew Kastl, Texas A&M Senior

Matthew Kastl is a senior majoring in computer programming with a focus on systems
programming and a minor in mathematics. Kastl transferred within the Texas A&M University
System from Texas A&M-College Station to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

But Kastl hit a roadblock when he needed an additional class, Theory to Programming Languages,
to finish his major. Unfortunately, the course was not offered by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi until
fall 2024. This left Kastl facing an extra semester of school.

Looking to stay on track for a timely graduation, Kastl reached out to Crystal Trevino, his Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi advisor, to find out if there were any other options. Leveraging course sharing,
powered by Acadeum, Trevino found a solution and was able to enroll Kastl in an alternative course.

Kastl’s course-sharing experience with Acadeum was seamless, akin to completing his coursework
through Texas A&M. Thanks to the Acadeum network and the strategic thinking of Trevino, Kastl
was able to take advantage of course sharing and stay on track to graduate.

How Ad Astra and Acadeum can help your institution:

Increase access to in-demand courses, creating pathways to completion	Boost completion for students at risk of stopping out due to scheduling conflicts	Realize revenue by keeping students enrolled at your institution	Create a superior experience for students when compared to the transfer process

System Background:

The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $7.8 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, and the RELLIS Campus, the Texas A&M System educates more than 153,000 students and makes more than 23 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceed $1 billion and help drive the state’s economy.