Graduation Rate at Wayne State University:

A Study On the four year graduation rate

July 17, 2017

Research team:
Adel Khallouf
Wadood Khan
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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ii

1. Introduction 1

2. Research Objectives & Method 3

3. Results 4

7. Discussion 9

9. Conclusion 11

10. Recommendations 12

10. References 13

11. Appendix 14
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Executive Summary
An ongoing epidemic is the low graduation rate at Wayne State University (7). Compared
to similar schools our graduation rate is significantly lower than other universities (7). This
problem can be associated with the large amount of general education requirements students
have to fulfill in order to graduate (7). There are a lot of general education requirements for
students of any field, these classes students find harder than the major classes their program
requires them to take. One theory is that low grade point average contributes to a lower
graduation rate. This is evident, since this problem has been going on for many years at the
university. Along with the general education requirements students feel that larger class sizes
affect the graduation rate at Wayne State. Since such large populations of students attend the
University, classes are often held in large lecture halls with classes as big as one-hundred fifty
students. When classes are taught in such a setting many students have a hard time
comprehending materials which has a negative effect on their grades.
To better comprehend where the students are coming from, a survey was conducted that
asks about the amount of general education requirements. The survey also addressed what is the
best class structural format for the students learning environment. The survey was taken by a
random sample at the student center here at Wayne State University. The sample size consisted
of thirty students. Along with this survey research from online database sources was also
conducted. This research included a set of data from more than ten universities, which addressed
the categories of student faculty ratio, retention rate, and average freshman GPA.
Once the survey was conducted the results were analyzed, and it was found that 75
percent of the students surveyed answered that there are too many general education
requirements to finish their respective degree in four years. Also it was found that 84.5 percent of
the students believed that a smaller class room setting is more likely to help them comprehend
material, then a giant lecture hall setting. With this data one can infer that students are more
likely to complete their degree on time with better proficiency if general education requirements
are more lenient, and class room sizes are smaller.
Furthermore, research has shown a direct correlation between average GPA and
acceptance rate of the enrolled freshman. One example of this correlation is evident when you
compare Wayne State University with the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. In Ann Arbor it
was found that the average GPA of enrolled freshman was 3.75, while the acceptance rate was
only found to be 26%. Comparatively the average GPA of Wayne States freshman was found to
be 3.11 while their acceptance rate was at 80%. Therefore it is evident that acceptance rate plays
a direct correlation with average GPA (2). This evidence calls for a change in Wayne States
acceptance criteria. Acceptance criteria guidelines should be stricter; this will allow Wayne State
to weed out some of the weaker students. Making sure they attend a community college and are
prepared for higher level university courses. In turn, this would make sure the students are
performing well which would then increase the undergraduate-graduation rate at Wayne State.
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Introduction

Currently the four year graduation rate at Wayne State University is 11.2%, according to

U.S. News & World Report (7). The graduation committee at Wayne State has confirmed that

the number one problem common among undergraduate students is that they struggle to

complete general education requirements, due to any number of unfortunate circumstances (5).

The belief that course work will be easy, along with the underestimation of the work load

associated with general education classes; cause students turmoil when it comes to fulfilling

these requirements. In many cases this will lead students to only complete degree specific

courses and cause them to neglect to complete general education courses until the end of the

students undergraduate academic career. Due to the fact these courses are time sensitive,

students who put them off risk not remembering important pre requisite material needed to

complete these courses. Another problem that contributes to these low numbers is how subject

material is being relayed to the students. Methods such as lecture based learning in a large class

setting do not do a quality job in relaying the subject matter to students (3).

This report addresses the problem of having a low graduation rate at Wayne State, as well

as provides statistical data from the university along with other similar institutions. All research

and data will be presented in a professional manner, providing the most relevant insight on the

issue at hand. This data will then be analyzed, and a conclusion will be presented to support any

claims.

The proposals objective is to research content regarding the four year graduation rates

and its direct correlation with general education requirements in several institutions. As well as

to survey students at Wayne State University, in order to better comprehend their struggles, and

to better determine a solution when it comes to this issue. The survey consists of questions
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regarding the difficulty students have with completing their courses along with questions that ask

them about general education requirements.

This report aims to examine the problem of low graduation rate at Wayne State

University; and hopes to propose a valid solution(s) by altering our class teaching styles, and also

lowering general education requirements. If this solution(s) is found to be feasible it may be

applied to increase the graduation rate at Wayne State University.

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Research Objectives & Method:

To better comprehend the correlation between class size, general education requirements,

and the graduation rate, research was conducted as a critical factor. The research was conducted

through student surveys along with online research. The research online was found with

resources such as Gale Learning, JSTOR, Wayne State Library, as well as other credible online

databases. The data interpreted helps to give a better comprehension of the correlation of high

graduation rates and their respective institutions.

Extended research will display survey questions answered by Wayne State students

pertaining to their opinions on University education standards, and instruction. The results will

be compiled with data from a group of thirty students. This is to obtain a large enough sample

size to have relevant and realistic data analysis on the issue. The survey was conducted by

compiling together a questionnaire and having student around campus fill them out. The first part

of the survey addresses Wayne States general education requirements. The second part

addresses the teaching and learning styles implemented at Wayne State.

After all research and data is compiled, it will be presented in a manner in which it

efficiently relays the students view on the education policies implemented currently. This

research will help provide a viable solution to change general education requirements along with

class instruction methods to raise the undergraduate graduation rate at Wayne State University.
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Results

Table1: Wayne State University undergraduate Questionnaire results.

1. What is your undergraduate grade level?

Answers Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior
Answer
15.5% 25.6% 27.6% 31.3%
percentage
2. About how many general education classes are you required to take for your
degree.
Answers 1 to 3 4 to 6 7 to 9 10 to 12 13 to 15 16 and up
Answer
8.4% 27% 26.3% 21% 5.2% 12.1%
percentage
3. Are you able to complete all your general education requirements in the allotted
time period of four years?
Answers Yes No Maybe, Im unsure
Answer
47.2% 41.5% 11.3%
percentage
4. For your program do you believe that there are too many unnecessary general
education classes you need to take?
Answers Yes No
Answer
79.2% 20.8%
percentage
5. Are you able to complete all required classes efficiently as the university plan
indicates in four years for your program?
Answers Yes No
Answer
34.7% 65.3%
percentage
6. How satisfied are you with your overall education at Wayne State?
Dissatisfi Fairly Satisfi Very
Answers
ed Satisfied ed Satisfied
Answer 14.1% 34.3% 42.6% 9%
percentage
7. Does class size effect how well you comprehend material?
Answers Yes No
Answer
79.2% 21.8%
percentage
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8. What kind of instructive learning do you feel more comfortable with? (Lecture
Hall, Classroom, Small Group, One on One)
Lecture Classroom Small Group One-on-
Hall One
Answers
Learnin
g
Answer
18.3% 47.5% 29% 5.2%
percentage
9. Do you believe there is more Wayne state can do to make teaching more efficient
at the University?(Yes/No)
Answers Yes No
Answer
64.4% 31.1%
percentage
10. Should the university offer more online classes instead of on campus versions? (
Yes/No)
Answers Yes No
Answer
65.7% 34.3%
percentage
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Figure 1: Graphical chart of four, five and six year graduation rates by race/ethnicity from 2006

to 2015.

Source:
Fall Enrollment Report. (2016). Retrieved July 28, 2017, from
https://oira.wayne.edu/publications/enrollment-report
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Table 2: Graduation rates (six and four years) with students Pell grants for top Michigan
Universities.
Spending Student
Completio Students
Grad. rate Grad. rate per aid
College ns per 100 with Pell
(6 year) (4 year) completio per
students Grants
n recipient
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 90.0% 75.8% 24.1 $125,051 $13,992 15.7%
Michigan State University 77.6% 50.4% 23.2 $84,771 $8,979 23.9%
Grand Valley State University 69.5% 33.0% 21.7 $52,585 $5,001 36.3%
Michigan Technological University 65.8% 23.6% 20.4 $76,157 $9,648 26.7%
Central Michigan University 59.3% 20.9% 20 $45,150 $6,148 34.9%
Western Michigan University 54.9% 24.2% 21.5 $61,374 $6,217 39.7%
University of Michigan at Dearborn 51.8% 14.9% 20.6 $63,139 $5,524 43.0%
Ferris State University 48.9% 23.1% 28.2 $49,239 $6,641 41.2%
Northern Michigan University 48.5% 20.7% 19.7 $55,067 $6,086 38.5%
Oakland University 42.9% 14.6% 19.2 $57,103 $6,383 20.3%
Lake Superior State University 42.2% 16.8% 25.2 $50,752 $6,871 41.5%
Saginaw Valley State University 38.7% 10.1% 15.7 $55,274 $5,534 40.8%
Eastern Michigan University 38.4% 12.4% 18.7 $56,231 $5,708 44.7%
University of Michigan at Flint 37.5% 9.4% 18.4 $56,291 $6,891 45.2%
Wayne State University 32.3% 11.2% 16.6 $97,678 $6,725 48.0%
Northwestern Michigan College N/A N/A 23.8 $46,516 $3,971 41.3%

Source:
College Completion. (n.d.). Retrieved July 28, 2017, from

http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/state/#state=mior=public_fourion=perf
ormers
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Table 3: Freshman retention rate and GPA averages in 15 top Michigan Universities.
Average Enrolled
Student- Fall 2015
Freshman Freshman
# Name of College Retention
Faculty Acceptanc
Average
Ratio e Rate
Rate GPA
1 University of Michigan Ann Arbor 97% 15:1 26% 3.75
2 Michigan State University 92% 17:1 66% 3.59
3 Michigan Technological University 84% 12:1 75% 3.53
4 Grand Valley State University 83% 17:1 81% 3.57
5 Central Michigan University 77% 21:1 69% 3.3
6 Western Michigan university 76% 17:1 82% 3.23
7 University of Michigan Dearborn 82% 15:1 62% 3.46
8 Ferris State University 75% 16:1 78% 3.17
9 Northern Michigan University 73% 21:1 70% 3.07
10 Saginaw Valley State University 71% 18:1 76% 3.23
11 Oakland University 76% 21:1 80% 3.22
12 University of Michigan Flint 75% 15:1 74% 3.21
13 Lake Superior State University 68% 13:1 92% 3.06
14 Eastern Michigan University 74% 17:1 75% 3.04
15 Wayne State University 76% 16:1 80% 3.11

Source:
U.S.News & World Report. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2017, From
http://www.usnews.com/
University Stat. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2017, From http://www.universitystat.com/

Table 1 shows the results of the questionnaire that has been done in Wayne State University. It

contains questions for undergraduate students about their academic experiences. The results

showed some interesting results, for example, the table showed that 75 percent of the students

answered that they believe there are many general education classes that are required but not

needed. The table also showed that around 60.3 percent of students believe that a new style of

teaching should be applied at Wayne State University, more interactions and activities for
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example. Another result from the questionnaire showed that 84.5 of the students said that it is

easier for them to retain the information in a small classroom setting, rather than in a large

lecture halls. Figure 1 shows the four, five and six year graduation rates at Wayne State

University from the year 2006 to 2012. Table 2 holds very useful information too, it compares

the graduation rates at Wayne State University with the other top Michigan Universities by

showing the graduation rates of all the Universities. Table 3 contains some important numbers

from different Michigan Universities, it has the freshmen retention rate, student-faculty ratio,

acceptance rates and the enrolled freshmens GPA numbers.

Discussion

The recent questionnaire and other research from other sources have led to a better

understanding of the Wayne State Universities education programs. It helped with

understanding the connection between the undergraduate graduation rate and the general

education classes, also to the way the learning methods used in the universities classrooms. As

an example to the previous point, table 1 shows some interesting facts, it shows that around 75

percent of the students believe that there are too many not needed general education

requirements and around 60 percent of the students were not able to organize their classes

according to the study plan the university offered in 4 years. This might be one of the main

reasons Wayne State continuously has low graduation rate of almost 10 percent as shown in

figure 1.The research results in Table 1 also shows that most of the students who answered the

questionnaire would prefer a more organized courses study plan as well as an enhanced teaching

styles. Disorganization does effect the graduation rate but there is also another reason, the

graduation rate is affected also by the poor communication between the university and the
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students. This situation can be compared to a poor communication study done in work field, the

study showed that 14 percent of a 40 hours work week is wasted by a poor communications

between staff and their managers (4). Similar reasons most likely affecting the students

academic path. Table 2 shows that Wayne State University students receive the highest Pell

grants percentage compared to the other 14 Michigan Universities on the list, but at the same

time Wayne State has the second lowest graduating rate on the same list (7). This suggests that

more money is not a necessary reason to make students graduate on time, and other bigger

factors do. The research data from table 3 show that the average freshmen retention rate was

higher in the universities with lower acceptance rate and higher average GPAs of enrolled

freshmen. So, there might be a relationship between the acceptance rate and the average GPAs

of the universities.
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Conclusion

Once the research and surveying was completed, a set of data was compiled and analyzed

in order to find a desirable solution to the low graduation rate here at Wayne State. Through the

analysis of this data it was found that most students believe that there are too many general

education requirements to finish their respective degree in four years. Also it was found that the

students believed that they would do academically better if they were in a small classroom

environment compared to large lecture halls. Further research has indicated there is a direct

correlation between acceptance rate and average GPA of enrolled freshman. One example is the

acceptance rate at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor is 26% with the average GPA of

enrolled freshman is 3.75 (7). On the other hand, Wayne states acceptance rate is 80% while the

GPA of enrolled freshman is 3.11 (7). This drastic range in numbers between the two universities

calls for a change in the acceptance criteria at Wayne state University. Even when looking at

other similar universities with similar student to faculty ratio, it was found that the only strong

correlation was the difference between criteria for acceptance. With this knowledge one can infer

that in order to increase the four year graduation rate at Wayne State University there needs to be

stricter acceptance guidelines, as well as an increase in classes taught in a smaller classroom

setting (3).
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Recommendations

Based on this research, we believe that there are some changes can be done by Wayne

State University in order to increase its graduation rate. Wayne State University is the one to

decide which of these recommendations are best suited for them. Based on our research

conclusion, we came up with the following recommendations:

1. Wayne State should apply a stricter acceptance guidelines. As shown on table 2, 3, and

from our research, with stricter acceptance guidelines the graduation rate will be

increased.

2. Increasing the number of classrooms with smaller settings. By doing that, students

comprehension of information will be better, which will gradually increase the overall

graduation rate of the school.

3. Applying a more specialized general education plans. According to the questionnaire in

table 1, most of the students said that they have to take unneeded classes, a new general

education study plan will help the students focus more on the major classes.
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References:

1. College Completion. (n.d.). Retrieved July 28, 2017, from

http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/state/#state=mior=public_fourion=perf
ormers

2. Fall Enrollment Report. (2016). Retrieved July 28, 2017, from

https://oira.wayne.edu/publications/enrollment-report

3. Monstrous class sizes unavoidable at colleges. (2007, November 24). Retrieved July 27,
2017, from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21951104/ns/us_news-
education/t/monstrous-class-sizes-unavoidable-colleges/#.WXqoQ4jyvIU

4. Morreale, S. P., & Pearson, J. C. (2008). Why Communication Education is Important:

The Centrality of the Discipline in the 21st Century. Communication Education,
57(2), 224-240. doi:10.1080/03634520701861713

5. University Stat. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2017, From http://www.universitystat.com/

6. U.S.News & World Report. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2017, From
http://www.usnews.com/

7. Wayne State University. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2017, From

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/wayne-state-2329
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Appendix:
Questionnaire:
Wayne State University undergraduate Questionnaire:
1. What is your undergraduate grade level?
Freshmen
Sophomore
Junior
Senior

2. About how many general education classes are you required to take for your degree.
1-3
4-6
7-9
10-12
13-15

3. Are you able to complete all your general education requirements in the allotted time
period of four years?
Yes
No
Maybe, Im unsure

4. For your program do you believe that there are too many unnecessary general education
classes you need to take?
Yes
No

5. Are you able to complete all required classes efficiently as the university plan indicates in
four years for your program?
Yes
No

6. How satisfied are you with your overall education at Wayne State?
Not Satisfied
Fairly Satisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
7. Does class size effect how well you comprehend material?
Yes
No
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8. What kind of instructive learning do you feel more comfortable with? (Lecture Hall,
Classroom, Small Group, One on One)
Classroom
Small Group Learning
One-On-One Learning

9. Do you believe there is more Wayne state can do to make teaching more efficient at the
University?(Yes/No)
Yes
No

10. Should the university offer more online classes instead of on campus versions? ( Yes/No)
Yes
No