Completion Strategies Tested for Acceleration & Refinement (C-STAR)
Overview
In 2025, HSI Initiatives, Assessment & Research, and Societal Impacts are collaborating on the inaugural edition of C-STAR, “Completion Strategies Tested for Acceleration & Refinement”.
The goal of this program is to use a data-informed approach to identify strategies, programs and practices that positively contribute to degree completion at the UA.
Aligned with the university’s strategic imperative regarding success for every student, the goal of this internal fund is to increase our institutional understanding of the levers that positively contribute to students’ degree completion at the UA.
Many programs collect data but are limited in their capacity for analyses and communication of findings. This project will provide funding for the expertise needed to explore such data to uncover insights regarding impact on degree completion by linking up awardees with data analysts in Assessment and Research.
Results will be shared with the the UA community in Fall 2026.
2025 Awarded Projects
"Building a Case for Biocalculus"
Project Lead: Lauren Harrison, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
This project will compare student outcomes (retention, graduation, and time-to-degree) from two Calculus I pathways to determine which path most positively impacts undergraduate student success.
“Evaluation of the Efficacy of the UA VIP Program to Improve Student Retention and Graduation Rates”
Project Lead: Dr. David Stephen Margolis, Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine
This project will analyze 5 years of existing quantitative and qualitative data for the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) program to determine the extent to which the program contributes to retention, graduation, and overall student success.
“Understanding Impact of AIR Education Program Internships” Project Lead: Maria Sohn Hasman, Arizona Institute for Resilience
This project will compare retention and graduation rates for 2 Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR) student internship experiences, the “RISE” and “Earth Grant” programs.
