Over the past three semesters, the Davis College Success Center and Adventure WV have collaborated to offer an Academic Mindset course (ANRD 293C: Grow Your Mindset) for students navigating the challenges of academic probation. Instead of following a more traditional instructional path with homework or out-of-class assignments, the course instead focuses on in-class discussions, activities, and success coaching sessions with the intent of helping students build resilience, self-efficacy, and goal-setting skills.
What truly sets the course apart, however, is its collaborative structure and lesson plan design. The course, in part, is arranged through weekly lesson plan meetings involving Davis College Advisors, Success Coaches, and Adventure WV personnel. These meetings combine the Advisors' and Success Coaches' observations with the experiential frameworks offered by Adventure WV to develop a curriculum that meets the students' real-time needs. Student referrals for Adventure WV programs are also discussed as a complement to the in-class instruction due to their emphasis on helping students create and find community through outdoor adventure programming. Both parties then co-teach when possible, ensuring students receive support that blends academic strategy with experiential engagement.
A recent analysis of prior course engagement suggests that this model may be creating meaningful outcomes. Students who consistently attended class and participated in Success Coach meetings showed the most significant GPA improvements (average change of .55 overall). At the same time, those who also engaged in Adventure WV programming demonstrated stronger persistence in their enrollment. While the numbers are small, the trend is still worth noting: combining classroom accountability with experiential engagement appears to create multiple pathways for students to overcome the “academic notice” label.
To expand this impact, Adventure WV is piloting a new referral system to help with student activity placement. This initiative will allow faculty and advisors to connect students directly with Adventure WV’s Guided Trips and Well-being programs, giving students structured opportunities to build community, explore healthy coping strategies, and find support outside the classroom. While most Adventure WV programs do carry a program registration fee, students being referred will have their initial registration fee waived or fully refunded. This means students can participate free of charge.
Faculty and advisors are invited to learn more about this initiative and consider how referrals might support the students they work with. Details on the referral process and program offerings can be found on our website: Educators & Advisors – Adventure WV.