The Development of an Academic Engagement Intervention for Academically Dismissed Students

“Reclaim the W” is an academic recovery program at a medium-sized midwestern university that offers undergraduates who have been academically dismissed a chance to reenroll at the institution. In this article we describe the Reclaim the W program and its target population of academically at-risk undergraduates. We then outline the first two phases of the process we used to develop an intervention for students in the Reclaim the W program, which we call Engage to Excel (E(2)). In the first phase we collected data from focus groups with academically at-risk students and professional staff who serve these students. This qualitative data informed the creation of the E(2) intervention for students in the Reclaim the W program. In the second phase we identified key components of the quasi-experimental E(2) intervention and outlined the student outcomes that will be evaluated during the intervention. Finally, we highlight research and practice implications of the E(2) intervention.