Appendix 2: Case Studies

The following case studies are drawn from actual SUNY campus implementations. Institutional names have been replaced with pseudonyms to protect campus privacy.

How SOSSI Works in Practice

SUNY includes 64 campuses with different missions, structures, and student populations. Those differences matter, but they are not what determines whether SOSSI is effective. The cases below show how SOSSI functions under different conditions of placement, ownership, and capacity. As you read, focus less on institutional type and more on whether your current structure allows student insight to translate into action.

At a Glance: Implementation Comparison

Case Study 1: BTS Community College

SOSSI Profile

• Advising model: Centralized; faculty + professional advising; case management
• Population: All students in their first semester
• Delivery point: Orientation (post-registration; typically completed in Week 1)
• Framing: Recommended: “Complete this and we’ll follow up with suggestions”
• Follow-up capacity: Triage-based; prioritizes students with higher levels of identified need

Stakeholders Involved

The Online Learning Unit hosts SOSSI within orientation. Results are shared across Tutoring, Counseling, and Advising, whose buy-in enables follow-through on student needs.

Implementation and Use

SOSSI is embedded within a voluntary orientation, which results in partial participation. Available staff capacity and cross-campus coordination are used to prioritize response to students with the highest levels of identified need, while also informing where additional support structures may be needed.

As a formative tool, SOSSI has supported more targeted engagement with students — including 1:1 advising interventions, writing workshops, tutoring connections, and immediate referrals. It also encourages students to reflect on the habits and practices that online learning requires before they encounter a high-stakes situation.

Results have also surfaced areas where support is not yet fully developed, particularly around time management, learning strategies, and digital resilience. These insights are informing ongoing conversations about cross-unit coordination and where campus-level resources are most needed.

Case Study 2: Twice State University

SOSSI Profile

• Advising model: Hybrid: professional advising (primary) with faculty mentorship; career and success coaches available
• Population: Newly enrolled online and Syracuse campus students (first-year and transfer)
• Delivery point: Orientation (post-deposit; on the exact day registration opens)
• Framing: Required (not enforced)
• Follow-up capacity: Moderate; integrated into advising conversations

Stakeholders Involved

The Extended Learning Unit determined placement and student-facing integration. The Instructional Design Team embedded SOSSI within orientation.

Implementation and Use

SOSSI was implemented within an evolving advising structure and has demonstrated its ability to integrate into existing workflows while remaining adaptable during periods of institutional transition.

Placement has proven to be a critical factor. When embedded within a required orientation, SOSSI is more consistently completed — increasing both participation and visibility. Standalone outreach such as email prompts has been more easily overlooked, informing a more intentional approach to workflow integration.

Ongoing tracking of completion patterns suggests a relationship between structured onboarding and early academic performance: students who complete both the online orientation and SOSSI show higher first-semester GPA. SOSSI also creates a productive starting point for advising conversations, particularly with students who are less likely to initiate disclosure on their own.

Case Study 3: Seventeen College Program

SOSSI Profile

• Advising model: Case management model; professional student navigators trained as advisors and success coaches; referrals available for non-academic matters
• Population: All CSTEP students (approximately 91 annually; mixed modalities and demographics)
• Delivery point: Intake; included in acceptance letter, prior to the first advising meeting
• Framing: Required step for support preparation, paired with the CSTEP student contract
• Follow-up capacity: High; direct and individualized

Stakeholders Involved

The Program Director initiated and led adoption; leadership authority at the program level enabled rapid implementation. The Student Navigator integrated results into intake advising. SUNY support staff assisted with setup, and IT resolved technical issues including firewall notifications. Career Development and Transfer Specialists are involved for students pursuing industry pathways or four-year degree transfer.

Implementation and Use

SOSSI is used as part of intake to provide early insight into student needs before the first advising interaction. This allows conversations to begin with a clearer picture of potential barriers, enabling timely, pre-term interventions such as addressing technology access issues before the semester begins.

The Seventeen College Program implementation illustrates what becomes possible with a manageable, defined population and clear ownership. Results flow directly into advising, with no ambiguity about who is responsible for follow-up. Visible follow-through on student responses has also helped establish early trust, signaling to students that the information they share will be used in their support, not filed and forgotten.

Case Study 4: Exo County Community College

SOSSI Profile

• Advising model: Hybrid: success coaches serving as faculty and professional advisors (SUNY concierge model)
• Population: Any online students
• Delivery point: Post-acceptance; available through orientation module and Brightspace
• Framing: Optional (recommended)
• Follow-up capacity: Limited; inconsistent

Stakeholders Involved

The Virtual Campus Office implemented and currently manages SOSSI. Online Concierge success coaches were the intended follow-up role, though engagement has been limited. Faculty interest in using SOSSI within courses is emerging.

Implementation and Use

SOSSI was introduced during a period of system transition, providing a consistent framework for setting student expectations when other early-alert signals were temporarily unavailable. It has since been used to help students understand the time commitment and structure required by online coursework, particularly when embedded within orientation and course modules.

The Exo County experience illustrates the relationship between positioning and impact. When participation is optional and follow-up responsibility is not clearly assigned, both completion and response vary. The implementation has nonetheless generated meaningful interest from faculty in using SOSSI as a direct connection point with students — suggesting a pathway toward more integrated use as processes continue to evolve.

Patterns Across Cases

What Supports Effective Use

SOSSI is most effective when it is embedded within a required or structured process; as orientation, intake, or a formal onboarding workflow where completion is part of an established sequence rather than a separate ask. In these settings, participation is more consistent and results are more likely to be available in the moment when advising and support decisions are being made.

Effectiveness also depends on clear ownership of follow-up. When a specific role or unit is responsible for reviewing responses and acting on them, SOSSI becomes part of an ongoing support process rather than a one-time data collection activity. Its impact is strongest when completion leads directly to an advising interaction or connection to services.

What Limits Impact

When SOSSI is optional or positioned outside of existing workflows, participation becomes uneven and more dependent on student initiative. The tool may still generate useful information under these conditions, but that information is less consistently available to inform advising.

Impact is also limited when responsibility for follow-up is not defined. Without assigned ownership, responses may not lead to timely outreach. When staffing capacity does not extend to all identified needs, institutions may rely on partial or informal follow-up, narrowing the reach of the tool even when the data is available.

SOSSI as a Formative Tool

Across institutions, SOSSI is being used to generate early insight into student needs and readiness. These insights are informing advising conversations, shaping how staff prioritize outreach, and helping units identify areas where additional support may be needed. In several cases, implementation is actively evolving; institutions are using response patterns to adjust how SOSSI is delivered, how results are reviewed, and how support is coordinated. This reflects SOSSI’s role not just as a screening instrument, but as a tool that informs the ongoing refinement of advising and support structures.