Abstract
The article presents the results of a qualitative impact evaluation of the academic support services offered by the Universidad de Santiago, Chile, through the Programa de Acceso Inclusivo, Equidad y Permanencia ( Program for Inclusive Access, Equality, and Permanence , PAIEP in its acronym in Spanish). This program arises in 2012 as an affirmative action policy that articulates and strengthens the initiatives aimed at access to, permanence in, and graduation at the university; its purpose is to provide academic support to all junior students, with a special focus on those whose admission was through inclusive access. The academic support was evaluated utilizing a qualitative assessment technique known as “the most significant change”, which is based on the collection of stories about the changes people have experienced when participating in a social intervention. Four evaluation workshops were held with students who had a high involvement in the PAIEP follow-up services. The main findings of the study consist in five changes reported by the students: a) the acquisition of study habits, b) the understanding of the academic subjects, c) the generation of self-confidence, d) the improvement of academic performance, and e) the contribution to social integration. Finally, the discussion addresses the contribution of evaluation to the study of academic support services in higher education, as well as the advantages and limitations of the methodology employed.
Higher education; Tirst-year student; Academic support; The most significant change