A First-Year Seminar Aimed at
Increasing Student Success in
Science and Mathematics
Marla M. Bell
Associate Dean of Student Success
College of Science and Mathematics
Kennesaw State University
College of Science and Mathematics
Student Success Initiative
• 5 Areas of Emphasis
– Foster Collaboration and Instructional Innovation among
faculty
– Data driven advising and placement of students
– Create a CSM version of KSU 1101 (first-year seminar)
– Create alternate pathways within high DFW courses
– Scaffold research/discovery experiences throughout a
student’s program of study
KSU’s First-year programs
All first-year students at KSU with under 15
credit hours are required to register for either a
first-year seminar course (KSU 1101) or a first
year learning community (LC).
A learning community is 20-25 first-semester
students who co-enroll in two or more courses
that are linked together with a common theme.
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CSM First-year Learning Communities
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Theme: Success in Science and
Mathematics
Piloted in Fall 2016: 6 LC’s served 135
students
Each had the CSM version of KSU 1101
Each had a math class
5 included CHEM 1211
2 included both CHEM 1211 and BIOL
1107
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CSM First-year Learning Communities
 The seminar class:
• size 24
• taught by faculty and advisors in the college
 Science and math classes:
• LC students embedded in larger sections
• Taught by faculty who had gone through our
faculty learning communities
• Employed Peer Learning Assistants and
active-learning pedagogies
 Faculty in all the LC classes work together
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Goals for the seminar class
1. Engage students not only with the campus but with
the college and each other.
2. Support students in their rigorous science and
mathematics curricula.
3. Engage students in real scientific research to excite
them, deepen their understanding of the scientific
process and hone their quantitative reasoning skills.
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Campus and College Engagement
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Students are required to attend 3 campus events, 1 must
be related to or sponsored by our college
Reflections on these events show a diversity of activities
and a great deal of students being “pleasantly
surprised”.
“I hope you are able to find another seminar and inform
our class about it because I would like my third event to
be similar to this one. I just cannot emphasize enough
how intellectual those 50 minutes were.”
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Support in Science and Math
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Instructors in the content courses issue “early alerts” to
the KSU 1101 instructor and advisor for students in
trouble.
Eye on syllabi and schedules throughout term
Graded multi-part assignment in the seminar class has
students
• Creating study plans for a major test
• Trying new study strategies
• Reflecting on how things went
• Revising for next test
• Reflecting again
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Semester-long Research Project
– Early in the semester, students brainstorm ideas of
“factors related to student success in science and
mathematics”
– They each develop some hypotheses.
– Groups (size 3 to 4) with similar interests are
formed with one hypothesis identified per group.
– Collaboratively, lists of references are built.
– Independently, literature reviews are written
Semester-long Research Project
– Data is collected from all LC students via survey
– Science and Math instructors report midterm
grades
– Data is de-identified and the set is given to
students for analysis
– Students individually write research papers
– Groups do presentations
Lessons Learned from the Pilot
• Do not bundle both Biology and Chemistry in an LC.
• Do bundle a Chemistry Lab in the LC’s.
• Add the “revise and reflect again” piece to the study
skills assignment.
• Designate more time to teaching basic data analysis
skills. Create aids. It’s harder for them than we think.
Initial Data: After 1 Semester
• Course success rates:
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100% for College Algebra
89% for Precalculus/Trigonometry
95% for Calculus I
60% for General Chemistry I
73% for Biological Principles I
Initial Data: After 1 Semester
• Cumulative GPA after 1 semester:
GPA
Percentage of LC Students
3.5 to 4.0
29%
3.0 to 3.49 29%
2.5 to 2.99 18%
2.0 to 2.49 8%
Below 2.0
16%
Anecdotal Data on Engagement
• Students are still engaged with each other, the
college and their KSU 1101 instructors
Data we wish we had
• Did the research project help in the ways we
hoped it would?
• Quantitative literacy?
After 1 year: Retention
• 92% of LC students retained at KSU
– KSU’s most recent FY retention rate was 80%
• 70% of retained students are still CSM majors
After 1 year: Progression
• Only 30% of LC students have achieved a level
of progress we would deem as ”on track”.
(completed math through Calculus and at
least 2 science classes).
• 20% have made moderate progress (success in
at least 3 math/science courses).
After 1 year: Grades
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Mean GPA: 2.91
Median GPA: 3.13
54% of students had GPA’s > 3.0
11% were on probation or dismissed (<2.0)
After 1 year: Hours Earned
Credit Hours Earned after 2 Semesters
80
70
60
Frequency
50
40
30
20
10
0
<12
12 to 17
18 to 23
24 to 29
Credit Hours
30 to 35
>35
Next Steps
• Fall 2017, 13 LC’s:
– 3 MATH 1111, 2 MATH 1112, 3 MATH 1113, 2 Calc I
– 4 AMP program (Accelerated Majors Program)
– 1 on Marietta Campus
• Using predictive analytics for placement:
– AMP students have high probability of success
– Students deemed ”at risk” for Precalculus and/or Chemistry will be
directed toward MATH 1111 or MATH 1112 LC’s
Next Steps
– KSU is exploring the idea of Pre-scheduling first-year
students. Our College will pilot
– College is searching to hire at least one lecturer to focus on
the CSM seminar class.
– Plan to collect data on students’ quantitative literacy skills:
Madison Assessment Quantitative Reasoning Test
Questions?