Summit Base Camp:
An Innovative Community College
FYE Collaboration between
Faculty and Student Services
Dawn M. Zoni, Ph.D.
Student Services Advisor
CMC Summit Campus – Dillon
[email protected]
Colorado Mountain College
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Comprehensive community college providing
associate and certificate programs, basic and
lifelong learning, and customized business
training.
Comprised of ten locations across 12,000
square miles of western Colorado
Largest rural community college in the U.S.
Second largest community college enrollment
in Colorado
Summit Base Camp
Beginning the Adventure to
Successful Experiences
through CMC’s Academic
and Mentoring Programs
A snapshot of CMC Summit students
Spring 2007
Unduplicated headcount: 1504
Average age: 34
56.32% Female
43.1% Male
Ethnicity:
Black
Native American
Asian/Pacific Islander
Hispanic
White
Did not respond
1%
0.4%
1.4%
15.82%
70.41%
10.37%
Average student takes 1-6 credits per semester
Average student has completed 16 credits with CMC
Rationale for Developing a Base Camp
Model for a Commuter Campus
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Previous stand alone models were not successful
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The stand alone course became a financial burden rather than
an opportunity to expand knowledge and inquiry
Commuter students did not see the connection between their
coursework and a stand alone FYE class
Commuter students have multiple priorities
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Parental responsibilities
Multiple jobs
Education
Recreation
5 Core Values
Develop relationships on campus and in
the community
 Goal setting/ Mind mapping
 Self-awareness
 Enhance choice management and study
skills
 Understand and appreciate diversity
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Timeline
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February 2006: College-wide FYE meeting
July 2006: Summit Campus selected as commuter site
pilot
August 2006: Met with Chief Student Development
Officer to propose embedded value program
September 2006: Given permission to develop
embedded/co-curricular program
October 2006: Adjunct faculty member hired (up to 10
hours per week) as curriculum development coordinator
November 2006: Mentor/Activities Coordinator hired (up
to 10 hours per week)
January 2007: Launched Summit Base Camp program
Summit Base Camp
Student Success
Summit Base Camp
Curriculum
Goal Setting/
Mind Mapping
Self Awareness
Enhancing Choice Management
& Study Skills
Understanding &
Appreciating Diversity
Summit Campus Connect
Developing relationships
& connections on campus
Mentors
Blackboard site
Calendar of Activities
Planner
Objective of Embedded
Values Assignments
In order to make transparent the underlying
values that we expect, we used a three
step process:
1. Instruction
2. Application/Practice via an assignment
3. Assess/measure
“The critical thinking process helped in other courses, such as
note taking in lectures."
ENG-121 English Composition I
 Self-awareness:
Journaling
 Self-awareness: Learning Styles
Inventory
 Enhance Study Skills: Critical
Thinking
“Journaling helps you- you use it in any class and in life."
ENG-122 English Composition II
 Enhancing
Study Skills: Research
Strategies
 Goal Setting/ Mind Mapping
 Time Management
"It (goal setting & time management) helped me follow through with
homework and studying; being more prepared for classes."
SPE-115 Public Speaking
 Self-awareness:
Communication
 Enhance Study Skills: Active
Listening
 Appreciate Diversity: Interpersonal
Skills
“I understand more Americans. I can speak in public and write better English.“
Summit Campus Connect
The Co-curricular Component
Mentor Program
 Blackboard Site
 Planner
 Calendar of Activities
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“I knew that I was not alone and there is help for me if I need it."
Blackboard Course Menu
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Announcements
Summit Base Camp
Program Requirements
Calendar of Activities
Base Camp Resources
Social Considerations
Discussion Board
Meet the Base Camp Staff
Summit Base Camp Photos
CMC Virtual Library
Spring 2007 Calendar
“Base Camp helped to familiarize me to the CMC campus.”
How does this enhance learning?
How do we know?
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LASSI (Learning and Study Strategies Inventory)
Pre- and Post-test will be given to pilot and control
groups
Curriculum: Assessment for each embedded activity
Overall program survey: qualitative and quantitative
questions to assess curriculum, mentor program,
blackboard, etc.
Student survey on mentor component
Mentor feedback survey
Student Focus Groups
Learning and Study Strategies
Inventory (LASSI)
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ANX: anxiety & worry about school performance
ATT: attitude and interest
CON: concentration & attention to academic tasks
INP: information processing, acquiring knowledge
MOT: motivation, diligence, self-discipline
SFT: self-testing, reviewing, and preparing for classes
SMI: selecting main ideas & recognizing important info
STA: use of support techniques and materials
TMT: use of time management principles
TST: test strategies and preparing for tests
What do the LASSI
scores mean?
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Below 50th Percentile
Areas in need of improvement to help promote
college success
Between 50-75th Percentile
Consider strategies and educational supports in
these areas
Above 75th Percentile
This score would indicate what you’re doing is
working
Assignment Analysis
It is more efficacious for values to be
embedded in courses.
 Incorporating values seems to work best
rather than teaching in isolation.
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“I use the journaling techniques from my English class in my other courses."
Research of Literature
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Five core values represent areas of focus
needed by students.
Infusing values in the courses reinforces these
skills.
Teaching the values separately does not have
the same positive results.
Students develop the study habits that are
needed for success.
“Base Camp showed me areas that I needed to work on and provided me with the
necessary means to achieve success.”
What did we learn?
Critical Thinking & Journaling
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Students practiced these vital
skills in context of their course
material.
Students were encouraged to
consider how these skills could
help them in other classes.
Students were graded on
these skills as another way to
emphasize their importance.
What will Summit Communications
faculty be doing in Fall 2007?
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Beginning Fall semester, these common assignments
will be adopted by all communications faculty. This will
unify our instruction and offer consistent training across
the curriculum.
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Finally, this model is exciting for faculty, because we are
sure that we are delivering the instruction that our
college values and that our students need.
Impact on Students
Results of the LASSI pre- & post-test
■ Improvement in all ten categories
■ 3 of the 10 categories showed
meaningful improvement
Anxiety and worry about school
performance
Concentration and attention to
academic tasks
Test strategies and preparing for
tests:
■ When comparing the Base Camp
group to the control group,
students in the Base Camp group
showed significant improvement
in “use of support techniques and
materials.”
Strengthening Base Camp
Students are learning from embedded
assignments and applying these
skills in other classes
Multiple priorities= Additional
on-line offerings
Several types of mentoring:
by discipline, by course, and
individual if self-selected
Values embedded in all
communications classes this fall
Working with new FT math faculty to
embed values in required math
courses
Redevelop and improve the
Blackboard site
Student Comments
“I like the idea of having a mentor available for help, even if I did not utilize it.
It’s comforting”
“I really feel a ‘part of’ when I correspond with my mentor. I like that everything
is based on suggestions and I am not obligated to anything, which I
appreciate.”
“I don’t think all students need a mentor- everyone learns differently and some
need more help than others. A lot of us have jobs, other classes and family
so many people don’t have much time for a mentor.”
“I like that in a setting like CMC the teachers seem to care about students as
individuals.”
“Base Camp is a great program. While some students may not utilize it, it is a
great support that most schools will never offer.”