Invitation to a Breakthrough
Carol A. Hawkes
The Dream of Access
• Merit and opportunity
• Sweet success
• Happiness ever after
Access—then what?
• Retention, first to second year
65.5%
• Retention to degree
22.3%
Whose problem?
Students--
Accountability old style
University-- Accountability new style
Trustees
Consumers
Legislature
Accreditation
Extreme Makeover—or Band-Aid?
Programs in place:
• First-year seminar
• Learning labs
• Advisement Center
• Skills courses
• Tutors
• Collaborative research
…..and many more!
“Things fall apart; the center cannot
hold…” (apologies to Yeats)
• The story of Linda D.
• The story of Anthony F.
• The story of Gina M.
Who has the answer?
Data from WestConn
• 1st year seminar 2001-03
Participants retained 1 year later 82.5%
Non-participants 1 year later
69.6%
Difference
12.9%
• Course clusters 1999-2005
Difference of 6% in persistence to degree
Who has the Answer?
National data
• FYE publications
• NSSE, HERI, etc.
• Richard Light
Making the Most of College
Richard Light at WestConn
• Presentation to
students
• Presentation to
faculty and staff
Guidelines for Planning
• Students need faculty: to know and to get strong
advisement
• Students learn more when they study together
• Students need to satisfy their interests as well as
requirements
• Jobs and activities at a reasonable level will not
jeopardize academic success
The CELT Forum and the SGA
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How can students find mentors?
What makes classes memorable?
What makes advising worth while?
How important is diversity?
What can college leaders do?
Emerging Focus
• Comprehensive (not remedial, not
residential)
• Group dynamics a driver
• Every student makes visible progress
• Every student has a choice
• Pilot program to begin—then extend
to all first-year students
Structure of the Pilot Program
• Five cohorts—each 20 students
• Four courses in each cohort
--First-year seminar
--General ed (1 or 2 courses)
--Math and/or writing skills if needed
• Fifth course an elective (non-cohort)
• Weekly discussion meetings
• Morning schedules—afternoons free
To the Barricades!
• Who “owns” skills proficiency test scores?
• Can a great teacher (if willing) be drafted for
a course outside the major?
• Will residence staff resent possibly conflicting
activities?
• Who will subsidize lunch?
• Can misinformation be headed off before it becomes
subversive rumor?
Negotiating Campus Politics
• Academic Affairs Task Force
• Faculty-Staff Planning Committee
• Instructional faculty/staff
• What of Student Affairs staff?
Residential staff?
Governance?
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
• Before/After skills testing
--First-year seminar
--Other courses
• General Education assessment
--University Senate Task Force
Did they earn the degree?
• Longitudinal data
• Issues of transfer
• “Alumni in training”
R.S.V.P
• Accepting the invitation
• Breakthrough achieved?
• Expectations of success