31st Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience
February, 2012
Summer Bridge and Beyond: First Year Experience Super Charged
Bernita Sims-Tucker , Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
Robin Burton, MA., Acting Director of Retention
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
EASTERN SHORE
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is the
doctoral degree granting, research/teaching University on
Maryland's Eastern Shore, and the 1890 Land Grant institution
for the State of Maryland.
UMES is a growing, primarily residential university with a
teaching, research and extension mission consistent with its
legacy as an 1890 Historically Black Land Grant institution.
UMES emphasizes its commitment to equal educational
opportunity, and strives to provide educational, research and
public service programs to the state and region.
Thoughts About Retention
◦ A school’s retention management program should be based
on best practices from existing retention research, and from
campus-based retention and attrition data.
◦ Retention programs should be practical, accountable and
flexible.
◦ Retention is in essence a process of improving the quality of
student life and learning.
◦ Engaging in this process enhances the overall institutional
quality, effectiveness, and student success.
FIVE STEPS OF SUCCESSFUL
RETENTION PROGRAMS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Collect, compile, and analyze pertinent
retention data and research;
Implement early identification/alert and
intervention strategies;
Concentrate energies on the importance of
teaching and learning;
Create programs and services based on
meeting students’ individual needs and
differences, and
Emphasize a deliberate strategy of student
engagement and involvement.
The Story
This is a story about four people named
Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done
“Retention” and Everybody was sure that
Somebody would do it. Anybody could have
done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got
angry about that, because it was Everybody’s
job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it,
but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t
do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed
Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody
could have.
Author Unknown
Summer Bridge & Beyond:
FYE Supercharged
Summer
Enrichment Academy
(SEA)
First-Year Experience Seminar
Mentor Program
Learning Community
E-Learning & E-Communication
First-Year Experience Course
(FYE)
Historical
background
Academic departmental course
offering
Academic advisors often teach
the FYE course
Summer Bridge Program
Summer
Enrichment Academy
(SEA)-6 week residential program
Placement Testing (Accuplacer
Enroll in 6 credits (English and
Mathematics)
Approximately 25 students per
class
Intrusive tutoring, mentoring, and
study groups
SUMMER ENRICHMENT ACADEMY
Outcomes Data
Data
Summ
er
2008
Summ
er
2009
Summ
er
2010
Math 101
Data
Summe
r 2008
Summe
r 2009
Summe
r
2010
English 101
# students
enrolled
66
75
59
# student
enrolled
66
75
59
# of students
with C>
61
75
49
# of students
with C>
61
72
59
# of students
<C
5
0
10
# of students
<C
5
3
0
# of students
passing AST
61
75
59
# students
receiving A
4
23
22
# students
receiving A
6
12
13
# students
receiving B
18
35
26
# students
receiving B
8
38
19
# students
receiving C
38
14
11
# students
receiving C
32
25
17
# students
receiving D
5
2
0
# students
receiving D
2
0
8
# students
receiving F
0
0
# students
receiving F
3
0
2
1
(Plagiaris
m)
1
0
0
# students
receiving
Incomplete
6
# students
receiving
Incomplete
92%
96%
100%
Percent
80%
0
100%
0
83%
Percent
Passing
PHASE ONE- FYE
DEVELOPMENT
• Campus-wide
task force to
develop uniformed course
syllabus
• Content, goals, objectives
approved by all academic
departments
• Creation of a textbook to be used
by all sections of FYE courses
Mentor Selection Criterion
Junior
or senior classification
Minimum 2.8 GPA
Recommendation from academic
department
• Commitment to possible six to twelve
hours of training per term
• Commitment to the success of others
• Commitment to leadership roles and
responsibilities
 Full-time
student
 Application and resume on file
Interview Process
Form
selection committee
Pre-screening of application
packets
Develop interview schedule
Final Selection
Score
and rate candidates
Selections based upon number of
mentors needed for each major
Lead mentor must be a current
mentor who has demonstrated
above average leadership,
organizational, and communication
skills
Lead mentor is the spokesperson,
go-to person
Mentors’ roles
Co-facilitate
first-year experience classes
Lead weekly study hall sessions and
study groups
Assist first-year students with transition
into college
Assist with Enrollment 101 and Course
selection for first-year students
Facilitate first-year department programs
Act as liaisons between student affairs
and academic affairs
Training
Beginning
of year training
Weekly meetings
Participate in 5 professional
development workshops per
semester
End of semester training
Mentor Program
Evaluation
Surveys
administered to students
and faculty in first-year classes
Fall 2010
◦ 488 surveys-98% students said
mentors added value to course
◦ 17 surveys-99% faculty said mentors
have overall positive impact on the
FYE cohorts
MENTOR DATA
Student outreach
System
approach to student
outreach
◦ Phone calls, e-mail, school-wide
meetings
Strategic
Retention Initiative
Peer mentor outreach-classroom,
residence halls.
Center for Access and Academic
Success (CAAS) outreach
Why does E-Learning
work?
Most
students are accustomed to having
interactive and engagement with
information via electronic media media
(Beja, 2009)
From
a budgetary perspective is easy to
use and inexpensive
We
live in an always connected
generational society….we can reach
students anytime any where
Advantages of E learning
Tool
 Increase
accessibility
 May
be less intimidating to some than face to
face contact in the office
 Can
reach more students more often
Use of Technology
E-mail,
text messaging, cell
phone calls,
Social Media- Facebook, Twitter,
Skype, Tumblr
Teleprompter announcement of
activities
PowerPoint presentations
Accutrack (weekly data
collection)
Utilizing E-Learning
Blackboard
FYE
organization
Common quizzes
Common final examination
Shared resources (games,
puzzles, and various handouts)
Data Collection and
Evaluation
Online
course assessment for
each academic class
Final examination
Pass rate, items analysis, and
retention rate
Mentee
and faculty survey
No e-learning assessment tool
Questions