Engaging first-year students outside
of the first-year seminar course
David I. Henriques
Asst. Dean, School of Academic
Programs & Services
Shippensburg University
[email protected]
Kendra M. Wolgast
Academic Support Center
Director & Disability Contact
Liaison
Penn State Mont Alto
[email protected]
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Learning Outcomes
• Identify retention
• Identify how technology
strategies utilized by
is being used to foster
campuses without the
community and support
resources to implement
typical first year seminar
learning objectives.
a first year seminar.
• Compile results so
• Brainstorm and share
attendees leave with a list
strategies for locating
of strategies and
resources to support and
resources for
implement these
implementation.
activities.
Categories of
Retention Strategies
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Transition ~ prior to start of
classes
Orientation Programs
Campus Specific Initiatives
Special Populations
Transition ~ during the
academic year
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Campus Climate
Departmental
Power of the Individual
Co-Curricular/Extra
Curricular
Community/External
Constituency
Transition
~prior to start of classes~
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Early placement testing
Advisor/student contact prior to classes start
Faculty/student contact prior to classes start
Welcome Week
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Compass/Accuplacer
Acceleration – CA/MD (dev math)
E-mail correspondence
Required advising (First year advising on first Friday)
Group and one-on-one advising
Faculty advising (departmental model)
Summer orientation (group advising, leading to one-on-one advising)
Use an advising hold
Control the advisor ratio
Bridge programs
Accepted student day
Enforce deadlines
Do not allow students control of first semester schedule
Have advising during orientation
Registration right before classes; must meet with advisor first
Have deadline and late registration fee
Orientation Programs
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Early Admissions
New Student Orientation
Wallops Island
Early entrance/extended orientation
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Mock classes during early orientation week
Have orientation and registration throughout summer (with a charge $)
Physical team building activities
Timing for fall should start in spring, summer, or immediately prior to start of classes
Students are required to complete orientation activities before registering for classes
(stamp program)
Early orientation for international students (2 weeks before classes start)
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Learn western academic culture, testing, outdoor team building, peer mentoring
Online orientation
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Chat with peer mentors
Virtual tours
Campus Specific Initiatives
• Living/Learning Communities
• Faculty and/or Staff Mentoring
Programs
• Peer Mentoring Programs
• Advising Excellence
• Advising/Scheduling
Special Populations
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Athletes
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Honors Students
Minority Students
Developmental Students
Undeclared
Pre-majors
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Academic Skills Coach
Nursing wanna-be’s
Teacher education
Mentorship programs for special populations
Academic Coaching
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Transition
~during the academic
year~
Early Alert/Academic Alert Programs
Early Intervention Teams
Mandatory Academic Support Programs
Student Advocacy Specialist/Learning Specialist
(PAWS) Personal Achievement Workshop Series
MLK (Martin Luther King Program)
TMMP (Thurgood Marshall Mentoring Program)
Grades first.com program; early alert program that links faculty with student
affairs/student success folks.
Early alert hotline – trying to get the information to the academic programs (need to
train individuals within each college)
Starfish (early alert program that can be purchased); interacts with Blackboard
Important the feedback loop is closed (automated e-mails from the advisor)
Intervention strategies?
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Academic coaches work with referred students
Suspended/Probation students must go to Student Success Center
Success coaches mentor for study (faculty/staff); voluntary participation
Retention mentors- for targeted populations (women’s center, at-risk students, trained in cold
calling
Use the CSI as part of referral
Transition
~during the academic
year~
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Cont.
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Residential tutoring program required tutoring services in halls
Referrals and where do we refer them to. How do we get faculty buy in?
Mentor students who had alcohol sanctions
Allow students to select their own mentor
First year leader program devised by major. Student offered two mentors so they can
chose one.
Peer mentoring directed toward select populations (athletes, etc.)
Peer mentoring
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Very important to train mentors appropriately
Important to have mentors who connect with students
Early alert programs that refers to student success center
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Encourage faculty to take roll
Share research with faculty to gain buy-in
Target at risk students
Need communication and involvement of faculty in development of Early Alert system
Close feedback loop/discuss intervention strategies
Connect faculty to technology (class roster early alert button)
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Generates automatic e-mail
Departmental
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Socials
Peer & Professional Mentoring
Clubs and Organizations
Special sections of classes
Communal areas (Adirondack chairs)
Front loaded advising
Campus Climate
• Meeting places
• Starbucks/Coffee
house
• Residence halls
Power of the individual
• End of Semester/Year Recognition
Events
• Pay it forward….
• Customer Service
Co-Curricular/
Extra-Curricular
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Service Learning
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Built into graduation requirements, FYE requirements
Build partnerships with the community
Where the students live rather than have the students come to campus
Service learning department
Embedded into the FYE
How do we assess it? E-portfolio
Really wanting/needing faculty to coordinate the assessment and the service learning initiative
Linked to learning community in FYE. Tutoring and literacy.
Secure individual faculty
Use campus life website to identify myriad service learning activities
Community based learning
CAB: Campus Activity Board offers opportunities for students (i.e. greek life)
Passport: Students get points for attending activities
Partner economic/community needs with academics (business plans, etc.)
Campus visits to transfer institutions (either outgoing or incoming)
Student involvement under residential life
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Day of service/Day of Caring/Make A Difference Day (United Way); encourage faculty to participate
15 hours via identified sites with 3-4 page reflective paper
Embedded in coursework. Need a faculty coordinator
Seek grants for program
Portfolio reflection paper required
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Co-Curricular/
Extra-Curricular
Service learning (cont.)
Require students to attend one major activity (academic or other)
Link multiple courses into a learning community that has a service learning
component
Build relationships with community to offer service learning opportunities where they
students live.
Students get an opportunity to win a “big ticket” item @ end of semester – more
events you attend, more chances to win
Use Title 3 grant to create programming
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Volunteerism
Intramurals
Clubs and organizations
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Require students to have at least 3 service learning components.
based on career paths
Based on strength assessment
Work study
Student Activities
Special Student Cohorts (Ambassadors, Admissions tour guides (STARS, PALS)
Passports for attending events
Title III grants to create programming
Linking courses within learning communities
Drawing for a fabulous prize for attending events
Identify 3 main areas:
Community/External
Constituency
• Churches
• Social Agencies (Big Brothers/Big
Sisters)
• Non-Profits
• Community groups
Locating resources and
their implementation
• Community
• Campus/System Grants (Social Equity)
• Charitable agencies (Service Learning/Volunteering
Opportunities)
• Non-profits
• Find campus supporters (Be recognized)
Use of Technology
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Email
Facebook
Twitter
Blogs
Electronic
Competitions ( ie
Wii, texting, Madden, etc.)
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Podcasts
You Tube
Texting
Adobe Connect
• Please complete the sign in sheet so results can
be e-mailed to you.