life is simpler when we know what’s essential the role of the first-year experience in preparing...
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Life is Simpler When We Know What’s Essential
The Role of the First-Year Experience in Preparing Community College
Students for Successful Transitions
Rico R. Reed
Outcomes of this Session• Explore how the First-Year Experience in the
community college sets the foundation for a successful transition process
• Highlight the characteristics of two-year and four-year institutions that support comprehensive and effective first-year experiences that lead to effective transitions
• Provide rationale and highlight best practices for establishing an efficient and effective pipeline for best supporting students as they strive for what’s essential to their success.
Fulfilling the Promise of the Community College: Increasing First-Year Student
Engagement and Success
Transfer Students in Higher Education: Building Foundations for Policies, Programs and Services That Foster Student Success
Thriving in Transitions: A Research-Based Approach to College Student Success
Institute on First-Year Success in the Community College
November 2012
Life’s Greatest Lessons:20 Things that Matter
6 Essentials of Life1. Choose a good attitude, no matter what the
circumstances.
2. Build your life on a foundation of respect.
3. Make integrity the cornerstone of your life.
4. Accept the difficulties and challenges of life.
5. Have a passion to learn.
6. Enjoy life.
6 Essentials of Life1. Choose a good attitude, no matter what the
circumstances.
2. Build your life on a foundation of respect.
3. Make integrity the cornerstone of your life.
4. Accept the difficulties and challenges of life.
5. Have a passion to learn.
6. Enjoy life.
Why are you here?
What are your biggest challenges?
What do your students need?
Why hasn’t this been done in the past?
What resources do you have?
Who are your champions?
Who are your supporters?
What’s the ultimate payoff?
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What Is a First-Year Seminar? A course designed to “assist students in their
academic and social development and in their transition to college. A seminar, by definition, is a small discussion-based course in which students
and their instructors exchange ideas and information. In most cases, there is a strong
emphasis on creating community in the classroom.”
(Hunter & Linder, 2005, pp. 275-276).
Types of First-Year Seminars• Extended orientation seminars
• Academic seminars with generally uniform content
• Academic seminars on various topics• Professional or discipline-based seminars
• Basic study skills seminars• Hybrid seminars
(Barefoot, 1994)
Describes the distinctive characteristics of first-
year student experiences and
challenges in community college
based on research and effective practice.
Community colleges have gone from being the stepchild to being the
golden child…
Dr. Frank Chong, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges
Key to nation’s effort’s to double the number of college graduates in the next ten years
The first-year, indeed the first few weeks of the beginning semester, is a pivotal point in
students’ academic careers.
Brown, King, & Stanley, 2011
We Know That …community colleges will play a central role in improving
educational access for increasing numbers of U.S. college students
• In order for increased access to be meaningful, students must persist in college, complete their programs, and where applicable, transfer to four-year institutions.
• Effective first-year programs turn access into success by keeping students in college and helping them overcome barriers that might otherwise prevent them from reaching their goals.
Two important themes ….(a) The first-year, as the springboard for student success, matters just as much in two-year institutions as it does in their four-year counterparts, and(b) even when considering specific institutional contexts and cultures, standards of best practice for institutional support and success of first-year students in community colleges are emerging.
Students whose first experiences are positive …
are more likely to persist toward their goals, whether that is a certificate, an associate
degree, or transferring to a four-year institution.
Overarching principles...
The learning college movement: how do you know what students are learning and achieving
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Overarching principles...
The multiple missions of community colleges make them unique in the nation and world
Overarching principles...
Measures of students success differ between two and four-year colleges due to diversity of
students
The Evolution of Colleges of Opportunity
Community Colleges have evolved to include workforce and community development,
lifelong learning and developmental education.
Distinctive Characteristics of Community Colleges
•Access, to Persistence, and Inclusion•Community Responsiveness and Innovation•Small class-size and a focus on teaching
The Learning College Model and the Success and Completion Agenda now
includes:Achieving the Dream
Gates Foundation Postsecondary Success Initiative
The Obama Administration Higher Education Agenda
Voluntary Framework of Accountability
Learning from Student VoicesDr. Kay McClenney, Director of the Center for
Community College Student Engagement, created a portrait of the new community college student
Asked why they persisted, students typically referred to a strong early connection to someone at
the college…
Research Reports on College Transitions, No. 22009 National Survey of First-Year Seminars:
Ongoing Efforts to Support Students in Transition
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2009 National Survey of First-Year Seminars
Methodology for 2009 administration• Administration: Oct. 30 – Dec. 18, 2010
• Invitation sent to 3,225 institutions in 3 waves• Incentive program
• 1,028 responses (32% response rate)• 87.3% of 2009 respondents (N=890) reported
having a first-year seminar
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2009 Survey Participants
Institution Type Number PercentageTwo-year 298 29Four-year 731 71Public 529 52Private, not-for-profit 422 41Private, for-profit 68 7
*Remaining data focuses on two-year campuses in sample (N=298)
Administrative Home of First-Year Seminar
Unit 2009
Academic department 32.9%
Academic affairs 30.1%
Student affairs 17.4%
College or school 5.0%
First-year program office 3.7%
Administration of Seminars• Average size of seminar program is around 20-
25 sections• A majority of seminars have classes enrolling
20-29 students• 20-24 students/section: 41.6%• 25-29 students/section: 23.1%
• Approximately 31.5% of institutions require all first-years to take the seminar
Credit Hours
1 2 3 4 5 > 50
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50 47.9
13.9
34.0
1.5 1.0 1.5
11% offered FYS for no
credit
Grading and Credit• Most seminars (84.9%) are letter graded
• 72.2% of seminars are one term (quarter or semester) in length
• Seminar credit applies toward graduation in most cases
• As an elective: 59.8%• General education: 33.0%
• To the major: 9.8%
Who Teaches the Seminar?Instructors 2009Adjunct faculty 61.7FT non-tenure track faculty 46.0Student affairs professionals 45.1Tenure-track faculty 41.7Other campus professionals 23.8
*Peer instruction is not present in community colleges
Instructor Training & Compensation68.0% of respondents offer training for first-year
seminar instructors42.9% require training
70.5% of respondents indicate that instructor training is < 1 day long
Most frequent compensation is a stipendThe second most frequent responses were “None”
and “Part of overload”
Top Course TopicsMost Important Course Topics 2009
Study skills 59.6%
Campus resources 56.2%
Academic advising/planning 43.4%
Time management 34.5%
Least common: Diversity, Financial literacy, & Specific disciplinary topics
Course Practices
Practice 2009
Online component 61.6%
Linked to other courses 35.2%
Service-learning 19.6%
Common reading component 10.5%
Common Seminar GoalsObjective 2009Orient to campus resources 66.4%Develop academic skills 57.0%
Develop a connection w/institution 51.5%Personal development 37.0%Create common FYE 14.9%Develop support network/friends 14.9%Improve sophomore return rates 11.9%
Outcomes MeasuredOutcome 2009Grade point average 59.2%Persistence to second year 57.7%Satisfaction with faculty 53.5%Satisfaction with the institution 47.9%Use of campus services 42.3%Academic abilities 40.8%Persistence to graduation 36.6%Participation in campus activities 35.2%Connections with peers 31.0%
Assessment StrategiesAssessment 2009Student course evaluation 91.1%Institutional data 78.9%Survey instrument 72.2%Interviews w/instructors 44.4%Focus groups w/instructors 42.2%Focus groups w/students 36.7%Interviews w/students 28.9%
A first-year seminar does not equal a first-year experience
FYS
Service Learning
Learning Communit
y
Orientation
Common Book
Online Learning
Development Ed
Benchmarks of Effective Practice with Entering Students
some areEarly connectionsClear academic plan and pathwayAcademic & social support network
What needs to be doneSome are:
Build a Culture of Evidence
Commit to the discipline of routine student cohort tracking
Bring programs to scale
Emerging evidence suggests that certain educational experiences may contribute significantly to the
likelihood of students success. Examples include:
College orientation programsFirst-year seminars
Student success coursesLeaning communities
At some point it behooves community college educators to overcome their
reluctance to make mandatory experiences shown to enhance
student learning, persistence, and attainment.
McClenney, 2011
Recommendations Create intentionally-designed comprehensive programs
Bring programs to scale Cultivate support from campus leadership
Build coalitions on campus Develop community partnerships
Provide campus-wide professional development opportunities
Support transfer Establish relevant benchmarks for success
Build a culture of evidence
Create intentionally designed comprehensive programs
Prioritize student programs and services focused on the initial adjustment to college
Include academic and learning support programs
Seek innovative and effective interventions
Create intentionally designed comprehensive programs
Academic advising and career development are the pillars of a comprehensive program
Empower staff to accomplish the program mission
Group services together
Bring programs to scale
Include a transition plan for movement from:Boutique service to universal student access
Grant funding to base budget
Link programs to accreditation processes
Remember, students don’t do optional!
Goal: 75% participation rates for FY students
Cultivate support from campus leadership
Include campus leadership in program: Development
Implementation
Maintenance
Communication is key
Select the right people to coordinate the program
Cultivate support from campus leadership
Connect the program to the mission, vision, values, and culture of the campus
Have data toSupport program decisions
Document effectiveness
Draw support from leadership across the campus
Build coalitions on campus
Cross-campus collaboration is likely to draw the attention and support of campus leadership
Draw upon the “horizontal” nature of FYE to build partnerships
New partnerships contribute to program evolution & improvement
Develop community partnerships
Enlist political, business, and community leaders
Campus messaging should show campus as a destination of choice
Include community leaders and members in the communication plan
Develop community partnerships
Career focused programs create a bridge to the community
Placement servicesMembers of advisory board and committees for
career programs
Use career programs as a model for other community partnerships
Provide campus-wide professional development opportunities
Professional development is an ongoing commitment
Opportunities should fit the context:Community college specific
Fit with the campus mission and student needs
Consider professional development as a requirement
Provide campus-wide professional development opportunities
Programs should create a safe space for reflection and innovation
Focus on cross-training across roles, programs, disciplines, etc.
Integration into reward, recognition, & promotion expectations
Support transfer
Successful transfer begins when students enter the community college
Examine the connections of current programs with four-year institutions
Efforts and initiatives for transfer must be present in marketing efforts
Support transfer
Programs at the community college that are critical to successful preparation and transfer
include:Academic advising
Career development
Academic support
Initiatives that support STEM students
Establish relevant benchmarks for success
Connect success metrics to your institution’s mission, goals, and student needs
Create multiple success measures
Develop new metrics for success Still need to consider completion
Establish relevant benchmarks for success
Establish a realistic timeline to achieve the benchmarks
If your benchmarks are normative, be sure to identify appropriate comparison groups
Important to commit to accountability
Build a culture of evidence
Draw upon quantitative and qualitative data
Link assessment data to metrics of successCritical to use consistent definitions
Establish comprehensive information and tracking systems
Build a culture of evidence
Employ accountability measures that provide meaningful data
Model data-driven decision making
Engage in national data collection/research efforts
Make data widely available to campus partners
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The FY Seminar at Your Institution
• If you have a seminar, how is it supporting the goals of students and of the
institution?• If you don’t have a seminar, how might it
be designed to support the culture, curriculum, and population of your
college?
6 Essentials of Life1. Choose a good attitude, no matter what the
circumstances.
2. Build your life on a foundation of respect.
3. Make integrity the cornerstone of your life.
4. Accept the difficulties and challenges of life.
5. Have a passion to learn.
6. Enjoy life.
QUESTIONS?
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS?
Institute on Sophomore Student Success April 12-14, 2013
Life’s Simpler When We Know What’s Essential
Rico R. ReedAssistant Director for Administration and
Resource Development
National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition