Engaging first-year students outside of the first-year seminar course

1. Engaging first-year students outside of the first-year seminar course David I. Henriques Asst. Dean, School of Academic Programs & Services Shippensburg University dihenr@ship.edu Kendra M. Wolgast Academic Support Center Director & Disability Contact Liaison Penn State Mont Alto kmw24@psu.edu Sunday, February 6, 2011

2. Identify retention strategies utilized by campuses without the resources to implement a first year seminar. Brainstorm and share strategies for locating resources to support and implement these activities. Identify how technology is being used to foster community and support typical first year seminar learning objectives. Compile results so attendees leave with a list of strategies and resources for implementation. Learning Outcomes

3. Categories of Retention Strategies • Transition ~ prior to start of classes • Orientation Programs • Campus Specific Initiatives • Special Populations • Transition ~ during the academic year • Campus Climate • Departmental • Power of the Individual • Co-Curricular/Extra Curricular • Community/External Constituency

4. Transition~prior to start of classes~ • Early placement testing • Advisor/student contact prior to classes start • Faculty/student contact prior to classes start • Welcome Week • 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 • Have to enforce policy • Summer Bridge Program (maintain contact thru year (TRIO students, underprepared students • Accepted students day in April • Around large campus event, mock classes, student panel, tour and lunch. Parent only session.] • Complete placement testing before advising

5. Orientation Programs • Early Admissions • New Student Orientation • Wallops Island • Early entrance/extended orientation • 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) • Learn western academic culture, testing, outdoor team building, peer mentoring • Online orientation • Chat with peer mentors • Virtual tours

6. Campus Specific Initiatives • Living/Learning Communities • Faculty and/or Staff Mentoring Programs • Peer Mentoring Programs • Advising Excellence • Advising/Scheduling

7. Special Populations • Athletes • Academic Skills Coach • Honors Students • Minority Students • Developmental Students • Undeclared • Pre-majors • Nursing wanna-be’s • Teacher education • Mentorship programs for special populations • Academic Coaching

8. 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? • 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

9. Transition ~during the academic year~ • Cont. • 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 • Very important to train mentors appropriately • Important to have mentors who connect with students • Early alert programs that refers to student success center • 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) • Generates automatic e-mail

10. Departmental • Socials • Peer & Professional Mentoring • Clubs and Organizations • Special sections of classes • Communal areas (Adirondack chairs) • Front loaded advising

11. Campus Climate • Meeting places • Starbucks/Coffee house • Residence halls

12. Power of the individual • End of Semester/Year Recognition Events • Pay it forward…. • Customer Service

13. Co-Curricular/ Extra-Curricular • Service Learning • 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 • 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

14. 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 • Require students to have at least 3 service learning components. • Volunteerism • Intramurals • Clubs and organizations • 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: • Early alert system, ongoing orientation activities, and academic confidence building activities

15. Community/External Constituency • Churches • Social Agencies (Big Brothers/Big Sisters) • Non-Profits • Community groups

16. Locating resources and their implementation • Community • Campus/System Grants (Social Equity) • Charitable agencies (Service Learning/Volunteering Opportunities) • Non-profits • Find campus supporters (Be recognized)

17. Use of Technology • Email • Facebook • Twitter • Blogs • Electronic Competitions ( ieWii, texting, Madden, etc.) • Podcasts • You Tube • Texting • Adobe Connect

18. Please complete the sign in sheet so results can be e-mailed to you.