International Conference on The First-Year Experience

1. International Conference on The First-Year Experience “Survivor” The First Year Experience at a Small Rural Campus

2. What you need to know about Dickinson State University. • DSU is located in Dickinson, North Dakota, a city of 17000 near the rugged and beautiful North Dakota Badlands and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. • DSU is one of eleven state institutions that make up the North Dakota State University System. • DSU is a four year liberal arts institution with open enrollment.

3. About Our Students • Seven years of record enrollment. • Fall 2002 enrollment of 2236 students. • 73% North Dakota Residents. • 17% Montana/South Dakota Residents. • 86 international students representing 26 countries. • New Freshmen enrollment of 411 • Approximately 40% of freshmen are undeclared majors. • Students under 21 are required to live on campus.

4. Where We Were • Fall 1998 we were in our third year of record enrollment. • Fall 1997 – Fall 1998 Freshmen Retention Rate was less than 54%. • DSU offered a one credit Freshman Seminar class.

5. What Freshman Seminar Looked Like • Five Sections offered • Taught primarily by Student Affairs staff. • Focus on transitioning to college. • Approximately 25% of incoming freshman enrolled in the class. • After five years of data the retention rate for students taking the course ranged from 12% - 20% higher than those that did not complete the class. • The difference in GPA of students taking the course was insignificant.

6. What Changed • The President formed a task force to study retention and the first year programs in the fall of 1999. • Goals of the Task Force • Required two credit Freshman Seminar Course • Learning Communities • Front Loading • Restructure Academic Advising

7. New Look of Freshman Seminar • Required for all students with less than 24 credits. • One credit, graded course, that meets twice a week. • Eighteen sections offered. • Majority of the sections taught by faculty. • More focus on academics. • A student mentor in each class. • Instructors are paid. • CAAP test and CSI are administered in class.

8. Required attendance at presentations outside of the class. • College Student Inventory (CSI) results available to each instructor. • Bi-weekly meetings for instructors. • One day training session. • Mentor training and bi-weekly meetings. • Students are required to attend at least five different campus events. • Some sections were part of Learning Communities.

9. Road Blocks • Not all faculty supported a required course. • Curriculum committee would not accept the two credit proposal. • Should non-traditional students be required to take the class. • Why are faculty being paid extra? • Taking resources away from other programs. • Hand-holding image. • Finding faculty to teach the course. • Getting instructors to attend meetings.

10. What to do about students that do not pass the course. • Getting students to by into the class. • Offering eighteen sections will take classroom space and time away from other classes. • Training faculty to teach the course. • Some students were being advised not to take the class. • The division between academic and students affairs. • Who would be in charge of the course.

11. Three Years of Evolution • Freshman Seminar courses serve as the corner stone class for the Learning Communities. • Courses offered specific to majors. • Increase in rigor. • Writing intensive. • Community service projects in each class. • Database of guest speakers for instructors to invite to class. • Monthly instructor training at brown bag sessions.

12. Increase in faculty support. • Formation of the First Year Experience committee. • A class for wrestlers with a required study evening. • Freshman Seminar Instructors serve as advisors for students in their class. • CSI results available before classes begin. • Instructors conduct individual meetings with the students in their class to review the results of the CSI.

13. Why Learning Communities? • Learning Communities are small groups of students who work closely together, each group a “community of learners.” • Students share classes and friendships as part of an innovative program in cooperative learning. • Many of the students that attend Dickinson State come from very small communities with high school graduating class of less than 10. Learning Communities assist in the transition to college.

14. Why Not Learning Communities? • Connections for academic and social support. • Increase in interaction with faculty. • Assist with registration. • Students form study groups based on taking common courses. • Fulfill core, college, or major requirements. • Increase in student interaction. • Socializing with diverse students. • Allows faculty to interact colleagues. • Group Identity.

15. Our First Year • Five Learning Communities were offered. • Business Majors • Freshman Athletes • Deciding Majors • Educational Growth • Theodore Roosevelt Scholars • Freshman Seminar serves as the corner stone for each community. • Each community had an English course and a general education or major course. • Students were selected for the Learning Communities.

16. Road Blocks • Educating faculty, staff, students, and parents about Learning Communities. • Scheduling. • Faculty participation. • Learning Community for deciding majors did work. • Coordinating instructor schedules. • Determining expectations for instructors and students. • Who will be responsible for coordinating Learning Communities. • What to do when a student drops one of the classes.

17. The Evolution of Learning Communities • Increased the number to allow all students to be part of Learning Communities. • Participation from all 10 departments on campus. • Move from completely social activities to more academic. • Establishment of study groups tied to communities. • Training for instructors. • Presentations from Evergreen to assist with educating faculty and staff. • Increased faculty involvement.

18. Growing Pains • Scheduling is made difficult at a small school due to only a limited number of sections. • Determining what classes to be part of the Learning Community. • The increase in students coming in having taken dual credit courses. • Upper class students needing to take classes that are part of learning communities. • Getting instructors together for meetings and planning sessions.

19. What Students are Saying? • “The camaraderie among all of us is amazing.” • I had a place to voice my opinions and hear other people’s.” • “It really helped me adjust to my first year of college.” • “It was great knowing you can call on someone in the class when you need help.” • “I am glad I was part of a Learning Community, and would recommend it to a new freshman.”

20. Academic Advising • Faculty serve as academic advisors for students. No training in place for advisors. • After their first semester students could register for classes with out seeing an advisor. • Deciding students were assigned to faculty based on the number of advisees they had. • Students were ranking advisement as very poor. • Students were requesting graduation audits to see what courses they still needed.

21. Improvements • Established required advisement for Freshmen and Sophomore students. • Pre-advisement became part of the curriculum of Freshman Seminar. Students developed an advisement folder and a four year plan. • Training material was purchased for each department. • An advising handbook was put together, which included four-year plans for each major, forms, and helpful hints for advisors.

22. Faculty that liked to advise worked with deciding students. • Students are sent letters from their advisor to remind them to set up appointments. • Registration “holds” are placed on all freshmen and sophomore students. • Last year Freshman Seminar instructors became advisors for the students in their class. • Advise students for the first year. • Instructors received training. • Access to the CSI results.

23. Assessment Tools • Students complete the College student Inventory at SOAR. Freshman Seminar instructors meet with each student in their class during the first three weeks to review the results. • Each class completes an evaluation of the Freshman Seminar class and the Learning Community at the end of the semester. • DSU participates in NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement). • All students on campus are asked to complete the SSI (Student Satisfaction Inventory).

24. Seniors and freshman take the ETS academic profile to access the outcomes of general education. • Freshman and Seniors complete the CAAP (Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency) critical thinking assessment. • Writing skills are assessed with the Criterion Online Writing Evaluation. • Mentors assess how the students in there class are doing with individual meetings. • Students take the PI (Predictive Index) at SOAR and the results are reviewed with the students by the Director of Career Services.

25. PI • Survey that measures basic behavior patterns • Defines four primary factors • Factor A – Dominance • Factor B – Extroversion • Factor C – Patience • Factor D - Formality • Used in career exploration and team development.

26. Front Loading Activities • DSU offers a variety of academic and social activities throughout the year. • An effort was made to front load activities during the crucial first six weeks. • Activities included but were not limited to: • Movies • Dances • Community service projects • Residential life activities • Picnics • Spiritual activities • Motivational and educational speakers

27. S.O.A.R. Student Orientation Advisement Registration • Approximately 80% of incoming freshman attend summer orientation. • Five sessions offered in the summer. • Two overnight sessions (55% of incoming freshmen) • Local session. • One day sessions • Residual registration the day before classes begin.

28. Assessments Offered • CSI • PI • Math Placement • Computer Literacy test • Writing • Students are sent an information sheet when they are admitted and the information is used to pre-register the students. • Sessions include campus tours, meeting with advisors, ID photos, information sessions, picnics, dances, lip sync contests, and schedule adjustments.

29. Small group sessions are led by SOAR leaders. • SOAR leaders are hired in January and attend a one credit training class in the spring. • Leaders’ role • Campus tours • Information about campus life • Assist with scheduling • Work with small groups in their major • Contact the students in their group before classes begin.

30. Parent Orientation Program • A separate parent program is offered in conjunction with the student program. • Parents Activities • Financial Aid Presentation • Campus Tour • Dinner with the President • Administration Panel • Presentations on campus resources • Transition Information • Student Panel • Learning Community and assessment information.

31. Where We Are • 73% freshman retention. • The largest graduating class in the history of the university. • Use of the New York Times in all the sections. • Pre-registration for all incoming freshmen. • State recognition of the first year programs at DSU. • First Year programs are part of the fall faculty orientation. • Established First Year Committee.

32. Where We Want To Be • Continue to increase retention rates. • Summer retreats for learning community instructors. • Working to on an assessment instrument for instructors to complete. • Revise the assessment instrument. • Expand the course to two credits meeting three times per week. • Explore extending seminar and learning communities into the spring semester.

33. Lisa A Cantlon MS Director of Student Support Services Dickinson State University Lisa.Cantlon@dsu.nodak.edu