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CS 23: Building a Better College Student: Middlesex Community College Strategies for Success

CS 23: Building a Better College Student: Middlesex Community College Strategies for Success. Peter Shea, Pedagogical/Instructional Designer, Title III Strategies for Success Program Patricia Bruno Associate Dean of Advising, Title III Strategies For Success Co-Activity Director.

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CS 23: Building a Better College Student: Middlesex Community College Strategies for Success

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  1. CS 23: Building a Better College Student: Middlesex Community College Strategies for Success Peter Shea, Pedagogical/Instructional Designer, Title III Strategies for Success Program Patricia Bruno Associate Dean of Advising, Title III Strategies For Success Co-Activity Director Friday, March 23rd: 2:45– 4:15 P.M. CS 23

  2. Part 1: Overview For four years, Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts has been promoting its Strategies for Success program, funded by a Title III grant from the Department of Education. This program has sought to improve student retention and persistence through a diverse combination of initiatives. These initiatives include extensive curriculum and advising redesign, learning communities, and faculty workshops. All of these promote the core skills identified as crucial to student success: critical thinking, collaboration, communication, organization, and self-assessment. The program's approach has been informed by the work of student engagement scholars. During the past four years of a five-year grant, program officers have collected data on the impact of the initiatives. This session will both present findings and demonstrate some of the high-impact pedagogical and advising practices that make the program successful.

  3. About Middlesex Community College of Massachusetts Lowell Bedford

  4. About Middlesex Community College of Massachusetts

  5. What is the Strategies for Success (SFS) Title III initiative? • Strategies for Success (SFS) is a collegewide initiative that promotes achievement, cultivates persistence and encourages engagement among Middlesex students. The Strategies for Success Title III initiative is a major, five-year project (2009-2013) funded by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The program provides ongoing training, redesigned curriculum, and enhanced academic advising for faculty and staff. • In addition, it offers students interactive learning tools and workshops to promote independent learning through acquisition of core student success skills: • critical thinking • communication • collaboration, • organization • self-assessment

  6. Student Success Curriculum Redesign Advising Student Engagement

  7. Why is Strategies for Success Important to Middlesex? • 29% of Middlesex students are enrolled into at least one developmental course • In 2005, more than 52% of first-time students did not successfully complete Gateway courses. Sources: MCC Fact Book 2009-2010; MCC Strategies for Success Title III Grant

  8. What does the research say? • “Retention research has shown that formal and informal interactions between faculty, staff, and the perceptions of those interactions influence a student’s decision to remain at an institution (Hall & Warner, 2009).” Source: Hall, C, & Warner, S. (2009). Faculty-student interaction at a southern hbcu. Multicultural Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 59-69.

  9. What Kinds of Intervention Impact Student Success? • High expectations (as manifested in curriculum, climate, and teaching practices) • Coherence in the curriculum (i.e., in required courses and sequencing of courses) • Integration of experiences, knowledge, and skills • Opportunities for service learning Sources: "Student Success: What Research Suggests for Policy and Practice" National Postsecondary Education Report, (2006) & “Five High Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes” (2010) Association of American Colleges and Universities.

  10. What Kinds of Intervention Impact Student Success? • Learning communities • Frequent contact with faculty • Emphasis on the first-year experience and the importance of learning how to be an effective college student • The development of connections between classroom work and learning opportunities outside the classroom Sources: "Student Success: What Research Suggests for Policy and Practice" National Postsecondary Education Report, (2006) & “Five High Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes” (2010) Association of American Colleges and Universities.

  11. In Addition to Strategies for Success, what other Forms of Academic Support does Middlesex provide to Promote Student Success? • Academic Support and Tutoring Center • Academic Career and Transfer Center • Exploration courses • Learning Communities • Cohort Programs (MAPP, TRIO, Disability Services, Veterans Services, Lowell Connections)

  12. Part II: Overview of SFS Advising (Pat) Advising

  13. MCC Advising Program SLOs: • Identify your goals and develop and modify a plan to reflect your academic, career and life goals as appropriate. • Demonstrate responsibility for your academic success by participating actively in the advising process • Use self-assessment information, such as a the college placement test, to construct your academic program plan and use college resources as appropriate.

  14. MCC Advising Program • Step 1-Advising Preparation Form • Step 2-Advising Appointments • Discussion of Goals • Step 3-DegreeWorks • Tracking of Academic Progress • Mapping of Courses • Advising Notes • Step 4-Career Counseling • Self Assessment • Major/Career Exploration • Advising Materials • Early Alert Program (Ongoing)

  15. MCC Advising-DegreeWorks

  16. MCC-Early Alert Program

  17. Your Turn: Advising Critical Thinking Collaboration Communication Organization Self-Assessment

  18. Part III: Student Engagement (Peter) Student Engagement

  19. SFS Classroom Engagement Activities Promotes student engagement through the development of co-curricular engagement activities both inside and outside the classroom. Fall 2009- Spring 2010 • 16 Co-curricular engagement activities • 12 Faculty collaborations • 11 Food for Thought meals Fall 2010- Spring 2011 • 10 Co-curricular engagement activities • 23 Food for Thought meals • 30 Faculty collaborations Fall 2011 • 40 Faculty collaborations • 27 Food for Thought meals • 50+ Co-curricular engagement activities

  20. Part IV: Curriculum Redesign Curriculum Redesign

  21. Redesigning Curriculum

  22. Strategies for Success Website https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/TitleIII/

  23. Your Turn Critical Thinking Collaboration Communication Organization Self-Assessment

  24. Part V: Timeline --Strategies for Success Program Year 1 • Advising Curriculum • Developmental Advising model developed • Business Division advising materials redesigned: Business Division full-time faculty given training on advising tools and workshops on philosophical shift from a prescriptive to a developmental advising mode. • Reformed Curriculum: 12 course redesigned Fall 2008-Spring 2009

  25. Timeline--Strategies for Success Program Year 2 Advising Curriculum: • Liberal Studies materials redesigned • Reformed Curriculum: • 12 courses piloted • Data collected • 10 courses redesigned Fall 2009-Spring 2010

  26. Timeline--Strategies for Success Program Year 3 & 4 • Advising Curriculum: Liberal Arts and Sciences • Reformed Curriculum: 12 courses redesigned (Total 36) • Scalability • Part-time faculty workshops were offered last spring and have been continuing throughout the fall Fall 2010-Fall 2011

  27. Part VI: Data (Pat & Peter)

  28. Developmental Advising - Retention

  29. Career Counseling - Retention

  30. Transfer Counseling - Retention

  31. Academic Planner - Retention

  32. Academic Alert - Retention

  33. Tutored – Retention

  34. Reformed Curriculum-Retention 221 162 147 68

  35. Reformed Curriculum-Courses Attempted & Courses Earned 31.2 22.9 22.1 15.4

  36. Results and Data from Reformed Curriculum (Year One) • 1659 students enrolled in pilots • Goal of the grant move persistence from 71% to 80% • Students in group one persisting: 83% !!!

  37. The Reviews are In! "Strategies for Success is creating a strong model for transformation that could have national implications. Now that the data is coming in to substantiate the efficacy of the initiatives of the Activity, it is time to go on the road and share the good news with colleagues . - TITLE III: Strategies for Success Year Three External Evaluation Report

  38. Final Questions?

  39. Contact Information MCC Strategies for Success https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/TitleIII/ Pat Bruno Phone (978) 656-3212 E-mail brunop@middlesex.mass.edu Peter Shea Phone (781) 280-3561 E-mail sheap@middlesex.mass.edu

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