Aspiring Eagle Scholars Program: A Model for Success

1. Aspiring Eagle Scholars Program: A Model for Success North Carolina Central University 10/24/07

2. Characteristics of Freshman Students • Millennium Generation • Vast knowledge of technology • Constantly moving, on the go • Looking to be entertained • Often first generation college student • Lack of knowledge about college expectations • Egocentric • Lacking direction and self discipline

3. What is a learning community? • An intentional restructuring of the environment so that students have opportunities for deeper understanding and integration of the material they are learning, and more interaction with one another and their teachers. • Occurs in a variety of setting. • Models are adapted to the organization and to the student and faculty culture of a campus.

4. Why learning communities? • Promote greater student involvement in learning • Provide a context for faculty development and engage faculty in a highly supportive teaching environment • Often used to link first-year experience programs and freshman seminar courses to discipline based courses • Effective ways to introduce students to the academic culture

5. And because. . . . • Students and teachers share responsibility for teaching and learning • Can provide at-risk students with a support network of faculty, peers, and counselors • Help to overcome feelings of isolation common on large campuses • LC introduce accountability into the classroom (attendance, participation, etc)

6. How to structure the Learning Community? • Organized along curricular lines • Face to face, distance education or disciplines • Common career interests • Social interests • Residential living areas • Build around student organizations • Establish LC for schools or colleges to encourage interdisciplinary studies

7. We decided that our structure would . . . . . . • Organize students and faculty into smaller groups • Encourage integration of the curriculum • Help students establish academic and social support networks • Provide a setting for students to be socialized to the expectations of college

8. Other Goals . . . . • Bring faculty together in more meaningful ways • Focus faculty and students on learning outcomes • Offer critical lens for examining first year experience programs • Provide a setting for community-based delivery of academic support programs

9. Focus on retention and graduation rates (a product of the Retention Management Task Force – Under the direction of Dr. Bernice Duffy Johnson) 50 students with developmental academic needs 5-week residential program 3 courses (4 credits) Math, Reading, Learning Strategies 2 hours minimum of weekly tutoring 4 Peer team leaders/counselors 2 - Cultural excursions Must continue in LC in Fall (joined by 105 other students) Structured student engagement activities, 3 courses (4) 2006 Aspiring Eagle Scholars Summer Bridge Program

10. 100% completed the program in Summer Earned no less than a ‘B’ in all classes 49 returned in Fall Held 4/5 freshman class offices Motivated, excited, and engaged 96% engaged in campus organizations 38 earned 3.0 or better GPAs in Fall Provided a support network for each other and new students Average Fall GPA of 2.806 (higher than the university average) Benefits of 2006 Summer Bridge Program

11. 2007 AES Summer Bridge Program • Funded by the Office of the Provost/NCCU Division of Student Affairs • 100 students with developmental academic needs • 18 conditional admits • 5-week residential program • 3 courses (7 credits) Math, Reading, Learning Strategies • 2 hours minimum of weekly tutoring • 6 Peer team leaders • Cultural excursions • Must continue in Fall (joined by other students) • Structured student engagement activities

12. Benefits of 2007 Summer Bridge Program • 96 students successfully completed the program • 96% passed the math course with at least a ‘C’ • All 18 conditional admits completed the program • 17/18 of the conditional admits were accepted at NCCU for the Fall semester and 1 for the Spring 2008 semester • 99 of the total students were accepted at NCCU for the Fall and 1 for the Spring semester • More maturity, accountability, growth and development

13. Fall 2007 AES Learning Community • Open to any freshman student (400 Students) • Common residential setting for summer cohort • Assigned faculty/staff mentors for all students (Freshman Seminar Instructors) • Rites of Passage is the heart of the program • 4 week progress reports / Tutorial reports • 3 hours minimum of tutoring per week • Community service project • Monthly team meetings

14. Fall Learning Community Sessions • First Session of the Learning Community - Held in October focused on Managing Stress and Time Management • Second Session of the Learning Community - To be held in November – Focus to Civic Engagement and Understanding $$$$

15. Other LC Sessions • December Learning Community Session - Student Empowerment Conference • Sessions to continue in Spring • Closing ceremony held in April (Pinning) signifying a successful transition into college

16. Assessment Strategies • Comprehensive and Longitudinal • 2 Week progress report by instructors during the summer • Bi-weekly discussions by team leaders during the summer • Program evaluation by students, staff, faculty, parents, and program coordinators • Pre and post assessment in summer courses

17. Other Assessment Strategies . . . • The College Survival Success Scale (Students identify their most effective and least effective college survival skills) • Non-academic assessments - Student engagement in campus activities - Number and intensity of social and personal interruptions - Level of satisfaction with universities entities

18. And Other Assessment Strategies - Success in managing interpersonal relationships - Extent of accessing university resources - Participation in mentoring program - Point at which students declare a major - Number of times the major is changed

19. Lessons Learned • Know your students’ characteristics, needs, aspirations & adapt services, program, and facilities to meet the needs of students • The entire campus must be vested – may require redefining our roles as administrators, faculty, staff, and support service providers • Educational excursions are critical to developing the total person • Common residential housing in a structured setting is needed

20. Proposed Summer Bridge 2008 • 100 Students • 50 Slots allocated for conditional admits • 5 –Week residential program • 4 hours minimum of tutorials • Math, English, Reading Comprehension (7 credits) • Structured setting as in the past • Evening seminars • $100 Registration fee (Student Activities) • 2 Cultural excursions

21. New Components 2008-09 • Hire a data analyst to collect, analyze and interpret data (Controlled/uncontrolled groups, tracking each cohort until graduation and perhaps beyond) • Instructor’s Academy - 15/20 Instructors (First Year, Retool, Interested Persons - Dinner - Examine various topics that will enhance the teaching and learning process • Instructional Planning Workshop - Clustering of classes

22. Other Possibilities . . . . . • With Chancellor Nelms, ENDLESS!!!!!!!