High Risk to High Success: The Synergy of First-year Learning Communities, Faculty Development, and Intrusive Advising

1. High Risk to High Success: The Synergy of First-year Learning Communities, Faculty Development, and Intrusive Advising Cathy Brent & Pam Milloy

2. Session Objectives • Participants will: • have a greater understanding and appreciation of the interconnected nature of these initiatives, • understand how the synergy of activities can result in excitement and momentum for change, • appreciate the need for a wide base of support, and • leave with at least one new idea.

3. Grand View College: High Risk • Student characteristics • Retention • Faculty development • Pedagogies • Financially challenged

4. Team Approach • Academic advising director • Registrar • Faculty development director • Learning coach • Learning communities coordinator • Provost • Vice President for Enrollment • Vice President for Student Affairs • Director of Admissions

5. Learning Communities • Virtually all first-year students • Clustered-Course Model • Two content courses connected to NSS • 1 cr. NSS taught by Academic Advisor • Pilot of Two Living-Learning Communities • Pilot of transfer student LC • Various upper level LCs

6. Faculty Development • Summer Institute • Conversations on Teaching • Teaching Scholars • Teaching IDEA • Advice on Advising • Faculty Student Engagement Grants • NSSE & FSSE • Faculty Awards

7. Advising • Advising In-service • Early Alert • 3-week academic progress reports • CSI data • Online reporting • Council of Success • Learning Coach

8. From all Directions

9. Results -- Intended • Increased Retention • Higher percentage of A, B, and Cs • Students self report that they learn more • Increased alternative pedagogies • Increased use of classroom technologies

10. Results -- Positive Unintended Consequences • Culture transformed • Learning centered • Faculty • Campus wide • ‘Permission’ and time to try innovations • Language to discuss teaching • Increased sense of faculty community, excitement • Faculty creating own development groups

11. Results -- Positive Unintended Consequences (cont.) • Institutional Change • New look at student evaluation forms • New look at advising and student evaluation of advising • Campus-wide assessment initiative • Expanded new faculty orientation

12. Results -- Challenging Unintended Consequences • Expectation of payment for duties • Some increased stress • Hyperbonding in LCs (classroom mgmt. issues) • Skepticism to get involved

13. Question • Who on your campus do you need to collaborate with to accomplish your student success goals and what are the challenges to establishing those relationships?

14. Question • What partnerships have you established on your campus that have helped your student success initiatives be successful?

15. Contact Information Cathy Brent, Director of Academic Advising and Retention Specialist cbrent@gvc.edu 515-263-2860 Pam Milloy, Director of Faculty Development and Learning Communities pmilloy@gvc.edu 515-263-6023