26 th International Conference on The First-Year Experience June - - PDF document

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26th International Conference on The First-Year Experience June 17-20, 2013 Waikoloa, Hawaii Improving Student Persistence and Success in STEM Disciplines James Diedrick Associate Dean of the College & Associate Vice President for Special Programs Agnes Scott College 404-471-6102 jdiedrick@agnesscott.edu UNITED STATES Agnes Scott College has undertaken its “Influential Interventions” initiative to increase the quantity and quality of instruction and academic support available to students in gateway math and science courses. The college has expanded and enhanced its peer tutoring program, added peer-led Supplemental Instruction (SI) for key courses, and is helping faculty learn, implement and share effective STEM pedagogy. A primary intended outcome of the initiative is to promote the success and persistence of first-generation and underrepresented minority (URM) students interested in STEM disciplines. The particular focus on first-generation and URM students is driven by an analysis of performance in our introductory math and science courses, demonstrating a significant achievement gap for these students, who represent an increasing percentage of the student population. A cornerstone of the initiative is an enhanced Math and Science Learning Center, coordinated by a Ph.D. in chemical engineering with significant teaching and mentoring experience. In collaboration with STEM faculty, this coordinator recruits, selects, trains and supervises peer tutors and learning assistants (LAs) and facilitates interactions between faculty members and the LAs assigned to their courses. These LAs attend the gateway STEM courses alongside the students they are tutoring, and lead one or two one- hour Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions each week, which are open to all students in a given course section. The faculty and LAs work together in determining best ways to link SI sessions to course content and learning goals for the specific needs of each course. Student attendance trends and course grades indicate a positive correlation between SI participation and academic

• performance. In 6 of 7 courses that offered SI during 2011-12, students regular attendance at SI

sessions (6 or more times a semester) correlated positively with students’ ability to improve their grade or maintain an A from midterm to final, with the trend more pronounced for URM and first-generation students. Among white students who attended regularly, 33% improved or maintained an A, compared to 27% of those who never attended. For URM and first-generation students, 39% of regular attendees improved or maintained an A, while only 23% of non-

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attendees achieved such success. Qualitative data collected via surveys and focus groups with students, Learning Assistants (LAs) and professors has provided valuable insights regarding best practices for the program and impacts beyond course grades (e.g. social networking, mentor relationships with LAs, etc.). The Dual Mentoring Program for First-Year Students Ho Han Dean of Admissions Ajou University 502-424-2300 dreyna@iaia.edu Young-Hwa Yoon Coordinator of the Center for Education Innovation Ajou University 82-31-219-3379 yhyoon@ajou.ac.kr SOUTH KOREA The session is intended to provide instructors with more than a series of strategies that focus exclusively on the how but will also examine why these strategies are working specifically for small colleges addressing American Indian populations. It will include support from the research and assessment data collect through the mentor/mentee relationship. Wisdom Sharing: Student Success Strategies at Tribal Colleges Diane Reyna Director of Student Success American Indian Higher Education Consortium 502-424-2300 dreyna@iaia.edu Koreen Ressler Vice President of Academics Sitting Bull College 701-854-8001 koreenr@sbci.edu UNITED STATES The session is intended to provide instructors with more than a series of strategies that focus exclusively on the how but will also examine why these strategies are working specifically for

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small colleges addressing American Indian populations. It will include support from the research and assessment data collect through the mentor/mentee relationship. Decline in Academic Language Proficiency of First-Year Students Leen Schelfhout Coordinator Language Support Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp 0032 (0)3 213 93 00 leen.schelfhout@artesis.be BELGIUM Familiarity with characteristics of academic language, style and text structure is a basic skill required for success at higher education level. Many otherwise competent students lack the reading, writing, listening and speaking skills required in an academic environment putting their performance at risk. Additional support aimed at improving language proficiency is needed to guarantee academic success. The complexity of the problem stems from the fact that first year students come from a variety of backgrounds and the group is increasingly becoming

• heterogeneous. Some of the students are native speakers, but more and more have a different

mother-tongue or are bilingual. Furthermore, diagnostic tests show that for a growing number of students their preliminary training doesn’t prepare them for a college education. Identifying those students who potentially run a risk of failing because of this lack of skills is a complex

• issue. This roundtable discussion will focus on exploring how higher education institutions

(HEIs) are dealing with a decline in language proficiency of students. First we discuss whether HEIs should be organizing extracurricular workshops and individual guidance and if there are any other means of supporting the students. Can a centralized policy on language development be an answer to the specific needs of all training? Next, we discuss how and where to hand out clues and tricks on the use of academic language and style, and how to reach the target group among the students. Involving, inspiring and motivating lecturers and teachers to support this process is crucial. Finally we discuss whether it is necessary to organize assessments focused on language proficiency and what to do with the test results. Poor test results often show a lack of basic skills. Should there be a policy in place to discourage these students from subscribing to training or should it lead to extra support in the development of academic skills? Percy E. Sutton SEEK Program Protected Freshman Year David Rosen Academic Support Coordinator Baruch College (646) 312-4635 david.rosen@baruch.cuny.edu UNITED STATES

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The Protected Freshman Year consists of our summer program, counseling, learning communities, mandatory freshman seminars throughout fall and spring semesters, mandatory math and writing tutoring, a winter math intervention program, workshops, technological support, peer mentoring, added time for some credit-bearing classes, communication workshops, and voluntary tutoring for a variety of classes. The summer program is the start of the yearlong freshman experience for all SEEK students. It is mandatory and runs 6 weeks. It is the beginning

• f the academic and counseling support that each student receives from admission to graduation.

We give a theme to each summer program and connect it to the work the students do. This year’s theme was “Immigration and New York.” Our summer program consists of weekly diversity, study skills and critical inquiry workshops, intensive daily math/writing tutoring, communications, financial literacy and technology workshops, remediation for skills tests, Salsa dancing lessons, films, trips to the NY Historical Society, and, for some, a 3-credit course. In the Diversity Awareness workshop, students worked collaboratively to improve their understanding

• f their own cultural and racial identity as well as the identities of their peers. Once the semester

begins, freshmen attend freshman seminar, are in close contact with their counselor, are enrolled by us in classes with learning communities, have up to three mandatory tutoring sessions for difficult classes, complete community service requirements, and can sign up for voluntary

• tutoring. We provide a 3-week program in January for math, accounting, and English. Students

doing poorly in math in the fall are mandated to attend. Students are given an entrance assessment, 10 classes, and an exit assessment. The average percent change in math from intake to exit assessment was 117.76% (on average, students doubled their scores). 9 students of 22 more than doubled their intake score, 6 of the 22 students showed some increase, and 7 of 22 students had less than 16% change. After the freshman year, SEEK provides counseling, summer and winter programs for accounting, writing and math, Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society, tutoring, the Urban Male Leadership Academy (which is part of the freshman year as well for some students), and connections to clubs and organizations such as the SEEK Society. We will discuss research and allow attendees to write about which parts of our program they find interesting and potentially useful with time for feedback and discussion. Creating a Community of Scholars among At-Risk African American and Hispanic Male College Students Michelle Thompson Dean of Freshman College: First Year Experience Bethune-Cookman University 386-481-2327 thompsonmi@cookman.edu Jermaine Mckinney Student Success Coach Bethune Cookman University 386-481-2358 mckinneyj@cookman.edu

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Ryan Griffin Student Success Coach Bethune Cookman University 386-481-2327 griffinr@cookman.edu Jontoinette White Director of Curriculum Bethune Cookman University 386-481-2328 whitej@cookman.edu UNITED STATES The Brother 2 Brother Academy Learning Community at Bethune-Cookman University was established to provide academic, social and spiritual support to academically at risk men of color. The goal was to provide relevant experiences for men of color that provided transformation, academic success, professional and personal growth, and mentorship while fostering a cultural and spiritual foundation. Most of the instructors in Brother 2 Brother were African American males who met periodically throughout the year to discuss participants’ progress and to create co-curricular activities. Students were enrolled in linked courses: EN 131 College English I, RE 131 Cultural Literacy, FC 110 Freshman Seminar, and HI 130 African American History. In spring 2013, students were enrolled in two linked courses, RP 230 and EN 132 College English

• II. As a part of the learning community, students had bi-weekly workshops to discuss issues

related to African American males in higher education, watched the documentary Hidden Colors, and kept a journal of their experiences. As a part of the Brother 2 Brother Academy, Real Men Read was formulated in fall 2012 in order to address the low retention rates of African American males on our campus. Real Men Read was a book club which focused on literature that engaged men of color, and it is part of the Freshman College: First Year Experience Reading Initiative. Books were selected and approved from a focus group of students in the Brother 2 Brother Academy, faculty members, and Daytona Beach community members. The objective was to transform reluctant readers into avid readers and to foster an honest debate about culturally relevant themes in the literature. In fall 2012, 50 students read Letters to a Young Brother by Hill Harper, a compilation of letters from famous African American men to a young man. The book focused on the following themes: friends and family, work, education, sex, wealth, and family. Male faculty and staff members of the Bethune-Cookman University, as well as the students and community leaders, were encouraged to read the book. Students were given one month to read the book and were at the end of the month there was a book club discussion on how it related to their personal lives. Participants of the fall 2012 cohort expressed an improved sense of self- worth and a commitment to obtaining a college degree. The success of the program was measured by students’ semester grade point averages and student surveys. Understanding the First-Year Experience: Four Ways to Generate Data-Driven, Actionable Insights

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Steve Wygant Associate Director, Institutional Assessment and Analysis Brigham Young University 801.422.2258 steve_wygant@byu.edu Danny Olsen Director, Institutional Assessment and Analysis Brigham Young University 801.422.5648 Danny_Olsen@byu.edu Bryce Bunting Program Administrator, Freshman Mentoring Brigham Young University 801.422.1156 Bryce_Bunting@byu.edu UNITED STATES This session will detail four approaches to generating comparative insights about first-year student success using non-cognitive data collected through custom surveys. Pre-collegiate academic data such as secondary school GPA and ACT/SAT scores, and non-cognitive characteristics such as student intent, resilience and work habits, are commonly used in predicting first-year persistence. However, such data can also help us understand why some students thrive during the first year while others just survive. By strategically segmenting student data and conducting comparative analyses we have identified factors that discriminate between students who thrive in the first year and those who do not. These discoveries have extended our campus discussions about first-year success to include encouraging things that lead students to thrive and directing support to students at risk for failure. The primary intent of this session is to illustrate analytical processes and approaches to examining student data. While the specific factors that discriminated between thriving and non-thriving students at our institution might be unique, we will discuss them in order to illustrate the processes and stimulate discussion. First, we briefly describe the process of developing and administering our surveys, and then discuss in detail our approaches to analyzing the data obtained through them. Starting with specific ways we defined “student success” we will introduce the methods used to discriminate between thriving and non-thriving students. We will see that each approach reveals something unique, but that common patterns involving motivation, work habits, engagement and psycho-social issues

• emerge. Comparing students who were flourishing and floundering at year’s end led us to see

that many students (in both groups) were continuing and extending patterns in attitude and behavior established before coming to college, patterns they could change if identified clearly. Students who underperformed expectations often got by in high school with poor study habits and could be tutored. Cluster analysis pointed to groups we refer to as Academically Focused, Academically Undeveloped, Balanced and Disengaged, each of which has a different approach to the first year and a different profile of strengths, needs and challenges. Our session will conclude with a discussion of the analytical approaches shared as well as implications suggested

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by our findings. We will encourage discussion about implications specific to campus units whose work deals with first year students (e.g. “What might this mean for Residence Life?” “How might findings like these affect New Student Orientation?”). This discussion time will include

• pportunity for questions from participants.

The Development of Academic Self-Efficacy among First-Year College Students in a Comprehensive Public University Nathan Durdella Assistant Professor California State University, Northridge 818-677-3316 nathan.durdella@csun.edu Mark Stevens Director and Psychologist, University Counseling Services California State University, Northridge 818-677-2366 mark.stevens@csun.edu Christos Korgan Faculty Research Coordinator/Adjunct Research Faculty Southern California University of Health Sciences 562-947-8755 x488 christoskorgan@scuhs.edu UNITED STATES The session will focus on the development of academic self-efficacy among first-year students with an emphasis on how intrapersonal and environmental factors shape how students feel about their abilities to perform academically. The session will be organized around themes that emerged during the study that explain how first-year students develop academic self-efficacy, namely the influence of family and home environment, the effects of the peer-peer interaction and peer environment, and the power of instructors and the learning environment. The session will begin with a descriptive background of the context within which college students develop academic self-efficacy. Specifically, this segment of the session will detail how the development

• f academic self-efficacy is a complex process. The session will detail fascinating accounts of

how attitudes about learning and help-seeking behavior affect academic self-efficacy and how self-perceived abilities to complete an assignment or do well on a test and self-reflections on embarrassing and rewarding academic experiences facilitate the development of academic self-

• efficacy. The session will move on to detail the findings from the study through a description and

illustration of three primary environmental factors that shape self-efficacy development: family/home, peer/social, and academic/instructional. Specifically, descriptions of how the level

• f parental support and belief systems shape students’ academic self-confidence will be
• presented. Further, descriptive illustrations of how academic and social comparisons that

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students make in a peer environment affect how they feel about their abilities to achieve will be

• shared. Finally, explanatory accounts of how instructor comments, expectations, and behaviors

influence student beliefs about academic self-abilities will be detailed. The session will end with a description of how intrapersonal and environmental factors interact to influence academic self- efficacy, including its role in resiliency among first-year students to succeed and persist. Further, meaningful implications for practitioners and actionable steps that college and university faculty and staff can use to constructively shape first-year students’ academic self-efficacy formation will be discussed. Salting the Oats: Can We Motivate First-Year Students to Succeed Academically? Hope Rodefer Director, Academic Resource Center Carnegie Mellon University Qatar (+974) 4454-8542 rodefer@qatar.cmu.edu QATAR Motivation is a key component to First Year students’ success. And unfortunately, many First Year students struggle with being both unmotivated and underprepared academically, a double

• whammy. As educators, we see this situation play out every year with each new batch of First

Year students. And no matter how much we talk to them about setting goals, no matter how many workshops we hold or tutoring sessions we offer to struggling students, the students who most need assistance fail to take advantage of the support and advice offered -- leaving us feeling frustrated and leaving them in shaky academic standing. Can academic motivation be taught to students, or is it something they either have or they don’t? Can unmotivated students be ‘turned around’ with appropriate support and intervention strategies, or do they just need to sink-or-swim and figure things out for themselves? The topic of this roundtable is aimed at a broad audience of First Year educators. Through discussion, we will share our struggles with First Year student academic motivation, and our common concerns about how we can deal with this situation. The audience will be invited and challenged to think about strategies and practices within their own institutions and reflect upon whether these actually help their struggling students become more

• successful. The discussion will be framed in relation to the globalization of US higher education

and the establishment of overseas branch campuses and their unique situations and conditions. Identification and Significance of "Hidden" Threshold Concepts for the First-Year Learning Environment Anne Marie Ryan Senior Instructor, First Year Coordinator and Advisor, Earth Sciences Dalhousie University 902-494-3184 amryan@dal.ca

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Gillian Gass Instructor, First Year Biology Dalhousie University 902-494-8445 gillian.gass@dal.ca Kerrianne Ryan PhD Candidate, Neurobiology Dalhousie University 902-494-3184 kpryan@dal.ca Susan Gass Instructor Dalhousie University 901-494-4530 susan.gass@dal.ca Jennifer Van Dommelen Senior Instructor Dalhousie University 902-494-1584 jennifer.vandommelen@dal.ca CANADA There are a number of general assumptions we can make about first year students and their academic programs, including but not limited to the following: students in our classes are faced with new content, new ways of thinking, and new language; they are commonly taking a number

• f different classes, with little apparent connection between them; within the individual

disciplines, it is possible to identify troublesome knowledge they face – the threshold concepts; and students entering university bring unique sets of prior knowledge, but also sometimes

• misconceptions. Our task is to help them develop and grow as learners. In addition to

recognizing the individual threshold concepts within our disparate disciplines, in working with students in their first year it is common to run into what might be considered universal roadblocks that are subtle or "hidden" and that seem to transcend disciplinary boundaries – sometimes quite sophisticated ways of thinking that are nonetheless basic to working within a range of natural sciences disciplines. These hidden roadblocks are not discipline-specific, but can serve as major barriers to moving forward in the discipline. For example, when students cannot understand or produce graphical representations of data, or articulate the connections between their direct observations and the underlying processes and principles being studied, we may conclude they do not understand the content concepts. What if this is not the case, and the barriers are in understanding the nature of how science works at a more subtle level? In other words, are these overarching barriers actually hidden threshold concepts? If we do not address these stumbling blocks, we may actually miss opportunities not only to move students forward

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• n their learning towards expertise, but also significantly, we may miss opportunities for

developing linkages across the learning in the sciences. This session will explore the nature of threshold concepts within and between disciplines, their impact on learning in the first year, and the interplay between misconceptions and threshold concepts. In particular, we will examine a number of the hidden or subtle roadblocks that are not discipline-specific, although they may be

• f great significance in the context of a given discipline – the “hidden” threshold concepts.

Recognizing the nature of disciplinary threshold concepts and the potentially profound impact on Acknowledging and understanding the existence of hidden threshold concepts and potentially profound impact on student learning is not sufficient: we must also consider what types of teaching and learning strategies are more likely to be successful in helping students through these gateway concepts, and link this to the research on cognitive development and on effective strategies for teaching and learning. Participants are encouraged to share their observations and ideas, and to consider what questions remain, what additional strategies might be beneficial, and the theoretical underpinnings of these ideas. Improving Outcomes for Underrepresented Students: The First Generation Experience Verna Case Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning, and Research Davidson College 704-894-2327 vecase@davidson.edu UNITED STATES In October 2009, the Trustees of Davidson College adopted a new Strategic Plan that has increased the pace of demographic change in the student body and has improved the academic support provided to this increasingly diverse student population. In parallel, The Davidson Trust, a financial aid program through which all demonstrated need is met without loans, is changing the profile of the student body to include more first-generation students and more students from underrepresented minority (URM) populations. Indeed, eight percent of this year’s entering class is first generation students. While other Davidson programs focus on the needs of URM students, Davidson had not addressed specific needs of first generation students and how those needs might differ from those majority and minority students who are not first generation. Davidson Partnered with Agnes Scott College in a successful grant application to the Teagle Foundation (Influential Interventions: Improving Outcomes for Underrepresented Students) in which Davidson focused our attention on first generation students. The primary goals of Davidson’s proposed project were: 1. Increasing the academic success of Davidson's first-generation

• students. 2. Facilitating changes in campus culture, pedagogy, and practices as they relate to

first-generation students, specifically the Center for Teaching and Learning and the non-major advising program. Until we complete our data analysis in early June, the primary findings from

• ur focus groups reveal that there is a perception among first generation students that other

students are better prepared to manage the academic workload and other aspects of life at

• Davidson. First generation students feel their parents do not understand the difference between

success at the high school level and success in college. Specifically, they find that their parents

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perceived grades below an A as evidence that the students aren’t working hard enough. Students who were not first generation were more strategic and more likely to find commonality within student campus affiliations than the first generation students, and made faster adjustments as a

• result. The issues faced by the first generation students regarding family understanding and

expectations at Davidson are very real and genuinely complicating, making it all the more important to help them find a road map for navigating the myriad changes Davidson demanded

• f them. Preliminary data regarding the use of the CTL reveals that the use of peer tutoring had a

positive impact on first year academic performance for first generation students relative to their peers. Off-Campus Studies: Students’ Engagement and Intervention Strategies Ekramul Hoque Lecturer in Health Sciences Deakin University +61 432 507 994 ekramul.hoque@deakin.edu.au AUSTRALIA Deakin strategic plan advocates diversity, equity and social inclusion. An off-campus Bachelor

• f Health Sciences programme commenced in 2012 under the Deakin University Participation &

Partnerships Program (DUPPP) delivered through the Deakin Learning Hub (DLH) at Dandenong is basically addressing these strategic points. Students enrolled in this programme follow alternative selection criteria and represents a specific geographic location designated as low SES area. Students are mostly matured-aged, have undertaken TAFE (Polytech) courses, many have not formally completed high school but they have ample life-time experiences. This paper aims to discuss tools and the mechanism of timely interventions used by a dedicated team

• f academics and administrators at DLH. Initially, some enrolled students needed additional

support during the transition to the university education system. To complement this proactive monitoring was undertaken to identify at an early stage students who were experiencing difficulties so that additional support can be offered. DLH developed a set of monitoring tools to identify students’ disengagement points and to facilitate timely intervention so that the students do not fall behind. Such strategies are important to enhance the success rates of students. Disengaged students were identified and followed up to observe their performances at studies and assessments. Appropriate intervention plans for identified students were formulated and

• executed. Assessment outcomes of DLH students have been relatively better than average unit

results and improved gradually. The monitoring strategies at the DLH are producing positive

• utcomes. The active monitoring increased confidence and retention of students. However,

longer term observations are required for conclusiveness. Key words: Diversity, mature-aged, alternative selection, assessment, intervention References: • Baum, S 2008, Suburban scars: Australian cities and socio-economic deprivation, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD. • Deakin, U 2012, Deakin's commitment to equity and access, 09/09/2012, Deakin University, Burwood, <http://deakin.edu.au/equity-diversity/commitment.php>.

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Beyond the First-Year Experience: Creating a Multi-Year Approach to Peer Education and Student Leadership Adam Fontecchio Associate Dean of Undergraduate Affairs, College of Engineering Drexel University 215-895-2211 afontecchio@coe.drexel.edu Jeffrey Birou Assistant Director of Advising Drexel University 215-895-2211 jbirou@coe.drexel.edu Kelly Vass Academic Advisor Drexel University 215-895-2211 kvass@coe.drexel.edu UNITED STATES In 2012, the coordinators of the Drexel Engineering Peer Mentor Program were tasked with merging their existing first-year program with the Paul Peck Scholars, a certificate program for upperclassmen focused on leadership development and communication skills. By leveraging these two programs, the coordinators were able to create a more dynamic experience for upperclassmen by incorporating a mentorship element to the existing course sequence. One of their new responsibilities was to serve as peer advisors, and they were paired with first-year students in a UNIV 101 first year experience course. This special UNIV 101 section was designed so that peer mentors could provide insight and a student perspective on the Drexel Engineering experience. These upper class mentors were simultaneously enrolled in a foundational leadership course, which equipped them with the compassion, discipline and self- awareness to successfully serve in a mentorship role. In following terms, the peer mentors progressed through a sequence of courses focused on organizational behavior, communication and research opportunities. Beginning next year, students who were mentored will have the

• pportunity to become peer advisors themselves, utilizing their own experiences as mentees as

they themselves progress through the leadership curriculum. Our presentation is about implementing an engaging, scaffolded first-year experience program beyond the first year: students are mentored by trained peers as they transition from highs school to college, and then have the opportunity to become peer advisors and competent student leaders in the second year. We will talk about implementing intentional programming and pedagogy, which takes the concept of the first-year experience and extends it for the duration of their time in college. Some

• f examples of this programming include a focus on student leadership, civic engagement,

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effective communication, and mentorship. We want our attendees to leave our presentation feeling energized about expanding their first-year experience efforts for upperclassmen. Adapting Practices to Address Rising Enrollment of Chinese National Students Rachael Switalski Director of Student Services, Undergraduate Advising Center, College of Engineering Drexel University 215-895-2211 rrs44@drexel.edu Kathy Kailikoli Director, Analysis and Strategic Planning, Academic Advising, Retention and Diversity Drexel University 215-571-3848 klk67@drexel.edu David Hallowell Director, Drexel Learning Center Drexel University 215-895-6834 hallowell@drexel.edu Adam Fontecchio Associate Dean of Undergraduate Affairs, College of Engineering Drexel University 215-895-2211 adam.fontecchio@drexel.edu UNITED STATES When over 250 Chinese National Students were admitted to Drexel University, we saw various cultural adjustment needs as well as students with significant comprehension issues that affected their classroom performance. The colleges primarily affected were Arts & Sciences, Business, and Engineering. We will present (1) analysis conducted to identify students who were most at risk of academic difficulty; (2) supplemental sections in both Business and Engineering that were developed to help students establish effective habits of mind and practice that promote discipline-specific engagement and learning; (3) the Near Peer program; and (4) the experience from “on the ground” in the College of Engineering advising office. The Near Peer program was created in response to the need to help Chinese National Students find their place and thrive at the University. To build this program, partnerships were formed with the Chinese Students & Scholars Association at Drexel (CSSAD) and Global China Connection (GCC). Student leaders from these organizations helped recruit prospective mentors as well as to help us better understand the transition needs of Chinese National Students. The Near Peer program positioned students in key offices to offer new Chinese National Students support in effectively

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communicating their needs when meeting with their advisor and in ensuring a complete and accurate understanding of policy and process. Near Peers also worked in developing workshops that supported community building, intercultural communication, and leadership. We will share the interview and training process for this program, discuss change of major and registration workshops organized by the Near Peer program, and share the feedback of advising staff who were involved as well as feedback from the Near Peers themselves. Catching the First-Year Wave: A New Approach to Freshman Outreach Jennifer Matthews Senior Academic Advisor Drexel University 215-895-2211 jmatthews@coe.drexel.edu Terri Baker Academic Advisor Drexel University 215-895-2211 tbaker@coe.drexel.edu Jeff Birou Assistant Director Drexel University 215-895-2211 jbirou@coe.drexel.edu UNITED STATES With advisor caseloads of approximately 350 students, we work diligently to make connections with our incoming students before they arrive on campus, as we believe that student engagement begins the summer before the first year. By reaching out to our incoming first year students through several different mediums, students are more likely to develop a sense of belonging to the University and college, which positively affects retention. This is becoming increasingly important in the current economic climate. During the presentation, we will discuss how we retooled our outreach plan to extend from June of the summer before students begin through the sophomore year. Using Web 2.0 integration, shortening the turn-around time for email and phone responses, and creating a series of weekly newsletters to distribute shorter, more “digestible” bursts of information; we are disseminating information to millennial students in the way that they are used to receiving it. Combining this with visits to classrooms, registration training sessions through UNIV 101, and a recommended goals meeting in the first year, we have made multiple connections with students to encourage and build a strong advising relationship. Presently, the assessments have shown marked improvement in referrals, advisor recognition and engagement, and satisfaction with advising services. After seeing these results for the first year

• utreach, we have extended the plan to include sophomore students. We will also share our

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assessment results from before and after the outreach plan was implemented, detailing our planning process. Planning can be difficult when it seems as though everyone is overworked and under pressure to do more with less, but ultimately planning an outreach program like this one can make everyone’s job easier in the end. As advising professionals, we are our own best

• resource. By detailing the numerous ways we have changed our outreach, with very little budget

impact, we will offer real, concrete suggestions as to how other colleges or universities can take

• ur ideas and implement them in their own programs.

Saying Aloha to the Masses: Welcoming Growth in Living Learning Community Programs Emily Bogunovich Academic Advisor Drexel University 215-895-2211 ebogunovich@coe.drexel.edu Terri Baker Academic Advisor Drexel University 215-895-2211 tbaker@coe.drexel.edu UNITED STATES The Drexel Engineering Learning Community (ELC) is a living/learning program facilitated through the engineering Undergraduate Advising Center. This program is a long-standing successful college retention initiative, in which 40 first-year students live together, take classes with one another, and participate in special programming. In 2011, the College of Engineering came under new leadership and as such, all existing programs and policies were up for review. With this reexamination came a renewed interest in the work of the Engineering Learning Community and the advisors who run the community. I would change the last sentence to focus

• n how growth and more solid faculty connectivity were brought to the forefront or something.

This presentation will share the data and assessment advisors presented to college leadership, and how the result of this conversation led to the growth of the learning community program. The directive was to create a growth plan that would double learning community offerings for 2013 (offering two instead of one) and 2014 (offering four instead of two). After learning of this directive, the advisors encountered road blocks to growing the program including getting faculty engaged with program initiatives, coming up with appropriate themes for the communities, and finding space to house the communities. This presentation will highlight taking advantage of existing resources and structures in the college, and thinking about how to best duplicate efforts from one community to the next without wasted energy and resources. The 2013-2014 year will be the first year that the college of engineering will host two separate communities. These communities will be associated with research groups that exist on campus. At the time of this writing, the development of this program and events associated with it are in process. This presentation will discuss the implementation timeline for the current structure of the program as

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well as long term goals for growth. The session will end with participants sharing their own experiences with growing and developing first-year programs. "Just Because I'm Getting My Assignments Done, Doesn't Mean I'm Okay" A Closer Look at Supporting Students Who Experience the Death of a Loved One Lisa Beth Bergene Associate Dean Duke University 919-684-5320 lb.bergene@duke.edu Daniel Flowers Residence Coordinator Duke University 919-684-5320 daniel.flowers@duke.edu Mark Weston Residence Coordinator Duke University 919-684-5320 mark.weston@duke.edu UNITED STATES This presentation is based on the dissertation of the program chair. The session will begin with a discussion of the significance of this study. In any given year, about one in four undergraduates will experience the death of a loved one. However, in the collegiate setting, grieving happens away from the support of family and in an environment where the student is the only person touched by the loss. Students are asked to make difficult decisions about taking time away from classes, often unaware of the long-term implications for those decisions. The second segment will touch very briefly on the current literature about college students and the grieving

• experience. We will address the commonly-used Stages of Grieving model as well as more

contemporary theories. A select bibliography will be made available to audience members who might wish for a more lengthy review of the research. The next segment of the presentation will include a brief overview of the research design. We will describe the data collection and analysis process with enough detail to allow the audience to understand the methodology, but we do not want methodology to be the focus of the presentation. Next, key findings of the study will be

• shared. These findings include: the influence of interactions with others, the experience of taking
• n new responsibilities, innermost thoughts and feelings, and moving forward after loss. Within

each finding are additional sub-themes. Using examples of quotations from participants, each of these findings and sub-themes will be discussed. The next segment of the presentation will focus

• n the conclusions drawn from these findings. We will begin with a review of the meaning-

making coping theory (Park & Folkman, 1997) which will help provide a framework for these

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• conclusions. Conclusions include: 1) academic goals were reframed through the experience of

meaning-making; 2) participants assumed the campus community would be supportive; and 3) the experience of grieving continued for more than a year. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of implications for practitioners. These implications include training for key academic personnel, development of a comprehensive and visible bereavement policy, and protocols for

• utreach. At the very end of the presentation, the audience will be given an opportunity to

construct an outline for elements of an outreach protocol that could be implemented on their own campuses. From Research Findings to Institutional Policies: How 57 Institutions Implement Research-Supported Policies and Practices Facilitating First-Year Student Success Bradley Cox Assistant Professor of Higher Education Florida State University 850-644-6446 brad.cox@fsu.edu Robert Reason Associate Professor, School of Education Iowa State University 515-294-6216 rreason@iastate.edu UNITED STATES Over the past 30 years, hundreds of specific initiatives have been designed to facilitate student engagement during their first year of college – a time when four-year colleges and universities lose an average of 29% of first-year students. Although these efforts have improved outcomes at countless institutions, such initiatives are often costly and typically serve only a small group of students who participate directly in a given program. As a result, college and university leaders still search for specific, campus-wide, and resource-efficient ways to improve student engagement and retention. Drawing data from surveys completed by senior academic and student affairs administrators at 57 bachelor’s degree granting institutions across five states (California, Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Texas), the proposed session will highlight specific institution- wide policies that can be leveraged to increase college student engagement – a key predictor of student grades and persistence that is especially beneficial to underrepresented and academically under-prepared students. Results from these surveys, when combined with descriptors of institutional characteristics derived from IPEDS data, suggest that institutions of all types can take intentional action to implement research-supported policies and practices. For example, extensive orientation programs and “early-alert” systems have been widely implemented (average policy implementation: 91% each) across all institutional types and states. Likewise, first-year seminars have been introduced at most of the surveyed institutions; however, the manner in which these seminars are implemented differs substantially across states and public/private control. The surveys also indicate that these colleges and universities could be

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doing much more to integrate academics into students’ residential environments (average policy implementation: 21%). As part of the presentation, we will provide each member of the audience a 20+ page report describing the research project and its findings. The report is structured around several clusters of related policies that could be leveraged to improve first-year student success. For example, the section on “Organizational Intentionality” describes findings related to assessment and data-driven decision-making, coordination between academic and student affairs, and the extent to which first-year student success affects faculty/staff hiring, tenure, promotion, and merit pay. Other policy clusters relate to: a) supporting a diversity of student types/interests, b) front-loading information for students, c) curricular offerings/requirements, d) course-related supporting practices, e) housing and residential life, f) individual support staff, g) and campus engagement/involvement. Leveraging Technology to Support First-Year Student Success Denise Swett Vice President, Student Services Foothill College 650-949-7524 swettdenise@foothill.edu UNITED STATES The new and future focus on student success and completion now being tied into community college funding is driving student services experts to develop additional strategies to provide needed support services to students. Current funding deficiencies do not allow for hiring additional staff or adding extended operating hours. Dismal success rates continue to demonstrate the existing system is not intuitive and small mistakes can result in substantial unanticipated problems that can derail student progress and completion. Efforts to determine alternative methods for service and support delivery have resulted in a number of options, one being leveraging technology to sustain service levels through alternative means. Offering students the option of accessing information, personal records and college services online, 24/7 is proving to be effective and well-liked by students, parents, high school counselors and the college-going population in general. In addition to providing much needed support to our students, online services assist faculty and staff with many things such as reducing repetitive inquiries, preparing students ahead of time for counseling and advising appointments, and providing detailed and consistent information. Moreover, with more and more colleges moving to online and hybrid class offerings, it is critical to serve these students with comparable services to meet accreditation standards and support student success. Intertwined with this strategy is providing professional development training and support to faculty, staff and managers to understand the purpose and value of online services, the most effective practices for leveraging these programs in and out of the classroom and how they can leverage recently added student

• resources. This session is intended to provide participants with an overview of online student

services, both homegrown and commercial that can be commissioned and integrated in their college’s service options. Key strategies will be reviewed including prioritizing needs, project development, product evaluation and service implementation, effective collaboration with

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college technology departments and planning a marketing strategy. Funding strategies, program review and assessment of services will also be discussed. Participants in this session will gain insights on various formats and methods for providing online student support services, will learn strategies for gaining college support and participation for adding online tools and learn about available options that can quickly and effectively be implemented at their institutions. Overall format of the session will be a presentation, discussion and resource review. Understanding & Facilitating Academic Success through Hopeful Interventions Holly Seirup Associate Professor Hofstra University (516)463-5348 holly.seirup@hofstra.edu Sage Rose Assistant Professor Hofstra University (516)463-5752 sage.rose@hofstra.edu Nicole Sieben Instructor Adelphi University (516)463-5752 sieben@adelphi.edu UNITED STATES This session will begin with an overview of Hope theory and hopeful interventions in education including how first year seminars can support and enhance a students’ hope. Hope is defined as a motivational belief system that affects goal-setting behaviors and perceptions about future success (Snyder et al., 1991). Individuals with high hope can clearly define goals, produce strategies to obtain those goals (pathways), and sustain the volitional thought needed to use multiple strategies (agency) when motivation toward goals subsides. Although the original intent in an academic success/first year seminar course may not have been to enhance student hope levels, we have found it has done just that. Providing students with academic success strategies, and information on University resources has offered students alternative pathways and argentic thoughts toward reaching their academic goals. Hope theory would suggest that this is because students were provided with strategies and tools that supported agency beliefs as well as clear pathways to increase their performance. The course was designed specifically to teach positive academic skills and behaviors and help students set reasonable academic goals, thus encouraging an active orientation toward positive academic behaviors. Training in specific skills like time management, study behaviors, and building adequate support systems is a way to maximize hopeful beliefs about students’ academic futures. The specifics of the on-line academic success

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course content, pedagogy, and the initiatives to enhance hope will be discussed. The session will also review the results of the research and how it has informed practice. Results showed students who completed the course were more likely to be retained than those who did not complete the course, had a slight increase in GPA by the end of the semester, and high hope students showed the greatest overall gain in GPAs. After adjusting for prior GPA levels, there was a significant effect of hope level on end of semester GPA suggesting that the course had an impact on hope and academic success. In the second study, the MANOVA revealed a significant main effect for several of the mindful constructs and student population type were shown to be significantly different between students in honor’s classes and those on academic probation. Honors students had higher scores in each of these measures in comparison to their probationary counterparts. The implication of these findings will be discussed. Finally, implications for Higher education and future research will be discussed leaving time for questions, and discussion. The Mindful Student: Identifying Variables that Predict Mindful Awareness Sage Rose Assistant Professor Hofstra University 516-463-7035 sage.rose@hofstra.edu Holly Seirup Associate Professor of Counseling and Mental Health Professions Hofstra University 516-463-5348 Holly.J.Seirup@hofstra.edu Nicole Sieben Graduate Student Hofstra University UNITED STATES This session will provide an overview of mindfulness and what encompasses being a mindful

• student. Next, positive constructs used to predict mindfulness in the present study will be
• introduced. Variables like dispositional hope, gratitude, and problem solving based personal

control will be defined and connected theoretically. The bridge that spans hope, gratitude, and problem solving is the ability to transcend. The student who can be hopeful, grateful, and confident that problems will be solved may be more able to make meaning from stressful situations and academic struggles. The results of the present study showed that gratitude and problem solving were the most significant predictors of mindfulness. Gratitude and hope are transcendent variables within character strengths. They move an individual beyond themselves through the awareness that there is more beyond the immediate experience. To be aware of someone acting as your benefactor would require a mindful awareness of others. Problem solving benefits from are mindful awareness in order to allow multiple solutions be available

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without judgment of their potential. Students who may be new to the college environment may not realize how mindful they need be of their own academic destinies. Teaching mindful skills could enhance student achievement while encouraging positivity through transcendence. Teaching "Identity Status" and its Effects on "Career Design" of University Students Chiiko Inoshita Professor J.F. Oberlin University in Tokyo {81• {42• {797• {2661 inoshita@obirin.ac.jp Osamu Inoshita Professor Keio University 090-8803-7977 inos@sfc.keio.ac.jp Jun Tabei Professor Tokyo International University 090-2348-1695 jtabei@tiu.ac.jp Yoshiyuki Shibahara Professor Nihonbahigakkan University 090-4456-0051 yoshiyuki.shibahara@nihonbashi.ac.jp JAPAN In Japan, Career Education has become popular in university curriculums, reflecting difficult economic conditions. However, curriculums lack adequate focus on nurturing students’ self- understanding of theories of self-development. This study verified the effects of Marcia's method which aims to foster students’ self-understanding of their identity in relation to Career Education. This study has two purposes. First, to enhance students’ self-awareness of the self-development process and hence make their career lives richer. Yet, second, to verify the beneficial effects of theoretical and specialized education. This study uses the Identity Status model developed by J.E.Marcia(1980). This model consists of two aspects of self-development: the achievement of self-identity and self-control of one's situation in life. There are mainly four groups in this model: Identity Diffusion (D), Foreclosure (F), Moratorium (M), and Identity Achievement (A). The participants in the study were 76 students among 91 students in a course titled "Learning and Experience in College Life." All were first- and second-year students. The procedure that students followed consisted of three parts. (1)Watching a video whose theme is the achievement

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• f identity and life course of the characters (2)Group discussions based on students’ notes using
• Identity Status plots. (3)Answering questions on answer sheets about (a) students’ own self

Identity Status in their life lines and (b) usefulness of the analysis method of • Identity Status.• Over 90% of the participants answered that they were in D or M status at present or in the past, yet they planned to be in A status when they graduate and live a life in the same status after

• graduation. There were, though, five students who thought that they would be back into M status

in the future (aged 26-30) after being in status A at graduation. This pattern is also seen in the study of Archer (1989). In addition, a strong correlation was observed between the understanding the theme of the video and the participants self-awareness of their Identity Status.• Improving Student Success through Intentional Institutional Action Betsy Barefoot Vice President & Senior Scholar John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education 828-475-6018 barefoot@jngi.org UNITED STATES The session will focus on how the Gardner Institute's measurably successful Foundations of Excellence (FoE) self-study/action planning process can be used to significantly enhance student learning and success at two- and four-year colleges and universities. Participants will learn how FoE can generate findings and create plans that, in turn, can yield increases in first-to-second year retention and degree completions rates for new students over time. In addition, detailed information about the components and merits associated with the Foundations of Excellence Transfer focus process will also be shared. Specifically, the presenter will discuss: • The manner in which the comprehensive Foundations of Excellence self-study helps to guide the measurement of institutional efforts and provide an aspirational model for the entirety of the beginning college experience and the transfer experience at both two-year and four-year institutions; and, • Evidence of success including, but not limited to, research that examined the significant correlation between participation in the FoE self-study process and increases in first- to-second year IPEDS-reported retention rates over time for institutions that reported implementing their FoE actions plans to a high degree. The presenter will also share information about the Gardner Institute’s newest action planning and quality enhancement effort, Gateways to Completion (G2C). Focused on creating and executing an evidence-based plan for improving student and institutional performance in high-risk gateway courses, G2C includes an array of components including a self-study platform, action planning and implementation resources, and technology tools. Session participants will receive materials on both the Foundations of Excellence and Gateway to Completion processes and copies of associated research studies. In addition, the attendees will be able to ask questions about the process and discuss the merits associated with using either FoE and/or G2C at their own institutions. Student Recreation First-Year Assessment

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Deborah Mixson-Brookshire Assistant Professor of Management & University College Distance Learning Director Kennesaw State University 678-797-2074 dmixson@kennesaw.edu Donald Brookshire Associate Director of Student Recreational Programs and Facilities Kennesaw State University 678-797-2133 dbrooks1@kennesaw.edu UNITED STATES Our poster presentation will share our institutions’ recreation facility mission and an overview of services and the facility available to students as well as our first-year course involvement with health and wellness of first-year students. During the discussions and viewing with participants, we will provide ideas for collaboration with faculty, departments, and other programs to allow the participants to engage with us about the poster presentation. In this poster presentation, participants will be able to discuss with the presenters their individual experiences and engagement level with the students engaged in health and wellness endeavors. The poster will also share strategies on how to approach health and wellness with first-year students. We will provide the first-year student employee perspective, participant perspective, and course requirement perspective on health and wellness. Additionally, the poster will share assessment data collected in 2012 on first-year students who are engaged in health and wellness by showing usage of recreation facility, GPAs, and residential status. Showing who is using the facility will allow for the opportunity to plan and strategize to further engage all first-year students. The participants will also be exposed to innovative methods used in the recreation center based on distance learning. The innovative methods will offer effective ways to further enhance student skill sets in communication, leadership, professional writing, critical thinking, ethical dilemmas, conflict resolution, and time management through health and wellness. College Students in Transition: New Directions in Research and Practice Stephanie Foote Associate Professor of Education, Department of First-Year Programs Kennesaw State University 770-423-6503 sfoote@kennesaw.edu UNITED STATES Aspects of the college transition, particularly those in the first college year and senior year, have been well documented; however, the progression through higher education can involve many

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more diverse transitions. This presentation will draw from the forthcoming book, College Students in Transition: An Annotated Bibliography, to explore seminal and contemporary research involving myriad student transitions in and through higher education (beyond those of traditional first-year students); discuss the implications of this work for practice; and identify emerging areas of research, policy, and practice for faculty and staff who work with students in

• transition. This presentation will draw from aspects of the Transition Model (Goodman,

Schlossberg, & Anderson, 2006). Part I will use the recent literature base on college students in transition to examine how students approach transitions. Specifically, this part will provide insight into the behavior, characteristics, and many ways of characterizing the diverse students and types of transitions these students experience. Part II will describe the methods that institutions use to create successful transition experiences (e.g., orientation programs, study abroad, student involvement) that promote academic and social integration of students. Part III will explore seminal and contemporary research on theory and practices or strategies that are aimed at improving the overall retention and success of students in transition. Part IV of the presentation will discuss policy and policy-related references that pertain to and/or have the potential to influence the shape of practices associated with student transition through the undergraduate and/or graduate education continuum. Each section of the presentation will begin with an introductory overview of the topic and a brief explanation of a few seminal works in that

• area. Next, the presenter will engage the audience in a dialogue about how the recent

contributions to the literature under each section advance our collective understanding of students in transition. To further understand the evolution of knowledge in this area of higher education research and practice, the presenter will identify what is missing from this body of work, either by design or because major research has not yet been conducted. Finally, the presenter will facilitate a discussion of how the information drawn from recent literature can translate into successful programs, policies, and pedagogies to support the adjustment and success of students in transition. Enhancing Learning with Technology: A Study of First-Year Students in Online, Blended, and Face-to-Face First-Year Seminar Classes Stephanie Foote Associate Professor of Education Kennesaw State University 770-423-6503 sfoote@kennesaw.edu Deborah Mixson-Brookshire Assistant Professor of Management Kennesaw State University 678-797-2074 dmixson@kennesaw.edu UNITED STATES The U.S. Department of Education’s Learning at a Distance Report (2011) indicates that the number of undergraduate students enrolled in one or more courses offered through distance

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education rose from 8 to 20 percent in 2008. As more courses move to an online or blended format, instructors are challenged to conceptualize how the active and engaging style of many first-year seminars (Hunter & Linder, 2005) can be adapted to fit these formats. It is also important to understand who these online learners are, their expectations about the courses they are taking, and their perceptions of academic abilities. This session will examine the impact of instructional tools used in distance learning formats on student learning in a first-year seminar, and instructor and student expectations about the impact of these tools on student engagement and learning in the course. The information in the session will be organized into three parts: I) Presentation of findings related to student and instructor perceptions about aspects of the course and learning and engagement; II) Discussion of student perceptions about their academic abilities before and after taking the first-year seminar; III) Examples of pedagogy and practices that student and instructors perceive to have the greatest influence on learning and effectiveness in the first-year seminar. Because both presenters teach face-to-face, online and blended first-year seminars, they will also talk about how the findings have influenced their approaches to teaching first-year students in traditional and online learning environments. As a result of attending this session, participants will: 1. Become familiar with the emerging findings from the current study involving student and instructor perceptions about assignments and methods of instruction that impact learning in the first-year seminar. 2. Understand how students in the study perceive their academic abilities before and after taking the first-year seminar. 3. Learn specific pedagogies and practices students and instructors in the study perceived to have the greatest influence on learning and overall effectiveness in the first-year seminar. Can the First-Year Seminar Find a Place in Australian Higher Education?: A Case Study from the Humanities and Social Sciences Bret Stephenson Lecturer, First Year Coordinator La Trobe University, Melbourne (+61 3) 9479 2993 b.stephenson@latrobe.edu.au Spero Tsindos Lecturer (Assessment and Learning Design) Deakin University +61 3 92446087 spero.tsindos@deakin.edu.au AUSTRALIA

• I. The FYS in the USA and Australia Now that first-year seminars are among the most widely

adopted, intensively researched, and altogether effective educational innovations in American universities, it is curious that the format has failed to gain a foothold in Australian higher

• education. In this paper, we report on what may be the only true FYS to be offered in a major

Australian university today. II. Overview of the FYS Course at La Trobe University In 2011, the La Trobe University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, launched its FYS, Big

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Questions in the Humanities and Social Sciences, as a response to a worsening retention climate. It was decided early on that our students would be best served by a single seminar course that delivered uniform interdisciplinary content across numerous sections, and one that focused on the practice of academic skills. The course would further engage weekly topics that introduce students to the broad scope of inquiry they will encounter as students within our faculty. IV. Report of Evaluation Results Student responses to the surveys conducted in 2011 and 2012 showed the Mean of overall satisfaction with the quality of the subject for 2011 to be 4.38 and for 2012, 4.69, derived from a Likert scale of 1 to 5 with 1, being “Not very satisfied” and 5, being “Very satisfied”. This is compared to the faculty (Humanities and Social Sciences) Mean

• f 4.11 and 4.25, respectively. Regarding the value of the subject, results were similar with the

FYS Mean scoring consistently higher than the faculty Mean. Of the 52 students initially enrolled in the Semester 2, 2011 FYS subject, 14 were no longer studying at the university, suggesting an overall retention rate of 73%. This is comparable to the Bachelor of Arts program, which recorded an overall retention of 65%. In conclusion the FYS contributes highly to both student satisfaction at La Trobe University and to their retention. V. Future Implementation of the FYS In response to the success of the FYS course, the Faculty has now moved to make it a required foundation subject for all commencing BA students in 2014 (approximately 600 students). Other LTU faculties are now developing their own versions of the FYS to add to help bolster their retention efforts. Finally, the FYS has also become a foundational subject for a number of LTU pathway degrees. Teamwork for 21st Century Learning Lani Uyeno Professor CC Language Arts Leeward Community College (808) 455-0424 luyeno@hawaii.edu Leanne Riseley Professor CC Media Center Coordinator Leeward Community College (808) 455-0676 leannech@hawaii.edu UNITED STATES This workshop will focus on the development of 21st Century Skills that students need to be successful in their academic lives, their workplaces, and their communities. Critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills, with emphasis on strategies for facilitating teamwork in courses, will be highlighted. We will begin the session by having participants respond to the following question: “What has been your experience in using teamwork in your face-to-face or

• nline courses?” Participants will use their laptops or mobile devices to respond to the poll. Our

experience has been that faculty members would like to use teams in their classrooms, but many have experienced problems with non-productive students or teams. We will briefly introduce

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Problem-Based Learning (PBL), which starts with an ill-defined, open-ended problem and challenges students to solve these problems through collaboration and teamwork. PBL provides a context and real-world environment in which students take on the role of entry-level job employees or interns, while the faculty member serves as manager, meeting at regular intervals to facilitate the learning. This type of learning addresses what employers are looking for as they hire new employees: 21st Century skills that can be used in real-world situations. The PBL classroom supports increased student engagement and motivation, and changes the instructor‘s role from “sage on the stage” to facilitator. Teamwork is a major part of the PBL classroom, and although it is among the most rewarding parts, it can also be problematic. To illustrate the use of PBL and teamwork, we will focus on two courses, one in computer science and another in

• English. We’ll then introduce participants to two “problem” students and illustrate how we could

support team interactions. Five strategies for preparing and facilitating teamwork will be introduced, including 1) making the purpose of the teamwork known to the students, 2) having students develop a team charter, 3) facilitating team communication, 4) meeting with teams regularly, and 5) providing assessment. In small groups, participants will brainstorm a 6th strategy to support teamwork in their classes. They will post these electronically and present them to everyone. The Maka’ala Program: Keeping “Wide-Open Eyes” on Students’ Success through a Campus-Wide Early Alert Initiative Kami Kato Student Services Program Officer Leeward Community College 808-455-0236 kamik@hawaii.edu Therese Nakadomari IT Server & Network Infrastructure Manager Leeward Community College 808-455-0492 therese@hawaii.edu UNITED STATES The objective of this workshop is to share the design and structure of a campus-wide Early Alert initiative used at our campus that can be duplicated at others. We will be sharing the history of the program at our campus, outlining the program’s current structure and process including the criteria that has been established for referrals, and will be demonstrating the online system, Starfish Retention Solutions (which has been branded "MyLeeward" at our campus) that we use to collect referrals and communicate to instructors. We will also talk about our “lessons learned,” which will pinpoint both the successes and challenges encountered by our program, identify key structural elements that helped to facilitate the process (e.g., multiple referral methods, the use of technology, etc.), and will mention our plans for the future (i.e., gaining counselor and instructor participation in further refining and directing the program, using data to focus the intervention so

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that it can have the highest impact for students). Both formative and summative data will be

• shared. Data points will include referred students’ completion rates and grade attainment in their

referring course(s) as well as their overall grade attainment, completion and persistence rates. Impacts on first year students and students on academic warning (70% of which go on warning after their 1st semester) will also be outlined. Which Psychosocial Characteristics Make a Difference in the Engagement of University Freshmen?

• M. E. Betsy Garrison

Associate Dean/Professor Louisiana State University 225.578.2081 hcgarr@lsu.edu Robert Rohli Faculty Director/Professor Louisiana State University 225.578.7674 rohli@lsu.edu UNITED STATES Most of the respondents lived on-campus and a plurality were female and white. The mean high school GPA for the survey respondents was 3.48 (SD = 0.39) on a 4.0 scale and the mean ACT score was a 26 (SD = 3.46). Of the respondents, only 89 (8.2%) were first-generation college

• students. The belongingness score (summed variable) ranged from 12 to 39 with mean of 28.14

and a standard deviation of 4.02. This result suggests that, in general, students reported feeling that they fit in well at LSU. The self-regulated learning score (summed variable) ranged from 13 to 55 with a mean of 39.75 and a standard deviation of 8.05, indicating that students reported perceiving themselves as ‘well’ or ‘mostly well’ self-regulated. The range of the academic self- concept score (summed variable) was from 5 to 25 with mean of 22.08 and a standard deviation

• f 3.08. This result suggests that students reported high academic self-concepts. With respect to

engagement, the scale mean was 2.37 and the standard deviation was 1.00, indicating that students were only moderately engaged. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed that belongingness, self-regulated learning, and academic self-concept were all significantly (&#945; < 0.01) related to engagement (r = .33, .38, and .26, respectively). Multiple linear (ordinary least squares, single block) regression analysis revealed that self-regulated learning was a better predictor of engagement, as indicated by the standardized regression coefficient, than belongingness and academic self-concept (Beta = .29, .10, and .11, respectively), although all three were statistically significant predictors of engagement (t-tests ranged from 3.27 to 9.01). The Lived Experience of First-Year Students who Have a Disability

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Steve Bailey Manager Health and Wellbeing Administration Macquarie University +61298509493 steve.bailey@mq.edu.au Darren Peters Director Campus WellbeingSupport Services Macquarie University AUSTRALIA The number of first year students who have a disability, especially students who have a mental illness, is growing and yet little is known about the needs of this group or how to adequately provide services that meet their needs. To learn more about the needs of these students Macquarie University began investigation into the needs of this student group that began with small pieces of market research and expanded these into two pieces of formal research. The findings from the initial market research were used to drive change in the support services

• delivered. What was learned from the initial work was also used in drawing up the next stages of

the research which was submitted for ethics approval in 2012. The first piece of research was designed to increase the knowledge of about the lived experience of first year students who have a disability through a series of focus groups that were facilitated by staff who were independent

• f the service. The second piece of research was into the effectiveness of the coaching program

that had been expanded to meet the changing needs of students registering with the disability

• service. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected on the effectiveness of the coaching

program and its wider impact on both the students receiving and the students delivering the coaching and the programs wider impact on the campus and the academic staff involved. The headline data is of course on the impact of coaching on the retention and completion of first year students who have a disability. This paper will report on the major findings from both pieces of research and the changes that have been made in the delivery of support services at Macquarie University that have flowed from it. Initial data show a steady annual increase in the retention rate for students who have a disability and that the retention rate these students is now on par with other students in campus. First-Year Students: Engagement Activities Which Keep Them Coming Back for More Darryn Diuguid Assistant Professor of Education McKendree University 618-537-6559 drdiuguid@mckendree.edu Neil Quisenberry Associate Professor of Sociology McKendree University

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618-537-6849 pnquisenberry@mckendree.edu UNITED STATES The university used in this study requires all first-time college students to enroll in a 1-hour course called University 101. The manifest purpose of this course is to familiarize students with college and provide a safe place for them to ask questions and learn the campus policies. However, there is also a latent purpose of this program, which is to bond the students to each

• ther, a faculty member, and to the university itself. All of these efforts are done to familiarize

students with the university and increase the level of school bonding for the students, thus increasing student retention for the university. With three years of data analyzed, we found that, surprisingly, overall university engagement had no significant effect on perceived level of success in college, overall level of satisfaction, educational goals or anticipated GPA. Next, we examined the effect of classroom engagement on the same previously listed outcomes. This time we did find that higher levels of classroom engagement did have a significant positive effect on perceived level of success, level of overall satisfaction and educational goals, controlling for age, sex and race. Interestingly, there was no significant effect of classroom engagement on anticipated GPA. However, given that we surveyed these students in the middle of their first semester, their anticipated GPA may have lacked sufficient variability. Finally, we examined the effect of students’ level of college preparedness on these same outcomes. Not altogether surprisingly, we found that level of student preparedness did have a significant effect on GPA, but not on any of the other outcome variables. This finding indicates that students who spent more time researching colleges and choosing the one that best fit their needs also had significantly higher GPAs. What these findings suggest is that student engagement is indeed important, but not all types of student engagement. For example, university-wide engagement does not show a significant effect on our college success outcomes. However, classroom engagement does have the expected positive effect. This suggests that becoming involved in campus may be important from a theoretical perspective, but that being active in the classroom actually has the significant positive outcomes that we would expect. There may be other reasons for this finding, but at the very least, it suggests that faculty should make every effort to actively engage first-year students in the classroom. Difficulties but Not Really, It Is a Matter of Perception Jordan Robertson Facilitator McMaster University 905-525-9140 x21560 jordan.robertson@learnlink.mcmaster.ca Melissa Phachanhla Course Support McMaster University 905-525-9140 x21558

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melissa.phachanhla@learnlink.mcmaster.ca Elyse Watkins Course Support McMaster University 905-525-9140 x21560 elyse.watkins@learnlink.mcmaster.ca CANADA Experience first year Inquiry in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Program at McMaster University through the eyes of students. Each faced with unique situations; first-year students, peer tutors, and graduates have a common experience of struggle. Struggle, as a theme, is supported by the community created through the interdependent relationship between these three groups. First year students in general face challenges with newfound independence and

• responsibility. Inquiry compounds these challenges by imparting responsibility in learning to the

students themselves. The emphasis on group work and the development of skills derails students who have traditionally focused on didactic learning and product-driven evaluation. As fourth year students, peer tutors revisit the Inquiry experience. Their struggle centers around their role both as peers and as support. Witnessing the first year experience creates an opportunity for peer tutors to reflect on their own struggle and wrestle with a sense of responsibility for the first year

• experience. Challenging the norms in the workplace or in post-graduate studies creates the

experience of struggle for graduates. Graduates of the program have developed the skills to excel at creating opportunities, personal development and carving their own path. Graduates are then faced with the challenge of working in settings where group process, self-reflection and perspective-taking may not be as valued; settings where the final product is valued over collaboration and the development process. The struggle as a first year Inquiry student is a prerequisite for growth and the foundation for future development and understanding of the learning process. You Want Me to Do What? Margaret Secord Facilitator and Assistant Clinical Professor McMaster University 905-525-9140 x22655 margaret.secord@learnlink.mcmaster.ca Hartley Jafine Facilitator McMaster University 905-525-9140 x21560 hartley.jafine@learnlink.mcmaster.ca Carrie McAiney

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Facilitator McMaster University 905-525-9140 x21560 carrie.mcainey@learnlink.mcmaster.ca Annie Lee Facilitator McMaster University 905-525-9140 x21560 annie.lee@learnlink.mcmaster.ca Jordan Robertson Facilitator McMaster University 905-525-9140 x21560 jordan.robertson@learnlink.mcmaster.ca CANADA Designed as a companion to the “Learning is (wonderfully) Messy” presentation, this session will explore the Inquiry facilitators’ perspectives in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours)

• Program. Facilitators are a heterogeneous team that includes recent graduates, professionals from

various backgrounds and years of experience and the program’s founding Dean. In keeping with

• ur experiential emphasis, we will simulate and facilitate a brief Inquiry experience, giving

session participants the opportunity to reflect on its meaning and potential for them in their roles with first year students. Uncertainty, struggle, rewards and reciprocal learning with students will be amongst our discussion topics, together with our lived experience of facilitating the personal growth of students. When describing Inquiry 1, emphasis is typically placed on course format, activities and assessment. However, our experience suggests that the approaches, values and characteristics of facilitators are also integral to the success of the course. We will explore how learning environments need to embrace uncertainty as Inquiry creates an environment where lessons are often not planned and students decide how to best utilize their time. It is in these ways we are co-learners with the students. As learners in this environment, the team of Inquiry facilitators meet weekly to share experiences, problem solve and provide support to one another. We embody and practice the six skills (personal awareness, problem identification, problem solving, professional communication, and personal and peer evaluation and peer collaboration) that we ask students to engage with and develop throughout the year. In this session, we will share how we understand ourselves in the facilitator's role, function as instruments of change and development, participate as learners in a reciprocal relationship with students, and engage as members of a learning community. Learning is (Wonderfully) Messy Delsworth Harnish Professor and Assistant Dean

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McMaster University, Hamilton 905-525-9140 harnishd@mcmaster.ca Debbie Nifakis Associate Professor (Clinical) McMaster University 905-525-9140, x22815 Nifakis@mcmaster.ca Laurie Barlow BHSC Instructor McMaster University 905-525-9140, x22815 lbarlow@mcmaster.ca Lorna Colli BHSC Instructor McMaster University 905-525-9140, x22815 lorna.colli@learnlink.mcmaster.ca Margaret Secord Assistant Professor (Clinical) McMaster University 905-525-9140, x22815 margaret.secord@learnlink.mcmaster.ca CANADA This session will detail a 12 year experience with a first year Inquiry course in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours)Program, McMaster University with a view to answering the question: “Could I do this in my classroom?” Each course section joins 15-20 first year students, 3 - 4 senior student peer tutors and 1- 2 facilitators (faculty) as a learning community. Our course and 4 year program emphasizes group process, collaborative efforts to genuinely construct knowledge and ongoing development of personal awareness. To this end, we have defined and refined a skill set that is the cornerstone of the course and the program. Students explicitly work towards the development of six skills (6 Ps): personal awareness, problem identification, problem solving, professional communication, personal and peer evaluation and peer

• collaboration. In Inquiry I, we intentionally create a small class experience for students in their

first, rather than final year - flipping the usual undergraduate program configuration on its head. We provide minimal structure, frequently bend rules, and actively learn with and from our

• students. We aim to create a safe learning environment and allow failure. Messy and profound

learning often emerges. We encourage students to take responsibility for much of our class time together, and consequently their learning. We provide a scaffolding of several large group activities over the course of 8 months; cross cultural simulation, town hall debate, and simulated

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patient interviews that function as triggers to inspire students’ thinking and further inquiry, sometimes resulting in group projects (and sometimes not). Our focus is on process (group and individual) more so than content. Every six weeks, students meet one on one to discuss their goals and progress with their facilitator(s). We ask students to reflect and devise learning contracts to begin the goal development process, identify potential obstacles that could hinder goal attainment and formulate action plans. We encourage students to critically evaluate scientific literature and develop information literacy skills. Students become skilled in personal and peer evaluation. Attention to these skills not only assists them in transitioning to university, but also prepares them for the remainder of their undergraduate studies and postgraduate plans. This session's scope will include sharing our program philosophy and its implementation in the classroom, including our course outline, special events, classroom activities, integration with

• ther first year courses and upper level courses, and evaluation methods and results.

A Transformative Retention Model Using PACT and Foundations of Excellence Andy Person Executive Director, Student Success and Engagement Mercy College 914-330-1450 aperson@mercy.edu UNITED STATES In today’s global, knowledge-based economy, the impact of a college degree is more significant now than ever before in the history of the American workforce. In 2012, the U.S. Department of educated reported that 60 percent of jobs added nationwide required a bachelor’s degree, and 90 percent required at least some college. Job statistics in May, 2012 show that while national unemployment hovers at 8.2%, people that hold a bachelor’s degree are half as likely to be out of work at a 3.9% unemployment rate. Despite the economic impact of a college degree, roughly half of American college students never finish school. Students particularly at risk are low- income, minority, and first-generation students. This group of at-risk students makes up a significant portion of the U.S. college student population. In addition, minority students are on the rise. The 2010 Census showed that Hispanics represented more than 50% of the United States’ growth from 2000 to 2010. Solution: Mercy College is an innovator in student success by changing how a college prepares its students for their careers. Using the PACT model, Mercy College uses professional mentors to help students succeed through a “single point of contact”

• approach. Mentors are assigned to students at the start of college and work with them through
• graduation. Mercy College employs 28 full-time, cross-trained, professional mentors who engage

with students daily –in person, by phone, and online. Mentors know their students and work with them to customize their path from college through career or graduate school. PACT complements the traditional college curriculum with mentoring modules in personal, interpersonal, organizational and career development. The program includes internships and workshops on topics ranging from public speaking to interviewing to resume development, as well as an online portfolio component. PACT also cultivates employer partnerships, internships and mentoring opportunities to give students even greater access to new opportunities. Over

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2,000 students are currently enrolled in PACT. Using the Foundations of Excellence self-study, Mercy College focuses on the first year – a critical time for retention, learning, and development

• f skills that support future learning. The purpose of the Foundations of Excellence self-study is

to assess achievement of excellence and produce an action plan for institutional change and

• improvement. The process uses local campus expertise – the people who really know the campus
• well. The process also encourages long-term advocates for academic excellence and student

success in the first year. Utilizing the Po`o (Head), the Pu`uwai (Heart), and the Kino (Body) When Planning Your Co-Curricular Programming Heather Lindsay-Carpenter Academic Advisor, Learning Communities and First Year Success Metropolitan State University 303-556-4985 hlindsa3@msudenver.edu Cynthia Baron Associate Director, Learning Communities and First Year Success Metropolitan State University of Denver 303-556-2772 baron@msudenver.edu UNITED STATES Fostering a high touch atmosphere on a non-residential campus is challenging but it can be done! Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) shares a campus with two other institutions, boasts a 100% commuter population and is located in the urban setting of downtown

• Denver. First Year Success (FYS) exists at MSU Denver to ensure that new to college freshman

standing students feel a connection to the university. While curricular needs are being met through various learning communities, co-curricular programming completes the circle for

• students. By categorizing intentional programing into three areas, FYS strives to create a sense of

community for first year students on campus. The three areas include the brain (primarily academic needs and encouragement such as MidWeek 10 seminars and Lunch & Learns which concentrate on areas such as test taking skills, motivation, accessing student services, etc.); the heart (this encompasses volunteering, making a difference, feeling like more than just a student ID number); lastly the body (this area focuses on stress reduction, getting people up and moving through our Fun Fit Friday program that includes yoga, Zumba, Pilates, etc). Supporting students in a holistic manner is not a new concept however we often overlook the importance of co- curricular programming within a first year program. Bring your ideas and be prepared to leave with new ones as we create our own learning community. While new to college freshman standing students are our primary target with the brain, heart, & body categories, we have expanded this idea to encompass the needs of the FYS faculty and Student Ambassador program. This interactive presentation will focus on what FYS is doing in these three areas how these ideas can be tweaked to benefit other campuses.

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Bridging the Faculty-Staff Divide Ashby Butnor Faculty Outreach Coordinator, Learning Communities and First Year Success Metropolitan State University of Denver 303-352-7351 abutnor@msudenver.edu Sandra Posey Director, Learning Communities and First Year Success Metropolitan State University of Denver 303-556-2239 sposey1@msudenver.edu Cynthia Baron Associate Director, Learning Communities and First Year Success Metropolitan State University of Denver 303-556-2772 baron@msudenver.edu Heather Lindsay-Carpenter Academic Advisor, Learning Communities and First Year Success Metropolitan State University of Denver 303-352-4195 hlindsa3@msudenver.edu UNITED STATES This session provides an opportunity to discuss how best to foster communication and collaboration between faculty and staff for the benefit of first year students. Unfortunately, what we call the “faculty-staff divide” is a problem on many campuses. This tension likely arises from differences in professional training (specialized academic expertise vs. generalized university administration) and then increases due to differing approaches (content-centered vs. student- centered), hierarchical structures, and expectations from various levels of administration. However, given that first year programs typically include both faculty-driven academic components and staff-driven support services, aligning our goals in the interest of student success is a priority. In the recent book, The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All- Administrative University and Why It Matters (Oxford University Press, 2011), Benjamin Ginsberg discusses the shift of university “management” from faculty to a growing number of administrators and professional staff. Ginsberg clearly laments this situation and his frustration resonates with most faculty insofar as they often resist and refuse to participate in administration- driven initiatives and programming. In response, Ginsberg raises a call to arms to reinstate faculty as the primary decision makers on campus. However, given the unlikely possibility and questionable desirability of a complete reversal of campus dynamics (given that staff positions

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are increasing faster than enrollment), we suggest a different approach. We argue that more work needs to be done to engage and entice faculty to collaborate beyond their traditional disciplinary and divisional silos. Collaboration rather than what some have called a “faculty-staff civil war” is clearly in the best interest of our students. Because this institutional divide tends to be sustained by faculty, this session offers first-year staff professionals a number of techniques for winning over their own campus faculty and bringing more instructors into the fold of first year

• programming. These approaches include grants to encourage course integration, innovative

teaching, and co-curricular events, awards to recognize excellence in teaching, and travel awards to further pedagogical development. Beyond that, we will share tips for creating a welcoming community around first year success that diminishes the divide that separates faculty, staff, and

• administrators. The goal of the session is for each attending participant to leave with a holistic

plan for effective collaboration that meets the specific needs of his/her own campus and its first year students. From Pilot to Program Assessment: Developing a Community Focused Model of First-Year Success Cynthia Baron Associate Director, Learning Communities & First Year Success Metropolitan State University of Denver 720-394-8925 baron@msudenver.edu Sandra Posey Director, Learning Communities and First Year Success Metropolitan State University of Denver 303-556-2239 sposey1@msudenver.edu Heather Lindsay-Carpenter Academic Advisor Metropolitan State University of Denver 303-352-4195 hlindsa3@msudenver.edu Ashby Butnor Faculty Member, Department of Philosophy and FYS Faculty Outreach Coordinator Metropolitan State University of Denver 303-352-4195 abutnor@msudenver.edu UNITED STATES First year students who make the daily commute to urban campuses face academic and nonacademic issues not typically experienced by their non-commuter counterparts on traditional

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residential campuses. Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU-Denver) is committed to meeting the challenge of first year student engagement on a non-residential campus in the heart

• f downtown Denver, Colorado. In 2007, in response to low retention and graduation rates at the

institution, faculty and administrators were mandated to pilot and develop a comprehensive First Year Success program (FYS) inspired by research based high impact practices. A learning community model anchored in general education courses complimented by a first year seminar and peer support was the first pilot. This model proved to be intentional in offering meaningful engagement and mentoring opportunities for students with peers and faculty members to ease the transition into the first year. Bringing faculty and administrators together to initiate this institutional “culture shift” proved to be challenging but necessary in transforming the first year experience for MSU Denver students. The evolution of the program has gained much positive attention and has sought frequent assessment and program evaluation to fulfill the ambitious goals set forth by the administration to increase the first year retention rate for MSU Denver students from 56% to 75%. In 2013, the First Year Success program at MSU-Denver is an institution wide initiative with the intent to serves approximately 2,000 first year students via learning communities supported by co-curricular programs, service learning opportunities, and peer support programs. Upon much curriculum development and collaboration with academic departments the program is pleased to introduce and pilot a First Year Success seminar course- Communication in Action in the 2013-2014 academic year. The FYS program plays a major role in meeting the needs of a highly diverse urban student population with approximately 42% students of color enrolled in FYS in the fall of 2012. As the program continues to grow and develop, program research and evaluation are essential. In 2009, MSU Denver was recognized as a national leader among emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions by Excelencia in Education for its innovative recruitment and retention methods. The university has also received local and national attention for the creation of innovative policies addressing the needs of undocumented

• students. This interactive workshop aims to present one strategic community focused model of

first year success in an urban commuter university that seeks preeminence. First-Year College Seminar as a Tool for Nutrition Education and Food Preparations Skills Ingrid Kobler Graduate Assistant, Dept. Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion Mississippi State University 228-234-3498 ivk2@msstate.edu Sylvia Byrd Professor of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion Mississippi State University 662-325-0919 shb5@msstate.edu Linda Morse Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and Professor of Counseling and Educational Psychology

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Mississippi State University 662-325-7105 lmorse@colled.msstate.edu Brent Fountain Associate Extension Professor of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion Mississippi State University 662-325-0849 bjf2@msstate.edu UNITED STATES This study evaluated whether participation in a 16-week first-year college seminar food preparation course increased students’ self-efficacy in food preparation skills and dietary

• behaviors. Two hundred and twelve students completed pretest and received a follow up survey,
• f which 78 students (46%) completed. Eighty-six percent of respondents were female and

14.1% were male. Eighty-four percent of respondents were white, while 11.5% were African American, and 3% were other. The vast majority of respondents (93.6%) reported that this class did help them transition from high school to college while only 5.1% stated otherwise. Factors influencing students integration in the university environment/culture included ‘learning the importance of a healthy diet’, ‘working in a small group’, ‘making new friends’, ‘interact with professors’, ‘learning how to cook by myself’, ‘easy/fun class’, and finally ‘hands-on class’. Students’ comments included: “It was a fun class to ease me into college freshman year” and “I really enjoyed this class. I got to meet people and really enjoyed the hands-on experience. It was so much fun and easy.” Follow up survey questions assessing students’ confidence in food preparation skills ‘before’ Iron Chef Bully and ‘now’ were analyzed using a sign test. Answers were on a 3- point scale from “not at all confident’ (0), “a little confident” (2), to “very confident” (3). Data were overwhelmingly positive. All questions related to food preparation skills were highly significant between before class and after (p<0.001). Forty-eight students (60%) reported either being “not at all confident” to a “little confident” or “a little confident” to “very confident” before and after. Not a single participant stated they were “not at all confident” in cooking at the time of the follow up survey. Similarly, 68.8% of respondents and 53.2% felt their confidence increased in cooking techniques and in using food preparation equipment before and after the class, respectively. Students were asked if their knife skills had improved, a significant amount responded “yes” (82.1%). Students commented openly at the end of the questionnaire and stated “This class was most helpful in knife skills. I learned how to chop garlic and herbs.” The vast majority of students (84.6%) agreed they have become more adventurous in trying new foods. Student statements included “This was an amazing course that fueled my desire to want to cook more often and try new foods” and “It really did help me branch out in my variety of foods I eat.” Literacy, New Media, and the Disconnected Student Brandon Shaw Instructor

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Mohawk Valley Community College 315-923-404 bshaw@mvcc.edu UNITED STATES An introduction to terms connected to Critical Media Literacy and its relation to first year students, followed by a discussion of what literacy and critical pedagogy mean in the 21st

• century. Students utilize different resources today than they did ten years ago, which requires a

different skills set. Locating information on the Internet requires very different skills than reading a table of contents or an index. Readers must predict the information they will find when conducting a search, synthesizing texts that they read to discern what is quality information that can be trusted quickly and efficiently. I will provide a brief overview of successful projects that have been used in a variety of classrooms that have been found through research, discussion, and experience to increase engagement and motivation in students. Topics such as racism and the history of hip-hop, television shows such as The Simpsons and the American family, films such as “Fight Club” and media/advertisement/gender roles, and etc. and their interpretations will be demonstrated using a wide variety of media and literature styles. Using different technologies in the classrooms will be mentioned (tablets, smartphones, smartboards), as well as useful Internet and Social Media sites (Facebook, Edmodo, YouTube, TED, Khan Academy, etc.). The use of Bloom’s Taxonomy within the scope of all of the projects will be demonstrated and discussed. Roundtable discussion about what is currently used in the classrooms of participants, what works and what does not work, pitfalls of having a technology-based classroom, just a “movie” day,

• etc. These are common problems that are faced in classrooms that stray from the norm of how

students are conditioned to think a classroom should operate. These topics are to generate ideas, but with a heavier focus on what works in the classroom and the ideas that are being used, or could be used in the future. We will then discuss how ethos, pathos, and logos are intertwined with all of the different styles of media and how we are redefining what it means to “read” the different mediums that we are bombarded with on a daily basis. A brief wrap-up of the complete effectiveness of this teaching style to disconnected and disengaged youth, and unmotivated first year students, will conclude the session. Salute to Success: A Model for Mandatory Veterans Orientation and Advising Jo Ann Jenkins Assistant Dean, New Student Retention Moraine Valley Community College (708) 608-4199 jenkinsj52@morainevalley.edu UNITED STATES This presentation will begin with a discussion on the history of student veterans and an ice- breaker “Stages of Change” to help address the significant barriers that veterans face in the achievement of their academic goals. The presentation will be broken down into three major

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segments as it relates to the components needs to be taken into account to better assist veterans in their transition to and ultimately graduation from the institution. • Personnel and services—the existence of offices, and professionals that can meet and understand unique issues and concerns

• f student veterans. • Institutional structures—the existence campus policies and procedures

related to administering student veterans’ information, benefits, and services • Social and cultural support—the extent of student veteran representation in the student body, veteran specific groups and services, and quality relationships between student veterans, their peers and faculty The discussion that follows the above segments will focus on a detailed discussion of Moraine Valley’s active commitment to the success of veterans as students and the implementation of our Mandatory Veterans Advising Model. The presenters will then review the strategies and collaboration efforts needed to build this comprehensive advising model. This veterans-focused strategic plan includes providing information on supporting veterans’ and military family members access to services to which they are entitled, training programs for faculty on how to deal with veterans in the classroom and educational resources. The term “Veteran/Military Friendly Campus” has been used quite frequently. The presenters will facilitate an interactive discussion on the definition of “Veteran Friendly Campus” and what it means both financially and politically to the institution Wrap up and Question and Answer segment Institutional Partnerships within the First-Year Orientation Programme Shereene Knipp Orientation Coordinator Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University 27 41 5043595 shereene.knipp@nmmu.ac.za SOUTH AFRICA In order to meet the varying needs of its diverse student population, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) has had to make adjustments and changes to the way in which it does its business, including orientation. A significant development in the orientation programme at the NMMU has been that of forging partnerships between role players such as academics, administrative and professional support staff including Student Affairs and Student Counselling, student leaders and students. Historically, orientation has been managed largely by a central office but through a process of growing these partnerships it has developed into a collaborative and cooperative model. Experience has shown that the more ownership accepted by all the role players, the more effective the programme. As the orientation programme expanded to include a wider variety of strategies to meet the needs of the students, more role players such as academics and other student support units were brought on board to take responsibility for achieving the orientation outcomes. While the central office still provides the overall coordination and planning, examples of roles now played by other stakeholders include: student counselling staff who assist with the selection of about 230 orientation buddies, the development

• f the How2@nmmu peer-led programme and the training of the buddies; academic staff/faculty

who offer a student-staff fun event in their departments to create an opportunity for informal interaction between teaching staff and students, easing students’ anxiety and developing a strong

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sense of belonging; faculty who also offer four newly introduced academic sessions to their students where previously these had been offered by student counselling staff; and volunteers from academic and support staff who facilitate the Nelson Mandela Champion Within Programme which is a values-based programme. Financial aid staff offer sessions on bursaries and budgeting and there is now effective collaboration within the departments of Student Affairs to present more exciting and relevant programmes to first-year students. All in all orientation at NMMU has progressed to include a richer variety of programmes to meet a wider variety of first- year needs, and a much wider range of role players take greater responsibility for their discipline. This paper provides an example of a collaborative model for orientation where all the role players work towards a common goal and make first-year orientation everyone’s business. FYE Assessment Strategies guided by Continuous Improvement Model Cindy Cultee Director of Assessment and First Year Experience Northwest Indian College 360-392-4221 ccultee@nwic.edu UNITED STATES This presentation will highlight the work of the task force group made up of committed FY faculty, student service staff and administration. This group is working together to develop activities that focus on preparing students academically for college, Enhance student self- awareness and connections to their identity, and that promote student commitment to the

• community. There is an emphasis on the development of assessment strategies, implementation
• f the strategies challenges, and findings of program outcome assessment. FY learning outcomes

and measures have been developed by the group and assessment strategies are developed for multiple FY courses including the Student Success Course, Developmental math and English courses, and Intro to public speaking. Additional activities are implemented quarterly including service learning and faculty/student engagement activities. Student retention is tracked and analyzed for impact of FYE programming. This power point presentation will cover cohort retention for three years, findings discovered through the analysis of participation data and assessment data. We will highlight what we learned are practices to continue and recommendations for improvement. A first year student is being recruited to talk about program participation and personal skill development experienced during the first year. Practicing What We Preach: Modeling Active Learning and Critical Thinking in Professional Development for the First-Year Experience Shelagh Rose Faculty Director Pasadena City College 626-585-7263

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serose@pasadena.edu Lily Tran First Year Coach Lead Pasadena City College 626-585-3045 jxtran@pasadena.edu Myriam Altounji Counselor Pasadena City College 626-585-7012 mmaltounji@pasadena.edu UNITED STATES This workshop will demonstrate how a team of faculty from four different disciplines developed, piloted, and scaled up a comprehensive First Year Experience program at a large urban community college in California. While doing so, they garnered interest and support for first year student success from a large group of faculty representing all twelve divisions at the college. The session will open with an interactive demonstration of an activity that is currently being used by instructors in their first year seminar class to scaffold students’ reading of peer-reviewed articles related to student success behaviors. This will lead to an overview of the design and outcomes for the first year seminar, College 1, and a summary of the components of the first year experience program. This activity will be followed by a narrative describing the foundational steps (research and conference attendance, innovation grants, leadership retreats, strategic presentation of First Year Student data to faculty) that were necessary to build faculty interest in the first year experience. Using visuals and video documenting the One Book, One College speaker series, professional development workshops, and culminating First Year Student Conference, we will demonstrate how these events created momentum in support of the scale up

• f the First Year Experience program and moved the campus from a heavily-siloed environment

devoid of conversation about first year student success to one in which 32 faculty from across the disciplines dedicated a week of their summer to attend a professional learning institute required to prepare faculty to teach the FYE seminar. We will then share the professional development activities which comprise the week-long institute required for all faculty teaching the first year

• seminar. With detailed instruction on how to implement these activities, participants will take

away numerous methods to integrate active learning and critical thinking into their own professional development and first year seminar classes. Session participants will then engage in a paired activity used to scaffold students’ reading using the Professional Development Institute Principles and Syllabus as the text. This process will generate questions about the institute leading to a question and answer session. Impact of Institutional Support Services on the Persistence and Graduation of College Students with Disabilities

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Barbara Hong Associate Professor of Special Education Penn State University 814-949-5272 bsh15@psu.edu UNITED STATES Descriptive results: In terms of gender and race/ethnicity, the sample consisted of fewer females than males (46.7% to 53.3%, respectively) who were more likely to be White (74.5%). In terms

• f housing, the majority (88%) of students who sought disability services lived off campus and

most (82%) received no financial support while attending college. Of those who received support (18.5%), nearly two-thirds received grants while 13% were provided work-study positions. In terms of matriculation, 15% of the sample transferred from another campus to the main campus. An unintended finding was that over half (54%; n=293) of students initially seeking services (n=546) did not receive them due to one of three reasons. The student either: (a) did not provide any documentation to establish the existence of a disability to initiate services, (b) did not follow proper guidelines or provide appropriate documentation to establish the existence of a disability,

• r (c) followed guidelines to document a disability but, after review by the ODS counseling staff,

the disability was not considered eligible under Americans with Disabilities Act mandates to warrant a reasonable accommodation. The graduation rate of 66.5% found was, in comparison to students without disabilities, lower over the same time period (86.7%). Students with disabilities required, on average, 9.88 (SD=22.3) semesters to obtain their degree. As expected, students who did not achieve their baccalaureate degree had 2.5 fewer semesters than students who

• graduated. Students who graduated had a higher overall grade point average than students who

did not complete their undergraduate degree. The graduation rate for students who made an initial contact to the ODS office but did not receive services because of one the three reasons cited earlier, their graduation rate was 65.1%. When comparing graduation rates of students who initially contacted ODS but were not registered and four disability groups who received services (i.e., behavioral, cognitive, physical, and multiple disabilities [i.e., two or more categories]), no significant difference in graduation rates was found. Logistic regression analyses: Results showed that ethnicity and remaining at the main campus throughout their matriculation were significantly associated with degree completion. Adding disability type slightly increased variance accounted an additional 2%. Yet disability type was not significantly related to degree

• completion. When GPA was added, the variance explained substantially increased to 35%. In

contrast, gender and ethnicity, which were significant predictors in Model 2, no longer contributed to explaining differences in degree completion, when controlling for other variables including GPA. In Defiance of Darwin: A Four-Year Model to Combat the Forces of Natural Selection and Encourage Persistence Deborah Burris Director, First Year Experience Pfeiffer University

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704-463-3358 Deborah.Burris@fsmail.pfeiffer.edu Jim Gulledge Director of Learning Center Pfeiffer University 704-463-1360 Jim.Gulledge@fsmail.pfeiffer.edu UNITED STATES We are in the first year of fully implementing the use of the EQi in a coaching relationship. At this point in the year we have a demonstrated 92% retention rate between the fall and spring

• semesters. This compares to 88% in 2011-12, a year in which we began introducing a coaching
• model. While we do not yet have assessment results from the students regarding this years’

experience, a poll of the mentors offers unanimous support for the use of the EQi2 as a tool to better know our students much earlier in the year in the coaching process. Several mentors have said that they felt they knew their students better by the end of September than the previous year’s students by the end of the spring term. Given these reports we expect a greater retention rate between the spring of the freshmen year and the fall of the sophomore year. Last year’s figure for this time frame was 77%. While we are in the first rounds of data collection in the execution of this project, we are seeing positive effects, which is encouraging. Putting the Capstone First: Turning the STEM Curriculum Upside-Down Malachi Schultz Student Rochester Institute of Technology 585-475-7323 mjs2548@rit.edu Rose Rustowicz Student Rochester Institute of Technology 585-475-7323 rmr8019@rit.edu UNITED STATES The objective of this presentation is to provide a comprehensive overview of a non-traditional first-year pedagogy for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students which was implemented at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2010. With this new approach, freshmen from a variety of technical majors work together as a single integrated multidisciplinary team for a full academic year to design, develop, build, and test a unique, fully functional imaging system from scratch. With this pedagogy there are no textbooks or formal

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• lectures. There are no drawings, specifications, or plans to follow. The students are given full

autonomy to organize themselves and determine the technical direction of the project. While they will certainly acquire technical skills and knowledge over the course of the experience, the primary goal of this pedagogy is to begin the students’ enculturation into a community of practice by having them adopt the behaviors and practices of professional scientists and

• engineers. Consequently there are no tests, quizzes or finals. Student progress is assessed with

the help of rubrics developed by Project Kaleidoscope, one of the nation’s leading advocates for building and sustaining strong undergraduate programs in the STEM fields. Now in its third year, preliminary assessments of this pedagogy indicate that its impact on undergraduate STEM education could be transformational. It could change long-held perceptions about the abilities of first-year college students, and could lead to a new understanding of the role of faculty in technical undergraduate degree programs. This presentation starts with brief demonstrations of the cutting-edge imaging systems that were designed, developed, and built by the students who have experienced this pedagogy. This is followed by a discussion of the factors which motivated the new approach and the theoretical foundation which guided the development of the

• experience. The pedagogy is then described in detail, including the overall structure of the

experience, the role of the faculty, and student evaluation. This leads into an overview of the assessment data which has been collected in an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of this

• approach. Following a preliminary analysis of the data, there is a discussion of how these results

are motivating pedagogical changes across the RIT campus. The presentation concludes with recommendations for other institutions which may be considering the implementation of similar programs. Research Foundation eCHECKUP TO GO Programs: Evidence Based Alcohol and Marijuana Interventions for First-Year Students Leslie Wilson Clinical Psychologist San Diego State University 619-594-5220 L1Wilson@mail.sdsu.edu Jennifer Rikard Clinical Psychologist San Diego State University 619-594-5220 jrikard@mail.sdsu.edu UNITED STATES As students make the transition to college life, many increase their use of alcohol, a phenomenon that has been termed the “freshman effect.” The impact of alcohol and other drug abuse on the functioning and well being of college students and the campus community is well documented. Not only does substance abuse result in tragic student deaths, but research shows that heavy, episodic drinkers perform more poorly on tests, have lower GPA’s and miss more classes than

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• ther students (Perkins, 2002). Psychologists in Counseling & Psychological Services at San

Diego State University recognized the need for an intervention tool to address alcohol use and abuse in students. They designed the Alcohol eCHECKUP TO GO to meet this need. The Alcohol eCHECKUP TO GO is an evidence-based, dynamic, on-line alcohol intervention and personalized feedback tool. Drawing on Motivational Interviewing (Miller & Rollnick, 2002) and Social Norms theories (Haines & Spear, 1996), the e-CHECK UP TO GO is designed to motivate individuals to reduce their alcohol consumption using personalized information about their own drinking and risk factors. The intervention is designed for use in many areas of student

• life. Several studies demonstrate its effectiveness when used at the population level with all first-

year students. For example, research using the Alcohol eCHECKUP TO GO with students in their first year experience course showed high risk drinkers reduced their weekly drinking by 30%, had a 20% reduction in frequency of drinking to intoxication and reduced their alcohol related problems by 30% (Doumas and Anderson, 2009). The e-CHECKUP TO GO is currently in use on over 600 universities and colleges across the U.S. and in Canada, Australia and Europe. To date, fourteen research studies have demonstrated significant reductions in destructive alcohol use among college students completing the online intervention. The First-Year Experience (FYE): Successes & Challenges in the Real World Jennifer Marchbank Associate Professor in Explorations Simon Fraser University 778.782.8478 jmarchba@sfu.ca May Doerksen Manager, Academic & Administrative Services, FASS Simon Fraser University 778.782.8478 may_doerksen@sfu.ca CANADA First-year students not only deal with an entirely new educational setting after five years in high school, but also encounter many differences, often struggling to negotiate this transition and its impact on their identity. Recognizing this reality, SFU FASS has focused on designing and delivering innovative programs that support this transition and student success in the context of dwindling resources, structural changes and shifting local demographics. The Vancouver Sun recently ran an article about how Universities are lagging behind student demand, especially in Surrey, BC. With a third of its local population under the age of 19, Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts underscores the importance that BC’s largest school district gets funding for more post- secondary seats to ensure access to higher learning for local youth. A number of these youth are among the first in their families to access university education. (Details at: www.vancouversun.com/technology/Surrey+Universities+behind+city+demand/8004570/story.h tml) First-year students need to “be engaged, supported, and realize their sense of belonging” (as

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cited in Field & Kift, 2009, p. 2). Making this transition to post-secondary successfully increases the probability of academic success for students as well as overall satisfaction with university studies: “A powerful sense of place connects students to the institution and to one another” (as cited in Kuh, 2005, p.283). In this presentation we will discuss designing programs to achieve the above aims. Data and reflections of Faculty, staff and student experiences in two different forms of first-year experience programs in the arts and social sciences will be discussed. Explorations is a cohort program of 100 students offering a coordinated, interdisciplinary curriculum across the arts and social sciences. The program was designed to provide not just content but skill-building and pastoral support. The newer First-Year Learning Communities (FLCs) in Global Issues and Social & Behavioural Sciences are thematic, multi-disciplinary groupings of courses with 30-51 students. There is a distinctive FLC core of peer-led weekly meetings focused on academic, social and personal development. Following a brief explanation

• f the different structures and objectives of each FYE program, we will highlight the challenges

in moving from pedagogical philosophy to practical realities. The solutions that we have devised will be shared with a goal of facilitating open dialogues amongst participants and answering questions related to the establishment, maintenance and growth of first-year programs. An Integrated Model: Increasing the Retention of At-Risk Students Pavielle Chriss Associate Director for Student Success Southern Methodist University 214-768-4300 pchriss@smu.edu UNITED STATES The goals of the presentation are to provide participants with information associated with the

• peration of a bridge program that functions during the course of the academic year and outside
• f the boundaries of a traditional pre-matriculation or summer academic enrichment experience.

The SMU Mustang Academic Bridge Program has similar goals as traditionally offered pre- matriculation academic enrichment programs - the successful transition from high school to

• college. Yet one of the many differences with the SMU Bridge Program is that it provides a

structured plan of operation that is incorporated over the course of the entire academic year. Also, participants will learn how to structure a bridge program at a selective postsecondary institution that does not offer remedial courses. The presenter will also provide a comprehensive review of the obstacles and constraints that were encountered in the development of the Bridge Program and participants will learn how partnerships were forged between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs units to develop similar programs on their campuses. The foundation of the SMU Mustang Academic Bridge Program reflects the best practices of the Academic Advancement Program (AAP) at UCLA and the Integrated Academic Support Program (IAS) at Dartmouth

• College. These two programs collectively have been in existence for more than 35 years and both

provide a comprehensive approach towards encouraging an environment conducive to academic success for their respective cohorts. There are several philosophical components that guide the delivery of services to the students in the Bridge Program. Key among these are several that

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reflect Vincent Tinto's theories on student retention. Borrowing from his Dimensions of Institutional Action (1993), the SMU Bridge Program provides transition assistance, monitoring and early warning, as well as professional and peer counseling and advising. Additionally, the SMU Bridge Program includes leadership development, community building, mentoring, and academic courses with support and strong faculty involvement. The format of the presentation will provide opportunities for participants to discuss issues on their campuses with the presenter and the group to develop strategies and generate ideas. This will be achieved after an introduction of the presenter, a synopsis of the program - outcomes, results and new initiatives - with a comprehensive review of the data. FYEgypt … Challenges and Successes on the Road to Perfection Nagwa Kassabgy FYE Faculty Director The American University in Cairo 202-261-51909 nkassabgy@aucegypt.edu Hoda Grant Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Director of the Core Curriculum The American University in Cairo 202-261-53595 grant@aucegypt.edu EGYPT The First-Year Experience Program at the American University in Cairo was created in 2006 as an intensive four-day orientation program with the major goal of introducing the diverse population of incoming students to the mission, values, liberal arts educational system, and culture of the American University in Cairo. What makes this Program unique is the fact that it involves almost every department and every group in the university, i.e., faculty, staff, administrators, peer leaders, and new students. Over the years, our FYE Program has been very dynamic in that the different aspects of the Program have been regularly assessed, based on which the Program has developed and changed continually. The changes introduced from 2006 to the present are remarkable. This presentation has a twofold purpose. Firstly, the presenters will share their experiences of creating, establishing, evaluating, and developing the different aspects of the Program over the years. They will share their FYE Program mission statement, the intended learning outcomes, the materials and pedagogies used in the interactive class sessions, the plenary sessions, and the various social activities organized to achieve the learning outcomes

• f the Program. Focus will be on the different forms of evaluation used to assess the Program.

Assessment forms designed to obtain student feedback and faculty feedback and results of assessments will be shared. The various changes made over the years in response to input

• btained from the different groups involved will be described. The presenters will also share

video clips of students, peer leaders, faculty, and senior administrators’ testimonials describing their experiences, perceptions, and attitudes towards the Program. Secondly, the presenters will

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discuss how the development and changes in the FYE Program relate to other significant developments in the University, including the re-design of the freshman year, the restructuring of the registration and advising process, and the creation of an academic bridge program. The final part of the presentation will be a Q&A session with attendees. An Interactive Classroom With the Copia Aaron Gorin Director of Campus Partnerships The Copia 212-448-7600 AGORIN@THECOPIA.COM UNITED STATES Copia is an interactive reading platform that makes e-reading a communal activity. This session will show the many benefits and possibilities of Copia, particularly as it relates to the first year experience and ‘great reads’ programs. This session will simulate a modern classroom of students reading an assigned book. Using Copia, the presenter will give a hands-on demonstration showing how study groups of students interact on the platform, share notes, create private study groups and buy and download books to their tablet, smart phone, or laptop. Attendees will learn how to annotate books, interact with the professor and classmates in the margins of their ebooks, and improve their study skills. Particular attention will be given to the possibilities for using Copia as a campus-wide solution for first year “great reads” programs, allowing all students to access and participate in a digital discussion. The presenter will show how successfully Copia has already been used to create custom editions of classic titles such as Pride and Prejudice, and Dracula being used by professors in their college classrooms. Finally, this session will demonstrate the seamless way classroom reading paves the way for students to increase their pleasure reading outside of school. The Academic Statement: A Comprehensive Faculty-Led Initiative Nancy Koppelman Member of the Faculty, American Studies and Humanities The Evergreen State College 360-867-6383 koppelmn@evergreen.edu Sovay Hansen Student The Evergreen State College 520-981-3516 hansov08@evergreen.edu

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UNITED STATES The session will begin by providing context for the Academic Statement Initiative (ASI). This will include background about The Evergreen State College, including its pedagogical structures and method of providing a liberal arts education. After a discussion of the assessments that revealed deficits in students’ ability to plan their educational trajectories, participants will learn about the decision-making process that led to the ASI. This part of the presentation will be brief. Most of the presentation will center on an explanation of the components of the ASI, and how it was implemented. These components include faculty-led Orientation Week sessions, which include a common reading and all campus Convocation in the fall. The ASI is also promoted by annual faculty-led in-class work on Academic Statements; twice annual All-Campus Mentoring Days, led by teams of faculty; an annual Essay Contest in which students can submit their Academic Statements and compete for scholarships; ongoing assessment of the ASI by the Institutional Research Office; and ongoing stewardship of the ASI by a “Mentor Council,” a standing committee of faculty, staff, and students. Finally, a student member of the Mentor Council, Sovay Hansen, will give a brief presentation about a new student group that she has convened called “Future Graduates of Evergreen.” In partnership with the alumni office, this group will support undergraduates at all levels by creating support structures to help students realize the goal of developing sound and compelling academic statements. The presentation will conclude with commentary on why this initiative reflects some of the best commitments of liberal education. There will be time for questions and discussion. Enhancing First-Year Learning with the Newspaper Kevin C. Clarke Program Coordinator for University 101 Programs The New York Times/The New York Times in the First-Year 803-777-8500 kclarke@sc.edu Kathleen O'Connell National Education Director The New York Times 800-698-8604

• conkm@nytimes.com

Susan Mills Vice President of Education The New York Times 866-776-3698 edu@nytimes.com UNITED STATES

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In this session, the presenters will utilize the principles found in Using National Newspapers in the College Classroom (Knowleton & Barefoot, 1999), First-Year Civic Engagement: Sound Foundations for College, Citizenship and Democracy (LaBare, 2008), and the University 101 Faculty Resource Manual 2.0 (University 101 Programs, 2012), coupled with the experience of the presenters, to discuss how newspapers, particularly The New York Times, can support teaching and learning in the first-year. Discussion will focus on the common first-year competencies of diversity, civic engagement, health & wellness, global awareness, technology, ethics, information literacy, and career development. In particular, the presenters will highlight the daily article library, discussion questions, reading lists, webcasts, and other resources that are available to instructors via The New York Times in the First-Year that engage students in meaningful discussions that support student success in the first-year. In detail, the presentation will cover; the role of current events/civic engagement in first-year student learning/development, why a newspaper can be useful in first-year classes, why to use The New York Times (the national newspaper of record), the logistics and processes involved in utilizing The New York Times in the First-Year, what articles are available in the Daily Article Library, how daily articles are chosen, which competencies the program attempts to support and why, what kinds of questions and classroom activities are suggested to engage students in reading the newspaper, how to incorporate this program into a first-year course or other educational setting, recommended supplemental assignments and activities that can support the use of the content in the course beyond daily discussions, and assessment data about the program. Finally, the session will close with a discussion about how to use a newspaper, and the presenters will seek feedback and ideas on how to improve this program to enhance learning and engagement for first-year students around the world. Works Cited: LaBare, M. J. (Ed.). (2008). First-year civic engagement: Solid foundations for college, citizenship, and democracy. The New York Times & National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition: Columbia, SC.; Knowleton, S. R., & Barefoot, B. O. (Eds.). (1999). Using national newspapers in the college classroom (Monograph No. 28). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition.; University 101

• Programs. (Ed.). (2012). University 101 faculty resource manual 2.0. National Resource Center

for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition: Columbia, SC. “Jumping” into the first year of college through a virtual summer bridge program, early entrance experience, and academic program Kendra Wolgast Academic Support Center Director The Pennsylvania State University - Mont Alto Campus 717-749-6045 kmw24@psu.edu UNITED STATES The Jump Start Program targets students with predicted GPA’s below 2.50 who place into developmental math and English. Due to the location of the campus, in rural south central Pennsylvania, operating a residential summer program is not cost effective or feasible for some

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• students. Therefore, an online-summer experience was implemented followed by a four-day

Early Entrance Experience and a full academic component. Students complete online tutorials for developmental math and English during the summer prior to starting their fall semester under the supervision of math and English faculty as well as upperclassmen as peer mentors. Prior to the start of classes, JS students move onto campus for a four-day Early Entrance Experience with a morning focus on math and English exploratory courses. Afternoons are filled with enrichment workshops covering a plethora of relevant first year experience topics. Students are also involved in various evening activities planned by the peer mentoring and residential staff. During the academic year, JS students are placed into a learning community for their math and English courses taught by the same faculty they worked with throughout the summer; the students meet regularly with a Learning Specialist assisting them with staying on track academically in regards to their study skills; and regular meetings with their Peer Mentors to aid in their overall

• transition. This session will review the success of the program’s goals and objectives through the

research conducted from the implementation of the program. The results of the program students will be shared along with comparison information with the control group of students used in the

• research. A comparison will show the strengths and successes of the program after the pilot year

and the current progress of the students during the second year of implementation. Specifically, the four quantitative areas that will be explored include: (1) Academic Preparedness as a result of the virtual summer bridge component [95% JS English pass rate vs. 43% control & 96% JS math pass rate vs. 55% control] students, (2) Ease of Transition, (3) Persistence Rates [2nd semester JS CGPA 2.2 vs CGPA 1.89 control], and (4) Developing Student Leaders. In addition, qualitative data will be shared with the group. The final aspect of the session will include discussion on the challenges the JS program faced throughout the pilot year along with strategies and the direction the program will be headed in the future along with budgetary considerations. Using the Recent Findings of the Student Leadership Practices Inventory to Influence First-Year Student Leadership Development and Success Gary Morgan Founder The Student Leadership Excellence Academy for Potential Exhibitor Publisher: Wiley/Jossey-Bass 407.267.8909 Gary@student-leader.com UNITED STATES This session will accomplish four objectives: 1) equip participants with an overview of how the Student Leadership Practices Inventory works; 2) provide the latest findings on the leadership behaviors of students; 3) engage participants in understanding how they can use the research and the Student LPI specifically in their work with first-year students and first-year programs; and 4) discuss various ways in which a leadership assessment can directly influence the curricular and co-curricular experiences of first-year students to have an impact of student success and

• engagement. The workshop will engage participants in discussion on interpreting the data,

particularly to help individual students develop their leadership behaviors and discover ways in

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which they can provide learning opportunities for their students in a variety of environments (i.e., classroom, workshop, retreat, etc.) that will positively influence the first-year college experience, transition and connectedness. This approach to greater student engagement is valid for any first-year student regardless of background or experience. &#8232;&#8232; The structure of the assessment, along with the leadership model from which it was developed provides students with a comprehensive understanding of how they behave as a leader. The specific leadership behaviors found in people when they are the most effective can have a dramatic impact and relationship to how students connect with various aspects of their college

• experience. For example, how students engage with their peers, how they develop goals and

milestones to accomplish along the way of a major project, how they understand themselves as an individual such as their values and how those values translate to their commitments, and how they address challenges and obstacles and move through them successfully are just a few examples of how this particular assessment can directly apply to the experiences of first-year

• students. Thus, educators are provided with an additional resource for working to help first-year

students navigate to a better transition and successful first-year. This unique strategy will equip students and educators with data to help in creating intentional strategies and experiences to increase effective leader behavior for the student. &#8232;&#8232;Students who are more aware

• f and committed to a cause or group, have a greater general sense of commitment, are better

team players, will be more empowered, have a greater degree of productivity and perform higher in many areas of their lives. This session will provide an excellent resource to students and educators to improve the first-year of college. Explicit Adjustment to University through Access and Enabling Programs in Australia Chad Habel Coordinator, University Preparatory Program; Lecturer, Higher Education The University of Adelaide +61 (0)433 318 001 chad.habel@adelaide.edu.au AUSTRALIA Many of the findings of this research confirm intuitive or anecdotal evidence around the success

• f access and enabling programs, but they also provide some interesting findings which suggest

more nuance in student experience. Habel (2009) demonstrated the relevance of self-efficacy theory in academic contexts of student development, arguing that practitioners in Academic Language and Learning (ALL) could benefit from reflective practice based on the insights provided by the works of Bandura (1998) and others. In 2012, Habel published findings from an empirical study on the effect of studying in a Foundation Course on students’ approaches to learning academic self-efficacy. While students appeared not to develop “deeper” approaches to learning through the course of their study, they did demonstrate statistically significant increases in academic self-efficacy in a very short amount of time. Notably, this occurred especially in domains that were emphasized within the curriculum. Based on this work, qualitative research is currently being undertaken to explore more broadly the experience of students in an access and enabling program, and the nuances of their sense of self-belief and self-efficacy based on their

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experiences in the University Preparatory Program at the University of Adelaide. At the time of writing data collection is partially complete and some preliminary analysis has been undertaken (by the time of the conference all collection and analysis will be complete and the findings will be under preparation for publication). Preliminary analysis indicates that students

• verwhelmingly feel that study has been a transformative experience that has changed their lives

and opened new possibilities for their futures. They also feel significantly enhanced perceptions

• f self-worth and confidence, although their understanding of these factors may not be as

sophisticated as theoretical understandings. They also find great value in the social relationships they build in the course of their preparatory studies, and feel that they have created a social network that will last a lifetime. However, it is not a simple story of emancipation through education: students also feel the strain and disjunction of transformation. Many students are

• vercoming negative or traumatic prior educational experiences, and these can be triggered by
• studying. The path to self-belief is not a simple emancipatory journey but is full of doubts,

uncertainty, and potential regret. Furthermore, many students feel acutely the social mobility they are engaging in, and some feel a sense of isolation or estrangement from lifelong social

• contexts. References Habel, CS 2009, ‘Academic self-efficacy in ALL: Capacity-building

through self-belief’, Journal of Academic Language and Learning, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. A94–A104. Habel, C 2012, ‘“I can do it, and how!” Student experience in access and equity pathways to higher education’, Higher Education Research & Development, vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 1–15. Bandura, A 1998, Self-efficacy: the exercise of control, W.H. Freeman, New York. Transitioning Postgraduate Coursework Students: What Do You Need to Consider in Establishing a Peer Mentoring Program? Ann Peterson Senior Lecturer The University of Queensland 61 7 54835155 a.peterson@uq.edu.au Hilary Macleod The University of Queensland h.macleod1@uq.edu.au AUSTRALIA Transitioning postgraduate coursework students (PGCW) are often the forgotten students in institutions of higher education. Research focuses on transitioning first year undergraduate

• students. However, first year PGCW students are diverse and experience a range of transition

issues, but often lack the institutional support to ease their academic, social and psychological

• transition. In the School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, our two year

transition research project identified the need to ease the transition experience of PGCW students, particularly through the development of a peer mentoring project. We present the key elements of Postgrad Assist and identify considerations for others who may introduce a similar

• program. Our findings are based on an extensive review of the theoretical literature and case

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studies, and the outcomes of our action research. We define key terms (e.g. mentoring and peer mentoring) and analyze existing peer mentoring projects including their strengths, weaknesses, structure and recruitment processes. A key finding is that surprisingly there is little empirical research analyzing the process of mentoring (Lunsford 2011, Crisp & Cruz 2009) or the experience of PGCW mentoring projects. We analyze the key design features of Postgrad Assist in terms of: structure (management, duration and Mentor-Mentee interactions); the participants (Mentor/Mentee characteristics and recruitment); organization (Mentor training and induction, Mentor rewards/recognition, Mentor-Mentee matching, meeting arrangements, information dissemination, documentation, and evaluation); and content (academic, institutional and social). In terms of operational elements (i.e. the delivery), Postgrad Assist focuses on assisting with integration and providing psychosocial support to commencing PGCW students. The project evaluation mechanisms are described and the key findings highlighted. This mainly qualitative research indicated that Postgrad Assist improved mentee skills (social and academic) and

• integration. Mentees adapted quickly to the academic styles and requirements of the School,

shared their knowledge with other PGCW students, formed friendships and connections, and experienced enhanced feelings of self-worth and confidence. About 90% of Mentees believed that the project had helped them to integrate effectively into the School. The research also highlighted the fluctuating needs of the Mentees and the issues of importance at various stages throughout the semester. Mentors also benefited from the project, demonstrating enhanced leadership, communication and organization skills and agreed that they felt a sense of pride when assisting their Mentees to resolve issues. The evaluation also provided strong support for the

• verall structure and organization of the project. Several barriers and associated strategies to
• vercome them also were identified.

4GPEMPOSTGRADS – The Challenge of Establishing an Online Community of Practice for Time-Poor Postgrad Coursework Students Hilary Macleod Advanced Studies Coordinator, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management The University of Queensland +61 7 33467783 h.macleod1@uq.edu.au AUSTRALIA The School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management (GPEM) has been undertaking an ethnographic, action research project to develop evidence based initiatives to facilitate the transition process for postgraduate coursework (PGCW) students. One outcome of the first phase was a perceived need to establish an online network to supplement face-to-face initiatives and to support external students. Subsequently the school established an online community of practice called 4GPEMPOSTGRADS to facilitate the transition processes for PGCW students and provide an online space for professional and non-academic networking. The network site was established in 2010 following an evaluation of available platforms and adopts a risk assessment approach (based on Queensland state government social media policy and guidelines) to establishing a social media presence. This means that the site: • Is a private,

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moderated network with three levels of security • Is opt-in via an invitation link • Has a clear invitation email explaining the purpose and code of practice for use The Ning platform was selected as it allows for tailored design and layout. Thus 4GPEMPOSTGRADS has employed networking features (e.g. groups, blog, discussion, chat, photo and video upload tools); information dissemination tools (e.g. events & broadcast mail); integration with institutional identity (e.g. menu tab link to school website & RSS feeds to school twitter); and static pages (e.g. FAQs for GPEM students & useful web links). The network has been evaluated on an

• ngoing basis using quantitative (Google analytics) and qualitative (survey) methods and has

highlighted some benefits as well as a number of challenges. Whilst the 4GPEMPOSTGRADS site provides cost effective way to supplement information dissemination across PGCW cohort there remain many challenges to student engagement using the online/ social network mode. 4GPEMPOSTGRADS is not established as a true community of practice with networking activity amongst student and staff members. It is predominantly a one–way street of information dissemination and a community of lurkers! With this in mind a number of recommendations have been proposed to improve engagement, but have had mixed success e.g. • Extend invitation to academic staff and external stakeholders (some have joined but remain as lurkers who are reluctant to engage) • Emphasize the use of 4GPEMPOSTGRADS during the orientation program (less successful as the orientation program is information packed and students are

• verwhelmed) • Develop a video to instruct members how to use the site (in progress) • Allow

members to link to Facebook and twitter (undergoing risk management assessment) Transitioning for First Year Postgraduate Coursework Students – Issues and Ideas for Practical Implementation Hilary Macleod Advanced Studies Coordinator, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management The University of Queensland +61 7 33467783 h.macleod1@uq.edu.au Ann Peterson School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, UQ The University of Queensland +61 7 33653979 a.peterson@uq.edu.au AUSTRALIA Both undergraduate and postgraduate coursework (PGCW) students experience transition-related

• issues. However, the focus of research and practice is on transitioning first year undergraduate

students and research higher degree students and much of this research tends to be point-in-time and descriptive rather than analytical and longitudinal. In this roundtable we will draw on our experience over five years with a PGCW students’ transition program in a large learning and teaching focused university. Globally PGCW student enrollments are increasing and becoming more demographically diverse e.g. increasing numbers of international students, those who are

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returning to higher education after several years’ absence, those changing careers, and more mature aged students with complex work-life balance issues. Globalization also has seen the emergence of online education, especially in the more specialized postgraduate area. The multiple pathways for entry to PGCW study and the diversity of students entering these programs necessitate a new approach to the transition of PGCW students. It is time to acknowledge the heterogeneity of PGCW students and respond more effectively to their diverse needs and abilities. Far too often, it is assumed that PGCW students are experienced and that they will seamlessly navigate their transition to postgraduate study. However, even though these students experience a range of academic and psycho-social transition issues, they are often the invisible and forgotten students in institutions of higher education. In this roundtable, participants will explore: • The multiple transition pathways of PGCW students. • Transition issues faced by PGCW students (e.g. academic and psycho-social). For example organizational expectations, key skills required, pedagogical issues and approaches, moving into new areas of study, limited time frames to address transition issues, socialization, isolation and lack of integration, work-life balance, time management, and specific cultural issues faces by international students. • Why PGCW transition programs and research are important to the transition knowledge domain. • The similarities and differences between undergraduate and PGCW student transitions. • The types of transition programs offered to PGCW students and their general characteristics, including institutional issues, policy and systems. • The principles which should underpin an effective PGCW transition program. • Possible strategies to include in an effective PGCW program e.g. targeted orientation and peer mentoring programs, learning communities, graduate student centres. • The design of a possible PGCW transition program in the participant’s institution and sharing this vision or program with the other roundtable

• participants. • The need for evaluation of programs and strategies implemented for PGCW

students. Get Out Of The Classroom!: The Impact of Incorporating Field Trip Experiences in FYE Courses Edesa Scarborough Director of the First-Year Experience The University of Tampa 813-257-3571 escarborough@ut.edu Anthony LaRose Associate Professor of Government and World Affairs The University of Tampa 813-215-8683 alarose@ut.edu Chris Gurrie Assistant Professor and Director of Speech, Chair of First Year Committee The University of Tampa 813-257-1711

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cgurrie@ut.edu UNITED STATES The University of Tampa's first-year experience course known as Gateways is housed under the Office of the Associate Dean for the Baccalaureate Experience. In recent years the basic first- year course has been enhanced to include themed course sections. These themed courses were designed to couple faculty passion for specific topics with traditional first-year course objectives. This session's topic will focus on: how to develop, fund, and assess a themed first-year experience course with a newly added out-of-classroom experiential component. The participants in this session will have the opportunity to interact with and gain a unique perspective from both administration and faculty involved in the program. The discussion leaders will have PowerPoint slides, assessment data, and handouts highlighting the experiential component of this program; as well as material to help session participants begin a similar program of their own. The discussion will also benefit participants wishing to obtain stakeholder commitment and perhaps build stronger institutional buy-in for the development of such programs. More specifically, presenters will provide a substantive overview of the outside class event including the genesis of the idea, researching sources of funding, coordinating student movement and the academic component. Specifics of the event itself (e.g., coordinating students travel) will also be discussed. Survey and interview question creation and distribution will be addressed and copies will be made available to participants for critique and discussion followed by presentation of the results, including explanation of higher level statistics utilized. Lastly, unexpected lessons learned, future modifications to the initiative, and the potential role of social media will be discussed. Here's a Book. There's a Book: Choosing the Perfect First-Year Text for Your Program Chris Gurrie Assistant Professor and Director of Speech, Chair of First-Year Committee The University of Tampa 813-257-1711 cgurrie@ut.edu Edesa Scarborough Director of the First Year Experience The University of Tampa 813-253-3333 escarborough@ut.edu UNITED STATES Presenters will BRIEFLY share their history with choosing a first-year textbook for their

• institution. In the beginning of their first-year program the FYE seminar operated using handouts

and workbooks. Several faculty members balked at this "lack of content." From there, the program swung the other direction choosing texts that were heavily grounded in student learning

• theory. Faculty members teaching the course expressed concern that the texts were too heavy for

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the FYE class and some instructors teaching outside their comfort zones in FYE--felt a bit

• awkward. So, where to go from here? The presenters relied on surveys, faculty committees, and

faculty academic freedom to satisfy all stakeholders when choosing a first-year text. From here the guided conversation will have participants share HOW they choose their FYE textbooks. Notes will be taken on flip-pages. Presenters will guide this discussion with the purpose of hearing what works, what does not, and how session attendees overcame any challenges. Next, the presenters will guide discussion around the implementation process. HOW do participants get approval and buy-in? What works, what does not? Next, the presenters will guide discussion around student and faculty use of texts. How do they receive feedback? Who approves the texts from year-to-year? Finally, the presenters will ask questions about ASSESSMENT. How do the attendees know if the texts they choose are well-received, effective, or working for their programs over time? AT NO POINT WILL ANY AUTHOR OR PUBLISHER BE ENDORSED by the presenters. At this point, with the four questions above, time should be short. The final few minutes will be open for general questions and answers and allow participants to connect with each other and exchange information if they need to do so. Presenters will wrap by recapping the questions discussed during the session and reviewing notes taken on flip pages. A Generation Always Connected: Using Social Media to Enhance the First-Year Experience Yovan Reyes Associate Director of the Academic Advising Office The University of Tampa 813-258-7421 yreyes@ut.edu Edesa Scarborough Director of the Baccalaureate Experience Office University of Tampa 813-257-3686 escarborough@ut.edu UNITED STATES Social media is becoming more prevalent with this generation and in order to connect instructors to their students, creative methods are necessary. This presentation would explore the various types of social media used in a first year experience course: BlackBoard, LiveText, and

• Facebook. During the first semester we followed a more traditional approach utilizing the

standard syllabus followed by the majority of instructors at our university. Although the Baccalaureate Experience Office gives us latitude to change the syllabus, most professors do not go beyond the basics in regards to utilizing additional methods of social media besides BlackBoard and LiveText. Second semester, to possibly increase student involvement and enhance the course experience, we implemented an additional social media component,

• Facebook. The purpose of Blackboard is for it to be the “main site” for the instructor and the
• student. This site allows the instructor to post various amounts of information electronically

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regarding the course, such as the syllabus, multiple-choice quizzes, instructor and mentor information and grades in the course. Other features utilized are announcements, group email and chat, and links to sites and videos. The site is managed by the instructor and, if desired, the mentors or teaching assistants may also share responsibility. LiveText is used as a secondary site to collect essay assignments electronically from students. Students can upload a document or write their essay into an existing template. The instructor, using a pre-defined rubric, is able to edit, comment, and grade the assignment within that template. Or the instructor can download the document and upload back with edits and comments back to the site for the student. This site is solely managed by the instructor. Finally, we introduced the use of Facebook. The entire cohort of students unanimously chose this type of social media as all of them stated that they had an account with Facebook. A “group” was designed and managed by the mentors with no interaction from the instructor. The instructor provided links, videos, and reminders for the mentors to post. We will consider the overall benefits and disadvantages of the use of technology, addressing the practical and philosophical issues of how its use is changing the nature of education. Also, we will discuss additional types of social media that may be integrated in first year courses. We will close the session with a discussion of how engagement will lead to success with these students. Make the First Year a Success! A Comprehensive Program to Promote Student Success and Retention of First Year Community College Students Kathy Maalouf Associate Vice President for Student Success Tidewater Community College 757-822-1298 kmaalouf@tcc.edu UNITED STATES The presentation will begin with an overview of Tidewater Community College (TCC) and the First Year Success (FYS) program as part of the Quality Enhancement Plan. TCC is a multi- campus public two-year institution enrolling nearly 46,000 students annually. The college offers more than 150 programs, including both transfer and career-technical. The four campuses have distinct cultures and diverse student populations. The First Year Success (FYS) program is designed to improve learning for new students during their first year of college in efforts to assist them in achieving academic and personal success. Recognizing that most students need additional assistance as they transition to college, the comprehensive program includes four components: Orientation, Family and Friends Information Sessions, Student Development Courses, and Academic Alert. http://www.tcc.edu/firstyearsuccess/index.php The four components and organizational structure

• f the FYS program will be reviewed. I. Orientation facilitates the transition of new students into

the college by integrating them into life at TCC to prepare them for broad educational

• pportunities, services, and student responsibilities. New students participate in orientation after

completing the placement test and prior to enrolling. Topics include: 1. Support Services 2.

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Financial Services 3. Student Rights & Responsibilities 4. Academic Requirements 5. Enrollment Instructions II. Family & Friends Information Sessions provide an opportunity for those individuals who are important in the lives of our students to learn more about their transition to TCC and help them achieve their individual goals. The sessions are held during

• rientation. III. Student Development Courses (similar to FYE) promote student success by

assisting students with their transition into college. Topics include: 1. Career Exploration and Development 2. College Resources and Policies 3. Academic Planning 4. Study Skills 5. Life Management IV. Academic Alert is designed to improve learning for students experiencing academic difficulties and assist them in achieving success by connecting them with appropriate campus resources and services through a web-based referral program. The strategic plan for integration and ensuring college-wide consistency through collaboration, coordination, and communication will be emphasized. The development and administration of the direct and indirect assessments will be discussed followed by an examination of the data analysis findings. The findings show that student participation in Orientation and/or SDV does have a positive impact on student success and retention. Next, the presenter will review evidence-based improvements and lessons learned. In conclusion, the attendees will share their best practices for first year students. Start Something That Matters: Inspiring Students through TOMS Campus Programs Bethany Clark Director of TOMS Campus Programs TOMS Campus Programs 310-566-3170 ext. 3131 bethany.clark@toms.com UNITED STATES In this session the presenter will educate attendees on how TOMS Campus Programs can be utilized as a platform for colleges and universities to engage students in activities and events that promote involvement in their communities and campus life. By integrating TOMS Campus Programs into first year programs, colleges and universities will increase the opportunities for student engagement by leveraging a variety of resources and event guides. Our resources are designed to facilitate student and advisor led activities that focus on the TOMS business model and ask students to start something that matters in their communities or the world. The ideal format for this subject matter is a lecture-style presentation with PowerPoint and video accompaniment followed by an open forum Q&A session. 1) What is TOMS? Overview of the TOMS Story: In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in a village in Argentina and found they did not have shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One™. In 2011, TOMS Eyewear was launched. For every pair of glasses sold, TOMS will help give sight to a person in need through medical treatment, prescription glasses, or sight-saving surgery. 2) TOMS Campus Programs Overview of TOMS Campus Programs: TOMS Campus Programs exists to connect with students, educators, administrators, and parents to engage in fun and educational activities that raise awareness of the

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TOMS movement while inspiring them to start something that matters in their communities or the world. 3) Primary Events & Activities: Explore the variety of programs, initiatives, and international activation available to the campus community: • One Day Without Shoes – an international day of awareness • Style Your Sole Party – campus groups come together to decorate their TOMS • Start Something That Matters Party – Students watch a video documenting the writing process of Start Something That Matters followed by discussion • Documentary Screening – Students watch a documentary about TOMS and the first Giving Trip followed by discussion 4) TOMS Campus Programs website (Online Campus Community) Review of the TOMS Campus Programs website and online community: Attendees will see how students, educators and administrators can use the website to connect with other campus supporters and access resources to guide them through the process of hosting impactful awareness-based events. • Who can join? Campus Group pages & individual profiles • Resources Page • Events Page • Sharing photos/videos • Educator Portal 5) Benefits of incorporating TOMS Campus Programs By introducing TOMS campus programming into first-year programs, colleges and universities increase the opportunities for students to gain the following skills and experiences: • Valuable skills in marketing, leadership, networking, event planning, etc. • Learn about a revolutionary business model that involves conscious consumerism and social responsibility • Satisfaction of sharing awareness with others and considering opportunities to start something that matters in their own community Learning Outcomes: 1) Participants will be able to explain the TOMS story and the One for One movement. 2) Participants will be able to identify events & activities that can be incorporated in their first-year programs. 3) Participants will be able to identify the benefits of introducing TOMS Campus Programs on their campus. Establishing and Pacing Growth in PASS at Your Institution Audrey Stratton Transition Advisor University of Adelaide 618-313-8192 audrey.stratton@adelaide.edu.au AUSTRALIA The main aim of this Round Table Discussion is to elicit ideas, innovations and to provide a structured opportunity to make connections with like-minded PASS staff. The facilitator will provide leadership in the discussion, PASS style, ensuring opportunity for all participants to

• contribute. The facilitator will come prepared with a plan for the Round Table but be flexible to

respond to and focus on the specific questions and issues raised by the attendees. The agenda for the Round Table Discussions is a general guide for the facilitator and a way of starting conversations, rather than being seen as a fixed agenda. The proposed structure of the Round Table is as follows: 1. Encourage a short introduction of individual participants around the table, including their name, country, educational organization, their role within the context of PASS, and one key issue they are interested in pursuing. They will be encouraged to share their contact details/business cards. 2. Selection of a volunteer scribe to take dot-point notes of the discussion content for future reference. 3. Ask for consensus regarding the first discussion topic. This topic

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may arise from participant statements/questions, or if there is not a clear theme arising, the facilitator will start the discussion by a short introduction of their own experience in growing PASS at their University and pose some of the following questions to kick start discussions: • Q1 How many PASS courses were piloted at your University, in which courses • Q2 How quickly did PASS expand and to what size • Q3 What resources and organizational structures need to be in place to allow for rapid growth • Q4 How have you managed PASS Leader selections • Q5 How have you managed training with Leaders involved in courses from different Faculties • Q6 What support, apart from observation visits, do you offer PASS Leaders; and for academic Course Coordinators? 4. Encourage further discussion points of interest when appropriate. 5. Towards the end of discussions facilitate a final statement around the table session with the following question: “If someone interested in making PASS work asks you for your ‘one sentence best advice statement’ regarding PASS – what would you say to that person?” 6. Thank participants for their contribution and for their openness to share experiences and support for

• thers. 7. Encourage networking in the International PASS community.

The First Year and Beyond: Student Success Initiatives for Marginalized Populations Charles Donaldson Vice Chancellor for Educational, Student Services, and Student Life University of Arkansas at Little Rock 501-569-3328 rbpatterson@ualr.edu Darryl McGee Assistant Vice Chancellor for Judicial Affairs, Budgetary and Administrative Services University of Arkansas at Little Rock 501-569-3328 dkmcgee@ualr.edu Harvell Howard African American Male Initiative Coordinator University of Arkansas at Little Rock 501-569-8713 hlhoward@ualr.edu Amber Smith African American Female Initiative Coordinator University of Arkansas at Little Rock 501-569-8713 arsmith2@ualr.edu Brad Patterson Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Life Research, Evaluation, and Assessment University of Arkansas at Little Rock 501-569-8713

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rbpatterson@ualr.edu UNITED STATES The presentation will include the following elements: I. An overview of the creation of the program, and the process for how the creators determined the program would be structured and

• rganized. Presenters: Vice Chancellor and Associate Dean of Students II. The addition of the

AAFI and HLI programs, and future plans for the initiatives. Presenters: Associate Dean of Students; AAMI and AAFI Coordinators III. Assessment and Research. This section will include changes in retention and graduation rates for the targeted populations, and discussion of other key metrics. The qualitative research study will also be discussed. The abstract is included below: The previous decade has seen the creation of African American Male Initiative programs at colleges and universities across the United States. These programs were created in response to the low retention and graduation rates of African American males on these campuses. There has been little research, however, to discover best practices for these programs and what must be done to best affect change for this population at institutions of higher education. Unfortunately, most published research on African American males has dealt only with the negative outcomes they face in education and life. Recent research, however, has begun to focus on those African American males who do succeed, and the lessons that their experience can provide for how a campus environment can cultivate success. This study tells the story of an African American Male Initiative at a doctoral research university in the American South. Data were collected through interviews with 20 students and 4 program administrators. The interview protocols were based on the conceptual framework for the study, which consisted of positive organizational scholarship variables and student retention/attrition theory variables that were theorized to affect African American male student success. The findings include emerging issues and implications for theory in positive organizational scholarship, and a list of 21 programmatic elements that participants stated were essential in its success. It is theorized that these 21 essential elements would be transferrable to the creation of similar programs at other institutions. Building a Comprehensive Student Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy Janet Teasdale Managing Director, Student Development and Services University of British Columbia 604-822-6049 janet.teasdale@ubc.ca Ann Tierney Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs Queen's University 613-533-6000 ex 36944 vpdeansa@queensu.ca CANADA

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Through comprehensive assessment, consultation and strategy development, Queen’s and UBC are acknowledging student mental health and well-being as instrumental in students’ academic engagement and success, and recognizing its importance as fundamental to student life at their

• institutions. Through this process they are acknowledging student health and well-being as vital

to the development of a vibrant intellectual community and core to their university’s missions. Queen’s and UBC have developed a pyramidal approach to house their respective mental health

• strategies. Both strategies lay out a multi-level approach, which are influencing the core strategic

components of their plans. 1) The foundational level which seeks to promote a healthy and supportive community for all students. This includes the campus environment, the culture of community engagement and belonging as well as the institutional policies and practices affecting all students 2) A mid-level which focuses on building the resilience, skills and coping mechanisms for all students as well as encouraging the practices of early intervention and help- seeking behavior for students facing difficulties 3) A high-level which focusses on providing accessible, high-quality services and interventions for students struggling with mental and physical health issues that are impacting their learning Although still relatively early days in the development and roll-out of their strategies, both universities are experiencing some early

• successes. At UBC, some of these include the launch of an institutional Early Alert program,

partnerships with student societies and government to review and recommend changes to policies and practices that may be interfering with student well-being, and broadening the scope of well- being to include athletics and recreation. At Queen’s, some of these include the establishment of an Advisory Committee on Academic Accommodations, the development and distribution of identifiable information and referral tools for students, as well as faculty and staff, outreach to parents and plans for a first-year transition program. Both Queen’s and UBC are eager to share their progress, challenges and learning to date and invite their colleagues into a dialogue around building comprehensive student mental health and well-being strategies to support student success on our campuses. Kako‘o Haumana: We Care That You Are Here - Supportive First-Year Student Interventions & Strategies Siobhán Ní Dhonacha Academic Advisor, College of Education University of Hawai‘i at Manoa 808.956.6695 dhonacha@hawaii.edu Niki Libarios Academic Advisor, College of Education University of Hawai‘i at Manoa 808.956.4268 nlibario@hawaii.edu Denise Nakaoka Academic Advisor, College of Education University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

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808.956.4274 nakaoka@hawaii.edu UNITED STATES The purpose of this presentation is to share and demonstrate some innovative and caring student interventions and strategies used in student services integrated with and complementary to academic advising. Since Fall 2012 the University of Hawai‘i at M&#257;noa College of Education (UHM COE) has directly admitted first year students from high school to both the education and Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science programs. Due to this change in admissions policies, enrollment has approximately doubled. This has impacted the UHM COE student services’ practice, advising, and methodology, as well as increased the student

• population. It has also offered an opportunity to intervene at an earlier stage in a student’s

academic career, which may help to positively influence retention (Bean and Eaton, 2001). First year students are now required to attend mandatory academic advising sessions, and are also

• ffered peer advising, peer mentoring, student support programs for underrepresented students,

an education focused residential learning program, and professional development workshops that supplement the academic curriculum. These early intervention strategies are designed to engage students in meaningful conversations that help them to reflect upon their choice of major and career options. Opportunities to connect with students in this manner may ultimately lead to increased persistence in their major and timely graduation since they are more apt to make an informed decision before fully committing to their degree choice (Spight, 2013). The learning

• bjectives of this presentation are: 1) To give context and share our rationale for how and why

we have embraced new student success strategies and interventions for first year students; 2) To share the programs created, and the challenges and successes we've had as a result of that policy decision; 3) To present our current programmatic practices; and 4) To share our plans for future implications and implementations. The learning objectives will be met through the use of a Power Point presentation detailing the various innovative programs, professional development workshops, peer advising, mentor programs utilizing media such as experiential video segments (“vlog”), audience discussion, and an interactive question and answer session. If We Build It They Will Stay: How To Support First Years Siobhán Ní Dhonacha Academic Advisor/Faculty Member University of Hawai‘i at Manoa 808.956.6695 dhonacha@hawaii.edu UNITED STATES The University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, College of Education is a significant teacher licensure candidate feeder for the State Department of Education (HIDOE), has programs on the neighbor islands, and has a strong Kinesiology Rehabilitation Sciences Department. The intent of this poster session is to highlight, in a experiential action-research methodological paradigm, the types of caring interventions that the Puahia program has implemented as part of welcoming first

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year students for the first time to the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, College of Education (UHM COE), and how those efforts can have a ripple effect and expand to the greater collegiate community as resources are marshaled and directed toward nurturing first years, as well as transfers and community college students. The UHM COE commenced direct admit of first year students, both education pre-licensure and Kinesiology Rehabilitation Sciences, in Fall 2012. In Hawai'i a significant number of first year students are first generation students from lower income strata so outreach and support are especially crucial. The nuance and direct effect of parental involvement, parental levels of education, and the actual needs of the first generation student as versus a student with inherited knowledge and preparation who does have cultural or social capital are all factors that affect student success, student persistence, and eventual graduation (Padget, Johnson, and Pascarella, 2012; Bean and Eaton, 2001). These differences include the ability of the first generation student to interact comfortably with faculty, something harder for first generation first year students than for students who come equipped with social and cultural capital (Ghazzawi, and Jagannathan, 2011). The Puahia: Inspiring Emerging Educators Program was created in the summer of 2012 to provide outreach, interventions, support, and programs to first years using a mixed modality of peer mentoring, vlogs, professional specialty, Native Hawaiian, and diversity programming, as well as collaborating with UHM Student Housing Services to create a COE Residential Learning Community. In addition, other members of the COE community such as faculty, students in junior and senior years, graduate students and community college students have been a part of these efforts. This poster session will highlight mentor and mentee videos and blogs (vlogs), survey results from programming events, mentor and mentee surveys and discuss the positive impact of housing these efforts in the UHM COE Student Services offices and linking them to advising services

• ffered in Student Services.

"I'm Undecided - So Why Do I Have So Many Options?" Facilitating Success through Mandatory Advising Megumi Makino-Kanehiro Director/Academic Advisor University of Hawai’i at Manoa (808) 956-0346 makino@hawaii.edu Comfort Sumida Academic Advisor University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (808) 956-0346 comfort@hawaii.edu Matt Eng Academic Advisor University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (808) 956-0346 engm@hawaii.edu

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Rayna Tagalicod Academic Advisor University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (808) 956-0346 risaki@hawaii.edu Ronald Cambra Assistant Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (808) 956-6232 cambra@hawaii.edu UNITED STATES In 2008, the Manoa Advising Center (MAC), an advising office for undecided and pre-major students, was established at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (UHM). At the same time, a mandatory advising initiative was introduced, mandating that all incoming freshmen must complete mandatory advising every semester for their first four semesters. The administrator for the program will explain why these two events were linked, why MAC’s goal was to get rid of their students every two years and the rationale behind requiring mandatory advising. The director will explain the reasons -- practical, collaborative, and philosophical – that led her to envision the model of giving students options to fulfill their mandatory advising requirements. Undecided students may be puzzled at having so many options. Practical considerations included addressing the office’s initial high student-to-advisor ratio. Collaborative reasons included purposeful creation of strong partnerships with colleges and schools. Philosophical considerations included encouraging students to make educationally responsible choices. MAC academic advisors will then explain the initial reaction and response to mandatory advising by

• ther colleges / schools as well as the students at UHM. They will also provide a detailed
• verview on how the mandatory advising system works at MAC (how students are notified, how

students fulfill their requirement, how holds are placed.) All students are placed into groups depending on how many semesters they have attended UHM and their academic standing. Each group is then given various choices to fulfill their mandatory advising (in person meetings with peer advisors/advisors, workshops, on-line assignments, direct referrals to other schools and colleges advising offices.) A chart of all the options that students can choose from and sample

• ptions will be provided. The session will then highlight one mandatory advising partnership

with the Access of College Excellence (ACE) Program. The director of First Year Programs will explain how the ACE students meet their mandatory advising requirement. Another advisor will review the many lessons learned in establishing the mandatory advising requirement, including changes made over the past eight semesters, core options, added options as well as eliminated

• ptions. The session will go over a list of Top Ten Mandatory Advising Strategies and Tips to

employ if others are considering implementing mandatory advising at their institutions and close with questions & answers and evaluations. I’m Not a Freshman Anymore…Now What?: Retention of First-to-Second Year Students

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Rayna Tagalicod Academic Advisor University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-0346 risaki@hawaii.edu Kiana Shiroma Academic Advisor University of Hawaii at Manoa (808) 956-0756 kianak@hawaii.edu UNITED STATES Freshmen typically start their college career full of excitement and spend their first year exploring everything college has to offer. By the second year however, the excitement often decreases as college is no longer new and the reality of three more years of courses, financial debt, and hard work becomes reality. This sometimes leads to the “sophomore slump,” where freshmen going into their second year experience decreases in grades, motivation, and outlook

• n college experiences. Factors affecting second-year retention often begin in the first-year.

Thus, it is critical for first- and second- year programs to collaborate. The goal of this presentation is to facilitate and support continued discussion on issues related to first-to-second year transition and retention. Sophomore student retention is an emerging and increasingly important issue in the field of higher education. In 2009, The University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) formed the Sophomore Experience Committee (SEC), composed of representatives from across the campus. This presentation will be an overview of the committee’s progress from inception until present. The presentation will first explain the rationale for establishing the

• committee. Two events the committee created (the Sophomore Success Conference and Fall

Sophomore Social) will then be discussed. Emphasized will be the outcomes, challenges, previous strategies, and lessons learned from these events. Following this will be an explanation

• f the new strategies and direction the committee embarked on including re-evaluation of the

committee’s mission and goals and assessment of the sophomore student population. We plan to conclude the presentation with a guided audience discussion on first-to-second year transition and sophomore retention and programming at various institutions. Working Miracles with Mandatory Academic Planning Ruth Bingham Director, Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-8646 ruth@hawaii.edu Ron Cambra

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Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Education University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-6231 cambra@hawaii.edu Jennifer Matsuda Chair, Student Athlete Advising Center University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-4077 jcmatsud@hawaiii.edu UNITED STATES Institutions of higher education often hesitate to make academic advising mandatory: not only does it stress resources such as staffing, budget and time, but students who are celebrating their new-found adulthood tend to resist "mandatory," and unwilling students make advising both more difficult and less effective. For years, higher education has adopted a "laissez faire" attitude and let students decide when and how often to seek advising. In recent years, institutions have reconsidered mandatory advising as a way to improve retention and graduation rates. As part of that movement, the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) launched a mandatory academic advising program in 2008. After four and a half years of rapidly rising completion rates, UHM is more committed than ever to mandatory advising. Amid that success, two programs at UHM, the Student Athlete Academic Services (SAAS) and the Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center (PAC), took mandatory advising one step further and piloted mandatory academic planning

• programs. Results in both programs have been impressive, and UHM is now considering

expanding mandatory academic planning across campus. In this session, the Assistance Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education will review UHM's statistics, comparing 2008-09 to 2012-13, and the reasoning behind adopting a mandatory advising program. The Directors from SAAS and PAC will then explain the challenges and successes of implementing mandatory planning, using representative case studies. An activity will demonstrate why mandatory planning has become our single most powerful advising tool. In the closing 20 minutes, the session will focus on discussing the pros/cons and logistics of mandatory academic planning, answering participants' questions, and helping participants identify ideas that they could implement for their own institutions. Goals for this session are that participants will • discuss whether advising and/or planning should be made mandatory; • observe how academic planning clarifies students' intentions and expectations; • analyze the role of advising in representative case studies; • hear about the challenges and successes of implementing a mandatory planning program; and • compile a list of mandatory planning ideas, tips, and practices to take home for use at their own institutions. Essential First Steps to Keeping Pre-Health Students On-Track in a Rapidly Changing World Ruth Bingham Director, Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center

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University of Hawaii at Manoa (808) 956-8646 ruth@hawaii.edu UNITED STATES The world of healthcare is changing rapidly -- interdisciplinary teams, group and multiple mini- interviews, changing prerequisite courses, competencies-based curricula, revised exams (such as the new Medical College Admission Test), and more -- but what does it all mean for those of us who advise pre-health students? For pre-health students, their first year is critical: they must get

• n track academically, identify their "best fit" health career, and start preparing for their

application year. To help those who advise pre-health students, this session will review essential resources for pre-health advisors, provide an overview of changes, share materials for exploring different health careers, and then focus discussion on how advisors and their campuses are helping their students navigate this new world. Roundtable discussions will address on three guiding questions, each table choosing one question to focus on: • How do you help students get

• n track academically? What is your "pre-health" track (courses, activities, etc.)? How do you

help underprepared students? How do you advise incoming freshmen who have advanced credit (AP, IB, etc.)? How do you help students who are struggling academically? • How do you help students explore and choose health careers? How do you help "tunnel vision" students, who have decided on a career without considering anything else? How do you help "nebulous" students, who want to pursue something in healthcare, but have no idea what? How do you help "foreclosed" students, who are pursuing a career for which they are ill suited? • How do you help students start preparing for their application year? How do you encourage them to engage in their courses and get to know their faculty? How do you help them get involved on and off campus? How do you help them get research experience? How do you help them develop their professional persona? How do you help them develop their interview skills? After discussing the questions at individual tables, we will come together to share each group's ideas and suggestions, recording them to distribute in a follow-up email as a comprehensive list for all participants. Setting Up For Success: Using Summer Bridge Programs to Prepare the Academically At- Risk and Underprepared for Their First-Year James Gillespie Learning Specialist/Academic Advisor University of Hawaii at Manoa (808) 956-6471 jgillesp@hawaii.edu Kehau Marzan Academic Advisor University of Hawaii at Manoa (808) 956-6697 kmarzan@hawaii.edu

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UNITED STATES Student-Athlete Academic Services at the University of Hawaii at Manoa provides a summer bridge program designed specifically for incoming students who have been identified as academically at-risk or underprepared. Summer Bridge programs have been developed to assist those who are academically underprepared and at-risk (McCurrie, 2009). These students are identified by academic advisors upon review of prior academic evaluations. Students are then recommended for the Summer Bridge Program. Summer Bridge is an intensive 6-week academic readiness program. The targeted students are required to take two academic courses. The summer bridge program cohort develops study skills and is introduced to techniques that will assist them in becoming more academically ready prior to their first full-time semester as a college student. This roundtable discussion session will be used to collaborate and explore methods used by other

• institutions. During this session, participants will be asked to provide a synopsis of their summer

bridge program, if one has been implemented at their institution. One goal of the roundtable discussion is to identify techniques and strategies that have been successful on other campuses. One focus would be on sharing methodologies and practices that have yielded positive results. Another focus will be sharing the challenges encountered throughout the phases of establishing a successful summer bridge program. Discussion topics will include: success stories, challenges and drawbacks, what changes have been implemented, and tips for those just getting started. One key aspect to be discussed is multicultural students and meeting the needs of diverse learners. Additionally, the group will discuss first-year supportive efforts for students participating in the summer bridge program. They will identify implemented support programs being used to provide these students with a smooth transition from the summer bridge program into full-time college student status. Also discussed, will be the success and challenges of such support

• programs. The group will also discuss evaluation methods. Participants will detail their

evaluation process and how they measure success for their programs. Programs will identify their method of documenting and monitoring the program’s success rate. Participants should leave roundtable discussion enthused and geared up to reexamine and reevaluate summer bridge programs at their institution. Using collaborative efforts with colleagues, participants will reflect current summer bridge practices and determine if any areas of improvement are present in their programs. Students’ Perceived Learning About Written and Oral Communication in Year One and Two Monica Stitt-Bergh Assistant Specialist University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-6669 bergh@hawaii.edu Yao Hill Assistant Specialist University of Hawai'i at Manoa 808-956-4283

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yao.hill@hawaii.edu UNITED STATES Our campus uses several types of learning-outcomes assessment to understand the student experience and student learning. This session will describe one method used to assess the general education program: a longitudinal cohort study. A longitudinal cohort design, while not new in educational evaluation, is less common than single-point and cross-sectional designs. We will present results related to learning about written and oral communication in students’ first two

• years. First, we will describe the overarching study goals and rationale for the research design.

We undertook this study to supplement existing student-learning assessment practices that involved single samples and discrete learning outcomes. The longitudinal design allowed us to assess multiple general education outcomes using a student cohort, track changes over time, and gather student voices related to general education experiences. Second, we will explain our research questions and methods. We used an online survey to investigate how much perceived learning about written and oral communication took place each semester. The research questions were as follows: 1. How much did students perceive they learned about written and oral communication in each semester of their first four semesters? 2. Were there patterns across students’ first four semesters? 3. What were the student characteristics (e.g., ethnicity, degree type) that had an effect on those patterns? 4. What were the most important things students learned about written and oral communication and where did they learn them (e.g., course, out-

• f-class)? Third, we will detail our results. Our results showed that students’ perception of

learning did change over time. Students perceived less learning about writing but more about

• ral communication over time. On average, the perceived level of learning about oral

communication was lower than the level of learning about written communication. The factors that influenced the pattern of learning about writing included whether students were enrolled in a writing-emphasis course and degree type. The factor associated with changes in the pattern of

• ral communication learning was ethnicity. Students consistently mentioned the following as

important areas of learning about writing: clarity, genre, audience, sources/citations, and writing

• process. In regards to oral communication, they mentioned delivery techniques,

preparation/practice, audience awareness, and confidence as areas of important learning. Finally, we will describe how we use these results to engage faculty in conversations about the purpose

• f the first year and how these results suggest areas to target for potential intervention. In

addition, we will comment on the study implications. Keeping Students on Track from Start to Finish Reed Dasenbrock Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-8447 rdasenbr@hawaii.edu John Stanley Institutional Analyst

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University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-5366 jstanley@hawaii.edu Gary Rodwell Lead Programmer University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-4036 grodwell@hawaii.edu UNITED STATES This session will begin by providing a step-by-step illustration of IR development of a risk forecast model for first year freshmen. The required data elements, statistical analysis, and design controls will be highlighted. Since a primary challenge for institutions is timely use of risk scores by campus personnel, this session will highlight ongoing plans for secure online risk score reporting. Barriers to implementation are discussed, such as proper interpretation and use

• f risk data by advising staff, students’ rights to access risk scores, and the potential for misuse
• f these data. Strategies for overcoming these challenges are discussed. This session follows with

a demonstration of UHM’s online real-time academic pathway tool (named STAR). STAR is an innovate web-based tool that allows students to interactively view degree requirements, do “what-if” scheduling, and map out entire academic pathways from start to predicted graduation. Academic advisors at UHM also use STAR as their primary source of data on students. At the end, presenters discuss how risk score reporting and STAR are empowering the campus to proactively guide first-year students through their academic pathways from start to finish. From a student perspective STAR is designed to engage students and help them successfully navigate their course/degree choices; from an institutional perspective, both STAR and risk forecast modeling are enabling campus personnel to identify indicators of student success and effectively target interventions towards students who are at greatest risk of dropping out. Access and Aboriginal Focus Programs: Promoting Success in a Safe, Respectful, and Inclusive Environment Louise Olson Instructor & Academic Coordinator, Access & Aboriginal Focus Programs University of Manitoba 204-474-8040 Louise.Olson@ad.umanitoba.ca Diedre Desmarais Area Director, Access & Aboriginal Focus Programs University of Manitoba 204-474-8099 Diedre.Desmarais@ad.umanitoba.ca

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Noreen Wichart Academic Specialist, HCAP & PHP Program Coordinator University of Manitoba 204-474-8045 Noreen.Wichart@ad.umanitoba.ca CANADA The University of Manitoba Access and Aboriginal Focus Programs utilize unique, innovative, holistic programming and supports to address barriers to post-secondary education experienced by under-represented groups. Such groups include Aboriginal peoples, immigrants, and the socio-economically disadvantaged. To enter the Access and Aboriginal Focus Programs, students must qualify for regular university entrance or be mature students. Once accepted to the larger institution, the students then apply to become part of the smaller community. All completed applications are screened by a committee. Applicants who have been recommended by the committee are invited to Winnipeg for interviews (or interviewed in their home communities) and those most suited for the program are accepted. Successful candidates may pursue any program of study which leads to a degree or diploma at the University of Manitoba. Access and Aboriginal Focus Programs include: • University of Manitoba Access Program (UMAP): students enrolled in faculties as diverse as University 1, Arts, Science, Education, Social Work, Agriculture, Human Ecology, Law, and Environment. • Health Careers Access Program (HCAP): students preparing for acceptance into healthcare faculties such as Nursing, Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, Medical Rehabilitation, Pharmacy, and Medicine. • Professional Health Program (PHP) • Aboriginal Focus Programs (Diploma): Aboriginal Community Wellness Diploma, the Aboriginal Child and Family Services Diploma , and the Aboriginal Environmental Stewardship Diploma. • Aboriginal Focus Programs (certificate): Aboriginal Counseling Skills Certificate Major focuses for students in the above-mentioned programs are academic and personal supports. These include an intensive orientation to university expectations which takes place in August of each student’s entering year, non-credit support programming in writing mathematics, and sciences, and program-specific sections of degree credit courses that are developed and/or adapted and taught by the Access and Aboriginal Focus Programs academic

• staff. These staff-taught credit-hour classes include a first-year transitional seminar, a writing

course, a reading course based on Indigenous literature, and An Introduction to Health and Health Professions. An extensive network of trained tutors supports the students in their studies. In addition to academic programming, individualized academic advising and personal counseling are integral to student success. Personal support and counseling includes individual therapy, university/urban adjustment assistance, and communication and personal development

• workshops. Limited financial support is available in the form of bursaries (many of our students

come with band funding), and a full-time staff member provides assistance with student aid. UNBetween – U in between High School and University Frank Collins Assistant Dean, Year 1 University of New Brunswick

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506-452-6063 fcollins@unb.ca Katie Skead Engineering Outreach Coordinator University of New Brunswick 506-452-6176 katie.skead@unb.ca CANADA While many bridging programs focus on either the students’ social transition or the academic transition, UNBetween aims to help with both and make the overall transition easier. The students pay to attend the program and stay on campus in residence to learn what living on campus is like. They are randomly paired with a roommate. EngiLeaders (peer mentors) act as proctors (or resident assistants) in the residence. The Leaders are there to provide support as well as to observe and assess the students on their study and time management skills on an outcome

• rubric. The Leaders were chosen based on experience as past proctors, academic background,

and ability to engage a group. The week long program is scheduled to be a typical week for Engineering students. It includes classes in physics, chemistry, computer science, math, and engineering taught by faculty members. Students are required to submit assignments, write tests and perform lab experiments; students must achieve a minimum grade to receive advance credit for the Fall term. There are tutorials offered to help students improve test writing, note taking, studying, and time management skills. In addition, there are social events offered each night to create a balanced experience. While not mandatory, students are encouraged to attend. These events help the students bond with each other and to see how they deal with distraction and time

• management. Students are encouraged to discover the support systems on their own and through

simulated problems given to them randomly throughout the week. At the end of camp, students are given personalized assessments of their learning strengths, how to develop better study skills and where to seek help if required. These recommendations were based on entrance and exit self- assessment surveys, used in combination with observations made throughout the week. All students felt more comfortable about starting classes because of the friends made. They were more confident about their academic preparedness because of the classes they attended and the assignments and tests they wrote. They became aware of services available to them, and most said they would use the study skills they learned. We tracked their progress and determined that their grades were a full letter higher on average. We also checked in with them on a personal level and were encouraged to see they continued to study and interact as a group throughout the school year building on the relationships they made during the summer. Friends on Campus – Building Early Connections Cheryl Burgess Manager, Student Experience and Transition University of Newcastle 612 49854386

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cheryl.burgess@newcastle.edu.au Gail White Manager University of Newcastle 612 49854386 gail.white@newcastle.edu.au AUSTRALIA

• 1. Presenters: Introduction to project – Why we saw the need for the project. The idea for this

program developed out of an observation made by the Academic Register, who spoke of her personal experience of providing information and explanation of university entry and study to family and friends and her concern for those without such connections who have no ready access to help and encouragement through this important time. From this idea a program was developed to assist aspiring university students from local High Schools with unravelling the mysteries of higher education through presentations with University Students (PASS Leaders) and staff. Presenters: Overview of the project – Process and Data Collection and feedback Process Initial contact was made with principals to meet and explain the program and determine the types of sessions required. A calendar of events was then agreed and delivered throughout the school calendar, at relevant times throughout the year. Staff and students from the University were given training in preparation for the program delivery. For staff sessions, appropriate email templates were designed to meet important dates on the school calendar and were sent to all students who participated in the sessions. Data Collection and results Graphs on Qualitative and Quantitative data will be presented . Students were surveyed in each session and recorded. Initial feedback showed that students found that the Friends on Campus program was informative and

• helpful. Students particularly enjoyed the sessions with the student mentors and feedback

suggested they found the relaxing and informative delivery method to be rewarding. 4. Presenters and whole group discussion: centered around the questions for the audience Questions for the audience 1. Friends on Campus does not aim to recruit students, the prime objective is to give students that have already decided to attend tertiary studies, information that will assist the application and transition processes. Do any other universities engage in similar interaction with High Schools? 2. Peer Leaders and student mentors are used in most universities to assist student’s transition in their first year. We would like to know if any other universities have used this student base as mentors to High School students prior to enrollment. 3. Friends on Campus started out primarily targeting year senior High School students. However after speaking with Principals it was apparent that they wanted other years to be included in this program. Does your university engage with students in other years apart from this cohort? And what is your aim, is it to recruit these students or to provide information about university study? 4. As you have heard, Friends on Campus is not delivered by the recruitment arm of the University of Newcastle but from the Student Services area. Does any University deliver programs to High Schools other than recruitment and marketing? If so which units are involved? Engaging the Millennial Family: An Orientation Program for the Families of New Students

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Cathie Shanahan Assistant Academic Registrar University of Newcastle, Australia +61249854325 cathie.shanahan@newcastle.edu.au Cheryl Burgess Manager, Student Experience and Transition University of Newcastle, Australia +61249854386 cheryl.burgess@newcastle.edu.au AUSTRALIA ‘It is very comforting to know that we are included and valued as part of our children’s education’ (Quote from a participant) As part of a holistic approach to the orientation of new students the University of Newcastle conducts an orientation session for the parents and partners

• f commencing students. The University has a relatively high proportion of low socioeconomic

and first generation higher education students. Most commencing students belong to the Millennial Generation, and these students grew up in a child-centric world. They have received very attentive parenting and in turn, the students highly value their parents' opinions and inputs into decision-making. Attempts to foster adult behavior by encouraging independence are counterintuitive for the Millennial Generation, which has a tendency to delay some of the traditional markers of coming of age. To engage with this behavior the University offers a targeted session aimed at empowering the parents who may have little or no social capital in the higher education sphere. We hope that by engaging with the parents, the parents will support the University and our retention rates will improve. The University has conducted the parents’

• rientation session over the past three years. Through interaction and feedback, we have

identified the top ten areas of interest to parents. These relate to safety, finances, workload, course information, accommodation, where to go for assistance, travel and parking, paid work, social life and what to do if the student gets sick. These themes are constant; there is very little variation in the nature of inquiries. We use a combination of University staff and current students to present the information. Parents are provided with an interactive presentation where the top ten areas of interest are explained and questions are encouraged. Detailed printed material is provided and we have set up a dedicated Twitter site for parents. The Tweets are used for just in time information for parents, along with links to relevant articles and resources. Our rationale is to provide the parents with the tools they can use to be supportive without suffocating their

• student. The parents’ orientation sessions have been evaluated from the outset and the feedback

is overwhelmingly positive. We seem to have appropriately covered the content. Our next challenge is to improve the advertising of the initiative. Privacy legislation in Australia prevents us from contacting anyone other than the student and we are looking at other ways to reach our target market. A Data Driven Model to Support Students in the First Year

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Juan-Claude Lemmens Head: Higher Education Research and Innovation University of Pretoria +27124204161 jlemmens@up.ac.za SOUTH AFRICA South African high school outcomes have improved steadily over the last couple of years. This has been related to improved standards in secondary education. Notwithstanding these improvements, only 26.6% of high school learners from government schools matriculate with university exemption. Furthermore, the national graduation rates at universities are estimated at 50%, with students on financial aid graduating at just over half the national graduation rate. Given the dire educational context, a concerted effort from higher education institutions would be required to transform the odds of success in favor of students. The presentation will continue by describing an institutional student success model which is underpinned by readiness theory. The model creates a platform through which students are assessed, referred to support services, placed in programs and monitored over time. The presentation will present descriptive statistics

• f the typical first year student that enter a large South African research university over three

cohorts (2010 – 2012). The Student Academic Readiness Survey (STARS) assesses students’ academic support needs, non-cognitive factors and biographical information. Demographic and high school academic performance are subsequently matched to the STARS factors. The descriptive statistics from the STARS will set the scene for the entry characteristics of students and how these input variables relate to specific academic outcomes, such as first semester GPA and second year return rates. The presentation will shift to the early identification of ‘at-risk’ students with the STARS. The STARS was administered during the orientation week to more than 16 000 students over the three years. A predictive model, CRT was used to determine profiles of students who would be regarded as being at risk. These students are subsequently referred to the Faculty Student Advisers or the peer mentor program to support students in making the transition in the first semester. In the second semester a cluster analysis was performed with the academic variables of the first semester to determine five clusters of academic performance. Two of the clusters are regarded as high risk students and are referred to the Faculty Student Advisers for academic support. Proxy evidence suggests that the pass rates

• f first year students have increased since the implementation of the data driven success model.

An evaluation of the peer mentor program shows that the program supports students in making the transition from school to university. Longitudinal research on dropout provides additional qualitative information to help inform the risk profiles. Where Are You Coming From? Your Culture, My Culture: A Sense of Belonging in Our Global Community Tristana Sidoryn Coordinator, Student Transition University of South Australia +61 8 83020235

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Tristana.sidoryn@unisa.edu.au Olexij Straschko Student Engagement Officer University of South Australia +61 8 83027224 Olexij.straschko@unisa.edu.au AUSTRALIA The Your Culture, My Culture Program was initially piloted in 2011. The program components: The Your Culture, My Culture program is a balance between structured and unstructured events, which include: * A meet and greet night where students meet their groups in an informal manner in a culturally neutral setting and a brief training session on working effectively in cross cultural

• groups. * Two additional structured meetings including an informal lunch and coffee catch up

funded by the UniSA Business School. * External activities between members of groups run independently by the group to ensure a ‘best fit’ with individual needs and availability. The Your Culture, My Culture program has facilitated the formation of ‘global communities’ and has provided students with opportunities to engage in positive cross-cultural experiences. The program aims to encourage students from different cultures to connect with each other. It seeks to overcome issues such as the formation of ghettoised ‘same culture’ groups. This has been

• bserved to happen unless a clear purpose for mixing is provided (Arkoudis, Yu, Baik, Borland,

Chang, Lang, Lang, Pearce, Watty, 2010; cited by Mann, 2012, p. 1232). One of the aims of the program is to involve domestic students as well as international students, so that not only will international students feel less isolated from their international peers, but they will also make domestic friends, and in turn those domestic students will develop their international

• perspectives. Since the program’s inception, domestic students have accounted for approximately

25% of participants. Students apply to join the program, expressing as part of the application process, some cultures they would like to learn more about. Applicants are then allocated into groups of 5 - 7 based on their expressed cultural preferences. We try to avoid putting students from the same cultural background together. International students come from a diverse range of countries including; China, Malaysia, Germany, Japan, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Mongolia and Korea. This variety is pleasing as preferences for cultural exchanges are generally able to be met within groups and students are generally able to attain the proposed benefits of the program. In this session, data will be presented highlighting the development of students’ sense of belonging from their participation in the Your Culture, My Culture program. The session will also include discussion with the audience about how other higher education providers have built effective programs in connecting domestic and international students through culturally based programs. References Arkoudis, S, Yu, X, Baik, C, Borland, H, Chang, S, Lang, I, Lang, J, Pearce, A, Watty, K 2010, ‘Finding Common Ground: enhancing interaction between domestic and international students’, pp.5-16, accessed January 02, 2012 <http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/research/experience/docs/FindingCommonGround_web.pdf >. Mann, F. (2012). Enhancing interaction between domestic and international students: Creating

• pportunities through the student exchange programme, Conference Proceedings of the 23rd

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ISANA International Education Conference, 4-7 December 2012, ISANA International Education Association, page 1230-1255. Appreciative Advising Jennifer Bloom Clinical Professor University of South Carolina 217-766-4212 bloomjl@mailbox.sc.edu UNITED STATES This session will focus on providing you with an overview of this exciting movement within the academic advising community called Appreciative Advising. The presentation is based on the book titled, The Appreciative Advising Revolution, which the presenter has co-authored with Dr. Bryant Hutson and Dr. YeHe from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. We will first define the terms academic advising and Appreciative Advising and look at the important role that advising plays in student success. The six phases of Appreciate Advising - Disarm, Discover, Dream, Design, Deliver, and Don't Settle - will be defined. Participants will not only learn what each phase means, but they will also have the opportunity to get specific information on how to implement each of these phases. In addition, an overview of the exciting Appreciative Advising initiatives that are underway at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of South Carolina will be highlighted. Finally, we will discuss other venues that Appreciative Advising can be infused: teaching, strategic planning, change management, and more. Spirituality and Higher Education: Sustaining Authenticity, Wholeness, and Self-Renewal Mary Stuart Hunter Associate Vice President University of South Carolina 803.777.4761 shunter@sc.edu John N. Gardner Senior Fellow University of South Carolina 828.885.6014 gardner@jngi.org Betsy O. Barefoot Fellow University of South Carolina

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828-885-6014 barefoot@jngi.org UNITED STATES The session will open with the presenters providing context and background on this important

• topic. Then in a small group, participants will be invited to discuss the following questions: 1. In

your institutional life and work, can you think of specific times or situations in which you have experienced a clash between your personal values and institutional values and practices? Give specific examples of times or occasions in which you felt compelled to compromise your values and beliefs. 2. What kind of collegial behavior or administrative policies generate value conflicts for you or create inauthentic behavior? 3. In what ways are the beliefs and values of your department or institution congruent or incongruent with your own? 4. Are there times when your interactions with students have offered opportunities to discuss issues of spirituality, authenticity, and wholeness? How have you reacted to the opportunity? 5. Does your institution provide safe structures or opportunities for the sharing of values? Would the process used for this session facilitate such sharing on your home campus? The session will conclude with the presenters facilitating a processing of the discussion and a sharing of resources on the topic. Instructor Development: Foundational Building Blocks for First-Year Seminars Mary Stuart Hunter Associate Vice President University of South Carolina 803.777.4761 shunter@sc.edu Dan Friedman Director, University 101 Programs University of South Carolina 803.777.9506 friedman@sc.edu UNITED STATES As a result of attending this session, participants will be able to: • Articulate the importance of and rationale for a comprehensive instructor development program, as it relates to the first-year seminars • Consider learning theory as it applies to both a faculty development context and teaching in a first-year seminar • Discover methods for recruiting and sustaining a corps of first- year seminar instructors • Consider the role assessment in continuous improvement in faculty development efforts As the above learning outcomes suggest, the presenters will share a rationale for instructor development in a first-year seminar, discuss strategies for recruiting and sustaining an instructor corps, provide details on the University of South Carolina’s model for comprehensive instructor development, discuss pedagogies that are effective for group learning in both a faculty development setting and in the seminar, and share our assessment plan and

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results within the context of the role of assessment in continuous program improvement. The session will be conducted via presentation with visual support (PowerPoint or Prezi) and will invite audience reaction, questions, and dialogue throughout. One Size Doesn't Fit All: Creating a First-Year Culture for Personalized Student Success at a Large Research Institution Nichole Knutson Director of Retention Strategy, Planning and Assessment University of South Carolina 803-777-4612 knutsonn@mailbox.sc.edu Gene Luna Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Academic Support University of South Carolina 803-777-9263 GENEL@sc.edu Scott Verzyl Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management University of South Carolina 803-777-7700 scott.verzyl@sc.edu UNITED STATES While most institutions of higher education are concerned with retention and graduation rates, efforts are often ineffective if not employed correctly. Despite significant changes at the institution, including a 36% growth in the size first year class, the university has experienced both increased retention and graduation rates while also raising the average SAT score by almost 50 points over the past eight years. This session will specifically identify and describe the approach taken at the University of South Carolina to achieve these desired outcomes. The presenters will begin with an introduction and overview of the institutional profile and corresponding goals. Next, the presenters will identify the specific steps and strategies that were employed under each respective goal. The presenters will describe the approach that was taken to create a university-wide focus on retention and student success. Steps include creating a new position for a Director of Retention, the implementation of a retention workforce, targeted communication strategies for the academic colleges and the overall university, re-organizing key entities on campus such as the advising network, leveraging external resources, conducting research on low-achieving student sub-populations, piloting and introducing early alert programs into existing structures, utilizing a call center, implementing a new bridge program with a neighboring technical institution and collecting assessment data that was used to allocate resources and expand student services. This session will conclude with future plans for the university, a guided discussion with the participants on how the strategies presented in this

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session can be utilized at his/her home institution and a final, directed dialogue on additional successful strategies being employed at other institutions. UniStart: A Tertiary Academic Transition Program Providing Students with a Head Start to First Year Jane Skalicky Head of Student Learning University of Tasmania +613 62267595 Jane.Skalicky@utas.edu.au AUSTRALIA UniStart is a five day pre-semester program that provides students with exposure to the essential academic and study skills that will be required of them as they commence life as a UTAS

• student. Students are provided with a unit outline written to the UTAS template which includes

an example of criterion referenced assessment. They are required to plan an essay response to a theme that runs throughout the unit and write an essay introduction and a few paragraphs, which are peer reviewed. Liaison Librarians from the University Library attend each on campus presenting a workshop on research, while Counsellors and Advisers from Student Centre Support present a workshop on issues of stress and time management. Beyond the formal curriculum is a hidden curriculum of equal importance that is consistently reflected in student evaluations. Built into the timetable is the opportunity for students to ask questions about issues beyond the academic skills such as ‘how does the timetable work, do I need to buy all the books on the list, I am studying a unit by distance so when will I find out about it.’ The on campus students also have the opportunity to become familiar with their campus environment. The online environment allows students to interact with other students on discussion boards, complete quizzes and discover the world of online research; how to access and effectively engage is explored within

• UniStart. While these will not be replicated, an overview of the program will be presented. The

presentation will use the teaching model of UniStart to demonstrate how and why it is a key element of the transition approach at UTAS. This will include activities for participants to engage and explore UniStart and also the pedagogical theories that underpin it. Our learning

• bjectives are, that participants will appreciate how and why UniStart assists students to develop

confidence, skills and self-awareness and reflects the five elements for success contained within the UTAS First Year and Transition Framework (Brown & Adam, 2009): being connected to peers, staff, discipline and community; academic preparedness and development; independence; sense of purpose; and knowledge and experience of discipline. Building Successful Information Literacy Infrastructure in Promoting Student Engagement in Learning: The University Academic Library and the Undergraduate Students of UP Diliman Gianina Cabanilla

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University Research Associate 2 University of the Philippines Diliman 632-433-1221 seth.asher18@gmail.com PHILIPPINES This study provides insight into how students acquire and use information, and provides information on what the implications of this are for the UP Diliman University Library, including what might be changed in order to improve library research instruction for English 10

• students. The findings of perceptions from English 10 teachers’, students’, and reference

librarians were brought to life through a qualitative analysis of interviews. The findings suggest that the validation of the grounded theory that emerged shows that the perceptions of English 10 students, English 10 teachers and UP main library reference librarians exemplified by the

• verarching themes based on the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher

Education model (ACRL, 2000) components determined the learning goals essential to the design of a library research instruction program for English 10. Additionally, reference librarians do not fulfill this responsibility on their own. In fact, in some situations, having a support structure in place with identified individuals assigned to certain stated roles, facilitate to address the teaching of life-long learning skills, and that one place those skills may be taught is through the library. In the context of an information society, it is imperative that with increased input from stakeholders, librarians can guide students to appropriate sources and ensure that students are provided with opportunities to acquire the information management skills needed to support their learning needs at UP Diliman. The findings suggest that the emphasis of this study is on what might be done to better assist English 10 students who are in their first or second semester at UP Diliman. Though future research is needed, this study provides the foundation for an instructional plan that will help meet the information needs of students – a plan will begin to ensure that students are provided with opportunities to acquire the information management skills needed to support their learning needs at UP Diliman and those they will encounter afterwards as they participate in their professional, social, and cultural environments. A Decade of Growth: Supplemental Instruction (SI)/Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) Melissa Zaccagnini Peer Learning and Transition Manager and Associate Head, National Centre for PASS University of Wollongong 02 4221 5685 melissaz@uow.edu.au Sally Rogan Director, Support Support and Head, National Centre for PASS University of Wollongong 02 4221 5588 sally@uow.edu.au

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AUSTRALIA The multi award winning University of Wollongong (UOW) SI / PASS Program commenced in 2002 supporting subjects in the Schools of Informatics and Commerce. In 2013, the program will support all Schools at UOW with over 100 Peer Leaders. The program supports subjects at both undergraduate and graduate level. Focusing on difficult core first year/ key transition subjects as an institution wide strategy has allowed the program to support thousands of First Year students to make a successful transition into and through their chosen degree. In 2012, over 6000 participants made use of the UOW PASS program, across 66 subjects at the main Wollongong Campus and 27 subjects at other UOW Regional Campuses. The operational knowledge that has been built through the delivery of PASS has also significantly informed the development of other peer based programs at UOW. Many transferable elements have been identified and successfully replicated within student cultural transition and Wellbeing programs to name a few. In 2005, Sally Rogan was accredited as a National Trainer and UOW became the National Centre. Due to the demand for leadership within the region, Melissa Zaccagnini was also accredited as a National Trainer in 2012. Over 450 staff from nearly 60 institutions in Australia, NZ, Malaysia, Fiji and Hong Kong have benefited from training and assistance by PASS@UOW. The vast expansion of the PASS Program at UOW mirrors the larger growth of SI/PASS throughout

• Australasia. The poster will present information on the growth of SI/PASS throughout the

region, detailing significant events and explanations for its expansion both institutionally and

• nationally. The poster will also detail information about the annual National PASS Forum which

is attended by staff and students from the Australasian region and the Journal of Peer Learning, which has recently published its 5th edition. A Personalized Approach to Student Retention Marcy Glassford Assistant Director Utah Valley University 801-863-7067 marcyg@uvu.edu Michelle Kearns Director Utah Valley University michelle.kearns@uvu.edu UNITED STATES We will present our current retention data, which will include a snapshot of our student body and then drill down to details on our freshmen students’ population. Briefly, we'll review the history

• f our office and how we started by discussing the support we've received on campus along with

mentioning the lack of support in certain areas. We'll present how we have worked to create buy- in from all areas across campus. We will then present the initiatives that have worked for us and

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give details along with the initiatives that have not worked. Presenting data long the way and personal insights. Assessing First-Year Peer Mentors for Optimal Success Darin Eckton

• Asst. Professor, Director of Mentoring

Utah Valley University 801-863-6449 deckton@uvu.edu UNITED STATES Weekly peer mentor reflections revealed increased self-awareness among themselves as well as increased application of learning skills and strategies in their own learning, particularly as they regularly taught these skills and strategies in the classroom and in one on one settings with first- year students. Similarly, mid-semester surveys from first-year students and co-facilitating professors also revealed a general increase in peer mentor self-awareness and facilitating skills

• ver previous years, but this formative data also revealed certain areas for immediate
• improvement. For example, in only a few instances, first-year students wanted more one on one

time with their peer mentors, and several instances, more information from peer mentors about available resources on campus to facilitate first-year student success and goal fulfillment. As part

• f the first-year peer mentor training, first-year mentors were asked to reflect on and make

suggestions to improve their preparation to become a peer mentor. As a result of their formative feedback, and seeing that their feedback was immediately implemented, the peer mentors expressed increased trust from, ownership and overall engagement in the program and with its leadership, as revealed in ongoing weekly peer mentor reflections. The data also allowed program leadership to make curricular changes to the peer mentor training that has already yielded improved results and outcomes with students currently enrolled in the mentor preparation

• course. In addition, first-year students reported peer mentors to have a significant positive impact
• n their success in other courses. Summative data from first-year students agreed or strongly

agreed in over 95% of the classes that the peer mentor’s role and interactions had a positive influence on student success in first-year student classes. First-year students generally expressed increased self-awareness and connectivity to campus resources, which are other objectives of the university student success class. In summative assessments, co-facilitating professors also expressed an equal or overall improved preparation for 100% of the peer mentors when it came to mentor facilitation skills, self-awareness and ability to connect students to campus and its

• resources. Similarly, in summative assessments from peer mentors, 100% described increased

self-awareness, improved learning skills and strategies and improved leadership and facilitation

• skills. The areas of opportunity/training in both the formative and summative data revealed that

peer mentors need to improve their ability to connect first-year students to campus resources. In addition, ongoing peer mentor reflections revealed that some mentors lose their motivation toward the end of the semester, but the majority continues strong.

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Building a Strong Foundation: Assessing and Improving Information Literacy Skills in Virginia Tech’s First-Year Experience Program Carolyn Meier First Year Experience Librarian Virginia Tech 540-231-9861 cmeier@vt.edu Rebecca Miller College Librarian for Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering Virginia Tech 540-231-9669 millerrk@vt.edu Kiri Golbeck-Debose College Librarian for Natural Resources and Environment Virginia Tech 540-231-0495 kgoldbec@vt.edu Patrick Tomlin Head: Art + Architecture Library Virginia Tech 540-231-9272 tomlin@vt.edu UNITED STATES Virginia Tech’s 2010 implementation of the Pathways to Success initiative, an ambitious first year experience (FYE) curriculum for freshmen and transfer students, has presented exceptional

• pportunities for collaboration between university units and academic departments. To support

the university’s aim of delivering an academically grounded FYE, the University Libraries system has partnered with programs across campus to devise an inquiry-based component focused on expanding student information literacy and research skills. Growth of the University Libraries’ role in the Pathways enterprise has been swift. Initially reaching 400 students across 6 programs during its first year, by fall 2013 librarians will have engaged over 3000 students-- (nearly/over) half of all incoming freshmen--in FYE-based instruction devised for 16 programs. Ranging from 50 students to as many as 1,500, each Pathways program is a unique community, with goals and expectations designed to address the distinct needs of each discipline. The strength of the campus partnerships fostered between librarians and Pathways programs thus lies in their flexibility: each involves a common intellectual experience while engaging diverse, discipline-specific approaches to learning. The expansion of this high-impact practice at Virginia Tech continues to present an unprecedented chance to enact change on a curricular—and even institutional—level. Drawing upon examples from a representative selection of Pathways projects, this presentation will examine how librarians have worked alongside partnering

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academic departments to develop effective inquiry-related instruction and activities tailored to individual disciplines by way of course content, assignments, in-class exercises, and semester- long projects. Utilizing ongoing assessment data, we will demonstrate the success of these campus collaborations and discuss how assessment results have influenced changes to current

• programs. We will explore how we have cultivated and promoted student awareness of the need

to identify quality resources, analyze content, and avoid the “academic crime” of plagiarism. Finally, this presentation will examine how the challenges of scalability and redundancy to other large-scale information literacy have provided avenues for the holistic growth and improvement

• f our information literacy program. Although the Pathways program is unique to Virginia Tech,

participants will leave with an understanding of how the Virginia Tech University Libraries FYE initiative can be adapted to other models of library partnerships at their own institutions. Re-Visioning a First-Year Seminar Eddie Case Director of Gateway 101, Assistant Professor of Science Education Wingate University 704-233-8056 e.case@wingate.edu UNITED STATES As a result of discussions and a summer retreat among stakeholders in programs related to the first year experience, under the guidance of Drs. Betsy Barefoot and John Gardner, four areas of concern for the programs. Among these was the first-year seminar (Gateway 101). In order to address these concerns, Drs. Barefoot and Gardner were invited to facilitate the day long faculty workshop prior to the beginning of the 2011-2012 year. This workshop included presentations of current research in the four areas of concern and facilitated discussions to identify strengths and weaknesses in the four areas. As a follow-up, faculty was invited to serve on workgroups assigned to address the areas of concerns. The Gateway 101 Faculty Workgroup met biweekly during the school year with Dr. Aaron Culley serving as facilitator. The workgroup utilized a variety of data collection techniques and eventually made several recommendations to the Faculty Assembly. Among the recommendations made were: • Gateway 101 should have a faculty director. • The class should be taught by a full-time faculty member whenever possible and will be linked, either with another introductory class taught by the Gateway instructor, or with an introductory class taught by another full-time faculty member. • Gateway instructors may choose a themed topic for their class (which may involve an alternative reading assignment,

• r make use of other media, e.g. 60s protest songs). In March, 2012, Dr. Eddie Case was

appointed the new faculty Director of Gateway 101. In April, Drs. Case and Culley attended the Institute for First-Year Seminar Leadership offered by the National Resource Center at the University of South Carolina. Faculty who were selected to teach Gateway in the fall, met prior to exams to plan for the upcoming term. The result of these combined efforts was the following statement: While each Gateway section will vary according to content, topics, assignments, and themes, the overall goals for all Gateway 101 sections are: • Provide tools and resources to encourage student success. • Provide opportunities for extended orientation. • Help first year

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students develop relationships with faculty, upper classmen, and other first year students. This session will discuss the process that culminated in the development of these goals, the outcomes that were developed to correspond to each goal, the results of initial assessment to determine the extent to which these goals have been met, and implications for future development of the Gateway 101 program at Wingate. The Operation Experience and Effect of the International Global Department (Global Department for Foreigners) Jeong Ah Cho Academic Adviser Yonsei University +82-2-2123-6060 inwisdom@yonsei.ac.kr Sung Eun Yoo Academic Advisor Yonsei University +82-2-2123-3220 liqiao@yonsei.ac.kr KOREA The first year college experience is important for not only Koreans but also foreigners. But many universities in Korea generally prefer to focus on recruiting system and number of the new foreign students. Therefore many foreign students have difficulties in first year. Yonsei University launched the International Global Department. It was established for desirable education system for foreigners. In 2011, 58 foreign students were enrolled. In 2012, 52 were enrolled in the department. 60.9% of them had Chinese nationality. 80% of them had good at Korean in general. That department has own academic curriculum and many extracurricular activities such as global seminar, orientation, extensive orientation for only foreign students of International Global Department, program for Korea culture experience, peer mentoring program, different subject workshop, gateway to college. The result of research says that the academic achievement of the students (International Global Department) was improved. Their average of GPA was 2.84 in 2011. After their first year, they usually enhanced academic

• achievement. Their average of GPA was 3.0 in the sophomore. In comparison, the academic

achievement of foreigner students who enrolled in other department was declined (3.03->2.70). Also the satisfaction of the university and department (International Global Department) was increased (3.39 -> 4.05). Especially the rate of increase on the satisfaction of the department was 0.66%. Generally the academic achievement and satisfaction of the university and department was improved. These results are statistically significant. International Students and Success in the FYE: Considering Best Practices

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Robert Kenedy Associate Professor York University 416-736-2100 rkenedy@yorku.ca Marilyn Lambert-Drache Associate Vice-President International York University 416-736-2100 mlambert@yorku.ca CANADA This session will be based on the main programming we do for our International first year academic initiatives that are intended to facilitate the transition from secondary school to York

• University. We will be highlighting our Academic Orientation, Critical Skills Sessions, and

initiatives such as out “Living in Canada series” and the York International Buddy program designed to help students succeed in their first year at York University. Our overall International student first year program will be discussed as well as first year Academic Orientations for students entering our university during our fall and winter terms. We will be discussing our successes and challenges for ensuring international students do well at York. We will be discussing our International Academic Orientation and how important it is for students to understand academic expectations in academic orientation of peer advisors as part of academic

• rientation, critical skills and other aspects of the orientation. In short, this roundtable session

will offer an opportunity to see what we are doing for first year international students at York

• University. This session will also be highlighting the literature in this area as a way of informing

best practices at York and elsewhere. Overall, the purpose of this roundtable is to move toward understanding the challenges and developing and sharing solutions for helping students through the academic and international transition throughout university. Students in Transition and Student Accountability: Engaging Male Students toward Socialization of Zayed University’s Attendance Policy David Ribott-Bracero Student Success Specialist Zayed University 971-50-240-2249 David.Ribott@zu.ac.ae Jose Hernandez Academic Advisor & Faculty Zayed University Jose.Hernandez@zu.ac.ae

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Missy Hernandez Academic Advisor & Faculty Zayed University Missy.Hernandez@zu.ac.ae UNITED ARAB EMIRATES At Zayed University (ZU) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Emirati students are afforded the

• pportunity to study at an institute of higher education for free. This is the norm for federal

institutions here in the UAE. However, while public education is free for local students, the quality has been called into question at the K-12 level (Natasha Ridge’s Teacher Quality, Gender and Nationality in the United Arab Emirates: A Crisis for Boys). Public education for boys in particular has been cited for its lack of improvement in the areas of educational attainment, English language preparedness, and its inability to retain and graduate more students (Natasha Ridge & Samar Farah’s The 30%: Who are the males in higher education in the UAE). To complicate matters, Emirati males view higher education within the framework of a rentier state mentality, which means they do not consider education a vehicle for social mobility (Natasha Ridge’s The Hidden Gender Gap in Education in the UAE). The consequences are far reaching during their first year of university, as they are unprepared for the responsibilities of a being university student. For example, they exhibit irresponsible attendance behavior patterns e.g. habitually late and / or absent to class, and as a result, their academics are more likely to suffer, as students at ZU can fail due to attendance. In exchange for a free education, the UAE government expects recipient students to adhere to each federal institution’s attendance policy. The policy at ZU requires any student who exceeds 10.5% absences in class to submit an attendance appeal. To support them during this transition, 1st year students are engaged early i.e. during new student orientation, and engaged often e.g. in their classes as groups, one-on-one, etc. to effect a more positive outcome. In order to further facilitate this mandate, a comprehensive attendance model (CAM) was developed to help socialize 1st year students to the university’s attendance policy, and reinforce student accountability. The CAM is grounded in early intervention and continuous communication between faculty and Student Success personnel. Over a three-semester period, a positive trend has developed with male students in the Academic Bridge Program, ZU’s traditional 1st year student, registering behavior consistent with positive

• socialization. However, attendance data also showed that students who transitioned beyond their

first year of study into the Baccalaureate program increased in the number of attendance appeals filed over the same period of time.