Summer Reading Engaging Students: Admissions & Beyond - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Summer Reading Engaging Students:

Admissions & Beyond

****************************** Catherine Andersen Judith T ermini Maria Waters Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.

Gallaudet University

The world’s only liberal arts university for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people Enrollment: 1500 undergraduates

What is Summer Reading?

• Book chosen for all entering students
• Faculty, stafg & extended community

participate

• Semester-long series of events that

promote a common intellectual experience

Why should we have a Summer Reading Program?

• Establishes a culture of readers
• Orients new students to critical

thinking & college level writing

• Provides a springboard for faculty-

student conversation

• Establishes academic expectations

before arrival

• Connects to a larger mission

Step 1: Book Selection

• Should reinforce a university goal or

initiative

Academic Afgairs Planning Committee and University Credo:

• Strengthen, nurture & infuse academic

culture into all aspects of Gallaudet community

• Every person should be treated with

civility… our community is strengthened by the diversity of its members

Where to look for possible selections

• Electronic sources
• Website

http://sc.edu/fye/resources/fyr/reading/read.html

• Listserv
• Summerreading@listproc.appstate.edu
• College First Year Homepages
• College publications
• Colleagues

Step 2: Reading the Possibilities

• Read & narrow the choices

– involve faculty & students in the selection – consider readability

• Contact agents and colleagues

– Author’s availability & cost – Author’s presentation style

NOW CHOOSE YOUR BOOK!

Step 3: Preparation

• Send letter & guided reading

questions to newly admitted students

• Update your website
• Begin campus-wide advertising to

engage faculty/stafg

• Stock your bookstore
• Plan coming semester events

Step 4: Activities & Events

• New Student Orientation & Convocation
• Semester events prior to author visit

– Workshops – Panel Discussions – Essay Contest – Movie Night – Dorm Programs – Reading recognition buttons

• Author visit to campus

Step 5 : Assessment

• Do summer readings accomplish

your goals ?

• Use both quantitative and

qualitative measures

Assessment

Quantitative

• Numbers and

Percentages

• Head Counts
• Academic Progress

Qualitative

• Student

Perceptions

• Faculty/stafg

Perceptions

Assessment Instruments

• First Year Seminar evaluations
• National surveys with questions

related to your goals

• Head counts at events
• Academic progress in courses that

use the book

• Faculty/stafg/community feedback
• Student papers and journals

Student survey results:

• I read Tuesdays With Morrie 92%
• I attended an event 61%
• Summer reading is a good idea 76%
• Reading this book made me want to

read more 63%

• I want more events like Tuesdays With

Morrie 50%

Results, continued:

• After reading T

uesdays With Morrie I

• Appreciated life more 63%
• Appreciated friends more 49%
• Appreciate family more 49%
• Appreciated teachers more 40%
• Was more focused on academics 22%

More results:

Selected student journals

• “My father had ALS... I never knew…”
• “I am curious about last year’s book and

what will you choose for next year?”

• “Do you think Mitch follows his own

message?”

More results:

Faculty comments

• “What have you chosen for next

year?”

• “Can you send me the guided

questions?”

Contact Information

Catherine.Andersen@gallaudet.edu Director First Year Experience Judith.T ermini@gallaudet.edu Coordinator First Year Experience Maria.Waters@gallaudet.edu Coordinator First Year Experience http://fye.gallaudet.edu

Collaboration

Share your ideas!