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Creating a Scalable Sustainable First Year Success Program. Bronx Community College (BCC) of the City University of NY (CUNY) Profile. Part of the City University of New York (CUNY) – the nation’s largest urban public university Enrollment (credit) – approximately 11,000 students - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Creating a Scalable Sustainable First Year Success Program
Bronx Community College (BCC) of the City University of NY (CUNY) Profile
Part of the City University of New York (CUNY) – the nation’s largest urban public university
Enrollment (credit) – approximately 11,000 students Degree Distribution – 60% transfer (AA/AS), 40% career
(41% -AAS, 3% certificates) Most common majors – liberal arts, business, allied health
(nursing) Specialized majors – criminal justice, media technology,
digital design & computer graphics, telecommunications technology
BCC Student Profile
Ethnically Diverse (61% Hispanic; 33% Black –Africans, African Americans, Caribbean; almost one-half (48%) immigrants from more than 100 countries)
Academically Underprepared (20% enter with GED; 90% require remediation; one-quarter require remediation in all 3 skill areas)
Demographic Risk Factors (median household income<$20,000, 23% supporting children; 58% employed; 48% non-native English speakers)
BackgroundDuring 2010-11, BCC:
Engaged with the John Gardner Foundations of Excellence in the 1st Year Self-Study Process
Conducted analyses and thorough review of literature – resulting in proposal for improvement
Initiated plans to create a new Freshman Seminar course at BCC as signature effort of First Year Program
BCC First Year Initiative
Major factors that contribute to the lack of student success in the first year at BCC
Institutional Organization
Student Disposition
Curricular Organization
Ineffective Pedagogy
Lack of Academic Supports
Highlights from BCC First-Year Analyses
Theoretically and Empirically-Driven Recommendations
Facilitate student success in 1st year courses Facilitate efficient and effective course taking (toward
meeting graduation requirements) Promote student engagement and knowledge of College
expectations Promote faculty use of engaged and effective
pedagogies Create a cohesive 1st year experience with clear
pathways, organized experiences, consistent communications with clear oversight & accountabilities in place.
How Does FYS fit BCC’s “big picture” goals?
• A focus on success (not only on access) and on outcomes (on what students learn, not only on what faculty teach).
• For the first-year student and the first-year seminar instructor, a focus on “disposition.”
• The FYS program involves the entire college: faculty across disciplines, staff across offices and divisions. A team-based approach.
• The FYS program is transparent: open to investigation, experimentation, and assessment. We want to know what works. If it doesn’t work, we will change it
The “Incubator Effect”
• FYS is a site for experimentation and exploration of good pedagogical practice; for "hatching" good practices
• Our hypothesis: What works for the first-semester student will work for all BCC students
• Three concepts to explore:– “Intrusive Teaching”– Creating strong, student-centered learning
environments
The “Incubator Effect” (2)Embodied Pedagogies” --"learning strategies and course designs that engage affective as well as cognitive dimensions, not merely through the role of emotion, but through personal significance, motivation, creativity and intuition, through expressions of self-identity and subjectivity, all as the foundation of intellectual engagement". R. Bass and K. Bain, “Threshold Concepts of Teaching and Learning that Transform Faculty Practice (and the Limits of Individual Change)", in Transforming Undergraduate Education: Theory that Compels and Practices that Succeed, ed. Donald W. Harward (Rowman and Littlefield, 2011), p. 201
FYS Teaching ExamplesKey features:• Explicit Learning Objectives• Emphasis on skills development, building community,
and active learning• An "embodied" subject for the teacher• Food, Culture, and Sustainability--Prof. Giulia Guarnieri • The Art of Struggle--Prof. Jeanine Kelley-Williams • Failure is Impossible—Prof. Kate Culkin• Diversity, Culture, Communication—Prof. Monique
Fortune
FYS Student Examples:Erick Lopez: "Benvenuti"
Hello, and benvenuti! My name is Erick and this is my ePortfolio website. On this website you will see different aspects of my life including academic and personal. As a student I take much pride in doing this ePortfolio so I am open to all advice and/or constructive criticism, so feel free to offer any support. I apologize for not having much to write about in my welcome section, but you will find almost every other section to be much feeling. Hope you enjoy, and once again benvenuti.
FYS Student Examples:"Cheyanne"--examining "disposition" through time management:
Doing my time management piece made me realize that I need to make more time to study. between school and going for my daughter and cleaning my house my schedule is very busy. I learned that i need to take time to do my homework and study so I can be better in school. My time management piece showed me that i need to cut the time that i put into cooking and cleaning and study.
Building a First-Year Program
First-Year Seminar
Academic Advisement Tracking of Student Performance
Co-Curricular Activities Peer Mentoring
Academic Advisement
• Caseload: 200 students/advisor• Three-point contact model• Advisement is part of FYS grade• Functions of advisors:
– Assess risk– Major selection– Referrals to academic and personal support – Academic plans– Outreach to students (at risk, disengaged, etc.)– Source of information (workshops)
Tracking Academic Progress
• Centralized collection and reporting• Noel-Levitz College Student Inventory• Early Progress Report• Midterm Grade Report
Co-Curricular Activities
• Collaboration with Student Life• Connected to Student Orientation• Awareness of “life outside classroom”• Engagement with campus culture• Give back• Career opportunities
Peer Mentoring
Academic support
Social support
Peer Mentors
• Embedded in FYS• Current or graduated students• +20 credits• >3.2 GPA• Completed developmental work• 8 hrs/week• Peer mentor training program
Role of Peer Mentors• Model behavior and disposition• Direct students to services on campus• Provide guidance with technology• Help create study groups/assist with course content• Provide instructors feedback on student
understanding of material• Lead small group discussions in FYS• Announce weekly co-curricular events• Reach out to students • Build community
Ongoing Research Design and Results
BCC Office of Institutional Research has implemented an ongoing multifaceted formative evaluation process to inform ongoing program changes and improvements, including:• Interviews• Surveys• Observations
Promising Results
Following Fall 2012 semester
First Year Course
Total N End-term Average GPA
End-term Average Credits
Re-enrollRate
FYS 469 2.29 6.57 79%
Traditional 893 1.60 3.64 68%
No course 479 1.77 4.73 50%
Implementation Fidelity Results
Stronger implementers of the course design demonstrated stronger student results:
Implemen-tation Level
# Sections Average Credit Range
Average GPA Range
Re-enrollment Range
Strong 8 7.1 - 9.7 2.38 – 2.88 81 - 100%Moderate 7 5.3 - 6.6 2.08 – 2.58 71 – 86%Weak 6 4.2 - 5.1 1.65 – 1.90 57 – 78 %
Questions and comments?
Presenters and Contact Information
Bronx Community College of the City University of New York2155 University AvenueBronx, New York 10453
Dean of Research and Analysis, Nancy Ritze – [email protected] Faculty Fellow, Howard Wach – [email protected] Director First Year Program, Francisco J. Legasa – [email protected]
