APS Staff Development Workshop

Preparing Freshmen in Transition for Academic Success and its Impact on

RetentionChristina Cho, Ph.D.

Director of Advising, Recruitment & Retention

cycho@unr.edu

College of Science Overview

Established in 2004

Over 2400 undergraduate students

14 undergraduate programs

3 Accelerated Programs (BS/MD, BS/DMD, and BS/MBA)

2 Living Learning Communities

Retention is an IMPORTANT topic/issue in higher education (Barefoot, 2004; Tinto, 2006)

Even as more high school graduates than ever enroll in higher education, continuing decline in college completion rates (Bound, Lovenheim, & Turner, 2010; Talbert, 2012)

No alignment between secondary and higher education (Conley, 2005)

“Substantial improvement in a college’s ability to promote student success DOES NOT ARISE

BY CHANCE” (Tinto, 2012, p. 82)

“….a series of intentional, structured, and proactive actions that are consistently applied over the long

term.” (Tinto, 2012, p. 82)

College of Science Dean

Jeff ThompsonExperimental atomic and

molecular physicist

Culture of Student Success

Leadership

Stakeholder Involvement

(Faculty, staff, current students, Advisory Board members, and alumni)

Collaboration

RecruitmentAcademic Advising

ScienceFIT

RETENTION

“Retention and recruitment are closely related” (Levitz & Noel, 2000, p. 2)

Recruitment

Branding/Messaging

– Graduate in 4 years

– ScienceFIT

– College resources & opportunities

Outreach events

Recruitment

Recruitment

Academic Advising Model

Academic AdvisorsNew & Continuing Freshmen

Sophomores

New Transfer students

Probation

Change/Declaration of Major/Minor students

Faculty Advisors

Juniors & Seniors in good academic standing

Academic Advising

Advising syllabus and role statement Advanced Registration

– Academic Advisor Communication Flow• Introduction & Welcome• Notification of course enrollment• Placement options

Mandatory advising– 3 semesters for all new freshmen– New transfer students– Probation

Completion of the MyNEVADA Planner

Innovation diffusion and adoption in higher

education• Purpose of higher education includes discovering,

transmitting and applying knowledge – viewed as agent of social change (Elton, 2003; Kerr, 1982)

• Higher education steeped in tradition and conservative; not likely to innovate (van Vught, 1989)

• Relative advantage

• Compatibility

• Trialability

• Observability

• Complexity

LOWER LEVELS

HIGHER LEVELS

Rogers’ Innovation Attributes

• LSU developed Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS) program • Students introduced to academic course content (BIOL

1201) and the rigors of college

• Replicated at over 30 colleges/universities

Reasons for Struggling

12

13

18

Years of success

College is 13th Grade

Year olds are OVERLY confident

Adapted from BIOS @ LSU presentation

ScienceFIT Academic Bootcamp

FIT = Freshman Intensive Transition

6 day intensive academic program for incoming freshmen the week before the fall semester

ScienceFIT Academic Bootcamp

SCI 109 (1 credit, S/U grade)

Passing SCI 109 based on PARTICIPATION, not performance

ScienceFIT Academic Bootcamp

FIT = Freshman Intensive Transition

Simulating midterm exam week

Cramming & Memorization Learning

ScienceFIT Academic Bootcamp

2 Gateway Courses• 8 lectures – 4 for each course

• 4 exams - 2 for each course

• 5 college success sessions – led by academic advisors

• 3 skills sessions – led by University staff

• Pack meetings/study sessions – led by Pack Mentors

Lecture

Category

Life Sciences Physical & Earth

Sciences/Engineering

Geography &

Math Majors

A CHEM 121 CHEM 121 CHEM 121

B BIOL 190 PHYS 151 GEOG 121

ScienceFIT Course Content

“paying attention to the many gateway

courses whose successful completion plays

a major role in subsequent student success”

(Tinto, 2012, p. 98)

Experiences •Making friends (new freshmen & upperclassmen)

•Studying in a group & being in a smaller, supportive learning environment

•Infusion/cultivation of study skills

•Meeting faculty

•Using technology (Canvas)

•Taking exams

•Learning about opportunities & resources (research, tutoring,

clubs/organizations)

•Learning physical layout of campus

Outcomes •Experience (many for the first time) feeling overwhelmed and/or

stressed

•Develop more confidence and knowledge about what to expect in

college and how to use available resources

•Is science/engineering what you really want to do?

•Will your study skills/habits from high school work in college?

•Develop new friendships and study groups BEFORE semester

begins

ScienceFIT Video

https://youtu.be/p8wlv5Zryns

Important Components

• An anchor course that was perceived to be a “gateway” class to the major or required for professional school

• Use of actual exams and other assessments

• A smaller supportive learning environment

• The infusion of study skills training

• The involvement of faculty responsible for teaching the course

Who is involved?

Department Chairs

Academic Advisors

Pack Mentors

Undergraduate TAs

Skills Sessions Presenters

9:00 AM 4:00 PM Residence Hall Move-In or Band Practice

1:00 PM 4:00 PM ScienceFIT Program CHECK-IN

4:30 PM 5:30 PM Parent Information Session by Provost Kevin Carman

6:00 PM 7:00 PM NevadaFIT Opening Ceremony

7:00 PM 8:00 PM NevadaFIT BBQ

8:30 PM 9:00 PM ScienceFIT Opening Ceremony

9:00 PM 9:45 PM First Pack Meeting

10:00 PM Residence Halls Floor Check-In

Start End Activity

6:45/7:00/7:15 AM Breakfast

8:00 AM 8:50 AM Lecture A1

9:00 AM 9:50 AM Lecture B1

10:00 AM 10:50 AM College Success Session 1

11:00 AM 11:20 AM Break (Pack Mentor Huddle)

11:30/11:45 AM/12:00 PM Lunch

1:00 PM 1:20 PM Pack Meeting

1:30 PM 2:20 PM Lecture A2

2:30 PM 3:20 PM Lecture B2

4:00 PM 4:45 PM Review Session A1/A2

5:00/5:15/5:30 PM Dinner

7:00 PM 9:00 PM Band Practice

7:00 PM 10:00 PM Pack Mentor Led Study Session

Sample ScheduleSUNDAY, August 20

Start End Activity

6:45/7:00/7:15 AM Breakfast

8:00 AM 8:45 AM Review Session B1/B2

9:00 AM 9:50 AM Exam 1A

10:00 AM 11:00 AM Skills Session 1 (Pack Mentor Huddle)

11:30/11:45 AM/12:00

PM Lunch

1:00 PM 1:50 PM Exam 1B

2:00 PM 2:45 PM Pack Meeting

3:00 PM 3:50 PM College Success Session 2

4:00 PM 4:50 PM Lecture A3

5:00/5:15/5:30 PM Dinner

7:00 PM 10:00 PM Pack Mentor Study Session

Sample ScheduleSUNDAY, August 20

Start End Activity

6:45/7:00/7:15 AM Breakfast

8:00 AM 8:50 AM Lecture B3

9:00 AM 10:00 AM Skills Session 2 (Pack Mentor Huddle)

10:30 AM 11:20 AM Lecture A4

11:30/11:45 AM/12:00 PM Lunch

1:00 PM 1:50 PM Lecture B4

2:00 PM 2:50 PM College Success Session 3

3:00 PM 4:45 PM Research Lab Tours

5:00/5:15/5:30 PM Dinner

6:30 PM 7:00 PM Pack Meeting

7:15 PM 8:30 PM Ice Cream Social/Club Fair

8:30 PM 10:00 PM Pack Mentor Study Session

Sample ScheduleSUNDAY, August 20

Start End Activity

6:45/7:00/7:15 AM Breakfast

8:30 AM 9:15 AM Review Session A3/A4

9:30 AM 10:20 AM College Success 4

10:30 AM 11:15 AM Review Session B3/B4

11:30/11:45 AM/12:00

PM Lunch

1:30 PM 2:20 PM Exam 2A

2:30 PM 3:30 PM Skills Session 3 (Pack Mentor Huddle)

4:00 PM 4:50 PM Exam 2B

5:00/5:15/5:30 PM Dinner

7:00 PM 8:15 PM Research Talks by Faculty

8:30 PM 9:30 PM Final Pack Meeting & Evaluations

Sample ScheduleSUNDAY, August 20

Start End Activity

6:45/7:00/7:15 AM Breakfast

9:00 AM 9:45 AM College Success Session 5

10:00 AM 10:15 AM ScienceFIT Group Photo

10:30 AM 11:30 AM ScienceFIT Closing Ceremony

11:30 AM 1:00 PM LUNCH

Evolution of FIT

BioFIT

2013

ScienceFIT(optional)

2014 & 2015

ScienceFIT

(mandatory)

2016-current

2016 ScienceFIT

Adapted from BIOS @ LSU presentation

Zeidenberg, Jenkins, and Calcagno (2007)

argued that if a program is found to show

benefit to students, REQUIRE IT rather than

wait for the students to utilize those services

(as cited in Tinto, 2012, p. 103).

ScienceFIT Academic Bootcamp

Growth over time….

2004 2017

~800 undergraduate students >2400 undergraduate students

10 undergraduate majors 14 undergraduate majors

Graduation & Retention Rates

University College of Science

Student headcount & FTE +1% +5%

6-year graduation rate 54% 62.5%

Undergraduate Minority Student Population 36% 45.3%

2017-2018 Retention (Fall to Spring) 92% 97%

• Barefoot, B. O. (2004). Higher education’s revolving door: confronting the problem of student drop out in US colleges and universities. Open Learning, 19(1), 9-18.

• Bound, J., Lovenheim, M. F., & Turner, S. (2010). Why have college completion rates declined? An analysis of changing student preparation and collegiate resources. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2(3), 129-157.

• Conley, D. T. (2005). College knowledge: What it really takes for students to succeed and what we can do to get them ready. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

• Elton, L. (2003). Dissemination of innovations in higher education: A change theory approach. Tertiary Education and Management, 9(3), 199-214.

• Levitz, R. & Noel, L. (2000). The Earth-shaking but quiet revolution in retention management [PDF document]. Retrieved from www.noellevitz.com

• Kerr, C. (1982). The uses of the university. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.• Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed.). New York, NY: Free Press• Talbert, P. Y. (2012). Strategies to increase enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. Journal of Developmental Education, 36(1), 22–

36.Upcraft, M. L., Gardner, J. N., & Barefoot, B. O. (2005). Introduction. In Upcraft, M. L., Gardner, J. N., & Barefoot, B. O. (Eds.), Challenging and supporting the first-year student (pp. 1-14). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

• Tinto, V. (2006). Research and practice of student retention: What next? Journal of College Student Retention, 8(1), 1-19. • Tinto, V. (2012). Completing college: rethinking institutional action. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.• Van Vught, F. A. (1989). Creating innovations in higher education. European Journal of Education, 24(3), 249-270.

APS Staff Development Workshop

Thank you!

Questions?