1. Welcome!
The students of EGL 102 section 003 would like to present the results of their research papers.
Let’s start with Defining the Problem

2. Defining the Problem
The problem is that Oakton lacks a structured and conscientious program for freshmen students.

3. Explaining the Goals
Our main goal is to design a year-long Freshmen Success Program for Oakton that is based on research.
We also wanted to research the following questions:

4. 7 Research Questions
What are the typical problems of college freshmen?
What are the typical problems of community college freshmen?
Who are considered “at risk” students?
Who drops out of college (and why)?
How have students learned to succeed on their own?
What do other year long programs look like?
How are these programs assessed?

5. Literature Review What are the typical problems of college freshmen?
“The High School/College Disconnect” Michael Kirst 2004 (Speaker: Albert Flores)
“Understanding the College First-Year Experience” Kirk S. Kidwell 2005 (Speaker: Nirav Ankleswaria)
“Alcohol Use among College Students” Ann Bolton-Brownlee 1987 (Speaker: Oana Dragomir)
“Freshmen Starter Kit” Carla Barnhill 2005 (Speaker: Noeul Park)

6. Literature Review What are the typical problems of community college freshmen?
“Naming the Other: How Dominant Culture Privilege and Assimilation Affect Selected Underrepresented Populations at the Community College” Clifford P. Harbour et. al (Speaker: Rich Amoloria)
“A Study of White, Black, and Hispanic Students” Julie Weissman 1998 (Speaker: Kristen Parinas)
“Student Involvement in the Community College Setting” Christopher A. Chaves 2003
(Speaker: Penny Christopoulos)

7. Literature Review Who are the at-risk students?
“Valuing Diversity-Student Teacher Relationships that Enhance Achievement” Linda Olson Jacobson 2000 (Speaker Radek Kubala)
“Monitoring At-Risk Students, A School-Based Action” Robert King 1999 (Speaker: Chase Martin)
“Understanding At-Risk Korean Youth” Suhyun Suh 2005
(Speaker: Amy Kim)

8. Literature Review Who tends to drop out?
“Use of Personal Development Test to Identify High School and College Dropout Students” Russel Cassel 2003 (Speaker: Sarah Choi)
“Studies Show College Dropout Rate Up, School in Disrepair” 1983 (Speaker: Deibi Palaguachi)
“Developing and Nurturing Excellence in African American Male Adolescents” Deryl F. Bailey and Pamela O. Paisley 2004 (Speaker: Lonnie Kash)
“Dropping Back In” Stacy Perman 2004 (Speaker: Pedro Gomez)

9. Literature Review How have students learned to succeed?
“Ideas in Practice: letters of advice from at-risk students to freshmen” Commander Nannet Evans and Maria Valeri-Gold (Speaker: Dana Tourloukis)
“Your First Year for College: 25 tips to help you survive and thrive your freshmen year and beyond” Randall S. Hansen 2005 (Speaker: Cathy Mayer)
“College Success: High school librarians make the difference” Topsy N. Smalley 2005 (Speaker: Molly Dermer)

10. Literature Review What are the characteristics of other year long freshmen success programs?
“The Freshman Year Experience: Student Retention and Student Success” Meg Wright Sidle and Janet McReynolds 1999 (Speaker: Joanna Boksa)
“Orientation Programs: A Foundation for Student Learning and Success” Debra A. G. Robinson et al (Speaker: Jenny Panares)
“Supporting First Generation College Freshman with Small Group Intervention” Wendy A. Folger et al. (Speaker: Pintal Patel)
“Mind the Gap: Prospects for Easing the Transition from High School to University” Alan Sears 2004 (Speaker: Eric Tharappel)

11. Literature Review What are the characteristics of other program assessment tools?
“The Effects of Freshman-Year Programs at Community Colleges” Carol A. Kozeracki (Speaker: Caitlin McAuliffe)
“Effectiveness of a Freshman Seminar in an Urban University: Measurement of Selected Indicators” Heather E. Howard 2004 (Speaker: Stefano Vitale)
“Assessment of the First-Year Experience” Joseph B. Cuseo 1993 (Speaker: Alexandra Buraczynska)

12. Our proposed Freshmen Success Program
First of all OCC must have a structured, comprehensive, conscientious, and measurable Freshmen Success Program
The most important characteristics of this program are building relationships and making connections.
The program should start in the summer with an orientation program for students and training for faculty, staff, and counselors.
The summer orientation program should offer students various experiences and services:
Counseling and Advising
Designing an educational plan
Being paired with a mentor
Being placed in a freshmen interest group
Being placed in a Core group
Orientation Blog
Registering for Facebook
College Success Mini Course
Speaker: Theo Liakos

13. Our proposed Freshmen Success Program
Summer Orientation Continues:
Early Registration
Tour of Campus
Student + Significant Other Orientations
Participation in the Admissions Process
Social Event
Freshmen Reading Round Up
Survey given to search for and round up “at-risk” students
Summer Orientation can be one week long or it can be one Saturday long
It should occur at various times throughout the summer so most students can attend
It should be considered mandatory
A truncated version should be offered between Fall and Spring semesters for new freshmen
Speaker: Caitlin McAuliffe

14. Our proposed Freshmen Success Program
During the entire first year:
Intrusive counseling/advising
Tutors inside high drop-out rate courses (English & math)
School-sponsored events for freshmen interest groups, mentors and the mentored, and core groups.
Faculty-Student events
Team-Taught College 101 course strongly encouraged
Extensive follow-up by counselors (refine and monitor performances in classes)
Faculty trained in cooperative learning and teaching to various kinds of learners
Social gatherings (parties)
Friendship-building events
Academic services that support courses that students are enrolled in
Speaker: Molly Dermer

15. Our proposed Freshmen Success Program
Last pieces of advice:
Make a Freshmen Success Program visible to all during the year
Faculty-Staff must be aware of his or her role
Visibly posted Calendar of Events for Freshmen Success Program
Conscientious efforts to convey a message of success to students
Speaker: Stefano Vitale

16. Speaker: Richard Amoloria
Our Assessment Tool
We have 2 ideas: Idea #1
An electronic survey/questionnaire administered before freshmen year begins
to assess how students feel about their impending academic journey
to assess programs students think will help them
to assess what they think it will take to succeed in college
An electronic survey/questionnaire administered after freshmen year ends
To assess how students feel about their freshmen journey
To assess programs students used and how effective students thought they were
To ask students what they liked or disliked about Freshmen Success Program
Speaker: Richard Amoloria

17. Speaker: Albert Flores
Our Assessment Tool
Idea #2:
Conduct an experiment
Experimental and Control Groups (100 in each)
Experimental group randomly selected
Control group matched as closely as possible to experimental group
Compare GPAs and Drop-out rates after each semester for as long as possible
Questionnaire should also be given to each of the groups
Determine which programs they utilized and whether or not they were satisfied with the programs.
Determine what they attribute to their success or failure
Determine their obstacles
Determine their support systems
Speaker: Albert Flores

18. Any Questions?
Thank You for Coming!