Aspiring Eagle Scholars Program: A Model for Success North Carolina Central University 10/24/07

Characteristics of Freshman Students  Millennium Generation  Vast knowledge of technology  Constantly moving, on the go  Looking to be entertained  Often first generation college student  Lack of knowledge about college expectations  Egocentric  Lacking direction and self discipline

What is a learning community?  An intentional restructuring of the environment so that students have opportunities for deeper understanding and integration of the material they are learning, and more interaction with one another and their teachers.  Occurs in a variety of setting.  Models are adapted to the organization and to the student and faculty culture of a campus.

Why learning communities?  Promote greater student involvement in learning  Provide a context for faculty development and engage faculty in a highly supportive teaching environment  Often used to link first-year experience programs and freshman seminar courses to discipline based courses  Effective ways to introduce students to the academic culture

And because....  Students and teachers share responsibility for teaching and learning  Can provide at-risk students with a support network of faculty, peers, and counselors  Help to overcome feelings of isolation common on large campuses  LC introduce accountability into the classroom (attendance, participation, etc)

How to structure the Learning Community?  Organized along curricular lines  Face to face, distance education or disciplines  Common career interests  Social interests  Residential living areas  Build around student organizations  Establish LC for schools or colleges to encourage interdisciplinary studies

We decided that our structure would  Organize students and faculty into smaller groups  Encourage integration of the curriculum  Help students establish academic and social support networks  Provide a setting for students to be socialized to the expectations of college

Other Goals....  Bring faculty together in more meaningful ways  Focus faculty and students on learning outcomes  Offer critical lens for examining first year experience programs  Provide a setting for community-based delivery of academic support programs

2006 Aspiring Eagle Scholars Summer Bridge Program  Focus on retention and graduation rates (a product of the Retention Management Task Force – Under the direction of Dr. Bernice Duffy Johnson)  50 students with developmental academic needs  5-week residential program  3 courses (4 credits) Math, Reading, Learning Strategies  2 hours minimum of weekly tutoring  4 Peer team leaders/counselors  2 - Cultural excursions  Must continue in LC in Fall (joined by 105 other students)  Structured student engagement activities, 3 courses (4)

Benefits of 2006 Summer Bridge Program  100% completed the program in Summer  Earned no less than a ‘B’ in all classes  49 returned in Fall  Held 4/5 freshman class offices  Motivated, excited, and engaged  96% engaged in campus organizations  38 earned 3.0 or better GPAs in Fall  Provided a support network for each other and new students  Average Fall GPA of (higher than the university average)

2007 AES Summer Bridge Program  Funded by the Office of the Provost/NCCU Division of Student Affairs  100 students with developmental academic needs  18 conditional admits  5-week residential program  3 courses (7 credits) Math, Reading, Learning Strategies  2 hours minimum of weekly tutoring  6 Peer team leaders  Cultural excursions  Must continue in Fall (joined by other students)  Structured student engagement activities

Benefits of 2007 Summer Bridge Program  96 students successfully completed the program  96% passed the math course with at least a ‘C’  All 18 conditional admits completed the program  17/18 of the conditional admits were accepted at NCCU for the Fall semester and 1 for the Spring 2008 semester  99 of the total students were accepted at NCCU for the Fall and 1 for the Spring semester  More maturity, accountability, growth and development

Fall 2007 AES Learning Community  Open to any freshman student (400 Students)  Common residential setting for summer cohort  Assigned faculty/staff mentors for all students (Freshman Seminar Instructors)  Rites of Passage is the heart of the program  4 week progress reports / Tutorial reports  3 hours minimum of tutoring per week  Community service project  Monthly team meetings

Fall Learning Community Sessions  First Session of the Learning Community - Held in October focused on Managing Stress and Time Management  Second Session of the Learning Community - To be held in November – Focus to Civic Engagement and Understanding $$$$

Other LC Sessions  December Learning Community Session - Student Empowerment Conference  Sessions to continue in Spring  Closing ceremony held in April (Pinning) signifying a successful transition into college

Assessment Strategies  Comprehensive and Longitudinal  2 Week progress report by instructors during the summer  Bi-weekly discussions by team leaders during the summer  Program evaluation by students, staff, faculty, parents, and program coordinators  Pre and post assessment in summer courses

Other Assessment Strategies...  The College Survival Success Scale (Students identify their most effective and least effective college survival skills)  Non-academic assessments - Student engagement in campus activities - Number and intensity of social and personal interruptions - Level of satisfaction with universities entities

And Other Assessment Strategies - Success in managing interpersonal relationships - Extent of accessing university resources - Participation in mentoring program - Point at which students declare a major - Number of times the major is changed

Lessons Learned  Know your students’ characteristics, needs, aspirations & adapt services, program, and facilities to meet the needs of students  The entire campus must be vested – may require redefining our roles as administrators, faculty, staff, and support service providers  Educational excursions are critical to developing the total person  Common residential housing in a structured setting is needed

Proposed Summer Bridge 2008  100 Students  50 Slots allocated for conditional admits  5 –Week residential program  4 hours minimum of tutorials  Math, English, Reading Comprehension (7 credits)  Structured setting as in the past  Evening seminars  $100 Registration fee (Student Activities)  2 Cultural excursions

New Components  Hire a data analyst to collect, analyze and interpret data (Controlled/uncontrolled groups, tracking each cohort until graduation and perhaps beyond)  Instructor’s Academy - 15/20 Instructors (First Year, Retool, Interested Persons - Dinner - Examine various topics that will enhance the teaching and learning process  Instructional Planning Workshop - Clustering of classes

Other Possibilities.....  With Chancellor Nelms, ENDLESS!!!!!!!