First Year Initiatives:

1

Points of Pride at The University of
Akron Karla T. Mugler Associate Provost and
Dean of University College
2
UA has been working on the programs services we
offer first-year students since 2000

• Moved the Department of Developmental Programs to
  Summit College
• New provisional admits to UA enter the University
  through Summit College
• Increase in the number of Learning Communities
  and the number of students served
• Increase in the number of Learning Assistants
  assigned to courses which student find to be
  difficult
• Selected to be part of the inaugural cohort for
  the Foundations of Excellence self-study by the
  Policy Center for the First Year of College

3
Since May, 2006, the FYE Task Force has met
bimonthly to address the following
recommendations

• Employment of one voice syllabi for first-year
  courses
• Communication with and professional development
  for faculty/administrators who teach first-year
  courses
• Development of a recognition system for faculty
  teaching first-year courses
• Development of a First-Year Council comprised of
  faculty and administrators with responsibility
  for key first-year classes or programs
• Assessment of first-year students computer
  literacy skills
• Authentic assessment of all FYE programs and
  initiatives
• Studying the impact of the Student Success
  Seminar on first-year students

4
Priorities for next year

• Continued communication with and professional
  develop-ment for faculty who teach first-year
  courses
• Development of a centralized, accessible
  information source for students to learn about
  campus events and opportunities
• Implementation of a pilot computer literacy
  instrument
• Develop and institute intentional diversity
  modules in first-year, General Education courses
• Study academic advising systems on campus and
  increase students access to this service
• Establish learning outcomes and a structured
  assessment plan for the FYE programs and
  initiatives

5
Learning Communities Program

• Serve students across the educational spectrum
• Since their inception at UA in 1995, weve
  expanded the program by 550.
• While most LCs nationwide are residential, UAs
  began with an academic focus.
• Collaboration with many colleges and departments
  on campus, Akron Public Schools for Service
  Learning, and the University Park Alliance.
• Results have been substantive LC students earned
  more credits, had higher retention rates, and had
  slightly higher g.p.a.s than non-LC students.

6
Learning Assistants Program

• Students in courses with a Learning Assistant are
  more
• apt to persist in the course rather than dropping
  it or
• disappearing.
• The likelihood of the students earning a C or
  better in
• the class has increased anywhere from 19-73
  depending on
• the course and the instructor.
• Fall 200531 L.A.s Fall 200636 L.A.s
• 862 students served 915 students served
• 5,872 contact hours
  5,000 contact hours
• Spring 200620 L.A.s Spring
  200749 L.A.s
• 921 students served
  AS, Business, Engr,
• 5,444 contact hours
  Summit

7
Undergraduate Research

• UA was selected to the Leadership Program of the
  Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching
  Learning to focus on undergraduate research.
• McNair Scholars program for underrepresented
  undergraduates.
• Funded programs for undergraduate
  researchMuehlstein Academy for Mathematics
  Sciences, and various Research Experiences for
  Undergraduates (REUs)
• layered research programs that engage high
  school, undergraduate, and graduate students
  together in projects.
• Annual conference on Undergraduate Graduate
• Research

8
Student Engagement Success

• Two UA students received Boren Scholarships from
  the NSEP for study abroad.
• Nursing undergraduate is president of the
  National Student Nurses Association.
• Engineering students compete and fare well in
  national and international competitions.
• National Residence Hall Honorary received the
  Chapter of the Year Award this month.
• Honors College seniors complete a research
  project under the direction of a faculty mentor.