The ABC

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The ABCs of Transitioning to College
Assessment, Basic Skills, Collaboration
Dyrell Foster, Associate Dean, Counseling Art
Nitta, Math Instructor Anabel Perez,
Counselor/Coordinator of Learning
Communities Audrey Yamagata-Noji, Vice President
of Student Services
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Overview

• Purpose
• Case Study Discussion
• Student Profiles (Basic Skills)
• Bridge Programs
• ASPIRE
• Learning Communities Faculty Development
  (Classroom Assessment)
• Campus Wide Support (Collaboration)

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Mt. SAC a College of Champions


                       

• Located in Southern California
• 149 million budget
• Nearly 65,000 total students (annually)
• 30,000 full time equivalent credit students
• 53 female, 47 male
• Culturally diverse student population 43 Latino
• 27 Asian/Pacific Islander/Filipino
• 19 Caucasian
• 6 African American
• .4 American Indian
• 2.7 Other
• Average student age 26
• Entering Freshmen
• 40 English is not spoken at home
• 59 First generation college students

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Case Study

• SCENARIO State policy has changed to allow
  mandatory placement criteria to be posted as
  entrance requirements to 85 of the curriculum.
  Discuss pros and cons of this new policy.
• What opportunities and challenges would this
  change bring?
• What are some strategies that you can use to meet
  the basic skills needs of your entering,
  underserved students?
• What do you perceive will be potential
  roadblocks?
• How will you measure success?

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Where we were in 1997

• Our students were
• scared
• inexperienced
• underprepared
• unfamiliar

• Our College had
• a traditional approach to educating students
• rigid basic skills prerequisites
• students repeating the same class 3-4 times until
  they could pass

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Where we wanted our students to be

• Increase success in basic skills competencies
• Improve persistence and retention
• Improve grades and pass rates
• Enhance goal attainment
• Improve self confidence and
• self efficacy

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What we did What we found

• Conducted research -- student surveys, student
  focus groups, review of existing data/reports
• Identified eight causes/factors related to
  decreased student success at our college

• -Lack of information
• -Institutional structure
• -Campus climate
• -Lack of student preparedness
• -Lack of faculty preparedness
• -Students personal/economic concerns
• -Lack of study skills
• -Lack of self-appraisal, abilities and need for
  self-efficacy

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Our Solution

• A learning community model designed to increase
  students academic and personal success through
  the structuring of the learning environment.
• The model enables
• Students to take an active role in the
  teaching-learning process
• An integrated curricular approach
• Learner-centered pedagogical techniques
• Peer group learning experience
• A networked system of support

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Basic Skills Placement Levels

• Assessment of Written English (AWE)
• Learning Assistance Services
• LERN 81 Basic writing skills (review)
• English writing
• ENGL 67 Writing Fundamentals (Paragraph to
  short essay)
• ENGL 68 Prep for College Writing (Short essay)
• ENGL 1A College Freshman Composition
• Prerequisite Eligibility for English 68

• Math Placement
• Learning Assistance Services
• LERN 49 Basic Math skills (review)
• Math Department
• Math 50 Pre-Algebra
• Math 51 Elementary Algebra
• Math 71 Intermediate Algebra
• Math 110/130 Stats/College Algebra

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Placement Test Results

• 97 percent of students place below Freshman
  Composition (English 1A) graduation/transfer
  level
• English 1A 3
• English 68 24 eligibility level for 85 of
  curriculum
• English 67 50
• LERN 81 14
• ESL 9
• 85 percent of students place below transfer level
  math
• Math 71 (Intermediate Algebra) 16
• Math 51 (Elementary Algebra) 6
• Math 50 (Pre-Algebra) 22
• LERN 49 (Math Skills Review) 34
• LERN 48 (Basic Math Skills Review) 7

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The Summer Bridge Program

• Mt. SACs answer to access, diversity, and basic
  skills
• Mt. SACs first learning community
• Summer program designed to transition students
  from high school to college
• 6 week program
• Classes, field trips, tutoring, parent
  orientation, college orientation and registration
  assistance

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Benefits of starting college in the summer

• Get students acclimated to college
• Take away the fear factor
• Provide students with greater self-confidence and
  connection to people (counselors, faculty, peer
  advisors) and programs and services
• Complete a key basic skills courseenhance
  academic preparation
• Enroll in strategic college services EOPS,
  DSPS, tutoring, honors program

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A Students Experience..

• The Bridge Program does what its name says,
  it makes a bridge between that great gap called
  High School and College, so instead of leaping
  and having a chance to fall and fail, try
  bridging the gap so you can walk safely across.
• Summer Bridge 2006

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Who are the Bridge students?

• Higher percentage of female students (64.7) to
  male students (35.3)
• 20 years or younger (94.5)
• Latino/Hispanic (83.9)
• Receive some form of financial aid (77.4)
• First-generation college student (99.8)
• 100 are academically under-prepared for college

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Student Services/Counseling Instruction An
Integrated Model
All students take one Community Class together
and then one paired/linked courses
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Summer Bridge 2009Class Schedule
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Summer Bridge Community Class

• Purpose to create and facilitate interpersonal
  relationships between students, faculty, and the
  larger college community to support students as
  they transition from high school to college
• Weekly themes include Academic Campus
  Resources, Working Under Pressure Motivation,
  Diversity, Communication, Setting Goals
• Team taught
• Faculty Corners each faculty share their own
  experiences in college and beyond related to the
  weekly themes
• Guest Speakers Student Life, Health Center,
  Financial Aid

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The Student Support System
Parents/Guardians
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Campus Collaboration
Admissions
Basic Skills Initiative
Counseling/ Orientation
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Summer Bridge 2008
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The next generation 3 New Learning Community
Models
English Bridge Development English Writing
Reading College Success
Math Bridge Pre-Algebra Elementary Algebra
College Study Skills Elementary Algebra
Intermediate Algebra College Study Skills
Pre-Nursing/ Health Bridge English Bridge Math
Bridge Chemistry Anatomy Counseling Physiolo
gy Microbiology Counseling
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English Bridge - Fall 2008
Class Name Successful
Bridge English 67 80.5
Non-Bridge English 67 63.7
Bridge English 68 80.4
Non-Bridge English 68 66.7
Bridge Read 90 75.0
Non-Bridge Read 90 59.0
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A Students Experience..

• I have learned that I need to apply myself and
  prove I have the potential. After slacking off
  my first two years I have now come to realize the
  time and dedication I must put in to achieve
  higher grades.

• Excerpt from Midterm Evaluations Math Academy,
  March 2002
• 
  

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Math Bridge

• Concentrated subject matter focus
• Students take both Beginning Algebra and
  Intermediate Algebra or Pre-algebra and Beginning
  Algebra in one semester
• Students enroll in a Community Class
• Supplemental Instructors
• Counseling support

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Math Bridge Community Class

• General self management skills
• Specific math study skills
• Supplemental math activities
• Goal setting
• Motivation
• Developing relationships
• Understand the relevance of math to their lives
  and to the world
• Assigned formal study groups

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Math Bridge Fall 2008
Class Name Successful
Bridge Math 50 74.5
Non-Bridge Math 50 61.7
Bridge Math 51 64.6
Non-Bridge Math 51 50.3
Bridge Math 71 72.7
Non-Bridge Math 71 52.0
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A Students Experience..

• At this point, math does not worry me anymore.
  I am more confident about doing math and it seems
  fun now. I understand that math is an important
  part of our lives.

• Excerpt from Midterm Evaluations Math Academy,
  March 2002
• 
  

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Expansion of Learning Communities Model ASPIRE

• African American Student Program Inspiring
  Responsibility for Education to address lack
  of academic success of African American students
• Model incorporates
• Mentoring
• Rites of Passage/Commitment Ceremony
• Learning Communities with course content enriched
  with an African American perspective
• Community Building through special events,
  fieldtrips, HBCU Tours, Conferences

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ASPIRE

• Success rates for ENGL 68 during fall 2008 were
  higher among A.A. students in ASPIRE than A.A.
  students not enrolled in ASPIRE
• 71.4 ASPIRE students vs. 63.1 Non-ASPIRE
• Feelings of being connected to the college
• Supportive experiences with a mentor
• Motivation to succeed
• Friends in the program

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I like how Aspire reaches out to us. It helped
me with my studies and we are able to make
connections that are needed for a successful
college life. I also like that I have someone to
talk to about whatever is going on with me
because I don't have anyone else to talk to. I
like the connections and the feeling of
belonging, the sense of family, and the support.

A Students Experience..

• Excerpt from ASPIRE Student Survey BSI Report,
  June 2009
• 
  

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Faculty DevelopmentClassroom Assessment

• On Course Strategies for Student Success
• Skip Downing
• Learner-centered strategies for empowering
  students to become active, responsible learners
• 8 principles Self-Responsibility, Discover
  Self-Motivation, Master Self-Management, Employ
  Inter-dependence, Gain Self-Awareness, Adopt
  Life-Long Learning, Develop Emotional
  Intelligence, Believe in Themselves

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Learning Communities Institute

• Annual two-day convening of faculty (both full
  and part-time) who are teaching in a learning
  community and want to strengthen improve,
  faculty who would like to develop a new learning
  community, and those who want to explore and
  learn more about learning communities
• Faculty receive training on specific strategies
  and pedagogies to engage students and build
  community, such as learning styles, diversity,
  and developing integrated assignments.
• Speakers/lecturers
• Planning in faculty teams

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Faculty Voices
Ive recommended the program to several
professors. "Participating in LCs has been one
of the best experiences. Ive learned many new
ideas for increasing student participation. "Bein
g a part of this faculty community was great."
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Key Ingredients of a Successful Learning
Community Program

• Centralized administrative structure
• Strong learning outcomes and assessment
• A Learning Community Steering Group
• A Comprehensive Faculty Development Program
• A Student Marketing Plan
• A Formalized Faculty Recruitment Plan
• Developed interdisciplinary curriculum
• Collaboration between academic and student
  affairs
• Counselors as intervention specialists

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Strategies

• Meetings/briefings with key leaders
• Faculty presentations
• Continued research and documentation of efforts
  
• need to prove your point!
• Student testimonials
• Presentation to Board of Trustees
• Media coverage
• Conference presentations

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Strategies continued

• Include the most influential and vocal faculty
• members
• Take faculty leadership to conferences
• Continue to make your case to the administration
  
• especially for ongoing funding and dedicated
  space
• Constant presence on campus internal
• communications, posters, fliers, schedule of
  classes,
• college catalog, student paper

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A Students Experience..

• I learned that I really am smart. I learned
  that if I put my mind to something and I dont
  give up, I will accomplish it. I have a whole
  new outlook on school and on my study habits.
  But, over all I learned that I could also help
  others, and in turn I would be helping myself.

• Excerpt from Midterm Evaluations Math Academy,
  March 2002
• 
  

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Contact Information

• Mt. San Antonio College
• [phone]
• Dyrell Foster
• Associate Dean, Counseling
• Ext. 5917, email dfoster_at_mtsac.edu
• Art Nitta
• Mathematic Instructor
• ext. 5386, email anitta_at_mtsac.edu
• Anabel Perez
• Counselor/Coordinator of Learning Communities
• ext. 5904, email aperez_at_mtsac.edu
• Audrey Yamagata-Noji
• Vice President of Student Services
• ext. 4505, email ayamagata_at_mtsac.edu