A Collaborative Approach to Designing an Intentional, not Coincidental, First Year Experience

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A Collaborative Approach to Designing an
Intentional, not Coincidental, First Year
Experience

• Presented by
• Kimberly Frazier, Amy Howton,
• and Marlene Sims

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About Kennesaw State University

• Four year public university
• Located in Metro Atlanta area
• 21,000 students
• 10 residential students
• 54 non-traditional age students
• 9 International students

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About Learning Communities at KSU

• First began in 1990s
• Became more structured over time  
• Required of all first-year, full time resident
  students when campus residence facilities opened
  in Fall, 2002 
• Linked to KSUs revised First Year Experience in
  2006

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The First Year Experience Now

• As of Fall, 2006, all first -year, full-time
  students entering KSU with fewer than 15 semester
  hours are required to enroll in KSU
  1101(First-year Seminar) or KSU 1102 (Learning
  Community)

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• flexible enough to accommodate diverse student
  population
• consists of Learning Communities and/or a
  Freshman Seminar
• common student learning outcomes developed from
  Policy Center on the First Year of College
  Benchmarks
• connections among General Education Courses
• collaborations with academic support and student
  services
• contribution of out-of-class experiences

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KSU 1101/1102 Course Learning Outcomes

• 1) Study Skills (understanding academic
  strengths test preparation skills ability to
  find items through the library diligence in
  reviewing class notes before the next class
  meeting involvement in peer study groups note
  taking in class ability to cope with test
  anxiety)
• 2) Academic/ Cognitive Skills (improving
  students skills in writing, reading,
  decision-making, computer usage, and oral
  presentation)
• 3) Critical Thinking Skills (improving the
  students ability to see multiple sides of
  issues identify solutions to complex problems
  evaluate the quality of opinions and facts)
• 4) Connections with Faculty (improving a
  students understanding of faculty expectations
  of students willingness to seek feedback from
  instructors and communications with instructors
  outside class)
• 5) Connections with Peers (improving the
  students efforts to get to know students in
  classes ability to meet new people with common
  interests and ability to establish close
  friendships with peers)
• 6) Out-of-class Engagement (increasing the
  students participation in campus-sponsored
  organizations contributions to the success of
  campus-sponsored organizations time volunteered
  for worthwhile causes and attendance at campus
  cultural events)

• 7) Knowledge of Campus Policies (increasing
  the students understanding of the
  college/university rules regarding academic
  honesty the grading system academic probation
  policies registration procedures and financial
  aid procedures)
• 8) Knowledge of Academic Services
  (increasing the students understanding of the
  role of the academic advisor how to obtain
  academic assistance how to obtain a tutor and
  available library resources)
• 9) Management of Time and Priorities
  (increasing the students understanding of the
  impact of establishing personal goals preparing
  for tests well in advance ability to establish
  an effective study schedule ability to organize
  time to meet responsibilities)
• 10) Knowledge of Wellness (improving the
  students understanding of the impact of stress
  and how deal with it college students sexual
  issues the impact of alcohol consumption the
  impact of drug use the impact of exercising
  regularly)
• 11) Global Perspectives (demonstrating an
  understanding of ethics, diversity, and a global
  perspective of their communities)

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Maymester Faculty Development Seminar

• Replaced informal lunch/planning sessions
• Includes separate faculty development sessions
  for professors new to Learning Communities and
  for returning professors
• Focuses on achievement of common outcomes
  through completion of The Form
• Presentations by student services, residence
  life, academic support, etc.

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The Form

• Contract for learning community
• Requires collaboration among faculty teaching in
  the learning community
• Encourages intentionality in meeting outcomes
• Reflection process includes revisiting of form
  for assessment

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First Year Experience Enrollment
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Assessment

• Lit. reviews, long standing professional groups,
  peers on other campuses, qualitative research and
  KSU anecdotal evidence suggest that FYE and LCs
  do positively impact students not just on
  retention and GPA measures, but also on learning
  outcomes.
• Multiple approaches have been used to assess the
  effectiveness of KSU1101/1102
• CIRP YFCY
• NSEE
• IE data
• In house instruments Survey Monkey and in-class

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A comparison of Fall 2005 and Fall 2006 data at
the 99 confidence level

• Fall 2005 KSU 1101 Stand-Alone Sections (N 90)
• Better understanding of KSU academic services
• Fall 2005 KSU 1101 in a Learning Community
• (N 221)
• Stronger connection to peers
• Greater participation in campus activities
• Greater Knowledge of KSUs policies and
  procedures
• Better understanding of global community, ethics
  and diversity

• Fall 2006 KSU 1101 Stand-Alone Sections
• (N 487)
• Better understanding of KSU academic services
• Higher rating for improving academic and
  presentation skills
• Enhanced communication with professors
• Greater connection to peers
• More aware of effective time management
  strategies
• Better understanding of global community, ethics
  and diversity
• Fall 2006 KSU 1101 in a Learning Community
• (N 620)
• Greater understanding of wellness
• Greater participation in campus activities

Red stayed consistent from year to year
Yellow reversed results from year to year