Lessons learned from San Jose State University: How nurturing an “Ecosystem” of students and faculty engagement leads to STEP student success NSF STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) Grant #06-53260 Maureen Scharberg, Associate Vice President,Student Academic Success Services and Professor of Chemistry, [email protected]
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Lessons learned from San Jose State University: How nurturing an “Ecosystem” of students and faculty engagement leads to STEP student success NSF STEM.
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Lessons learned from San Jose State University: How nurturing an “Ecosystem”
of students and faculty engagement leads to STEP student success
NSF STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) Grant #06-53260
Maureen Scharberg, Associate Vice President,Student Academic Success Services and Professor of Chemistry,
* College of Science had issues with student success and retention, especially in “gateway” courses—needed mandatory academic advising—started with Chemistry
* Involvement with NSF Initiative for Systemic Changes of Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum—very student focused, active learning, group learning, problem-solving
* Professional Development of Faculty, Graduate Students and Teachers (focus on student engagement)
STEM Student SuccessSTEP by STEP
* Academic/Social/Personal—Changes with time
* Help students build their STEM student “toolbox”
* Transform STEM student “novice” to STEM student “leader”, wherever their entry point to the STEM degree is.
* Lessons learned and programs developed from this STEP grant applied throughout SJSU
Bottom Line Outcome from this Grant:
* Transformed SJSU by creating a Student Success Ecosystem
* Complex set of relationships* Many resources, including students, faculty, staff,
student leaders, student support network(s) * Interactive * Dynamic * Variable environment (within and outside SJSU) * Function as a unit
STEP Objective 1: Expand and enhance academic & career advising to entering students
* Created College of Science Advising Center (COSAC): * Opened April 2008—over 11,409 student visits to date
* “One-Stop Shop” for academic advising, career services, tutoring, time management, study strategies
* Intrusive, mandatory academic advising every semester.
* Probation and disqualification in the major, not the university (Colleges of Science and Engineering)
STEM Probation Students:
* Modified our existing transfer First Year Experience course in Spring 2009
* Started with College of Science, now expanded to include probation students from Colleges of Engineering, Social Science, Business, Applied Sciences & Arts as well as undeclared students on probation
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STEM MAJORS RETAINED THROUGH INTERVENTION SP09,FA09,SP10,FA10 (Sci 90T or Advising/Peer Mentoring)
* Strong partnership with Career Center—more STEM students visit the Career Center now than at the beginning of the grant
* Outreach to 2-year colleges by COSAC staff (professional academic advisor and intern); increased awareness of transfer STEM student needs by faculty * Transforming SJSU—six out of the seven colleges now have advising/success centers!!!
* Five are based on the COSAC model and have opened during the grant period! (professional advisers, peer advisers/tutors, liaison with Academic Advising & Retention Services)
STEP Objective 2: Provide Professional Development Opportunities for faculty who teach STEM “Gateway” courses
* Release time for small groups of faculty to study literature, attend professional conferences, develop/implement curriculum.
* Math (supplemental instruction)—started with pre-calculus, expanded to calculus, algebra, business calculus throughout grant period. * Computer Science – (stopped traditional lectures; active learning labs with short lectures)
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Precalculus and Calculus Passing Rates
STEP Objective 3: Immerse STEM majors into comprehensive learning communities
* Frosh First-Year Experience – Sci 2 class (600 students this semester; expand to include non-STEM majors)
* Supplemental instruction (Chemistry, Math, Physics) * STEM student leadership development (peer advisers, tutors, mentors) * 7,768 student questions answered during grant period * 11,636 hours of tutoring
First Time Frosh First Year Retention Rates
Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011
All University 79.9% (3598) 84.3% (2764) 87.1% (2761) 82.9% (3947)
* Created a college-wide social environment where science students feel a sense of belonging and identify with their college, fields of study, faculty, advisers and peers
* Expanded student success culture throughout the campus, catalyzed by this grant
Data Analysis:
* Beginning of grant period—pulling transcripts…too slow..
* Worked with our campus-wide programmers to create queries that gives associate deans major GPA, grades in key “gateway” courses—helps identify students for probation in the major
* Worked with our Office of Institutional Research to create our Student Success Milestone Dashboard for frosh and transfers (http://www.oir.sjsu.edu/reports/ssm/)
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SJSU Student Success Milestones (frosh/transfer)
“In search of adventure, 29-year-old Conor Grennan traded his day job for a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month stint volunteering at the Little Princes Orphanage in war-torn Nepal. But what began as a lark became a passionate commitment that would transform the young American and the lives of countless others.”
-Taken from www.conorgrennan.com
Sustainability:
* Student Academic Success Services (new Academic Affairs Unit as of June 2010---hub of student success operations, interacting with Student Affairs, departments, colleges, outreach)
* Funding: Special Sessions revenues, new Student Success, Excellence, Technology fee for Fall 2012; majority of student success operations, especially success centers, peer advising are not State of California dollars.
Questions for discussion:
* How does your STEP program define STEM student success?
* What STEM student support services do you provide?
* What data do you have to track STEM student success?
* What support do you provide STEM transfer students?
* How do you motivate your faculty to focus on integrating best practices for STEM student learning into their curriculum?
Thanks!
NSF STEP Grant: 06-53260, Susan Hixson, our Program Officer
• Dr. Dan Walker, PI• Dr. Gerry Selter, Provost Emeritus • and my mentor• Ann Baldwin, Program Manager• Michael Randle, Sci 2 and Sci 90T instructor• Student Academic Success Services• My colleagues at SJSU – students, faculty,