18 th National Conference on Students in Transition October 8-10, - PDF document

18 th National Conference on Students in Transition October 8-10, 2011 St. Louis, Missouri A "Happy Mess" Revisited: Extending what we know about the senior year transition for first generation students Julia Overton-Healy Director, Leadership Programs and the Women's Leadership Center Alfred University 607-871-2971 overton@alfred.ed Heather Maietta Director of Career Services and Cooperative Education Merrimack College 978-837-5038 maiettah@merrimack.edu The original study (Overton-Healy, 2010) identified several key and shared experiences as reported by first-generation college seniors. The findings indicated that this particular student population undergo important transitional challenges, including a re-identification of self, responding to the conflicted role of family, and engaging in self-efficacy strategies. Additionally, the original research outlined institutional responses which the data indicated would be useful interventions to assist this population. The current study uncovered similar results, but with some crucial differences which the presenters suggest are indicative of how institutional context impacts transition. Results are presented using the 4-S System design from Schlossberg's Adult Transition Theory (1984). Understanding and Engaging Under-Resourced College Students Bethanie Tucker Professor of Education Averett University 843-907-6617 bhtucker@earthlink.net Economic forces are bringing an increasingly diverse student population to the door steps of institutions of higher education. Two-thirds of the students who enter higher education do not complete a degree within six years, and among low- and moderate income students, the statistics are even grimmer. Under-resourced students often have limited access to resources, such as support systems, mentors, and money. Without the advantage of the inter-generational transfer of knowledge many students feel both disconnected and doomed to failure. Participants will develop enhanced understanding of how to: • Use teaching strategies to build cognitive ability • Implement developmental models in their disciplines to move students from concrete learning to the abstract thinking and planning required in college • Improve retention by building relationships of mutual trust and respect AVID Postsecondary: Support, Retention and Success 1

Betty Krohn Program Manager-AVID Postsecondary AVID Center 972-591-2520 bkrohn@avidcenter.org Our session will address AVID Postsecondary as a systemic initiative to support students who are under-prepared for college. We will examine how the postsecondary initiative: • Provides a academic training program to develop college success skills needed for academic success, persistence and gra duation • Reduces barriers that traditionally limit levels of academic achieve ment • Facilitates professional development using student success pedagogies applicable across academic disciplines and student services • is planned and implemented around five AVID Postsecondary Essentials: 1. Administrative Leadership and Support 2. AVID College Planning Team 3. Professional Development 4. Freshman Experience and Beyond 5. Data Collection and Research Our session will also engage participants by examining the following three areas of distinctive impact AVID makes to increase student persistence and completion: Campus Culture: • Culture changes when belief systems change • The power of high expectations and high support • Focu s on critical thinking through inquiry- based pedagogies • Change from teaching environments to learning environments • Instructional st rategies and student engagement Students: • Student accountability – taking responsibility for their own learning; Advancement v ia Individual Determination • Academic behaviors, competencies, efficacy, peer support, mentoring • Rigor with support – tackling acceleration successfully, changing belief systems; holding them to high expectations • Learning strategies applied to coursework versus isolated study skills Faculty: • Engage faculty in  Planning for student academic success  Reducing institutional barriers to student persistence, acceleration and completion  Advocacy for and monitoring of AVID students • AVID students will come to class prepared to learn • Professional development in teaching and engagement strategies • Research - based instructional methodologies We will address how AVID is relevant and replicable in diverse environments using examples of implementations from current institutions: Augsburg College, Minnesota; Central Texas College; Huston-Tillotson University, Texas; Los Medanos Community College, California; Skagit Valley College, Washington; Southwest Texas Junior College; Texas A&M Commerce; Texas A&M Kingsville; Texas College; Texas State Technical College, Harlingen; University of Houston Downtown; University of Texas Pan American, University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Wiley College, Texas. Targeted Audience: This session would be best attended by postsecondary (two-year or four-year institutions) administrators, teachers, and counselors. Involvement of Participants: Presenters will utilize group readings and dialogue to involve and stimulate the audience. Short videos, readings, and PowerPoint presentations may be used to illustrate key points and to provide a visual framework. Faculty Mentorship Program for Freshman Students with Disabilities Taiping Ho Professor Ball State University 765-285-5983 taipingho@bsu.edu During this poster presentation we will provide information on the implementation of the FMP and learning opportunities that have been offered to faculty as a result. The presentation will focus on the reasons for the FMP, the process for beginning the FMP, and the benefits of the FMP for students with disabilities. By the end of this 2

presentation, attendees will understand the need for such a program and know the personnel and resources involved in implementation. Additionally, the results of qualitative and quantitative research regarding the effectiveness of the program will be shared. Information will also be provided on learning opportunities that have been offered to faculty and staff as a result of this grant including: • Best practices for accommodating students with different disability types (visually impaired, deaf/hard o f hearing, autism, learning disabilities, acquired brain injuries). • The transition to college for students with disabilities. • Adaptive technology for SWDs. • Academic support for SWDs. • Emotional difficulties in the classroom. • Communicating with students with disabilities. • Incorporating universal design of instruction into the classroom. • A historical overview of access to postsecondary education for SWDs. Larry Markle Director of Office of Disabled Student Development Ball State University 765-285-5293 lmarkle@bsu.edu Jacqueline Harris Coordinator of Study Strategies and Writing Ball State University 765-285-8107 jroberts@bsu.edu Roger Wessel Associate Professor of Higher Education Ball State University 765-285-5486 rwessel@bsu.edu Assessing and Supporting Students Entering a Nursing Program Sandra Nadelson Director Student Services and Advising College of Health Sciences Boise State University 208-426-4679 sandranadelson@boisestate.edu After the tool development and administration, the results were tallied by factor. Environment had the highest number of low scores with 17. This was followed by academics (14), then affective (12) and finally professional integration (6). Areas that often had lower marks included comfort with writing and test anxiety. Students with three or more low scores were contacted by the director of student services and additional resources provided if students felt they were needed. Throughout the semester, students were made aware of student services available to help them. A Facebook advising group was also developed to help students quickly get information they needed. Our plan is to readminister the tool to the next group that begins in one month. We are also monitoring attrition and GPA of these students. Our hope that both will be improved as a result of this work. Louis Nadelson Assistant Professor 3