Got Goals? Inspiring Students to Take Action Through the GPS LifePlan Presented by: Kristin Hageman and Aarin Distad Century College, White Bear Lake, MN FYE Conference – 2010 Denver, CO

Outline for today’s presentation Who is Century College? Why GPS LifePlan? What is the GPS LifePlan? How is the GPS LifePlan used on campus? First Year Experience Workshop Series How do students view the GPS LifePlan? Beyond Century College

Century College Community & technical college in White Bear Lake, MN Students enrolled in credit courses – 10,469 Females: 55% Males: 45% Full-time students: 47% Average age: 25 Students of color: 28% First generation students: new – 34% returning – 60% Of the new students entering Century, 78% intend on earning their associate’s degree

Students with no idea

Now, think back to when you were in college… Did you have goal(s)? Who/what helped you achieve your goal(s)? What made your college experience successful? Was it a person? A resource? A club? How accessible was this person/resource? Was it 24-hours a day? Only between 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday-Friday?

Timeline 2005 CCSSE results Steering Committee Workshop restructuring Best practice visit to Valencia Community College 2005 CCSSE results President vision and support Steering Committee Workshop restructuring Launched at New Student Orientation April 2006 External program evaluation Continual Program enhancements

Goals + Plans = Success Planning tool that assists students in developing and achieving their goals and plans while attending Century. There are 5 sub-plans that were created to meet the needs of students in all areas of academic, personal and career development. CareerPlan – EducationPlan – FinancePlan – LeadershipPlan - PersonalPlan

Who can use the GPS LifePlan? Students Faculty Staff Guests / Community Members Service Members

Topic Areas Self-Assessment - Interests - Skills - Work Values - Personality Career Research Links to Education Integration Decision-Making

Topic Areas Degree/Program Course Planning Links to Education Study Skills Learning Styles Grade Issues Transfer Planning College Readiness

Topic Areas Financing Education - Financial Aid - Scholarships - Tax Related Benefits Budget Debt Management Saving for the Future Credit Management

Topic Areas Leadership Skills Resources for Leading Civic Engagement Service Learning Global Competence

Topic Areas Life Transitions Stress Management Relationships Fitness and Physical Health Child Care Housing Transportation Mental Health

How is GPS LifePlan Used on Campus? New Student Orientation Presentation of information Student Planner Registration Guide Online Orientation

Workshops during Fall and Spring How is it Used on Campus? continued Workshops during Fall and Spring About 50 each semester covering all 5 Plans Sample workshops: “Read It Twice and Still Don’t Get It” “Budget 101: How to Develop a Budget” “Creating Your Leadership Philosophy” “So, You Need a Resume?” Online workshops Cover workshops that have been presented on campus as well as some from other resources. Sample online workshops:

How is it Used on Campus? continued Student Success Day Day each semester to support and celebrate student success Meet with instructors and check progress Get acquainted with offices and services on campus Attend workshops on a variety of topics Keynote speaker/group on a timely issue Held on a regular school day during fall and spring semesters

Student Organizations Leadership Institute Welcome Week How is it Used on Campus? continued Student Organizations Leadership Institute eFolio component paying specific attention to the LeadershipPlan Welcome Week GPS LifePlan interactive tour of campus Departmental involvement Organizations included GPS LifePlan aspects in Student Activities Fair Publications Student Planner Activities Calendar

Faculty support and utilization How is it Used on Campus? continued Faculty support and utilization Curriculum integration Assignments Workshop attendance Conversations with students Reading 0080 Mentor program Academic planning GPS LifePlan assisgnment Teaching Circles Awards of Excellence Lesson plan examples on web

Examples Developmental English Marketing (Professional Development) Budget Analysis, Understanding Your Credit, Getting out of Debt, Goal Setting, and Scholarship Applications (FinancePlan) Creating Your Own Vision/Mission (CareerPlan) Marketing (Professional Development) Leadership Styles (LeadershipPlan) Stress Management Project (PersonalPlan) Dental Hygiene Learning Styles Assessment and Class Instruction (EducationPlan) Develop a S.M.A.R.T. goal to identify a study skill the student would like to improve (EducationPlan)

Faculty support of the program and view it as worthwhile (F 2006) Century College Faculty Fall 2006 (N=130)

Faculty support of the program and view it as worthwhile (SP 2009) Century College Faculty Spring 2009 (N=150)

AQIP Project - Reading 80 Mentor Project Re-enrollment Fall to Spring Rate

First Year Experience Workshop Series Free 6-week program offered to new students Built with a GPS LifePlan foundation Utilized “On Course” material by Skip Downing Designed as a cohort model Five-six cohorts depending on the semester Recruit students at New Student Orientation Introduced in small group setting Sign-up sheets handed out and collected after registration

Incentives for Participating Only one hour a week Free activity/resource workbook Free giveaways: 2 gig flash drive GPS LifePlan water bottle Drawings for gift certificates to the campus bookstore and cafeteria for participants that attend all six weeks. Connection to staff and current students

Week Two: Getting Connected to Century College Week One: Technology 101 Introductions Overview of the FYE Workshop Series / What are their expectations? Go over technology used on campus: eServices Email Desire 2 Learn (D2L0 Student Portal Century’s Website GPS LifePlan Week Two: Getting Connected to Century College Ice breakers Candy introductions Human bingo GPS LifePlan overview Getting Connected to Campus: Activity Hunt

Week Three: Making Wise Choices Marshmallow challenge Five minutes to build the tallest free-standing tower Victim versus creator Personal responsibility Wise choice process Time management activity Test your time management skills Week Four: Got Goals? Setting Goals for Your Future Explain what is a goal and why is it important to have goals S.M.A.R.T goal setting method Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely As a large group worked on a goal as an example Allowed time for students to develop their own goals

Week Five: Keeping a Healthy Balance in Your Hectic Life Group discussion: What is balance? What does keeping a healthy balance look like? Paper plate balance activity Write down everything that you do/are responsible for Group discussion and activity: What are values? How do you define them? Values exercise worksheet Do your values and activities match? Do you have balance in your life? Week Six: What’s Next? Things to Know for Next Semester Celebration: Cupcakes and soda Hand out participation certificates Review “What’s Next” sheet Book buy-back Finals schedule Registration and tuition down-payment for next semester Group Discussion: Likes and dislikes of FYE Drawing for prizes Gift certificates to the campus bookstore and cafeteria Post survey reminder

Pre and Post Survey Results of FYE Students: I know how to get involved on campus: 3.5% disagree and 66% agree (Post) 36% disagree and 48% agree (Pre) I know what resources are available to me at Century: 5% disagree and 62% agree (Post) 32% disagree and 54% agree (Pre) I know how to manage my time effectively: 5% disagree and 71% agree (Post) 23% disagree and 61% agree (Pre) I know where to go if I have questions about Century: 7% disagree and 59% agree (Post) 38% disagree and 47% agree (Pre)

Students with goals

Noel-Levitz Satisfaction Inventory 1=Not satisfied at all 2=Not very satisfied 3=Somewhat dissatisfied 4=Neutral 5=Somewhat satisfied 6=Satisfied 7=Very satisfied Item 2007 2009 Difference The GPS LifePlan provides several planning tools and resources : Priority 5.42 5.64 .39 Satisfaction 5.24 5.4 0.16 Using the GPS LifePlan has helped me define my career goals and educational plan: Priority 5.36 5.43 0.7 4.96 5.03 0.07

Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CSSEE) Benchmarks Century 2005 Century 2009 Change Active and Collaborative Learning 48.2 50.5 + 2.3 Student Effort 51.1 52.0 + 0.9 Academic Challenge 50.8 50.9 + 0.1 Student-Faculty Interaction 44.1 47.6 + 3.5 Support for Learners 45.7 50.2 + 4.5

Beyond Century College Collaboration with the Office of the Chancellor and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MnSCU) – 32 institutions, 25 two-year and 7 state universities. 13 campuses have developed their own customized sites and are at various stages of integration on their campuses Minnesota Online and Distance Minnesota Workforce Centers Promoting on campus workshops for them to attend Working with their staff to highlight pieces from the web site that their job seekers can use Service Members Version All returning Minnesota National Guard members are introduced to the Service version through 30 day, 90 day and one year re-integrations. With High School Students Upward Bound, District 916, PACE Program (Preparing to Achieve a College Education), Access and Opportunities Grant, and North Lakes Academy Charter School Topics covered with high school students: How and why to set goals; Holistic approach to goal setting; Detailed goal setting and action plans; Each of you as leaders; Test taking help: preparing for college exams; Creating eFolios

What would the GPS LifePlan look like on your campus What would the GPS LifePlan look like on your campus? Which programs, services, etc. do you have on your campus? List them on the sheet under the Plan you think they fit best.

Contact Information Kristin Hageman, Dean of Student Life kristin.hageman@century.edu Aarin Distad, Student Experience Director aarin.distad@century.edu www.gpslifeplan.org/century