MANDATORY FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE Lynnae Selberg & John Cowles

Course Description  CLS credits: This course is designed to assist new students with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to be successful in college and life. Topics will include learning styles, critical thinking, information management skills, GRCC history and services, study skills, values exploration, academic planning, career planning, civic engagement, and diversity.  Requesting AGC approval to become mandatory for all new degree seeking students starting Winter 2014

FYE by the numbers…  Approximately 87% of colleges & universities offer FYE courses  FYE is offered for credit at 92% of colleges and universities  Top 5 Results of FYE Courses:  43% reported increased persistence to 2 nd year  41% reported improved peer connections  38% reported increased student satisfaction  33% reported increased use of campus services  34% reported increased out-of-class faculty/student interaction

Persistence Rates of CLS and Non CLS students  CLS 100 students  Fall to Winter Persistence : 85.6% : 82.8% : 84.1%  Fall to Fall Persistence : 55.6% : 57.5% : 49.7%  Non CLS 100 students  Fall to Winter Persistence : 80.9% : 79.9% : 77.8%  Fall to Fall Persistence : 54.6% : 49.5% : 48.3%

Student Survey & Comments  As advisor helped me to select a course of study, program or major  CLS 100 students 55.7% Agree or Strongly Agree Non CLS 100 students 42% Agree or Strongly Agree  Would you recommend this course to a new GRCC student?  Yes 81%  “Push students to meet with an advisor within the first week of class.”  “It was very helpful and helped me learn a lot about myself.”

CLS 100 Faculty Comments  “Students are starting to identify their learning style in the activities that we learn in class.”  “I feel that my students are more open to talk with instructors outside of the classroom. The professor communication was requirement outside of the class and I find many of my students stay after class to ask questions.”  “I enjoyed getting to know the students in a different format.”

Why Mandatory?  Strategic Leadership team choose this project to support Strategy 5.0 Student Success  College Action Project 5.1.1: Mandate the student success course (CLS 100) for all first time, degree seeking students, PY 097 for developmental students  Working Team: John Cowles, Lynnae Selberg, Vicki Cooper, Jody Graves, Amy Koning, Lori Cook, Scott Mattson, Vicki Maxa, Jason Schuller

Draft Policy Statement for CLS 100  All students new to GRCC who are enrolled in a degree seeking program are required to complete a college learning success course, either PY 097 (Strategies for College & Life Success) or CLS 100 (Introduction to College: New Student Experience). Students must complete the course requirement their first semester of classes taken at GRCC. A degree- seeking student who has already successfully completed 12 or more credits of post high school, college-level courses at another college or university or has received GRCC transfer credit for these courses will not be required to complete CLS 100 or PY 097.

Next Steps  Discuss this in your Departments, obtain feedback  Share feedback on 11/13/12  Be prepared to vote on 12/11/12