Summing Up Success: Linking Counseling, Reading, English and Math

Meet the CREM Team... Anu Khanna Coordinator Tom Nguyen Counselor Sarah Lisha Reading Instructor Amy Leonard English Instructor Doli Bambhania Math Instructor

CREM: What It Is An interdisciplinary cohort of ● C ounseling ●Developmental R eading/ Writing through transfer level E nglish Writing ●Developmental through transfer level M ath

CREM Evolution ●Institutional Research identified Math and English pairings ●Evidence of increased student success with embedded counselor ●Pilot Project through the Learning in Communities (LinC) program in 2008 ●Program evolution based on student and faculty focus groups, student surveys, and program review data

CREM cohort sequence FallWinterSpring Integrated Reading and Writing Composition and Reading Critical Reading, Writing and Thinking Beginning AlgebraIntermediate Algebra Elementary Statistics and Probability Topics in CounselingCounseling Seminar

Keys to Success ●Partnerships across campus ●Dedicated counselor ●Faculty Collaboration ●Joint syllabi and assignments ●Community building ●Scholarship Opportunity through APIASF ●Peer mentors ●Outreach

Who We Partner With ●IMPACT/AAPI Program ●LinC (Learning in Communities) ●Peer Mentor Initiative ●Divisions: Language Arts, Physical Sciences, Math & Engineering, and Counseling

What We Do ●Counseling and Mentoring ●Collaborative Policies and Interdisciplinary Assignments ●Establishing Strong Community

Interdisciplinary Assignments ●Business & Advertising Project ●Social Media Debate ●Global Issues Conference ●Data Analysis Project ●Autobiography with a personal finance component ●Tribute to a STEM hero

Counseling Overview Meet with faculty on weekly basis Student follow up involves classroom visits & additional interventions, case management Safest entry point for AAPI’s involves helping students to organize and apply information: Educational plans, Career development, Campus resources

Counseling Sessions Managing expectations & tension to establish parameters Balancing information with strategy, perspective Practicing active listening while offering empathy, genuineness and unconditional care

Becoming a Cultural Broker Identify student skills, strengths, & assets Clarify institutional processes and policies Provide safe, inclusive place for code switching, reflection, and identity development

The Hero’s Journey

Whip Around “If I could have one superpower, then I would choose …”

Student Success Courses First year: Study skills workshops & STEM guest speakers Second year: Studenthood issues including study skills, campus resources, teamwork, grit/growth mindset Third year: Building upon best practices while exploring neuroplasticity, self-compassion & cultural resiliency Seminar: Developing identity capital

Processing the Hero’s Journey Worksheet helps students to process video Opportunity for building community through timeline exercise Tie in with another assignment, Finding Heroes in Everyday Life Encourages students to reflect on personal journeys with respect to attending college, incorporating family/immigration history

Why We Do It ●Interdisciplinary connections improve teaching and learning ●Faculty collaboration and community building is worth the investment ●Interdisciplinary projects make learning more relevant ●Overall CREM success rate: 80% ●Significant improvement over standalone Math courses ●Somewhat better than standalone English courses

How We Do it ●Institutional Research - facilitates course “compatibility” and outreach efforts ●Block Scheduling ●Faculty Professional Development ● Institutional-level Logistics: negotiating seat count, scheduling rooms and assigning cohort designations, evaluation/data gathering

Thanks for Coming!