1. A First-Year Seminar Aimed at Increasing Student Success in Science and Mathematics
Marla M. Bell
Associate Dean of Student Success
College of Science and Mathematics
Kennesaw State University

2. College of Science and Mathematics Student Success Initiative
5 Areas of Emphasis
Foster Collaboration and Instructional Innovation among faculty
Data driven advising and placement of students
Create a CSM version of KSU 1101 (first-year seminar)
Create alternate pathways within high DFW courses
Scaffold research/discovery experiences throughout a student’s program of study

3. KSU’s First-year programs
All first-year students at KSU with under 15
credit hours are required to register for either a
first-year seminar course (KSU 1101) or a first
year learning community (LC).
A learning community is first-semester
students who co-enroll in two or more courses
that are linked together with a common theme.
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4. CSM First-year Learning Communities
Theme: Success in Science and Mathematics
Piloted in Fall 2016: 6 LC’s served 135 students
Each had the CSM version of KSU 1101
Each had a math class
5 included CHEM 1211
2 included both CHEM 1211 and BIOL 1107
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5. CSM First-year Learning Communities
The seminar class:
size 24
taught by faculty and advisors in the college
Science and math classes:
LC students embedded in larger sections
Taught by faculty who had gone through our faculty learning communities
Employed Peer Learning Assistants and active-learning pedagogies
Faculty in all the LC classes work together
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6. Goals for the seminar class
Engage students not only with the campus but with the college and each other.
Support students in their rigorous science and mathematics curricula.
Engage students in real scientific research to excite them, deepen their understanding of the scientific process and hone their quantitative reasoning skills.
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7. Campus and College Engagement
Students are required to attend 3 campus events, 1 must be related to or sponsored by our college
Reflections on these events show a diversity of activities and a great deal of students being “pleasantly surprised”.
“I hope you are able to find another seminar and inform our class about it because I would like my third event to be similar to this one. I just cannot emphasize enough how intellectual those 50 minutes were.”
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8. Support in Science and Math
Instructors in the content courses issue “early alerts” to the KSU 1101 instructor and advisor for students in trouble.
Eye on syllabi and schedules throughout term
Graded multi-part assignment in the seminar class has students
Creating study plans for a major test
Trying new study strategies
Reflecting on how things went
Revising for next test
Reflecting again
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9. Semester-long Research Project
Early in the semester, students brainstorm ideas of “factors related to student success in science and mathematics”
They each develop some hypotheses.
Groups (size 3 to 4) with similar interests are formed with one hypothesis identified per group.
Collaboratively, lists of references are built.
Independently, literature reviews are written

10. Semester-long Research Project
Data is collected from all LC students via survey
Science and Math instructors report midterm grades
Data is de-identified and the set is given to students for analysis
Students individually write research papers
Groups do presentations

11. Lessons Learned from the Pilot
Do not bundle both Biology and Chemistry in an LC.
Do bundle a Chemistry Lab in the LC’s.
Add the “revise and reflect again” piece to the study skills assignment.
Designate more time to teaching basic data analysis skills. Create aids. It’s harder for them than we think.

12. Initial Data: After 1 Semester
Course success rates:
100% for College Algebra
89% for Precalculus/Trigonometry
95% for Calculus I
60% for General Chemistry I
73% for Biological Principles I

13. Initial Data: After 1 Semester
Cumulative GPA after 1 semester:
GPA
Percentage of LC Students
3.5 to 4.0
29%
3.0 to 3.49
2.5 to 2.99
18%
2.0 to 2.49 8%
Below 2.0
16%

14. Anecdotal Data on Engagement
Students are still engaged with each other, the college and their KSU 1101 instructors

15. Data we wish we had
Did the research project help in the ways we hoped it would?
Quantitative literacy?

16. After 1 year: Retention 92% of LC students retained at KSU
KSU’s most recent FY retention rate was 80%
70% of retained students are still CSM majors

17. After 1 year: Progression
Only 30% of LC students have achieved a level of progress we would deem as ”on track”. (completed math through Calculus and at least 2 science classes).
20% have made moderate progress (success in at least 3 math/science courses).

18. After 1 year: Grades Mean GPA: 2.91 Median GPA: 3.13
54% of students had GPA’s > 3.0
11% were on probation or dismissed (<2.0)

19. After 1 year: Hours Earned

20. Next Steps
Fall 2017, 13 LC’s:
3 MATH 1111, 2 MATH 1112, 3 MATH 1113, 2 Calc I
4 AMP program (Accelerated Majors Program)
1 on Marietta Campus
Using predictive analytics for placement:
AMP students have high probability of success
Students deemed ”at risk” for Precalculus and/or Chemistry will be directed toward MATH 1111 or MATH 1112 LC’s

21. Next Steps
KSU is exploring the idea of Pre-scheduling first-year students. Our College will pilot
College is searching to hire at least one lecturer to focus on the CSM seminar class.
Plan to collect data on students’ quantitative literacy skills: Madison Assessment Quantitative Reasoning Test

22. Questions?