FYE Proposals Progress

A report to Faculty Senate on April 10, 2013

Goal

To enhance the freshman-level experience in ways that will significantly increase both student success and student retention.

Proposals & Progress

  1. Increase academic ability of freshman admits.
  2. Shrinking the window is on hold because CCHE is considering a re-vamp of admission requirements for Colorado schools.
  3. Regarding remedial admits, the administration is considering the following solution:

Fall 14: do not admit students needing four or more remedial courses
Fall 15: do not admit students needing three or more remedial courses
Fall 16: do not admit students needing TRS 82

  1. Mandate that all students placed in TRS 82 (math), TRS 90 (reading) and TRS 91 (writing) complete these courses during a summer bridge program in summer III.
  2. This proposal is less pressing given the new admission restrictions (see above).
  3. Additionally, the administration might move to a conditional admit that would require students to complete these courses elsewhere.
  4. The advent of SAI will also ease demand for remedial courses.
  1. Purchase and implement a quality Learning Management System LMS like Blackboard.
  2. Research is underway about what kind of LMS would be best. Training will be provided to faculty, and full system will be online by Fall 14.
  1. Increase rigor of freshman-level courses.
  2. The Common Reading Experience would be imbedded in all CO1 courses and hence be required reading for most freshman.
  3. The Academic Standards Committee is crafting a policy that would require all students to complete all remedial courses, gtPathways math, and CO1 by 30 hours.
  1. Mandate that all freshman enroll in a freshman seminar-styled course their first semester.
  2. These are gtPathways courses that are capped at 15. Content would be the same with the possible addition of some learning outcomes related to student success. Faculty would serve as advisor to all seminar students, require attendance at an extracurricular activity, use the LMS, etc. The goal is to develop a relationship between each freshman student and at least one faculty member. Three seminar-type courses will be piloted this fall with a goal of full implementation by fall 2014.