Campus Plans (pdf)
Campus Plans are available for institutions as PDFs back to 2012.
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Success Strategies by Category
Success Strategies by Category
Success Strategies by Category are available from 2023
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College-2023-Implementation with Data Collection, Analysis, and Management (Data CAM): Career Data
Update Year:
2023
Learning Communities (University College) (Albany State University-2023)
Update Year:
2023
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Georgia Gwinnett College
Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC)—a four-year institution—provides access to targeted baccalaureate level degrees that meet the economic development needs of the growing and diverse population of the northeast Atlanta metropolitan region. It emphasizes the innovative use of technology and active-learning environments to provide enhanced learning experiences, practical opportunities to apply knowledge, increased scheduling flexibility, and a variety of course delivery options.
Georgia Gwinnett College Institutional Profile
Georgia Gwinnett College Campus Plan Update 2022
Section 1: Institutional Mission and Student Body Profile
Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) is one of two access institutions in the Atlanta metropolitan region. The GGC mission states that the College “provides access to targeted baccalaureate and associate level degrees that meet the economic development needs of the growing and diverse population of the northeast Atlanta metropolitan region.” Founded in 2005, Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) operates according to a clear strategic plan derived from its mission.
GGC’s student headcount in Fall 2020 was 11,627; in Fall 2021, 10,949, and in Fall 2022, 11,030, an increase of 0.7% over the prior year, representing a modest comeback from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Of the total Fall 2022 student enrollment, 6,477 (59%) are women, and 2,120 (19%) are 25 years or older. In addition to U.S origin, the student body represents over 100 other countries or regions. Nighty eight percent (98%) of the students enrolling at GGC in fall 2022 are from Georgia, with the remainder coming from 30 other states. Among those students from Georgia, 77% are from Gwinnett County. Of the total student headcount, 65% are enrolled full-time, taking at least 12 credit hours, with the remaining 35% enrolled part-time. A review of other key demographic characteristics of the Fall 2022 GGC student population shows a preponderance of those who are traditionally underserved and likely to benefit from essential support structures. The mean high school GPA of GGC’s cohort of first-time entering students has had a consistent academic profile with a mean high school GPA of between 2.71 and 3.03, with 35% of first-year students requiring corequisite learning support in at least one core subject (Math or English) in Fall 2022. Preliminary data indicate 11% of the Fall 2022 first-year students are enrolled in a corequisite English course and 16% are enrolled in a corequisite math course.
For Fall 2021 and Fall 2022, GGC has remained among the most culturally and ethnically diverse institutions in its region. For the ninth straight year, Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) has been ranked as the most ethnically diverse Southern regional college, according to the 2023 U.S. News & World Report (USN&WR) college and university rankings, released in September 2022. The same report indicated that GGC ranks #1 in ethnic diversity among public regional colleges in the nation. In Fall 2021, 31.8% of GGC students were Black/African-American, with 26% Hispanic/Latino, and 11.6% Asian. Likewise, in Fall 2022, 31.7% of GGC students are Black/African-American, 27.3% are Hispanic/Latino, and 12.2% are Asian. Additionally, Georgia Gwinnett College is one of two University System of Georgia institutions to earn the Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS) designation by the U.S. Department of Education. To achieve the HSI designation, eligible schools must be accredited two- or four-year degree-granting institutions, enroll a significant number of students requiring needs-based federal assistance and maintain at least a 25% full-time Hispanic student enrollment.
GGC has also consistently enrolled a high proportion of Pell grant-eligible college students, defined as students who are awarded financial aid from federal government Pell grants at any time during academic year, as compiled from students who complete and file a FAFSA. The data from the past five fall terms shows that more than half of GGC’s student population receives Pell. Additionally, GGC has consistently enrolled a high proportion of first-generation college students, defined as students who report their parent(s)’ highest education level as Middle School/Junior High or High School on the FAFSA. Of students who completed and filed a FAFSA, the data from the past four available fall terms show that GGC’s student population is one-third first generation. In recognition of this meaningful population size, we are investing in new data visualizations to help us understand their obstacles and successes.
Regarding comparators, GGC exhibits key differences from other institutions in the state college sector with respect to size and demographics. As a result, we continue to work to meet or exceed student achievement targets that move our campus forward in a process of continuous assessment and improvement.
Section 2: Student Success Inventory
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Activity/Project Name |
Momentum Learning Communities |
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Momentum Area |
Purpose X Pathways X Mindset X Change Management Data & Communications |
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Activity/Project Overview or Description |
“Momentum Learning Communities” are highly integrated first-year learning communities associated with each academic Focus Area/major and enhanced by co-curricular content related to career readiness in an area of study. |
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Activity/Project Activity Status |
FA21 pilot = 10 LCs FA22 expansion = 30 LCs targeted (2 LCs needed to be broken based on enrollment patterns, resulting in 28 Momentum Learning Communities implemented). |
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Evaluation/Assessment plan |
Evaluation Plan and measures: Continue to track retention and progression, as well as academic performance, for each learning community cohort (in conjunction with FA21 and FA22 student cohorts). Additionally, we will assess similar performance and engagement measures as we did in FA21, including engagement with co-curricular career readiness materials and demonstration of integrated learning outcomes. |
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Baseline measure: FA21 Outcomes Career Readiness Module Completion: Faculty were asked to assign 2 different Career Readiness modules to students. The Career Development and Advising Center [CDAC] kept and communicated records about student completion. Of students enrolled in Momentum LCs:
Other metrics: Compared to non-Momentum LC’s (1107 students), students in Momentum LC’s (146 students):
Compared to non-LC students (1382 students), students in Momentum LC’s (146 students)
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Goal or targets: In Fall 2022, GGC initially prepared 30 Learning Communities designed with the same level of integration and co-curricular support as in Fall 2021 (slightly lower than our original target of 40 LCs). |
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Time period/duration: assessment will continue annually, with aspirations to scale to the extent resources allow. |
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Updates for 2022 |
Progress and Adjustments |
Data regarding student academic performance suggests we would benefit from more investment in professional development for faculty re: integrated learning. |
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Plan for the year ahead |
See “Big Idea” report section below. |
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What challenges will affect your ability to do this activity? |
We need resources (time, financial, and staffing) to provide the levels of faculty pedagogical training/support that we would like; To the extent that the system office can leverage its centrality to connect us with data about student success in highly integrated LCs at relevant USG institutions, it would help us with deciding where to lean in. |
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Project Lead/point of contact |
Justin Jernigan, Dean of Student Success |
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Activity/Project Name |
SPARC: Summer Preparatory Academic Resource Camps |
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Momentum Area |
X Purpose X Pathways X Mindset Change Management Data & Communications |
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Activity/Project Overview or Description |
The Summer Preparatory Academic Resource Camps (SPARC) program aims to support growth mindset among incoming first-year students and targeted populations of returning students, with particular emphasis on the mindset elements: Sense of Belonging and Purpose and value (see: https://motivatelab.org/publications-2/2018/5/15/help-students-navigate-lifes-transitions-with-a-mindset-gps). |
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Activity/Project Activity Status |
SPARC was initiated in Summer 2021 and continued in its second iteration in Summer 2022. We plan to offer SPARC again in Summer 2023, though we plan to integrate it more intentionally with other summer programming at the College, such as Grizzly Orientation (GO). |
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Evaluation/Assessment plan |
Evaluation Plan and measures: Post-event surveys of SPARC attendees; examining return rate (Fall to Spring), average GPA, and English and MATH performance of SPARC attendees. All data disaggregated to help us identify and address any equity gaps in SPARC program effectiveness. |
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Baseline measure: SPARC Summer 2021 results: Total SPARC student attendees in Summer 2021 = 180. Survey response rate of 42%. Average overall program satisfaction rating (5-point scale) = 4.865. Fall 2021-Spring 2022 return rate among SPARC attendees: 90% had returned to register for Spring 2022 classes, registering for an average of almost 13 credit hours. Average GPA (end of Fall 2021 semester): 2.84. |
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Goal or targets: SPARC Summer 2022 targets: Survey response rate of 45% Return rate: 91% will have returned to register for Spring 2023 classes, registering for an average of 13 credit hours. Average GPA (end of Fall 2022 semester): 2.85 (note the intention to recruit further among students who placed into corequisite learning support courses). -- Progress in SPARC Summer 2022 assessment as of this Report (November 2022): Total SPARC student attendees in Summer 2022 = 239. Survey response rate of 41% (4% short of target, but still significant response rate for assessment). Average overall program satisfaction rating (5-point scale) = 4.728. Fall 2022-Spring 2023 return rate among SPARC attendees: To be determined. We will have this information by January 2023. Average GPA (end of Fall 2022 semester): To be determined. |
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Time period/duration: June-July each Summer. Summer 2021 was the inaugural SPARC program, with Summer 2022 SPARC sessions beginning on June 23, and the final SPARC session for 2022 on July 28. SPARC sessions for new first-year students were more coordinated with corresponding Grizzly Orientation dates in Summer 2022. This level of integration will be stepped up further for Summer 2023. |
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Updates for 2022 |
Progress and Adjustments |
Summer 2021 SPARC feedback indicated strong levels of satisfaction from the attendees: About 90% of attendees responding to a post-event survey (with 42% response rate) indicated their questions were answered at SPARC; further, about 97% indicated either strong (84%) or moderate (13%) agreement with the value of the faculty-led Focus Area sessions for their own purpose and values. A similar response was observed for Summer 2022 SPARC, with approximately 96% of survey respondents indicating they valued the faculty-led breakout sessions and about 91% of survey respondents indicating their questions were answered at the closing “LIFT Off” information session. |
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Plan for the year ahead |
Closer integration with Grizzly Orientation, including setting SPARC dates for new students in conjunction with GO dates. Also, in response to the students’ feedback from SPARC 2021 and SPARC 2022, we continue to prioritize more time and activities associated with the faculty-led Focus Area related sessions. |
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What challenges will affect your ability to do this activity? |
Cross-campus communication is required for SPARC implementation to be successful and for the program to scale up each summer. Also, while the demographic makeup of SPARC attendees in Summer 2021 was largely representative of the campus, we were able to see more students in SPARC 2022 who had a learning support requirement, were first generation, and in other ways better represented the overall student population. Our goal is to continue this effort into SPARC 2023. |
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Project Lead/point of contact |
Justin Jernigan, Dean of Student Success |
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Activity/Project Name |
Online Advising and Mentoring Tools: Grizzly Mentor Collective and EAB Navigate |
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Momentum Area |
X Purpose Pathways X Mindset Change Management X Data & Communications |
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Activity/Project Overview or Description |
The Grizzly Mentor Collective program links new students one-on-one with a peer mentor who has experienced many of the same challenges and gone on to succeed. GGC students who sign up for the program are paired with a peer invested in their success who can help by listening, inspiring, and helping to navigate challenges and recognize opportunities. Participants learn what to expect in school, how to approach challenges, gain career advice and valuable insights, while mentors build their networks and develop skills to become better professionals and leaders. For more information - Grizzly Mentor Collective: https://www.ggc.edu/student-success/grizzly-mentor-collective/ GGC launched Navigate in Spring 2022. The tools that Navigate provides (e.g., early alerts, mentoring notes, tracking success) build on the GradesFirst application, which was used by GGC’s Student Success Advising Center for the previous few years. |
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Activity/Project Activity Status |
Grizzly Mentor Collective was launched in Fall 2020. Fall 2022 marks the third year of implementation. EAB Navigate was launched in February 2022. Fall 2022 will be the first full semester of implementation and includes the early alert pilot. |
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Evaluation/Assessment plan |
Evaluation Plan and measures: Grizzly Mentor Collective success measures include participation levels among peer mentors, mentored students; and participant satisfaction with the program. Initial success measures for EAB Navigate include faculty adoption levels, number of appointments, students mentored or advised, and early alert utilization. |
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For Grizzly Mentor Collective: During the 2020-2021 academic year, 1,559 new freshmen and transfer students were matched with 351 upper-level students. During the 2021-2022 academic year, 1774 mentees were matched with 334 upper-level students and alumni. As of Fall 2022, 774 mentees are matched with 204 mentors. Student satisfaction with the program averaged 6 out of a 7-point scale. As an additional marker of success, of the 774 mentees in Fall 2022, 272 were confirmed continuing students, and their average overall GPA was 3.059 as of mid-semester. Note that of the 492 confirmed first-year students being mentored, the vast majority do not yet have an overall GPA at the college as of this report. EAB Navigate: As of October 31, 2022, 225 faculty and staff made 10,328 appointments for 5,193 distinct students. Progress report campaigns were sent to Momentum Learning Community faculty during the third and seventh weeks of the fall semester. 840 reports were submitted. Students identified in the reports were contacted by student success advisors and faculty mentors to discuss strategies to get back on track. In Fall 2022, the Academic Enhancement Center (tutoring and Supplemental Instruction) staff also trained on and implemented Navigate for scheduling tutoring appointments and providing meeting notes. |
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Goal or targets: Grizzly Mentor collective: The goal for the 2020-2021 academic year was 1500 matches. That goal was exceeded with 1562 matches. The goal for the 2021-2022 academic year was 2000 matches and 89% of the goal was met with 1774 matches. Goals/Targets for the EAB Navigate will be determined after the first full academic year of implementation. |
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Time period/duration: Grizzly Mentor Collective is in its third year of implementation. EAB Navigate was launched in February 2022. Fall 2022 starts the first full academic year of implementation. |
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Updates for 2022 |
Progress and Adjustments |
Grizzly Mentor Collective: GGC exceeded the initial goal for the 2020-2021 year and increased the number of mentees matched to 1774 during 2021-2022. Alumni mentors were engaged during the 21-22 academic year as the number of available peer mentors did not meet the demand for requested mentors. Moving forward, we need to identify ways to incentivize the program to attract more student mentors. EAB Navigate: The transition to EAB Navigate in spring 2022 was successful. Faculty mentors and advisors were able to use the platform for summer and fall registration. The early alert feature was piloted fall 2022 and the predictive and historical analytics functionality has been configured. |
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Plan for the year ahead |
Grizzly Mentor Collective: We will consider providing peer mentoring support to targeted groups to alleviate the need for the large number of mentors. EAB Navigate: Moving forward, we will train faculty, staff, and students on the platform features that are relevant to their roles. |
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What challenges will affect your ability to do this activity? |
Grizzly Mentor Collective: The number of active peer mentors does not meet the demand of the number of potential mentees. EAB Navigate: We will continue to talk with other institutions to learn how they are using the tools in the platform to support academic success and improve service to students. |
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Project Lead/point of contact |
Karen Jackson, Associate Dean for Advising Programs, Office of Student Success |
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Activity/Project Name |
First-Year Seminar (FYS): GGC 1000 |
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Momentum Area |
X Purpose X Pathways X Mindset Change Management Data & Communications |
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Activity/Project Overview or Description |
The First-Year Seminar (FYS), GGC 1000, is a 1-credit course that aims to support and increase the academic and personal success of GGC’s first-year students. This class covers subjects such as campus resources, study skills, time management, growth mindset, and major and career exploration. For students with 30 or fewer credits, it counts towards degree requirements and can substitute for one physical education activity course. |
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Activity/Project Activity Status |
The First-Year Seminar, GGC 1000, has been offered at GGC since 2017. It has been piloted and run successfully, with further developments in design, support, and assessment each year. The main challenge now is scaling the seminar to serve as many eligible first-year students as possible. |
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Evaluation/Assessment plan |
Evaluation Plan and measures: Post-course surveys of GGC 1000 students; evaluating student assignment artifacts for learning outcome achievement; examining pass rates and one-year retention rates. All data disaggregated to help us identify and address any equity gaps in GGC 1000 course effectiveness. |
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Baseline measure: Students who remain actively engaged in their section of the First-Year Seminar, GGC 1000, in Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 had 1-year retention rates of 52.1% and 77%, respectively. ABC% pass rate for FA20 was 69% and FA21 was 74%. Pass rate for FYS sections within learning communities was 80% in FA21. |
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Goal or targets: Fall 2022 Target of 65% or better for 1-year retention rate, and ABC% pass rate of 75%. |
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Time period/duration: The course is one credit hour (one hour per week) and is offered during each Fall and Spring semester. |
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Updates for 2022 |
Progress and Adjustments |
Summer 2020 a D2L template course for GGC 1000 was developed, to support new and continuing instructors teaching in multiple modalities. Fall 2021 an OER (Open Educational Resource) textbook was created, which all sections are now using at scale. This is an equity-oriented measure to promote student access and readiness on day one of the course. A first-year seminar taskforce is investigating whether a 2-credit seminar version would address student engagement and attendance challenges, as well as make more room for practicing key skills and adding further mindset and critical thinking units or other priority learning subjects. |
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Plan for the year ahead |
As noted above, a first-year taskforce is investigating possible other credit models for the seminar, as well as how best to address challenges around increasing attendance and engagement in the continuing pandemic environment. In addition, determining viable instructor workload and compensation models and identifying or hiring a dedicated coordinator for the program are integral for successful scaling of the course beyond its current scope. |
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What challenges will affect your ability to do this activity? |
See above—scaling the seminar further will require additional monetary resources to hire/compensate a coordinator, as well as provide funding for either teaching overloads or part-time faculty hiring that would cover whatever credits full-time faculty would be using to serve the seminar program. Consideration of where a 2+ credit seminar would sit in general education programs (e.g. Area B) is also recommended towards providing effective degree pathways from year one to graduation. |
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Project Lead/point of contact |
Catherine Thomas, Associate Dean for Student Success Programs |
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Activity/Project Name |
Career Readiness |
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Momentum Area |
X Purpose Pathways X Mindset Change Management Data & Communications |
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Activity/Project Overview or Description |
CDAC (now referred to as Career Services) offers all students the opportunity to receive career counseling and coaching to assist them with identifying and reaching their career readiness goals. Also, they are provided access to the Mastering Career Readiness to begin taking steps towards their career and professional development. |
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Activity/Project Activity Status |
Students explore their career readiness through our online, self-paced Mastering Career Readiness [MCR] in D2L. We are in the process of scaling this activity to students across campus. |
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Evaluation/Assessment plan |
Evaluation Plan and measures: Satisfaction survey to our students to receive feedback on their career counseling and coaching appointments. At this time, we do not have an evaluation measure or plan for the MCR course. This is needed. |
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Baseline measure NA |
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Goal or targets 100% satisfaction |
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Time period/duration Ongoing |
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Updates for 2022 |
Progress and Adjustments |
During AY 2021/2022 the Career Development and Advising center continued to offer MCR Modules through D2L to students either on their own or through faculty collaboration within their course. Over 1500 students completed activities in Focus 2 Career, including Creation of a Clawlink account, Resume, Mock Interview, LinkedIn, Goal Setting, Employability, Career Competency and Reference Sheet. Over 313 students participated in taking the Focus 2 Career Assessment with their top three values being Helping, Income and Stability. Changes needed to ensure success and benefits of the self-paced modules is the creation and implementation of a sustainable assessment plan. During AY21/22 extensive outreach was conducted to promote MCR to faculty for incorporation into their courses. |
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Plan for the year ahead |
Continue to promote MCR, increase outreach for faculty partnerships and create a relationship with the Office of Institutional Reporting and Analysis to develop and implement a sustainable assessment plan. |
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What challenges will affect your ability to do this activity? |
Lack of faculty support to incorporate MCR modules into their courses. No support needed from outside institution. |
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Project Lead/point of contact |
Sherrie Goodman, Assistant Director of Career Services |
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Activity/Project Name |
Student Housing Living Learning Community |
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Momentum Area |
X Purpose Pathways X Mindset Change Management Data & Communications |
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Activity/Project Overview or Description |
Student Housing will begin the implementation of Living Learning Communities (LLCs) on the campus of Georgia Gwinnett College. LLCs are named as a high-impact practice by the American Association of Colleges & Universities, due to evidence-based benefits for students who are participants. Living Learning Communities are an engaging collaboration between Student Housing/Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, where student cohorts live together in residence. These cohorts participate in residential programming or engage in a residential curriculum co-designed by residence life/housing staff and a faculty partner(s) that complement an academic curriculum. Living Learning communities at GGC, will engage the support of faculty partners who will support student cohorts around a particular subject area or topic. |
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Activity/Project Activity Status |
Currently, Living-Learning Communities at Georgia Gwinnett College are in the studying and beginner initiating phases. |
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Evaluation/Assessment plan |
Evaluation Plan and measures: To be determined per the development of the initial LLC program and paired course. |
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Baseline measure None at this time |
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Goal or targets To be determined with LLC implementation |
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Time period/duration Initiating |
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Updates for 2022 |
Progress and Adjustments |
In AY22, Georgia Gwinnett College submitted, and was awarded a $1.4 million grant from the Department of Education in support of two Living Learning Communities, with a curricular and co-curricular focus on Health Sciences and Information Technology. These additional funds will assist with the full implementation of this initiative. |
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Plan for the year ahead |
Student Housing is actively recruiting an Associate Director who will have oversight of LLCs within the department. Currently there are consistent meetings with academic affairs constituents to begin planning and decision making for the LLC’s needs. |
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What challenges will affect your ability to do this activity? |
The greatest challenges that may affect the progression of LLCs, are the intersections of a viable candidate pool and timeliness of completing necessary institutional processes. |
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Project Lead/point of contact |
Ashley Dobbs, Director of Student Housing |
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Activity/Project Name |
BeWell Workshop Series |
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Momentum Area |
Purpose Pathways X Mindset Change Management Data & Communications |
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Activity/Project Overview or Description |
Virtual workshops that cultivate interpersonal and emotional awareness. Students are referred from CAPS to participate in the BeWell workshop series. |
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Activity/Project Activity Status |
Currently, this project is under development with the goal of piloting the series in Fall 2022. |
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Evaluation/Assessment plan |
Evaluation Plan and measures: Diener Flourishing Scale (8-items) will be used to measure students overall psychological wellbeing |
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Baseline measure Healthy Minds Study from JED Campus reported 38% of GGC students indicated that they were flourishing, while 61% of GGC students did not. |
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Goal or targets 10% increase in the psychological wellbeing score for GGC students |
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Time period/duration Initiating |
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Updates for 2022 |
Progress and Adjustments |
CAPS piloted a three-part workshop series in fall 2022 that focused on Stress Management, Time Management, and Sleep Hygiene. It seemed that the offered time posed many conflicts for students. For the spring semester we will adjust to a mid-day schedule to accommodate more students. We will also adjust our evaluation plan so that it is aligned with the Campus Groups platform. |
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Plan for the year ahead |
We will review the data from the fall semester to assess for additional topics. |
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What challenges will affect your ability to do this activity? |
With the increase in demand for mental health services we will need to consistently assess for efficiency and effectiveness. |
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Project Lead/point of contact |
Alesha Harris, Director of CAPS |
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Section 2.2: Big Idea (Career-Focused Momentum Learning Communities (LCs))
Fall 2022 Momentum LCs to Date:
- In Fall 2022, GGC initially prepared 30 Learning Communities designed with the same level of integration and co-curricular support as in Fall 2021 (slightly lower than our original target of 40 LCs). Of these 30, two had to be broken based on enrollment patterns, resulting in 28 Momentum Learning Communities implemented (currently being delivered) in Fall 2022.
- Staffing: Staffing highly integrated LCs for FA22 was approached intentionally; we recruited faculty who self-identified as interested in integrating content with colleagues, and where possible, involved faculty with experience doing so.
- In Fall 2022, 490 individual students (primarily new first-year students) are enrolled in the 28 Momentum Learning Communities in at least two linked sections. A small number of students are enrolled in an individual section but did not remain enrolled in all the linked LC sections.
- The Fall 2022 Momentum LC enrollment of 490 represents over a 225% increase, just over a three-fold numerical increase, in students enrolled in a Momentum LC.
- The largest LC enrollments in Fall 2022 are in the BUSI (Business) and STEM focus areas.
- Just under 25% of Momentum LC enrollment in Fall 2022 is in a corequisite learning support LC.
- There are 65 faculty teaching in the FA22 Learning Communities.
Plans:
- Support: We plan to continue a cycle of faculty development and support around integrating learning, building on the Spring 22 semester efforts, in which we offered four 75-minute professional development sessions in a collaborative between the Student Success office and Center for Teaching Excellence. These sessions offered the opportunity to connect FA21 LC faculty with those being scheduled to teach in Momentum LCs in Fall 22 for thought partnership and collaboration. The schedule of LC sessions is provided below for reference:
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Date |
Day |
Time |
Location |
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4/21/2022 |
Thursday |
3:30-4:45 pm |
CTE Conference Room |
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4/25/2022 |
Monday |
1:00-2:15 pm |
CTE Conference Room |
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4/26/2022 |
Tuesday |
9:00-10:15 am |
CTE Conference Room |
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4/29/2022 |
Friday |
10:00-11:15 am |
CTE Conference Room |
- Moving forward, we have learned that faculty development should include instruction and practice in integrative learning pedagogy, which underpins successful learning community delivery, as well as clear guidance on how to address different challenges that can accompany learning community instruction. For example, it is helpful for faculty in a learning community to have a shared plan for working with a student who may need to withdraw from one section of the linked courses.
- GGC’s Center for Teaching Excellence, as noted above, is a longstanding partner and guide in delivering faculty development opportunities that align with the strategic priorities of the institution, and their ongoing support of a Faculty Fellow for Integrated Learning will be an invaluable resource for strengthening this initiative.
- To further enhance peer-to-peer support opportunities in the learning communities and beyond, the Academic Enhancement Center continues to advertise the benefits of the CircleIn student engagement app. CircleIn is currently embedded in GGC’s D2L learning management system and allows students to timeline assignments, organize tasks, share notes with peers, create study flashcards, and meet with classmates via text or video chats. The AEC sends email and text blasts to students at the beginning and middle of each semester to enhance awareness and usage of the tool. The AEC also offers, upon instructor request, class visits to GGC 1000 First-Year Seminar sections (90% of which are embedded in LCs) and courses within STEM and Learning Support LCs (50%+ of LCs) to promote the AEC’s support services, including familiarizing students with Circle In.
- For Spring semester 2023, GGC is piloting a smaller number of Momentum LCs that will include both first-semester LCs and second-semester or second-year LCs. As of this report, 10 LCs have been created and are available for registration in Banner. Of these 10 Spring Learning Communities, 5 include a corequisite learning support English or Math paired with a First Year Seminar course. Of the other 5, one is in the EDUC (Education) focus area, one is in HEPR (Health Professions), one is SOSC (Social Sciences) and two are STEM LCs. One of the STEM LCs is intentionally designed as a second-semester LC, as it pairs Principles of Chemistry II with a section of English Composition II.
- Assessment: In conjunction with our FA21 and FA22 LC student cohorts, we will continue to track retention and progression, as well as academic performance. As we scaled to 30 integrated LCs in our FA22 cohort and plan to continue to provide at least this number of highly integrated LCs in FA23, we will continue to track retention and progression, as well as academic performance, for each learning community cohort. Additionally, we will assess similar performance and engagement measures as we did in FA21, including engagement with co-curricular career readiness materials and demonstration of integrated learning outcomes.
Section 2.3: Global Momentum Work
In reflecting on your work above, what units on campus would have the opportunity to be more engaged in your Momentum Work? If so, in what ways and in what areas?
- As mentioned above, we have great partner in our Center for Teaching Excellence, and can leverage that partnership in conjunction with more Momentum classroom activities;
- We have observed in previous reports something that remains true: we could do more work leveraging the strengths of our Communications team to make more visible to our entire campus community the work we do in service of the Momentum Approach (including our successes, of which there are many!).
Section 4: Lessons from the Pandemic
The Pandemic has changed both the context in which students learn and our institutions operate and the students that we serve, in some ways that we can recognize, and others that we still are struggling to understand. We want to understand a bit more about what you have learned from the Pandemic, what the unanticipated consequences of the many changes and adjustments you have made have been, and what we can carry forward from this experimentation and adaptation into common practice.
4.1 What changes that you have made in your practices/programs/operations because of the Pandemic improved your effectiveness and you plan to maintain or build upon?
- The onset of the pandemic occasioned our first pivot to online instructional delivery, and since then we have built out our online options to meet student access interest. We will continue to explore which populations and programs are best served by online access.
- Shifted in Fall 2021 to Tutor.com as an online tutoring vendor, expanding subject support and online study skills resources. Tutor.com support is available 24-7. As of Fall 2022, AEC tutors are also offering virtual appointments through Navigate and Zoom, to complement face-to-face and online services.
- Continued messaging around CircleIn online study group app, embedded in D2L as well. Allows students to text and video chat with classmates, encouraging sense of belonging and class cohesion. Students also may share study notes, build flash card decks, and benchmark and timeline assignments in courses. These activities are incentivized by earning points for contributing or liking the work of others; students earn gift cards and scholarships as a result of their regular engagement.
- Continued messaging to students and faculty around the Student Success D2L site, which all faculty and students can access, and which was launched as a resource in Fall 2021. This site provides a one-stop shop of online resources from key campus partners—AEC, Student Success Advising, Financial Aid, Library, Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Integrity, Career Development, Testing Services, and more. Also houses some in-house online workshops and links out to Student Lingo for other online student success workshops on topics such as time management, financial literacy, stress management, preparing for tests, notetaking, etc. Contains three “Steps to Success” best practice activity flyers for beginning, middle, and end of semester to remind students of important to-do's and actions that can enhance their growth in and out of the classroom. Each department module has a three-question “check your knowledge” quiz to help students verify they understood the material they accessed.
- GGC’s Peer Supplemental Instruction (PSI) program, a partnership between the Academic Enhancement Center and Schools of Liberal Arts and Science and Technology, continues to offer multimodal peer-to-peer support. Some courses provide Zoom-based sessions, while many others offer in-person peer-led study sessions. Currently, the PSI program, which is now housed in the AEC, employs 15 PSI leaders across 10 different courses on campus.
- Provide students with the opportunity to choose between virtual and in-person advising support based on their availability and preference.
- Implementation of the Grizzly Mentor Collective. We had 1,559 new students matched with upper-level students during the 20-21 academic year. In the Fall of 2021, 1,774 new students were matched with mentors. Since the start of Fall 2022, 774 new students have been matched with mentors.
4.2 How has your communications with students shifted since the Pandemic? How did that go? What did you learn?
- Student Success - Utilization of Mainstay (formerly AdmitHub) in the form of the “Grizz” chatbot has enabled us to send text message nudge campaigns and reminders about registration, financial aid, campus resources and campus events. We sent interactive campaigns asking students about potential barriers to success and sent information on relevant resources based on student responses. In the near future, we need to develop a campus-wide communication plan and to collaborate with the Office of Information Technology to integrate BANNER and Mainstay so we have the most up to date student contact information.
4.3 In what ways, if any, are the students you serve today different from the students you were serving before the Pandemic? What are the implications for your success work and for campus functions in general?
- We are cautious about drawing too many conclusions about differences in our student population as catalyzed by the pandemic, as it seems too soon to know that with any reliability;
- We have, however, observed higher rates of failure and withdrawal in first year classes, including FYS and learning support classes, along with more challenges in attendance and engagement generally. We don’t yet know if these changes will persist in a more normalized environment;
- Like others, we have also observed an increase in the need for mental health services. Our new leadership in our Counseling and Psychological Services center is working with her team to develop accessible workshops for students with the aim of increasing their psychological wellbeing;
- We do anticipate the uptick in expectations for robust virtual curriculum and support services will continue, and will plan accordingly.
4.4 What are the questions you are still working on about supporting students in the Pandemic?
- As mentioned above, the pandemic onset catalyzed our first delivery of online instruction. Like many other institutions, we have since found that our students want more options in this modality, and we know that remote options allow greater access to full credit loads, especially for our students with multiple personal and professional commitments. At the same time, we know that many of our students, especially those who are less academically prepared, do not perform as well in online environments. Accordingly, we find ourselves with what can feel like competing interests with respect to access and success. A more targeted approach to data analysis, wherein we work to understand which student identifiers make them most at risk for obstacles with specific modalities in specific classes, might reveal an advising solution around this challenge.
- We are still working on the best approaches to increasing class attendance and engagement, especially considering impacting factors, not least of all, challenges external to our environment that students must navigate;
- We hope to increase engagement in co-curricular activities. Some recent developments, for example the instantiation of our first chapter of Greek life, are meaningful to that end. Still, though, we don’t know how the realities of the last two years will shape the spaces and experiences students are most comfortable with. We hope to stay nimble, and respond to the signals students give us about how they feel best served.
