The Learning Communities (LCs) in which two or more courses are linked thematically with collaborative instruction and co-curricular activities. These courses, and their faculty, focus on core areas as well as areas of academic performance, retention, student mindset, and degree progression. LCs at ASU will provide an easier platform of transition to ASU students while providing a supportive network of peers, mentors, professors, success services, and more. The learning community courses also require students’ use of ASU’s various Academic Support programs including, but not limited to, Study Tables and Tutoring outlined elsewhere in this report.
Instructors within the learning communities have been chosen based on their experience working with first-year students, prior performance, ability to engage students, interest in support this effort, and having Chair approval. Once they agree to serve as a LC instructor, faculty must undergo a series of HIPS training sessions designed to increase instructors’ knowledge of pedagogical practices in order to improve student learning and their teaching.
To achieve our objectives, we have developed SOPs, a training schedule for UC Teaching and ASU 1101 Fellows, designed, implemented, and revised the UC assessment plan, discussed academic success plans with at-risk students identified bi-weekly; coordinated co-curricular activities for learning community students, and developed guidelines for designated faculty within learning communities. All that we seek to do is in alignment with HIPs and other instructional best-practices.
Our current learning communities are structured around USG’s focus areas as well as some affinity groups such as Entrepreneurship, First Generation, and Reading and Math Readiness. The courses include ASU 1101 and two other courses located in the Core.
Our current objectives currently include increasing the numbers of students attempting ENGL and MATH classes during their first-year; increasing the number of students earning end of course grades of A, B, or C by 3% annually. Increase the fall to spring persistence rate of first year students by 3%, and to increase the number of students completing the AA/AS core curriculum pathway to the associated Bachelors program by 3%. We also seek to increase the number of learning communities available.
- Baseline Data for the number of freshmen attempting ENGL and MATH during Fall 23:
- ENGL 1101-- 1297
- MATH 1111—802
- MATH 1001—755
- ENGL 1102—678
- Baseline Fall to Fall persistence is 66.3%
- 384 students received their Associates degree in FY 2023.
- The number of Freshmen learning communities in fall 2023 was eleven.
Due to issues with course fill-rates in ASU’s three colleges, there have been some difficulty reserving the number of sections needed to fulfill the course alignment needed for the learning communities. As such, we are moving towards having faculty interested in leading learning communities to propose their own and obtain their Chair’s approval. This should decrease the number of problems scheduling classes.
We continue to work with Career Services to refine the career development programs that students experience during their first year. We also collaborate with Summer Success Academy to ensure we continually refine our structure to achieve desired impact on students’ retention and timely progression.
As AY 24-25 is the first year that we can measure impact, we are looking forward to using data to improve our efforts by refining what is currently working and to pivot away from strategies that are not proving useful.
Challenges: Students pre-collegiate dispositions, awareness, and academic preparedness challenge faculty’s ability to engage students in learning. These same issues create obstacles in creating programming that students are willing to attend.
Support Needed: Additional funding to cover programming to promote student belonging and mindset, which includes scholarships, student travel, food, and promotional items would help us achieve our goals.
