Goal 1: First Quarter Success Initiative - Ensure all students
experience an intentional introduction to their new learning environment during their first
quarter on campus.
o Develop a 2 credit “College Readiness Seminar” for first quarter students (unless
waived by an advisor b/c of incoming transfer credits and/or students enrolling
directly in a Beginnings IS course first quarter) – tailored sections (ESL students
could experience within their classroom (therefore language level appropriate –
reference old Title III curriculum – transfer student and Prof Tech student
sections? Older and younger student sections? evening and weekend offerings?)
Need to flesh out curriculum/plan for such a class with input from SS, faculty and
library staff and by looking to other campuses for their work. Implies curriculum
development, PD, scheduling changes, fits into pathway work under the learning
community section.
o Calling campaign/campus mentoring project for all first quarter students (implies
coordination work and staff training)
o Advising structural changes to further emphasize first quarter engagement (is this
earlier advising for everyone or some subset of folks identified thru the first
quarter student seminar? What does advising need to do this?)
o Evening Services expansion for first quarter student access. (student receipt of
financial aid is major factor of success – how does this fit in?)
Could include technology upgrades to introduce e-portfolio in student seminar course,
implies SS and instruction collaboration, tracking changes for first quarter student data,
scheduling changes, supports some communications/outreach work changing how we
describe a student’s experience at NSCC to emphasize the first quarter supports.
Goal 2: Increase Instructional Supports for High Risk
Students
o Create more “instructional bridging” activities for ABE/ESL students at critical
points in their studies. (talk to Kim, is this more Work Discoveries, is this
reviving the Student Services curriculum for all ESL levels, is this increased IBEST awareness within levels 1-5?, Is this a new requirement for meeting with
Advisors during level 3 English???),
o Establish a new “Open Skills Lab” for ESL/ABE students to access self-paced
English language and basic Skills instruction throughout the quarter (will this also
include basic skills/career software? What about software in native languages?)
o Increase overall coordination and align quality of tutoring services across campus.
(implies increased training for tutors, collaboration between faculty and tutors (for
targeted courses?), beefing-up monitoring/tracking of tutoring services to analyze
and respond to gaps in service)
o Offer first-year-high-risk and developmental-level courses with Supplemental
Instruction. (implies faculty PD, student leader recruitment, possibly some
curriculum change, scheduling changes, 3-way collaboration between SI leaders,
faculty, and tutoring center staff)
Goal 3: Support and Expand Innovative, Student-Centered
Instructional Models to Accelerate the Shift towards a
Learning-Centered Campus-Wide Culture
o Increase the number of I-BEST pathways, the number of faculty engaged in IBEST programs, and the number of ABE/ESL students enrolling in I-BEST
programs (implies I-Best professional development, curriculum change/design,
new outreach strategies to entering ESL/ABE students and those in levels 1-3 for
pathway awareness and support. Implies cross collaboration for professional
technical and ESL/ABE faculty, scheduling changes).
o Expand the integrated studies “Beginnings” course to offer similar experiences for
students pursuing the AS and AB degrees (with tailored content to those academic
areas) and direct students to those courses during their first quarter of collegelevel study. (Implies PD, curriculum development, student progression/pathway
designs emphasizing 1st quarter learning community experience, scheduling
changes)
o Incorporate service learning into more classes across the curriculum. (Fits within
Learning Paradigm’s description of “riding a bicycle” and the concept of pathway
designs – highlight at which point along the way we ‘want’ students to have a
service learning experience) (Implies PD, curriculum development,
coordination/placement oversight, scheduling changes)
o Increase the number of developmental-level and ‘killer courses’ being offered as
learning community seminars exhibiting the following characteristics….(x,y.,z)
(implies lots of PD, curriculum development, faculty collaboration, scheduling
changes, supports undergraduate research activities)
The above section could support physical space renovations – both classrooms and
common areas for group work. Also supports master scheduling piece. Supports some
communications/outreach work changing how we describe a student’s experience at
NSCC to emphasize these pathway and learning community models.