Student Learning Initiative
To:
Faculty Senate
From:
Faculty Senate Leadership
Date:
TBD
Subject:
Student Learning Initiative
1.0
Overview
The Student Learning Initiative assimilates students into an academic lifestyle—a lifestyle
centered around learning. Central to this initiative are:
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2.0
The identification of model student behaviors that lead to student success.
A campaign to raise student awareness of these behaviors.
Resources to teach students these behaviors.
Celebration of students that demonstrate these behaviors.
Ongoing management of the initiative
Identify Model Student Behavior
In the 2006-07 academic year, a task force of the Faculty Senate conducted a literature review to
ID the most common behaviors practiced by successful students. Six core behaviors came out of
the review. In September 2007, the task force conducted a survey of faculty to measure how
prevalent these behaviors are at Cerritos. The survey suggests that all six behaviors need to be
emphasized/taught to our students. According to the literature review, successful students:
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Successful students work hard. They are academically self disciplined, spend appropriate
amounts of time studying and doing homework, come to class on time and prepared,
complete all assignment and turn them in on time, maintain a balance between academic
and non-academic interests, and finish their programs.
Successful students apply what they learn. They take risks in trying out new ideas,
perspectives and skills, transfer concepts to new contexts in order to solve problems,
integrate concepts and knowledge to form a personal understanding.
Successful students embrace life-long learning. They understand that subject expertise
requires a long-term commitment, and commit to ongoing development of thinking skills
and learning skills
Successful students get involved. They join the academic community, get to know some
of their professors, study in groups, surround themselves with academically focused
students and mentors, get involved on campus, and use College resources and programs
to help with their learning.
Successful students focus on understanding. They seek to understand course content,
seek to build understanding rather than complete requirements, ask questions to gain
understanding, reflect on what they are learning as well as if they are learning.
Successful students plan to succeed. They focus on their educational purposes, maintain
a specific education plan, choose classes with an intentional learning purpose in mind,
assess and update their progress along their education plan.
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3.0 Campaign to Raise Student Awareness
3.1 Single Message
We need to develop one message that everyone agrees to use with students. It should be a
message that basically captures the six core behaviors that we want students to model. This
should be a message that is worked into every student encounter (classroom, counseling,
bookstore purchases, etc.).
3.2 Acronym
The message should be built around a memorable acronym that helps students and the rest of
the College Community remember the six core behaviors that we want to emphasize. An example
could be FALCON.
Successful Cerritos College Students . . .
F
A
L
C
O
N
ocus on the work to be done. They are academically self disciplined, spending appropriate
amounts of time studying and doing homework. They come to class on time and prepared.
They complete all assignments and turn them in on time. They finish their programs.
dvance by always improving. They embrace life-long learning. They understand that
subject expertise requires a long-term commitment, and commit to ongoing development of
thinking skills and learning skills.
ink up with the academic community. They get involved. They get to know their professors,
study in groups, surround themselves with academically focused students and mentors, get
involved on campus, and use College resources and programs to help with their learning.
omprehend. They study for comprehension. They seek to understand course content
rather than simply complete requirements. They ask questions to gain understanding,
reflect on what they are learning as well as if they are learning.
rganize. They plan to succeed. They have an educational goal. They focus on their
educational purposes, maintaining a specific education plan, choosing classes with an
intentional learning purpose in mind.
urture new ideas. They are curious. They seek out new ideas, perspectives and skills.
They transfer concepts to new contexts in order to solve problems. They integrate
concepts and knowledge to form a greater personal understanding.
Developing an acronym around FALCON leverages the Cerritos College mascot—a symbol that
is under-utilized on campus.
3.3 Slogan
A slogan should be developed around FALCON. Examples may include:
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Falcon Up
Be the Falcon
Go Falcon or Go Home
Etc.
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3.4 Weekly Message
Weekly messages are built around the FALCON campaign, the academic calendar (CSU
applications deadline, Academic Excellence Awards, etc.), and academic opportunities as they
emerge (scholarships, internships, etc.). The overall campaign should serve as a clearing house
for all academic opportunities. The weekly communications should be distributed via:
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Classroom Announcements by Faculty Members
Email to all Students (from Faculty Senate President?)
V-Mail to All Students (from Faculty Senate President?)
Student Portal Messages
3.5 Large Student Gatherings
Each semester, our largest courses (gateway courses) should/could hold a gathering of all
students in the course. These would have to be held in the Burnight Theater or something of a
similar scale. Part of the meeting would focus on FALCON. Possible courses include:
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Political Science
History
Math
English
Etc.
3.6 Integrate into All Study Skills Related Courses/Resources
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Which courses?
3.7 Integrate into All College Publications
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Website
Catalogue
Schedule of Classes
Marketing Materials
3.8 Integrate into All College Employee and Student Interactions
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Every time a student interacts with a Cerritos College employee, the “FALCON-UP”
message needs to be integrated into the conversation. In this sense, everyone at the
college needs to consider themselves part of this campaign—part of the solution to
raising student performance.
Areas that have common student interactions (Admissions and Records, Division Offices,
Bookstore, Food Services, etc.) should have a means to delivering this message. It could
be verbal (“Thank You and Remember to Falcon Up”).
Schedule of Classes
Marketing Materials
4.0 Develop and Support Resources to Teach Students These Behaviors
4.1 Support Existing Programs
Identify all existing programs on campus and map them to the FALCON indicators of student
success. Promote these services in all the weekly messages.
4.2 Develop Student Documentaries Solution
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The student documentaries project interviews our most successful students to develop study
skills advice and recommendations generated by students, for students. The Senate Committee
on Academic Affairs has a rough cut of the documentary. They are developing the website and
delivery mechanism in collaboration with the Innovation Center.
Goal(s):
 Develop a Prototype by January
 Go Live with the Prototype by March
 Announce the Prototype at the 2008 Academic Excellence Awards Event
 Continue to Capture Student documentary Footage at 2008 Event.
 Encourage Faculty to Adopt the Tool as an Instructional Device
4.3 Develop New Programs
Identify service gaps (if any) and develop new programs to fill the gaps.
5.0 Celebrate Student Excellence
5.1 Promote the Academic Excellence Awards
The Academic Excellence Awards is an annual event held in March 2008. It is organized by the
Senate Committee on Academic Affairs and the Academic Excellence Awards subcommittee.
Participation was at a record high last year, but we have significant room for improvement with
regard to Department participation. We should have nearly 100% or our programs participating in
the ceremony. The program needs to become more prominent on campus—we need to promote
it to such an extent that students show greater value for the award. If we adopt the FALCON
campaign, we should consider changing the name to the “Falcon Awards.”
5.2 President’s List and Vice President’s List
The President’s Office and the Vice President’s Office issue awards based on units achieved and
GPA averages. These awards are way too quiet on campus. We don’t need to build a ceremony
around them, but we need to make a much bigger deal about promoting the recipients! This
should be a big deal.
5.3 Commencement
The commencement ceremony is how we extend our highest honor—graduation. We need to
continue building this into a greater and greater event each year. We need more students to
attend and more faculty to attend. We need to let faculty know that the event is a statement. We
need eliminate all of the “professional obligation language” and talk to faculty about the event as
a way to honoring Cerritos graduates and promote academic excellence—attending says
academic achievement IS important at Cerritos College.
5.4 Successful Transfers and Jobs Announced
We have many students that are successfully transferring or getting jobs each year; however, we
are not promoting this information enough. This needs to be more systematically distributed to
our student body.
6.0 Management
6.1 Who will be in charge of this?
6.2 What is the budget for this initiative?
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6.3 How do we evaluate this initiative?
6.4 FALCON-UP Website
The FALCON-UP website should be a one-stop resource for the campaign. Every resource
should be published at the website. All weekly messages can found there: student testimonials;
award recipients; scholarship opportunities; etc.
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Appendix
Week 1 Message (FALCON-UP)
Goal of This Week’s Message:
The goal of this week’s message is to introduce students to “FALCON UP.” Introduce them to
each of the six behaviors that lead to student success by stepping them through the FALCON
acronym.
Message:
Throughout this term, we will mostly be discussing [name your course of discipline]; however, I
want to occasionally pause to talk to you about learning strategies that will help you succeed.
Things that you can do—should do—to be successful at Cerritos College. Today we will start with
an overview of the things that successful students consistently do. As we proceed through the
term, we will look at each of these in greater detail.
Successful Cerritos Students “FALCON-UP”!
F
A
L
C
O
N
ocus on the work to be done. They are academically self disciplined, spending appropriate
amounts of time studying and doing homework. They come to class on time and prepared.
They complete all assignments and turn them in on time. They finish their programs.
dvance by always improving. They embrace life-long learning. They understand that
subject expertise requires a long-term commitment, and commit to ongoing development of
thinking skills and learning skills.
ink up with the academic community. They get involved. They get to know their professors,
study in groups, surround themselves with academically focused students and mentors, get
involved on campus, and use College resources and programs to help with their learning.
omprehend. They study for comprehension. They seek to understand course content
rather than simply complete requirements. They ask questions to gain understanding,
reflect on what they are learning as well as if they are learning.
rganize. They plan to succeed. They have an educational goal. They focus on their
educational purposes, maintaining a specific education plan, choosing classes with an
intentional learning purpose in mind.
urture new ideas. They are curious. They seek out new ideas, perspectives and skills.
They transfer concepts to new contexts in order to solve problems. They integrate
concepts and knowledge to form a greater personal understanding.
General Academic Opportunities and Recognitions
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Text
Text
Text
Text
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Week 2 Message (FOCUS)
Successful students focus on the work to be done. They are academically self disciplined, spend
appropriate amounts of time studying and doing homework, come to class on time and prepared,
complete all assignment and turn them in on time, maintain a balance between academic and
non-academic interests, and finish their programs.
What it Is and Why it Is Important
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What it Looks Like
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Resources
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Come by my office and we can talk about this in greater detail.
Cerritos College Resources
General Online Resources
General Academic Opportunities and Recognitions
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Text
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