Breakout Sessions Apr. 9

10:15 - 11:00 am

Community Engaged Strategies for First Gen Student Success

Presenter (s): Dustin Krein, Destiny Newman, Rahima Cantave

The presentation will highlight community-engaged programming as a key component of the University of South Florida’s mission to provide academic and career competencies for first generation students. AAC&U’s High-Impact Educational Practices can take several forms; however, this presentation will give special attention to initiatives which leverage mutually beneficial connections off campus, such as: community-based work-study, diversity/global learning, and service learning. Perspectives directly from first generation students will focus on the complexities of achieving academic success while preparing for post-graduation success. This will lay the foundation of best practices for higher education professionals creating community engaged programming for first generation student success.

Caring at Scale: High-Impact Success Coaching at ASU

Presenter (s): Marisel Herrera, Kevin Correa

The First-Year Success Center (FYS) at Arizona State University (ASU) provides individualized and holistic peer coaching services for over 7,000 freshmen on four ASU campuses. Coaching empowers students to thrive both inside and outside the classroom. Students who utilize coaching are more likely to be retained than those who do not, and the retention impact has been particularly significant for minority and first generation students. In this session, presenters will explain how success coaching has been leveraged to provide caring at scale and to boost retention at the largest public university in the country, with a highly diverse student body.

An Effective Gateway for First Generation Students through a Transdisciplinary Approach

Presenter(s): Patricia Farless, Martha Brenckle, Annabelle Conroy, Dr. Amanda Snyder

This presentation reflects the first stage of a larger project designed to decrease DFW grades and increase retention rates.  In this presentation, we will discuss the survey results and research findings on which we based our action plan to transform the General Education Program into a transdisciplinary program.  The objective of this action plan is to meet the needs of First Generation students and foster a sense of community to promote retention and success in these gateway courses. Presenters will also share several “best practices” that have shown positive preliminary results.

Equity Gaps in High-Impact Practices: Understanding Obstacles, Increasing Opportunities

Presenter: Tekla Nicholas

First Generation college students benefit from high-impact practices (HIPs) and career readiness activities.  However, data suggested that Black students at Florida International University were much less likely than others to participate in high impact activities, such as internships, research with faculty, or study abroad (NSSE 2016). As a result, researchers explored obstacles to participation for black students.  They will discuss important findings from student surveys and focus groups and provide recommendations for increasing student engagement, equity, and inclusion. Efforts being made to eliminate racial gaps in HIP participation at FIU will also be shared.

11:15 - 12:00 pm

Supporting Financial Success for First Gen Students

Presenter: Candace Henry

In summer 2017, Bull2Bull Financial Education at the University of South Florida re-launched its Financial Success Series (FSS) targeting students in the Student Support Services (SSS) TRIO program. Presenters will take a deep dive into the program and explore how it impacted retention and progression rates through personalized financial coaching and workshops. Participants will have an opportunity to conceptualize similar initiatives on their campuses.

Connecting the Dots: First Generation App an Experiential Learning Exercise

Presenter: Lynell Hodge

The college student population is estimated to be 30% first generation (NCES, 2010). In 2018, an upper level leadership capstone course was tasked to develop a prototype to connect first generation students to campus resource upon admission. This assignment was structured as an opportunity for students to critically think about university messages and resources. The ultimate goal, was to create a tool first generation students could use from acceptance to graduation. Each prototype provided insights the student experience, opportunities to connect students to resources, lessons learned, but also revealed institutional gaps.

Addressing First-Gen Family Expectations in New Student Orientation

Presenter: Dr. Kelly Hernandez, Stephanie Alber

Student affairs professionals from Florida International University and Miami Dade College will review literature and best practices in addressing first-generation family expectations, particularly at new student orientations. They will make suggestions for family orientations that educate parents on supporting their children to be successful college students. Since first-generation students often find themselves in the predicament of choosing majors that please their parents but not themselves, as such; presenters will also address how to introduce parents to the wide world of majors and career options to help parents accept their children’s choices and inform them of the time and effort needed to pursue these careers.

Chemistry Cohorts as a way of Student Success and Retention

Presenter: Uma Swamy

A chemistry cohort in which a group of fall or summer 2018 FTIC Chemistry and Biochemistry majors took all their “chemistry” courses together was created.  Many of these students are first generation. Keeping the cohort together during General Chemistry 1 (CHM 1045) created a sense of community and a peer support system. The cohort was assigned a LA (Learning Assistant) that was also a chemistry major. The success rate of the chemistry cohort was higher than their peers in the same class.

Promoting Success in Gateway STEM Courses: A Comparison of Introductory Chemistry

Presenter (s): Nicole Lapeyrouse, Julie Donnelly

Presenters, will share the results of analysis of five years’ worth of student performance data in General Chemistry. Specifically, comparing the performance of General Chemistry Two students who took General Chemistry One in the one- and two-semester sequences. The slower pace

chemistry track was intended to increase students’ performance and overall learning outcomes for Chemistry One, however, students on this track perform significantly poorer in General Chemistry Two. Presenters will discuss alternative pathways to support student success in General Chemistry.