Office of Academic Student Instructional Support

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• Office of Academic Student Instructional Support
  
• -OASIS-
• -Cheri Tillman, Pat Burns

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THE CHALLENGE

• Student persistence is 65 percent after the first
  year, less than 50 percent after the second year
  of college.
• Less than 40 percent of the students that begin
  their freshman year at VSU will graduate.
• Projected lost revenues to VSU for ten students
  who do not persist beyond their first semester is
  326,811.

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WHY STUDENTS LEAVE

• Academic difficulty
• Adjustment difficulties
• Uncertain goals
• Weak Commitments
• Isolation

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The Freshman Year Experience

• PRE-ENTRY
  INSTITUTIONAL OUTCOME
• ATTRIBUTES
  EXPERIENCES

FAMILY BACKGROUND
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE FACULTY/STAFF INTERACTIONS
ACADEMIC INTEGRATION
SKILLS ABILITIES
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES PEER
GROUP INTERACTIONS
SOCIAL INTEGRATION
PRIOR SCHOOLING
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The Freshman Year Experience

• .....it is the education of students, their
  social and intellectual growth, that is the
  proper goal of retention efforts. It is
  essential that we recognize the centrality of
  education to the process of student
  retention.
• Vincent Tinto - Leaving College

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...OF SPECIAL NOTE...

• .though the intentions and commitment with
  which individuals enter college matter, what goes
  on after entry matters more. It is the daily
  interaction of the student with other members of
  the college in both formal and informal academic
  and social domains that in large measure
  determine staying or leaving.
• - Vincent Tinto

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The Freshman Year Experience

• VISION STATEMENT
• The office of Academic Student Instructional
  Support (OASIS) will provide an exceptional
  educational experience dedicated to achieving the
  highest level of excellence within our academic
  community. In doing so, we will advance a
  philosophy of teamwork and cooperation throughout
  VSU.

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The Freshman Year Experience

• OASIS CORE VALUES
• We will foster an atmosphere for learning that is
  non-threatening, encourages creative thinking and
  questioning, and respects diversity.
• We will encourage learning communities in which
  each individual is potentially both a teacher and
  learner.
• As educators, we will maintain the highest
  professional standards of teaching excellence.
• We will exemplify professionalism, charity, and
  civility in all our working relationships to
  infuse the spirit of our work into the university
  culture.

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The Freshman Year Experience

• PROGRAM GOAL
• The goal of the Freshman Year Experience is to
  maximize every students potential to achieve
  academic success and to adjust responsibly to the
  individual and interpersonal challenges presented
  by collegiate life.

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The Freshman Year Experience

• FYE Program Components
• Freshman Seminar
• Learning Communities Linked Courses
• Faculty Advising Mentoring
• Peer Tutoring

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PROGRAMS ACTIVITIES THAT ENCOURAGE PERSISTENCE

• Academic skills development
• Intrusive advising mentoring
• Frequent contact with faculty staff
• Tutoring and supplemental instruction
• Involvement in extracurricular activities clubs,
  and organizations

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The Freshman Year ExperienceFreshman Seminar I

• This course is an introduction to lifelong
  learning with emphasis on college study skills.
• Topics include learning styles, time
  management, learning and memory skills, learning
  from texts and lecture, note taking, objective
  and essay examinations, critical thinking skills,
  and a realistic assessment of future employment
  opportunities.

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The Freshman Year Experience

• Learning
• Cohorts
• Learning
• Communities
• Career
• Paper

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The Freshman Year ExperienceFreshman Seminar II

• This course is a continuation of Freshman Seminar
  I with an emphasis on empowering students to make
  responsible choices in college and life.
  Includes practical and self-reflective exercises
  in promoting growth and change.

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The Freshman Year ExperienceFreshman Seminar II

• Topics
• Computer and Information Technology
• Career Development

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The Freshman Year ExperienceFreshman Seminar II

• Topics
• Personal and Leadership Development

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The Freshman Year ExperienceFreshman Seminar II

• Topics
• Service-Learning Project
• Service-Learning Journal

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HAVEN CHILDRENWild Adventures
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SERVICE-LEARNING
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The Freshman Year Experience

• Advising Each faculty member has a cohort.
  These students are advised by that instructor.
• Mentoring We take advising to a higher level by
  mentoring our students.

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The Freshman Year ExperiencePeer Mentors

• Attends Freshman Seminar class
• Monitors student progress
• Coordinates Fall Explosion activities
• Provides instruction in study skills

• Develops study groups
• Motivates students toward academic success

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The Freshman Year ExperienceSupplemental
Instruction

• SI targets academic courses which are lecture
  classes and offers regularly scheduled review
  sessions.

• SI Objectives
• Increase student skills in comprehension,
  analysis, critical thinking, and problem solving.
• Integrate review of course content with study
  skills and learning strategies.

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The Freshman Year ExperienceSupplemental
Instruction

• Why SI Works
• Students learn how to study.
• Students use their study skills on the course
  content itself.
• Students are involved in their own learning.

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The Freshman Year Experience

• It Works!

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  NOTE 78 FYE and 48 VSU 1101 students did not
identify their major because they had not
declared their major, or were undecided.
 
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