The Transfer Cohort Program

8/8/2019 The Transfer Cohort Program

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ARP 611 with Kendra Jeffcoat, Ph.D.

The Transfer Cohort Programat San Diego City CollegeBringing Learning Communities to All of SDCCs students

Matt Cromwell

12/7/2010


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Table of Contents

I. Introduction ..................................................................................................... page 2II. The Need for the Transfer Cohort Program (TCP) .............................................. page 2III. Summary of Proposal to Address the Need ....................................................... page 4IV. Implementation Strategy .................................................................................. page 8V. Common Faculty Questions and/or Concerns ................................................... page 13

BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................... page 14

AppendixA. Sample Cohort SyllabusB. Implementation Sequence MapC. TCP Summary HandoutD. Learning Community ApplicationE. Sample Student EvaluationF. Sample Master Learner EvaluationG. SDCC Student Success Pathways


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I. INTRODUCTIONSan Diego City College currently has a wide variety of Learning Communities to address a

wide variety of incoming student needs. These range from the famous PUENTE program, for Latino

students; the Umoja, for African-American students; CityLinks, Latino students who need remedial

studies and cultural orientation; to the New Horizons, for students seeking a new vocational

direction and are in financial need; and First Year Experience programs. All of these programs are

targeted to a unique demographic.

These programs are excellent examples of using the Learning Community model to effectively

address incoming students needs. This proposal stands on the shoulders of the successes of these

programs and recommends that SDCC extend the Learning Community model to all students.

Learning Communities can benefit students of every background and with every educational goal.

This proposal will illustrate the specific benefits that a shift towards a broader cohort oriented

curriculum can have for students seeking General Education requirements for transfer to a UC or

State University. This proposal is also unique from the existing programs in introducing the Master

Learner model within each learning community.

II. THE NEED FOR THE TRANSFER COHORT PROGRAM (TCP)There are three concerns that are nearly universal in community colleges in the United States:

(1) Persistence of its students between semesters; (2) The rate at which students transfer to 4-year

institutions; (3) The quality of the education the institution provides. San Diego City College (SDCC)

shares each of these concerns. This proposal will enhance and improve each of those areas.

Persistence is a national concern. A recent report from the Center for Community College

Student Engagement links low persistence and completion rates with a less qualified national work-

force with the consequence of having more and more American jobs being exported to other more

highly trained countries (Center For Community College Student Engagement, 2010). According to


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the 2010 SDCC Fact Book, SDCC has increased its persistence rate by 5 percent from 2005 to 2009.

But when that is compared to the district average of 11% it is clear that we are falling behind. In

contrast, this years Accreditation Self-Study claims that recent successes in Latino student

persistence (91%) can be directly linked to the cluster of classes or Learning Communities at the

colleges that focus on student transfer goal. Where there is success in one program, especially at

the rate of 91%, there should be efforts to implement that programs strengths to the broader

institution and student base. A concerted effort to improve our persistence numbers is more than

called for.

SDCC, as one of the three San Diego Community College District schools, was included in the

Districts 2010 Transfer Report (Office of Institutional Research and Planning, 2010). The report

details both the sheer volume of potential transfer students (Transfer Volume) as well as tracking

three different specific cohorts of students (Transfer Rate) from 2001 until spring of 2009. Whereas

both Mesa Community College and Miramar Community College saw a consistent rise in both

volume and rate, SDCC alone saw a decline in transfer rate. There may be some mitigating

circumstances around the reporting of the numbers, but the fact that the other two schools clearly

increased where SDCC decreased cannot be taken lightly. The report defines Transfer Rate as the

demographic of first-time students who completed 12 units in a six year period and who

attempted a degree, certificate, or transfer course (3). A decline in this demographic then indicates

that persistence alone is not enough to have an excellent rate of transfer.

Lastly, every educational institution, in order to stay viable, is concerned with its academic

quality. SDCC has taken every effort to hire high quality faculty and is firmly accredited with WASC.

But these are not the only avenues for achieving academic excellence. Studies have shown that a

students experience directly affects their ability to excel in learning. Vincent Tinto conducted a

survey in which students at various Community Colleges in various different learning communities

reported on the impact the learning communities had on their learning experience. Tinto


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summarizes the results, saying that 1) students spent more time studying outside of class together

than non-learning community students; 2) students were more actively involved in their learning

both inside and outside of the classroom; 3) students felt an increased quality to their learning

while in learning communities; and most importantly 4) because students saw themselves as more

engaged with studies and friends they tended to persevere longer in their programs than non-

learning community students (Tinto, 2003). If these are some of the benefits of learning

communities, why should this be limited only to special and unique demographics of higher-need

students? It should not.

A learning community designed for our student base, and not just those with unique needs or

specific demographics, is one sure way to improve SDCCs academic excellence, persistence, and the

successful transfer of our students to 4-year universities.

III. SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL TO ADDRESS THE NEEDThe Transfer Cohort Program (TCP) emphasizes learning communities that walk students

through 2 years of their community college experience by combining IGETC approved lower-

division General Education classes. Each learning community is assigned a Master Learner (ML) to

promote cohesion and keep students on track, encourage one another to excel, and dialogue about

integrating the class topics and content as well as each others area of study.

Modular Cohortsare two General Education classes paired together because of their

complimentary subject matters (see page 2 of Appendix C). In some cases classes are paired in

order to give students a balanced workload. Rather than overloading students with too much

mathematics, or philosophy, subjects are paired for diversity, like Humanities classes being paired

with Science or Mathematics. Other cohorts are paired because they are directly correlative, such as

World History and English Literature. Cohorts are modular in that students will have different

colleagues in each cohort. This is for the purpose of allowing students of all educational situation to


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be able to jump in to the TCP whenever it becomes applicable for them and they meet the

prerequisites of the specific classes in that cohort.

Master Learnerssit in each of the cohort classes and participate in the learning alongside the

students in the cohort. MLs also lead discussion during cohort sessions (see below), provide

feedback on assignments, study and personal discipline tips, and coaching for registration and

preparation for transfer. There are two options for where these MLs will come from. (1) The

original Master Learner model comes from The Community College of Baltimore County (McPhail,

McKusick, & Starr, 2006). The Baltimore model asked fellow faculty members to serve as MLs on a

per semester basis. This enabled the faculty to more actively engage with students, as well as to

provide a peer review for the teaching faculty. Faculty would, in this case, be relieved of one or two

of their teaching classes in order to serve as an ML. This model requires a heavy degree of buy-in

from the faculty in order to happen successfully. If faculty were invested deeply enough, then a core

group of rotating MLs could form and provide the most constructive feedback of the program and

suggestions for refinement.

Using faculty as MLs means no additional costs to consider, unless the disruption of having a

particular faculty member unavailable for one semester means having to hire more adjunct faculty.

In that case the cost would then need to be compared with option 2. (2) MLs could be interns from

San Diego State University. Preliminary ad hoc surveying of current graduate students at SDSU

reveals that there is much interest in this kind of internship opportunity. Negotiation will need to

take place with the various graduate departments at SDSU to make sure that interns are getting

valuable enough experience for the purpose of their internships as MLs at SDCC. Interns are paid,

so this would be a new cost to SDCC that would need review and approval, but it would not disturb

the rate in which classes are offered since faculty would not be used in this capacity.


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Cohort Sessionsare 1 hour a week; intended to provide dedicated space for students to

interact and engage their class material with the ML present. The Cohort Session schedule is built

into the Cohort Syllabus (see Appendix A). This is also an opportunity for the ML to be tracking

student progress. Students in need of additional services can be identified and encouraged to utilize

the various student services available. Cohort sessions are also an appropriate venue for both ML

and students surveying to maintain continual evaluation and re-assessment of the program and the

specific classes.

Student Learning Outcomes(SLO) for the TCP are guides to ensure that the program has

tangible benefits to the students and to provide a framework within which the program can be

properly evaluated and assessed.

1) RETENTION: Students enrolled in the Transfer Cohort Program (TCP) will have at

least a 50% higher retention rate than the current SDCC rate. Vincent Tinto describes 8

obstacles that keep students from staying and finishing their degrees at community colleges:

Academic Difficulty, Adjustment Difficulty, and Commitments, Goals, Finances, Fit, Involvement, and

Learning (Tinto, 1989). Of those 8 obstacles, the TCP addresses all but the issue of Finances.

1. Academic Difficulty is address directly through the use of a Master Learner (ML) who is in

weekly contact with students and is able to track their progress and help identify weaknesses or

strengths in their study habits and skills. When a student is falling behind, the ML and the co-

students in the cohort are able to encourage the struggling student and assist them as needed

towards regaining their ground academically. If further assistance is needed, the ML can encourage

them to seek assistance in the appropriate Student Services office, whether the need be in writing,

test taking, or personal counseling.

2 and 3. Adjustment Difficulty and Fit are both addressed through the interaction of the

cohort. By being together with other students who are in the same classes and similar stages of life,


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students are more likely to make the adjustment into college life as well as feel that they have a

place at the school among friends and colleagues.

4 and 5. Commitments and Goals are both addressed through the registration process and

Cohort Application process. By applying for the program, students will see a clear plan that will lead

them to their Associate Degree as well as the exact path that will take them to the college they

desire. Discussions about transferring begin on day one and are encouraged and reinforced through

the cohort meetings and with the ML.

6. Learning is greatly increased through the cohort meetings through dialogue with fellow

students and the ML. Learning is further enhanced through the interdisciplinary nature of the

classes that are paired and how students will be able to digest and process their class content

through the unique lens of another related field; e.g. taking World History and a Literature class

together enhances each class individually as well as giving the student a fuller picture of the whole

content of both classes.

2) TRANSFER: Students enrolled in the TCP will have at least a 50% higher rate of

transfer than other comparable SDCC students to a 4 year university. The cohort classes are

specifically designed to pair general education classes together that are optimal for meeting the

IGETC curriculum standard that will allow students to transfer to most California State Universities,

as well as University of California institutions and many private schools. City Colleges commonly

have trouble guiding students towards classes that will most benefit them in their goals of

transferring to a 4 year university. The TCP ensures that they are always on track by taking the

guess-work out of class registration. Class size and availability is often a further and unexpected

obstacle for students. This is addressed by having the cohort classes designated specifically for

those in the TCP. Students wishing to take one of the cohort classes may only register for them if

there is space after all TCP students are registered.


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3) ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: Students enrolled in the TCP will demonstrate an

interdisciplinary understanding of their field of study resulting in more attractive

applications to universities as well as being generally more prepared for our continually

globalizing and interdisciplinary society and work-force. By pairing classes together, students

have the ability to view individual fields in a new and revealing light. Students taking Sociology and

Statistics, for example, will be able to benefit by having the theoretical knowledge of social

interaction paired with the practical and technical skills needed to quantify sociological data. Many

students will be taking additional classes outside of the cohort and could also reflect on the content

of those classes and how it interacts with the cohort classes within their cohort and with their ML.

Interdisciplinary cohorts provide a deeper type of learning than is possible in stand-alone

courses (Tinto, 1998). This will be continually assessed based on in-class written essays that

students write each semester. The essay question will be determined by the joint cohort faculty

(with input from the ML if desired) with the express purpose of testing their knowledge of both

fields. An example for the HIST100/ENGL105 cohort might be Describe the historical events and

English society that surrounded William Shakespeare. Did specific events influence his writing, or

did he have a direct influence on how history played out? Explain. These essays can be used by

students to create their own portfolio of writing samples to be used in their applications to

universities.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY AND SEQUENCE OF EVENTSIn order to fully implement and develop a program of this scope much attention will be paid

to orienting the SDCC staff. The implementation schedule (Appendix B) includes annual

assessments that address different aspects of the broader development of the program. These

assessments will help shape the final model that will be realized by the end of the 4th year.


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Some necessary steps before implementation begins are necessary. (1) Faculty must full

embrace the program as their own. (2) The Student Services department must know the program

intimately in order to properly counsel students. (3) The Registrars Office must be experts with the

program and that must be reflected on all course materials that are published out of that office.

a. FACULTY COLLABORATION PROCESSThe success of this program depends on many things, but it cannot be overstated how

important faculty ownership is. Faculty will have the ability to make their cohorts as cohesive or

contrasting as they desire. Cohesive courses would lean heavily the content of their partnering

course. Some subject might need to be discussed in Course A before being discussed in Course B. On

the other hand, contrasting courses may merely stand side by side and simply refer to the other for

contrast. Regardless of the approach, the faculty must be intentional in working with the

colleagues to craft the cohort.

A sample syllabus is attached (Appendix A). This is a contrasting cohort. The subjects do not

depend on each other, but special attention was made to have the subject refer to each other

loosely. The course descriptions are also provided exactly as they appear in the Catalog, but

additional information is added to help the student better understand the cohort as a whole. All of

this work should be done in collaboration with both faculty members.

b. STUDENT SERVICES PROCESSThe Student Services Office currently runs all of the various Learning Community programs.

The TCP will also be coordinated through their office. Coordination will entail recruitment of MLs

and assignment of MLs to their respective cohorts. The SS Office will also produce marketing

materials such as the TCP brochure and application. In order for this to go well there will be

training of the Student Services staff led by the Academic Deans office.

c. MASTER LEARNER ORIENTATION


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Whether MLs are SDSU interns or fellow faculty, special attention will be given to orienting

MLs to a different kind of student interaction. Faculty members in particular may find it very

strange to suddenly be seated next to students rather than in front of them. SDSU Interns may have

no experience with students at all and may find that they are not well equipped. All of these issues

will need to be carefully watched and the Student Services Counseling Office will provide as much

support for the MLs as possible.

During the four years of implementation, a seminar-style orientation may be best. Over the

course of implementation, though, it may be helpful to develop a Master Learner Handbook1.

d. REGISTRATION PROCESSAcademic Counselors and the online registration system must be fully equipped with the

necessary information and skills to encourage students to enroll in the TCP. The primary emphasis

of recruitment for the program will be on students who are enrolling full-time for the first time at

SDCC. Therefore it will be important to get the full cooperation of the Registration Office starting

with the Registrar. The Registrar will be asked to coordinate the effort to orient the Academic

Counselors to the program and to help get them excited about offering the program to students. The

Registrar will also be responsible for leading the effort to upgrade the online registration system as

well as the website to showcase the TCP and enable students to easily and seamlessly apply for the

program, get confirmation of their acceptance, and register for their classes. Without this massive

effort by the Registrars Office, the program cannot begin let alone succeed.

The course code LCOM is currently in use by the CityLinks and First Year Experience learning

communities. Unfortunately, the only place that code is referenced is through the online class

scheduling tool, or in the online registration process. This code is not mentioned in the SDCC

Catalog at all. This means that one would only register for these classes if one already knew what to

1 Iowa State University has a great Learning Community Mentor Manual that might serve as a suitable

template (http://www.lc.iastate.edu/Mentor%20Resource%20Manual.pdf).


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look for. I propose that all of the learning community programs and course offerings have their own

designated section in the Catalog as well.

All of these aspects will take time and coordination to implement firmly. This is why the first

year assessment is focused exclusively on the registration process (see Implementation Map,

Appendix B). The assessment will provide the opportunity to further develop aspect of the

registration and recruitment process soon in the development of the program.

V. PROGRAM ASSESSMENT STRATEGIESOne of the great strengths of the TCP is that assessment is built into the structure of the

program through the use of the Master Learners. But proper distribution and collection of survey

data requires coordination. Therefore, the TCP Coordinator2 in the Student Services Office is

responsible for overseeing the project, guiding and assisting the MLs in their work with students,

collecting and collating the data and reviews from each semester, and keeping the Academic Dean

continually informed of the progress of the program and students. MLs and students are expected

to fill out surveys at the end of each semester (see Appendices E and F). At the end of each academic

year, the TCP Coordinator will provide a summary of the progress of the TCP based on the surveys

of the MLs and students. After each second academic year, the TCP Coordinator will review all

summaries and evaluations and provide the Academic Dean with a report of suggested refinements,

improvements, or corrections or deletions to the program. Continual and routine evaluation and

refinement is a necessary part of this program considering the continual evolution of the student

body and the ever changing requirements of transfer.

The final assessment occurs at the end of the fourth year. This should be a collection of all the

previous surveys as well as a summary of the critiques as a whole. This is the time at which the TCP

2 See Appendix G for the SDCC Student Success Pathways which details the various learning communitycoordinators. It is feasible that Marilyn Harvey would take on the TCP as an extension of the First Year

Experience program.


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will have to be evaluated on its merits and whether its benefits are outweighing its costs or not. It is

my sincere belief that the program will be enthusiastically renewed at that time.

VI. PROGRAM COST ESTIMATESMaster Learners. As previously mentioned, the cost of the MLs depends on whether they are

SDSU students or fellow faculty, and whether additional adjunct faculty would have to be brought

on if faculty were to be used as MLs. With that in mind, these are the rough estimates:

SDSU Interns ScenarioThe SDSU Intern pay scale is flexible, but can range between $12-

17/hr. Interns would have 4 hours of class time per week3; add to that 1.5 hours of cohort time, and

roughly 2 hours of student advising support outside of class and cohort sessions. Thats 7.5 hours

per week for 14 weeks. That would equal $1,470 per Intern per semester. There are 4 cohorts per

year, so that is an annual cost of $5,880.

Faculty as Master Learners This option would be virtually cost-free. If all classes can

resume as normal while these selected faculty members serve as MLs then the only costs incurred

are through marketing. But if their absence requires adjunct faculty, then according to the SDCC

Schedule B Classroom Salary, the minimum pay for an adjunct faculty member is roughly $26,000.

Marketing Costs In order for all 4 cohort classes to at least break even, there would need to

be roughly 30 students in each cohort or 60 per semester. If 8 percent of those who receive a

brochure end up enrolling in the program then we would need 750 brochures. Nicer, three-fold

brochures in color cost roughly $0.85 a piece, which is $637. Graphic design and layout would be a

one-time fee of roughly $1000 for a professional designer.

3

40 minutes per credit. Each cohort is 6 credits. Thats 240 minutes, or 4 hours.


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It will need to be discussed whether the SDCC IT department can fully implement the changes

to the online registration system or whether an outside web developing firm will need to be hired.

Considering, changes are made every year it is likely that there will be no additional cost.

Work Needed SDSU Intern Adjunct Faculty Faculty

Master Learners $5,880 $26,000 $0

Marketing

- 750 Brochures

- TCP Applications

$637$100

$637$100

$637$100

Online registration $0 $0 $0

Annual TOTAL $6,617 $26,737 $737

VII. ANTICIPATED CONCERNS OR QUESTIONSWith any new program there are bound to be many questions and nuances that need to be

addressed. These are only a few.

a. CAN STUDENTS ATTEND COHORT CLASSES WITHOUT BEING IN THE COHORT?Yes. It is necessary in order to meet class size minimums, in fact.

b. HOW MUCH COLLABORATION IS REQUIRED OF THE FACULTY MEMBERS?It depends largely on whether faculty chooses to do a more cohesive or contrasting

style cohort. Cohesive will take more time to collaborate on. But these cohorts were

paired with the intention that the classes already have natural connections. They could

simply stand beside one another and connections can already be made.

c. ARE THERE OTHER SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY COLLEGES IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS LIKETHIS?

There are many varieties of learning communities throughout the nation that are very

successful. This model is a fusion of different pieces of many different programs, like

the Master Learner model at the Baltimore Community College. Karen Kellog attests

that [m]any institutions find that choosing a single model is not as beneficial as using

bits and pieces from two or three models (Kellogg, 1999).

d. IF THE PROGRAM DOES NOT GO WELL (FOR WHATEVER REASON) WILL THERE BE COSTS TODISMANTLING IT?

No. Costs are incurred each semester that the program happens. If the program were

cancelled the costs would be eliminated.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Center For Community College Student Engagement. (2010). The Heart of Student Success: Teaching,Learning, and College Completion (2010 CCSSE Findings) (pp. 1-6). Austin, TX. doi:10.1177/019263658106544221.

Kellogg, K. (1999). Learning Communities. ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, 1-6.

McPhail, I., McKusick, D., & Starr, A. (2006). Access With Success: The Master Learning CommunityModel. Community College Journal of Research & Practice, 30(2), 145-146. doi:10.1080/10668920500433165.

Office of Institutional Research and Planning. (2010). SDCCD Transfer Report A LongitudinalPerspective Spring 2010. San Diego, CA.

Tinto, V. (1989). Rethinking the First Year of College, 1-8.

Tinto, V. (1998). Learning Communities and the Reconstruction of Remedial Education in HigherEducation 1. New York, (315).

Tinto, V. (2003). Learning Better Together : The Impact of Learning Communities on StudentSuccess . Higher Education, 1-8.

OTHER SOURCES

Adelman, Clifford. 2005.Moving Into Townand Moving On: The Community College in theLives of Traditionalage Students.Adult Education. Washington D.C.

Emily, By, Decker Lardner, and Gillies Malnarich. 2004. Sustaining Learning Communities : Moving

from Curricular to Educational Reform. Innovation.

Hagedorn, Linda Serra. Patterns that Predict Transfer Accepted for publication in Journal ofCollege Student Retention Community College Course Taking Patterns : Identifying theCourse-Taking Patterns that Predict Transfer.Journal of College Student Retention: 0-34.

Killacky, Jim, Cheryl Thomas, and Annette Accomando. 2002. Learning Communities andCommunity Colleges: a Case Study. Community College Journal of Research & Practice 26, no. 10

(December): 763-775. doi:10.1080/10668920290104859.

http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&doi=10.1080/10668920290104859&

magic=crossref||D404A21C5BB053405B1A640AFFD44AE3.

Tinto, Vincent. 2007. Research and Practice of Student Retention: What Next?, no. 1: 1-19.

Woodruff, Diane, and Patrick Perry. 2008. Focus On Results. San Diego, CA. San Diego, CA.

http://www.cccco.edu/Portals/4/TRIS/research/ARCC/arcc_2008_final.pdf.


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Class Times, Locations and ProfessorsTuesdays and Thursdays 8:00- 9:40 a.m., 10:00- 11:40 a.m.

Arts and Humanies Room 102

HISTORY PROFESSOR NAME, TITLE COMPOSITION PROFESSOR NAME, TITLE

Oce Hours Oce Hours

Phone/Email Phone/Email

Cohort MeetingsMonday nights starng at 8pm. Locaon to be determined rst day of class collaboravely.

MASTER LEARNER

Phone/Email

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS105 COMPOSITION AND LITERATUREis a composion course using literature as a background for improving wring skills. Students discuss thegeneral nature and elements of literature and literary cricism by reading and analyzing representave works of con, drama, and poetry. Based

on this subject maer, students are required to write a variety of crical papers, including a research paper, comprising at least 6,000 graded

words. This course is designed for transfer students and is suitable for those students interested in literature and in developing strong crical and

analycal wring skills. Designated secons of this course may be taught from a specic cultural perspecve. (FT) Associate Degree Credit &

transfer to CSU and/or private colleges and universies. UC Transfer Course List.

100 WORLD HISTORY I examines the growth of civilizaons and the inter relaonships of peoples of Europe, Asia, Africa and America from the

birth of civilizaon to 1650. Topics in social, intellectual, economic, and polical history are covered. This course is of interest to history majors as

well as anyone seeking a global historical perspecve. (FT) Associate Degree Credit & transfer to CSU and/or private colleges and universies. UC

Transfer Course List.

WHY A COHORT?These classes are being paired as a cohort to enable you, the student, to have a beer historical context with which to

place the various pieces of literature in and thus to beer understand them, as well as allowing you to see literature as

a cultural product rooted in a specic me. The connecons and benets will be made more explicit through your in-

teracons in your cohort and with your Master Learner (ML).

REQUIRED READINGDowns, Robert B. Books that Have Changed the World (2004, Revised Edion).

Fadiman, Clion and Major, John S. The New Lifeme Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to World Literature, Revised

and Expanded (1999).

Rogers, Perry Aspects of Western Civilizaon: Problems and Sources in History, Volume 1 (2010, 7th Edion).


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CLASS SCHEDULEHIST 100 ENG 105

Week 1 Geography over me Intro to Wring, Review of various wring samples

Cohort 1. Introducon to the Cohort model, advantages, resources available to students.

2. Discussion of how to integrate cross-curricular topics

Week 2 A Review of Asian History (1300 to 1900) Who are you wring to and why it maers

Cohort 1. Integraon discussion: How are me and culture related? 2. Paper wring skills

Week 3 A Review of Middle-Eastern History

(1300-1900)

The Wring Voice: Acve and Passive voice

Cohort 1. Integraon discussion: How do writers shape the idea of a current culture, especially for future readers?

2. Study disciplines

Week 4 A Review of European History (1300-1900) The Wring Voice: Your voice

Cohort 1. Brief check-up on class comprehension. 2. Discussing student academic goals, focusing on majors and transfer

goals

Week 5 A Review of African History (1300-1900) A Review of English Literature (PART 1 - technique)

Cohort 1. Open integraon discussion 2. Peer review assignments

Week 6 A Review of South American History (1500-1900) A Review of English Literature (PART 2 - style)


Week 7 A Review of North American History

(1500-1900)

A Review of Contemporary Literature styles and exam-

ples of what NOT to do. (In-class essay exam)


Week 8 Concepts and methods of colonializaon Planning to Write: Free wring, and researching your

concept


Week 9 Consequences of colonializaon Researching Connued: Primary/Secondary Sources,

citaon,


Week 10 Emergence of a World Economy:

Trading Spices, Trading Religions

A Review of American Literature (PART 1 - technique)


Week 11 War, Peace, and Business: Developing Technologies and

their internaonal impact (In-class essay exam)

A Review of American Literature (PART 2 - style)

Cohort Preparaon for Final

Week 12 Decolonizaon in South-East Asia, South Africa, and the

US Colonies

The 5 Part Essay (Part I)


Week 13 Summary, Review, and Quesons The 5 Part Essay (Part II)


Week 14 COMBINED FINAL EXAM

Cohort Wrap-up and discussion of next semesters cohorts


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ASSIGNMENTSa. Aendance = 5%

You are permied 3 absences without penalty. Each successive absence will deduct 2% from your nal

grade.

b. Pop-Quizzes = 7% each (21% total)

The History class will have 3 pop-quizzes. They will cover the current reading up to that point in the class. If

you have not read you will not pass these quizzes.

c. In Class Essay 1 and 2 = 15% each (30% total)

In-class essays are free wring exercises on quesons that combine both subjects.

d. Wring with Style and Form = 19%

You will write a 5 Part Essay, roughly 6 page double spaced on a topic of your interest from a list of topics to

be provided.

e. Final Test = 25%

The nal will be a combinaon of mulple choice, short essay, matching, and one long essay. All essay ques-

ons will be interdisciplinary in nature.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMESStudents will be able to analyze and idenfy excerpts of literature based on their content and language structure and

place them appropriately within their historical framework.

Students will be able to accurately describe the dierences between poetry, a novel, biography, non-

con, journaliscwring, and theatre as well as give examples of the tone that each literary style takes on.

Students will be able to describe in a short narrave how and why civilizaon began to be understood in terms of East

and West and give some examples of the negave consequences of that split.

CLASS POLICIES Turn o cell phones

Cheang is punishable by automac failure

Aendance is required


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(Course oerings in parenthesis were already introduced in a previous cycle.)


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R E TE N TION Peer support is the most reliable way to

encourage retention.

TR A N S FE R A B IL ITY A clear and flexible schedule that is

IGETC approved helps students know

exactly which classes to take to reach

their transfer goals.

A C A D E MIC E X C E LLE N C E Master Learners help students to go

the Cohort Transfer Program(TCP)

S u m m a r y The Transfer Cohort Program

is an innovative, comprehen-

sive curriculum designed to

enhance and improve SDCCs

educational experience to the

maximum benefit of the stu-

dent. By pairing complemen-

tary classes which meet

IGETC standards, students

are given a roadmap to the 4-

year university of their choice.By creating cohorts from

these paired classes, students

support and encourage each

other, resulting in higher reten-

tion rates. By assigning a

Master Learner to each cohort

each semester students are

given the necessary attention

to catch academic weaknesses

early on and to emphasize cor-

relations within the cohort as

well as applications to their

own majors. The TCP gives

SDCC a clear advantage toadvance our curriculum from

good to great.

See reverse for a Sample Roadmap for

W W W . S D C C . E D U Matt Cromwell [email protected] (619) 228-6644

T h e B e n e f i t s o f

I m p l e m e n t i n g T C P a t S D C C


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A Sample TCP (HISTORY DEGREE)

W W W . S D C C . E D U Matt Cromwell [email protected] (619) 228-6644

YEAR 1FALL SEMESTER

FACT, FICTION AND CULTURE BUILDING (ENGL 105: Composition and Literature & HIST100: World History I) Viewing world history through events and the cultural expression of

literature while strengthening students understanding of writing.

MUSINGS OF THE MUSE (PHIL205: Critical Thinking and Writing in Philosophy &

DRAM109: Theatre and Social Issues) Students study creative applications of philosophical and social issues.

History majors also begin their first 6 -unit sequence with either

HIST 105, 109, 115A, 120, or 1 41

SPRING SEMESTERBETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD P LACE(GEOL100: General Geology & SPEE160: Argumentation) Learning the art of persuasion and advocacy of ecological issues.

COUNTING THE STEPS TO MECCA (MATH119: Elementary Statistics & HUMA106: World Religions) Learning percentages and averages through global cultural phenomena. Depending on which sequence History majors began in the Fall, they continue

with either HIST 106, 110, 115B, 121, 123, or 142.

YEAR 2FALL SEMESTERPEOPLE AND PLACES OVER TIME (GEOG102: Cultural Geography & HIST101: World History II) Observing how specific cultures have place and take root

in their time and geographic space. OUR GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT(SOCO223: Globalization and Social Change &

BIOL101: Issues in Environmental Biology) Students learn about what stimulates change in both

societies and living species. History majors begin their second sequenceSPRING SEMESTERLANGUAGES AND WRAP-UPThe last semester is used for to fulfill the language other

than English requirement (for CSU IGETC standards) and to

complete both the 2nd and 3rd History sequences.

Because of the wide variety of classes that students will be

taking, Cohort sessions are focused on finalizing college

applications, questions regarding graduating with an AA versus a

BA, financial aid, resume building and job preparation (for those

wanting to work or who will not pursue their BA).

Naturally, students who apply for the TCP in their first semester and choose a major will benefit the most from the program. But

cohorts begin each semester so a student who has not declared a major, or only recently learned of the program can join each

semester. The focus is primarily on fulfilling GE requirements to transfer, but there is built-in space for majors to add their classes as

well. Below is a sample of what it would look like for a History major to be enrolled in the TCP for 2 years.


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This is the applicaon used to enter the SDCC First Year Experience. This serves the exact purpose for applicaon into the TCP.


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Learning Community Survey

Introduction and Instructions

Here is a complete listing of the items available on the Learning Community Survey. We encourage you to use this instrument as a

way to gather useful information about students experiences in your learning community.

The survey is available through WebCT. You may Import the Learning Community Surveys into your course by completing the fol-

lowing:Select the Build tab > select Manage Course > select Import > select Repository > select the second Iowa State University label >

select the folder Learning Community Information > select the next folder Surveys > select the radio button in front of the sur-

vey you wish to import > select OK.

The survey is designed to allow coordinators to customize the instrument to match individual learning outcomes. Please select rele-

vant items from the template in an effort to gather the most useful data. The Common Core questions (question 1 through 41) rep-

resent a set of items that we hope most coordinators will include in the survey. Please note, however, that you may elect to eliminate

some of these questions (e.g., Peer Mentor items) if they are not relevant to your students experiences. The Outcome Mod-

ules (questions 42 to 75) provide several sets of questions designed to measure specific outcomes. Please remove any questions that

do not align with the learning outcomes or experiences in your individual learning community. Please contact Kevin Saunders

([email protected], 4-7063) if you need assistance in customizing the instrument.

After youve completed the administration of the survey, we encourage you to contact Kevin Saunders ([email protected], 4 -

7063) for assistance in compiling and analyzing the data. Weve developed a number of automated processes that will provide you

with a summary of the data along with some graphical information.

Common Core[q1 to q42]

Satisfaction with Learning Community

Please indicate yoursatisfaction with yourlearning community experience

(Very Dissatisfied, Somewhat Dissatisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, Strongly Satisfied)

1. Overall satisfaction with your learning community experience. [q1]

2. Satisfaction with the social activities in your learning community. [q2]

Please answer the following question using the scale below.

(Strongly Discourage, Somewhat Discourage, Somewhat Encourage, Strongly Encourage)

3. Would you recommend joining a Learning Community to a friend or prospective student? [q3]

Open-ended

This is a dra survey created by Iowa State University. It may serve well as a template for a SDCC student sasfacon survey.


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4. Please explain why you would or would not recommend joining a learning community? [q4]

University Experience

My participation in a learning community has improved:

(Strongly Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Somewhat Agree, Strongly Agree)

1. my sense of belonging in the ISU community. [q5]

2. my opportunity to interact with ISU faculty and staff. [q6]

3. my sense of social support at ISU. [q7]

4. my interest in continuing my education at ISU. [q8]

5. my adjustment to academic challenges. [q9]

6.

the quality of my overall experiences at Iowa State. [q10]

7. my connections to other clubs and university activities [q11]

8. my awareness of resources on-campus [q12]

9. my ability to get to know students who have similar interests [q13]

10. my opportunities to become more involved in community activities (volunteering, service learning, civic organizations)

[q14]

11. my communication with professors [q15]

12. my participation in study groups [q16]

13.

my ability to effectively and comfortably interact with people from other cultures or ethnic groups [q17]

14. my understanding of diverse cultures and values [q18]

15. my knowledge of issues and problems facing the world [q19]

16. my adjustment to academic challenges. [q20 Note this is a repeat of q9 so please delete]

Learning Experiences

My involvement in a learning community has helped me to:


1. see connections among my classes (e.g., learning in one class supported or expanded on what I learned in another class).

[q21]

2. see connections between my personal experiences and class learning. [q22]

3. better understand the nature of my anticipated major. [q23]

4. apply what I learn in class to real world problems. [q24]

5. practice the skills I am learning or have learned. [q25]

6. find support for helping my learning [q26]


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7. improve my study skills [q27]

8. become involved in service learning activities [q28]

Peer Mentor


1. Overall my peer mentor has been helpful. [q29]

2. My peer mentor provides me with useful information. [q30]

3. My peer mentor facilitates interactions among learning community participants. [q31]

4. I have regular interactions with my peer mentor. [q32]

5. My peer mentor encourages learning community participants to study together. [q33]

6.

My peer mentor has kept me informed about upcoming learning community activities. [q34]

7. My peer mentor has helped me to learn about university resources [q35]

8. My peer mentor has helped me to succeed in my classes [q36]

Open-ended

9. In what ways has having a peer mentor been beneficial to you? [q37]

10. How could your peer mentor have better assisted you? [q38]

General Open-ended

1.

Why did you choose to join a learning community? [q39]

2. What was the most satisfying aspect of your learning community? [q40]

3. What was the most disappointing aspect of your learning community? [q41]

4. Do you have any comments and suggestions for your learning community? [q42]


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Reecon and Post-Evaluaon of Mentor Experience

Mentor-Post-Evaluaon Quesonnaire: Fall 2007

1. On a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent), how would you rank your experience as peer mentor this semester?

1 2 3 4 5

2. What personal benets have you gained from being a peer mentor?

3. As a peer mentor this semester, what did you do well?

4. As a peer mentor this semester, what could you have done beer?

5. What suggesons would make for improving (LC class) for future semesters?

6. How could we make the (LC class) experience beer for future peer mentors?

This is a dra survey created by Iowa State University. It may serve well as a template for a SDCC Master Learner survey.


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The Transfer Cohort Program

Documents

Transcript of The Transfer Cohort Program