Focus on retention goes hand-in-hand with enrollment increases

Learning community, Project Success forecasting and delivering students who excel

Freshman Learning Community

IU Kokomo provides the option for a unique experience for incoming freshman designed to help acclimate students to a new college environment. Each course is taught by a team of three faculty members who are committed to the students’ success and retention .

Students have a choice between three interdisciplinary courses in humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and/or sciences. These courses are offered for one year (six-credit hours each semester) with the same students and faculty participating in bot h semesters, allowing students to meet new people, belong to a community of learners and teachers, and to pursue a topic of mutual interest.

There are approximately 66 students in each of the three clusters of courses taught by: Colin Black (communication arts), Nancy Greenwood (sociology), Sue Sciame-Giesecke (humanities/communications); Nadene Keene (English), Angela Becker (philosophy), Sue Ridlen (folklore); Marcia Gillette (chemistry), Ann Cameron (English) and Kathy Parkison (economics).

Sciame-Giesecke said working with two other professors creates an exciting learning atmosphere for students. “Students are challenged and so are the faculty,” she said.” Not only do you have 66 students who you’re instructing, but you also have two of you r peers in attendance. It keeps you on your toes.”

Project Success Program

Juggling a college schedule is not the easiest for many students. Add to that four active sons and the task could be insurmountable.

However, Tabatha Elrod, a sophomore nursing major, utilized the PSP to maximize her learning potential. She was one of the first students to complete the program designed to meet the needs of under-prepared freshman applicants.

PSP provides students with a planned curricular option for freshman applicants whose placement test scores and/or high school transcripts fail to meet minimum admission standards. Students take courses to improve their reading, writing and math skills, an d participate in out-of-class learning activities. PSP uses a cohort model, bringing faculty and staff to support academic achievement. A four-semester sequence of courses must be completed before PSP students are eligible for admission to degree-granting programs.

“PSP prepared me for the rest of my college career,” said Elrod. “The courses and mentors helped get me started with basic skills and then gradually moved into more difficult areas for me.”

Nurturing four boys, ages 10 to newborn, is a test in time management that Elrod is passing, although to pursue a career in nursing she knew her academic abilities had to improve.

“PSP has been great. When you have a person like Carol Garber (PSP mentor) helping you with your studies and Joyce Strong (PSP coordinator) as a support system, you know you will succeed,” said Elrod.

“We worked very hard to establish relationships with our students,” said Garber. “It’s important for our students to overcome the fear of failure. If they don’t overcome that in the first few weeks, you’ll lose the student.”

If success is measured by numbers, then PSP meets all expectations. Since its inception in the summer of 1999, the first cohort of students, including Elrod, have a 91 percent retention rate at the university. The overall retention rate of the program, w ith an enrollment of 95 students, is 67 percent.

“I felt like this program would be a success,” said Sue Ridlen, PSP director. “If all of us—both faculty and students—pulled together then we thought this program would work. Students realize the importance of an education and want the additional help dur ing their freshman year. Now, we have students who have finished PSP coming back to us saying, ‘We want to help incoming freshmen.’ That is great.”