Overview

The iStartSmart Student Success Program began as an initiative that was started through in the PVCC Under-prepared Student Initiative (USI) Team over a period of five years of researching and testing best practices and successes for students and the development of a set of recommendations by a team comprised mosltly of faculty including division chairs and supported by college administrators and student service staff.

The presentation provides a brief background of the work of the USI Team prior to the pilot of what is now called the iStartSmart Student Success Program.

Timeline

Under-prepared Student Initiative (USI) History & Research, Team Members

• Fall 2000:
  • PVCC adopts a strategic issue (#4) to address the growing number of under-prepared students entering college.
    
    
• Spring 2001:
  • Research on Under-Prepared Students by Sally Rings, Ph.D.
  • Original Under-Prepared Student Initiative Committee was formed.
  • Under-prepared Student Initiative defined.
    
    
• Spring 2001-Spring 2005:
  • Strategic Plan developed.
  • Advocacy paper created, revised, and refined.
  • Under-prepared student issues discussed and researched.
    
    
• Spring 2002:
  • President's Advance included a special breakout session focusing on the under-prepared student.
    
    
• Fall 2005:
  • Final Advocacy Paper completed.
    
    
• Spring 2006:
  • JoAnn Wright from Moraine Valley Community College was invited to share insights and successes in institutionalizing an acclaimed student success course as part of a program that requires mandatory assessment, mandatory placement, and mandatory orientation (link to Ms. Wright's compressed powerpoint presentation).
  • The outcomes listed below included a definition of the under-prepared student, compelling questions to focus on for the pilot, and recommendations for the pilot project.
  • Developed an action plan that has become the MCCCD Student Success Pilot Project and is described in the "Overview of Student Success Pilot."
    
    
• Next Steps taken during Fall 2006-Fall 2007:
  • Creation of implementation team across the campus focing on helping implement new plan:
    
    • implementation discussions
    • starting points
    • issues & concerns
    • plan of action
    • creation of new integrated orientation and components
    • inclusion of iGoal
    • development of iStartSmart
    • AAA115/CPD115 becomes a reality
  • iGoal
  • iStartSmart & Agenda
  • New Students starting point on from PVCC Home Page
  • New Student Online Orientation
  • AAA115/CPD115 - Course description & Website describing AAA115 and includes journals, handouts, and presentations
    
    
• Spring 2007 semester
  • Initial pilot semester was to be Spring 2007.
  • iStartSmart Students
    n=171  students attended orientation
    n= 10  students enrolled in AAA150AA section 7050
  • It was decided not to try to measure "success" for this group of students as the iStartSmart processes were still being developed
    
    
• Fall 2007 semester
  • Orientation was conducted on campus in the spring and summer for students enrolling at PVCC in fall.
  • An online orientation was developed and offered the end of summer to those unable to attend the face-to-face version. The online orientation was followed by an on-campus group advising session.
    
    
• Spring 2008 semester
  • Orientation was modified to be a hybrid format. Part I is taken online, while Part II is held on campus.
  • In Spring 2008, the following changes were establshed:
    
    
    1. iStartSmart Steering Committee formed.
       • Programming and programmatic changes
       • Systemic changes
       • Promotion (marketing)
       • Assessment
       • Budget
       • Strategy
         
         
    2. iStartSmart New Student Orientation Team formed.
       • The iStartSmart New Student Orientation Team is charged with organizing and implementing the new student intake and integrated orientation process. They will be asked to begin meeting and as regularly as necessary to get the Fall 2008 integrated orientation process going. This team will report to the Steering Committee. 
         
         
    3. The USI committee will no longer be involved in the day to day operations of iStartSmart.  Instead representation from the Steering Committee will report to the USI committee as a standing agenda item and act as liaisons back to the Steering Committee.
       
       
    4. March-April 2008, this separate iStartSmart web site was created apart from the USI site.
       
       

Link for New to College students --> Start Here