Vanguard--Solutions to Problems and Issues

1. *What student behaviors are most critically related to learning success? How does your college promote and support these behaviors?*
	One of the most critical student behaviors for learning success is making connections with instructors and other students, both inside and outside the classroom. Students who make these connections become comfortable within the college environment because they believe they share common interests and academic abilities with other students and faculty. These students are more likely to find the academic environment challenging instead of overwhelming. They are more likely to be aware of and seek needed support and resources and are more likely to continue their college enrollment. The college has many programs, services and classroom activities to promote and support student connections in the learning process. Mandatory assessment and placement in basic skills courses is an important first step. Ensuring that students begin academic courses at the appropriate level is critical in helping students become involved in the learning process. Such placement allows students to connect with other students with common academic challenges and abilities as well as build the necessary academic skills to move forward. New student orientation and the required first-semester student success course (COL-101) promote and support student behaviors critical for learning success. Both provide students opportunities to learn skills critical for student success, to connect with faculty and other students and to learn about campus resources. Classroom practices that allow students to work together and to receive frequent feedback from instructors promotes and supports learning success. Full time faculty are required to schedule and post office hours to provide meeting/conference times for students. They are also required to provide email addresses, office location, and phone numbers on the syllabus for each class. The Academic Skills center provides individual tutoring assistance to students. Faculty and professional tutors provide assistance with a variety of topics. The center is open 56 hours per week.
2. *What key institutional practices at your college have been found to be linked to student retention and positive learning outcomes?*
	Mandatory assessment, placement, orientation and COL-101. We know that the students most in need of assistance are the least likely to seek help. If orientation and COL-101 were offered only on a voluntary basis, few students would choose them. If testing and course placement were advisory, few students would follow the recommendations. By being proactive in providing support to students, by requiring course placement, orientation and COL-101, we make certain that all new students start at a level where they can be successful and that they learn about resources available to help them. Preliminary results show that COL-101 has a positive impact on student retention. End of semester and end of year data for new fall 2000 students showed that students who successfully completed COL-101 had a higher GPA, completed a higher percentage of the credit hours in which they enrolled, and were more likely to enroll in the second semester and second year than students who were unsuccessful in COL-101 or who did not take COL-101.
3. *What are your college's best practices in student orientation and first-year experience?*
	Moraine Valley requires that all new full-time students complete placement testing and orientation prior to first-semester registration. Orientation introduces college resources, reviews placement testing results and assists students with educational planning and first-semester registration. Led by a team of counselors and academic advisors, and continuously revised for improvement, the orientation program currently involves a variety of instructional media including use of an Internet orientation website, lecture, group discussion and individual assistance. Effective Spring 2000, Moraine Valley requires that in addition to the pre-semester orientation, all new full-time students complete a one credit hour student success course, COL-101, during their first semester. COL-101 helps students make a successful transition to the college environment by providing the opportunity for them to learn about campus resources, to develop essential academic skills and to learn about themselves in relation to the demands of higher education. Through COL-101, students have the opportunity to connect with other students and with the faculty member teaching the course. COL-101 includes a module during which all students participate in an educational planning session with an academic advisor. A completed educational plan is one requirement for successfully completing the course.
4. How can your college effectively assess, benchmark, monitor, and improve student engagement in learning?
	Continue to track the success of COL-101 participants beyond the first semester. This will allow us to compare the characteristics of students who continue to experience academic success to those who do not in order to improve the academic success of all students. Continue to conduct student focus groups to document students' experiences in learning. Complete pre- and post- tests in remedial classes to assess what the student has learned in each course. Create opportunities for students and faculty to provide feedback regarding what is and is not working for student learning.