permit integration and cross-fertilization of concepts and methods among the courses. The QEP also calls upon the faculty to (1) coordinate and integrate class assignments with social and cultural enrichment activities planned by the Office of Student Life, thereby providing students ample opportunities to engage in experiential learning, and (2) build into their courses regular collaborative sessions between their students and the staff of the Academic Center for Excellence, which provides tutorial and other academic support services for students.
This Quality Enhancement Plan recognizes the unique role of higher education in helping students to realize their potential. Students too frequently fail for reasons other than academic ability. These reasons concern issues such as (1) poor attendance, participation, and homework completion (taking self-responsibility for learning), (2) nonacademic problems (e.g. daycare, transportation, financial aid, and personal problems), (3) disruptive behavior, or (4) mental stress (e.g. depression, alcohol and drug abuse, suicidal thoughts). As the retention experts Levitz and Noel state, "To make the freshman connection, institutions must adopt the concept of 'front loading': putting the strongest, most student-centered people, programs, and services in the freshman year. We must put freshmen in direct contact with the institutional resources that are most effective in promoting personal, social, and academic adjustment." This plan affirms the responsibility of the University to understand our students as they develop understandings of self and positive attitudes within a supportive academic environment. The proposal complements the University's mission, Liberal Studies objectives, and strategic plan for enrollment growth with simultaneous growth in student success, retention, and graduation. With a focus on first-year students, the QEP will work in collaboration with overall University efforts to guide new students successfully through their period of transition and adjustments to campus life.
Through an emphasis on collaboration among faculty, academic support services, and student support services, the QEP personalizes the college experience for the first-year students in need of extensive developmental coursework, personal growth and development, and acclimation to the academic environment. It promotes holistic student development into the second year as well while continuing to relate activities and services to classroom performance. Cultural and social enrichment activities, including those arranged through collaboration with the Office of Student Life, provide an experiential-based learning curriculum and a basis for student projects that open a new world of learning experiences to the participants.
The benefits of the AWA project to the University community will be significant. The AWA project will demonstrate to the faculty the benefits of the collaborative teaching model used in the program and the benefits which accrue when student support services are fully integrated with academic programs. It will be a guide and source of motivation
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