Call for Participation
Facilitated by Drs. Marcy Chvasta and Matt Cover
We are grateful to the Office of SPEMI for funding this Faculty Learning Community through a College Futures Grant. This FLC focuses on creating a more welcoming experience for transfer students at Stan State in their first semester. In line with Stan State’s vision of High Impact Practices (please see below), this FLC will purport to identify ways to better support transfer students’ transition to Stan State through their first semester courses/experiences in an effort to promote success, and student achievement.
The goals of the FLC include:
- Brainstorm ideas for how to create a more welcoming/inclusive learning environment for transfer students in their first semester at Stan State across the multiple courses/disciplines (represented in the FLC)
- Identify a course and create a plan to provide a more inclusive/welcoming learning environment for transfer students in their first semester, that can be implemented in fall 2020 or 2021
- Review current literature on best practices for creating a more inclusive and welcoming first year experience/smoother transition and supporting transfer student success
- Engage in a peer review of, and provide feedback on, a fellow learning community member’s plan
Participants in this FLC should be willing to commit to:
- Attend at least 80% of the Zoom-based meetings (every two weeks) through the duration of the FLC
- Present at the culminating showcase at the end of the FLC (date TBA - likely early spring)
- Active work, sharing of progress, and mutual accountability
Application and Meeting Schedule
- Meeting times (every two weeks) will be decided based on availability of participants
- There are 15 available spots in the FLC
- Please apply by September 12, 2020 for full consideration.
Selection Criteria
- Applications will be reviewed in the order submitted
- Must be a Stanislaus State faculty member (any rank, FT or PT)
- Must be teaching an upper division course with high numbers of transfer students in their first semester at Stan State, this fall or in 2021
- Must agree to attend meetings and participate in the scheduled FLC activities.
Faculty Compensation: Participants attending a minimum of 80% of meetings and successfully developing and sharing a plan for creating a more inclusive/welcoming experience for transfer students in their first semester at Stan State will receive a stipend of $500.
High Impact Practices (HIPs) may take many forms, but all of them result in considerable educational benefits and contribute strongly to student success. At Stan State, there are seven characteristics of HIPs:
- Students devote considerable time and effort to purposeful tasks.
- Students engage in conversation with faculty and peers about substantive matters.
- Students experience diversity through interaction and discussion with people who are different from themselves about topics such as race, class, gender, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration, politics or religion.
- Students get substantial, frequent feedback about their performance.
- Students apply and test what they learn in different settings, on and off campus.
- Students experience opportunities for active, collaborative learning.
- Students are provided with opportunities for reflective and integrative learning.
Questions? Please contact Drs. Matt Cover at mcover@csustan.edu or Marcy Chvasta at mchvasta@csustan.edu or Shradha Tibrewal, stibrewal@csustan.edu
Updated: May 05, 2023