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NEWCOMB-TULANE COLLEGEUNDERGRADUATEACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTERYear-End Review2014-2015

OUR VISIONNewcomb-Tulane Undergraduate College employs new and innovative ways to ensurethat every student reaches their full potential. The Tulane Academic Success Centerhas created a culture on campus that makes seeking guidance for academic success acore part of a Tulane education. Instead of being stigmatized, Tulane’s services, such astutoring and success coaching, are increasingly seen as standard and important parts ofthe Tulane experience.The peer educator helped me get bettergrades, which are necessary for bothacademic and personal success!THE IMPACT OF YOUR SUPPORTOVERVIEW Because of your generosity, the Tulane Academic Success Center broadened itsgroundbreaking efforts to bring academic success guidance to more students duringthe 2014-2015 academic year.The center started the Tulane Resilience Cooperative, integrating excitingprogramming based on Stanford professor Carol Dweck’s work, featuring a growthmindset vs. a fixed mindset. The Tulane Resilience Cooperative operates on the ideathat intelligence and skills are not fixed. Rather, people can become smarter and moretalented through hard work and dedication. Therefore, the program teaches studentsto overcome challenges, to go from “I’m not good at this” to “I don’t know how todo this yet.” The program’s goal is to create a culture of growth in which studentsunderstand and learn from their failures. This program is part of a larger campus-widefocus on resiliency.1NEWCOMB-TULANE COLLEGEgiving.tulane.edu/NTC

To emphasize that rebounding from failure is something to be celebrated notstigmatized, the center produced videos of prominent Tulane students, staff andfaculty explaining times they overcame adversity.Professor Carrie Wyland discusses changing careerpaths close to graduationScreenshot of one of the videosPROFESSIONAL SUCCESS COACHINGFull-time success coaches met with students in one-on-one regularly-scheduledmeetings. In the meetings—held either weekly, biweekly or monthly—coachesdiscussed each student’s needs, goals, interests, values and unique learning styles. TheTulane Academic Success Center hired a third success coach in 2014-15, allowing thecenter to increase its impact by holding more meetings.Success Coaching Works Coaches discovered that students who attended five ormore success meetings had a higher increase in GPA than those who attended four orfewer meetings. This data shows that students who actively engage in the process havebetter academic outcomes.Most-discussed Topics Coaches collected data on the 15 topics students discussmost frequently during success coaching appointments. The five most popular topicsare the following: time management, grades, stress management, social issues, andacademic processing.Professional Development Two success coaches received rigorous and prestigiousInternational Coaching Federation credentials: Michele Oelking became a ProfessionalCertified Coach, and Karen Hochheiser became an Associate Certified Coach. Inaddition, Hochheiser was accepted into the Motivational Interviewing Network ofTrainers. The thorough training that Tulane coaches receive is reflected in the highquality of coaching available to Tulane students, setting Tulane apart and ahead ofpeer institutions; most colleges don’t require coaches to be certified at all.giving.tulane.edu/NTCNEWCOMB-TULANE COLLEGE2

Tulane’s coaches also received training in how to advise students with ADHD. Everyone learns in a different way, and coaches’ strategies are based on a student’s uniquelearning needs. Because of their advanced knowledge of ADHD, Tulane’s coaches havebeen selected to present at both national and international conferences during 2015.Success coaches also provided professional development sessions for Tulane staff onhow best to support student development and academic achievement, highlightingneurodiversity and resiliency as themes.SUCCESS COACHING IMPACTSCHOOL YEARSUCCESS COACHINGSTUDENTS SERVED2013 - 20141,256 appointments120 students2014 - 201557% increase to1,969 appointments62% increase to316 studentsStudent Testimonials(My success coach has) given me a clear sense in regard to whatI want to accomplish. I feel as if I am on the right path now.She has helped me schedule assignments, stay organized, managestress and keep perspective.My grades have increased profoundly since last semester.PEER EDUCATOR SERVICESWhether one-on-one tutoring, group tutoring, support sessions, career developmentsessions, peer coaching or group supplemental instruction, Tulane’s peer educationprogram is becoming ever more popular among a wider number of students. Forexample, in the spring semester, 45 percent of students using the supplementalinstruction program had a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above. And 83 percent had aGPA above 3.0, which is about the average GPA for a Tulane undergraduate. Thisshows that the Tulane Academic Success Center serves a very representative rangeof students, that students are starting to integrate success services into their Tulaneexperience and that these support services are no longer just for students who arestruggling academically.3NEWCOMB-TULANE COLLEGEgiving.tulane.edu/NTC

2014 - 2015 PEER EDUCATION APPOINTMENT ATTENDANCE SUMMARY REPORTSUPPLEMENTALINSTRUCTION:3,792 sessions.WRITING:867 appointmentsTUTORING:2,704 appointmentsTASC STUDYCHECK-INS*:1,168 attendance recordingsTASC WORKSHOPS**:54 appointmentsGeneral Chemistry and General Biology were the most utilized courses.TOTAL: 8,750 (increased from 8,261 appointments and sessions the year before)*In study check-ins, students come to the Student Success space to study and sit quietly at an emptytable or one of the computer cubicles if working on a project.**Peer educators collaborate with campus departments such as Greek Life, Residential Life, TIDES,other student organizations and faculty to hold workshops on a variety of set topics, such as internships,time management and surviving Mardi Gras. Students can also create a new workshop on a requestedtopic. In addition to typical workshops about the freshman transition, the most popular topics tend to bethose focusing on New Orleans or study skills. For example, there were large turnouts for “Things to Doin NOLA,” “Best Places to Study,” and “Use Your Unique Learning Style.”Integrated Career Advising into Academic Success Advising All professionaland student success staff members are now trained to work with undergraduateson career needs and goals. As such, career development is becoming a standardand important part of the undergraduate student experience from the very first timestudents step foot on Tulane’s campus. Giving peer educators the capabilities to givecareer advice complements the guidance that students can receive from the TulaneCareer Center and has many possible advantages. For example, working with theirpeers instead of professionals can remove some of the stigma for those students whoeither think it’s too early in their timeline to meet with a professional about their careergoals or who are more comfortable interacting with their peers. Also, peer educatorscan offer more flexibility than professional career advisors, making appointments afterhours or in locations such as residence halls.Expanded Writing Support For the first time, Tulane students received expandedhelp with writing. In the past, students approached tutors in the Writing Center forhelp only with academic papers or group projects and presentations, but in 2014-15students received assistance with professional documents such as graduate schoolapplications and resume and cover letters. This is part of a larger effort to establishCareer Development Initiatives as a component of peer educator services.Launched Making a Path In October 2014, the Success Center launched Making aPath: a career education/advice program. In this peer-led, 10-week workshop series,students helped other students navigate the job search process. The program includedsuch services as help preparing resumes and creating marketing materials. Last year’sprogram was based on a national model, but in the 2015-16 year, the center plans togrow the program and gear it to highlight the resources available on Tulane’s campusand in the Tulane alumni and parent network.giving.tulane.edu/NTCNEWCOMB-TULANE COLLEGE4

Student Testimonials(My peer educator) pushes me to succeed and genuinely wantsme to achieve all my personal goals.(He) made confusing ideas clear, provided additional insights,and taught useful tricks.Expanded Marketing Peer educators marketed success services at tables,workshops, classroom visits and in collaboration with campus partners. The SuccessCenter offered “bring a friend” appointments to reach students who might be reluctantto meet with a tutor by themselves. Outreach efforts encouraged more students toschedule appointments in advance rather than the night before the test.The Tulane Academic Success Center is also included in the Parent Orientationprogram during the “Academic and Career Planning Resources” panel presentationduring new student orientation. More than 1,100 parents attended these workshopsduring the 2014-2015 year.Students from acrosscampus learn more aboutthe Tulane Academic SuccessCenter through outreachevents, such as Puppy Daysand the Rowdy RascalsPetting Zoo stress relievers,which are held at exam time. Peer educators helpstudents find success intheir studies. 5NEWCOMB-TULANE COLLEGEgiving.tulane.edu/NTC

LOOKING TO THE FUTUREMoving forward, the Success Center will ensure more programs are tailored toTulane. For many programs, the center follows best practices nationwide or bases theprograms on a national model, but the staff wants to make sure all services are Tulanespecific and speak to the unique needs of the Tulane student population.The center will also expand the Tulane Resilience Cooperative. The staff is in theprocess of adding alumni videos to its repertoire and plans to add more videos ofstudents, alumni and staff. The center will bring speakers to campus and integrate itswork in resilience into the university-wide initiative being established as part of ForumTulane. This year, resilience is the theme for Forum Tulane, an initiative designed tofoster interdisciplinary collaboration and intellectual exploration through an annualuniversity-wide conversation around a common theme. Forum Tulane will incorporateresilience-related programming and resources from a wide variety of academic andstudent support units across the university.The Success Center is also developing a Public Speaking Lab. Verbal communicationis a vital aspect of success both socially and professionally, and the undergraduatecollege is committed to establishing a place on campus where students can recordtheir public speaking and get feedback afterwards.This summer, the center hired a new Tutoring Manager, Alex Kasik, who has a strongbackground in higher education. She will work with peer educators during the 20152016 academic year to implement a new training system. Tutoring for courses will becustomized so that peer educators are closely connected to Tulane faculty and specificschools. In the future, the staff envisions being able to offer students web tutorials oncertain classes—not just General Chemistry but Professor Heiko Jacobsen’s Section 1.The center aims to reach 10 percent of all undergraduate students through SuccessCoaching, up from the current 3 to 4 percent reached by its three coaches. The centeralso plans to continue adding more peer educator services, with additional one-on-onetutoring, writing assistance and supplemental instruction.giving.tulane.edu/NTCNEWCOMB-TULANE COLLEGE6

Appendix A: New Wave 1APPENDIX ANEWCOMB-TULANE COLLEGEgiving.tulane.edu/NTC

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Appendix B: Pinterest 1APPENDIX BNEWCOMB-TULANE COLLEGEgiving.tulane.edu/NTC