Courtesy of the DSC Marketing Dept.
For 31-year-old freshman Holly Ruffolo, going to college was an intimidating prospect. She realized she was off to a late start in college, but views earning her Associate of Science Degree in Business Administration as the first step toward advancing her professional development.
“One of the scariest things about going to school is you don’t know where anything is or what help you can get on campus,” she said. “I think that many students really can’t understand what is available until they have been immersed in the college life for a period of time. But for some that might be too late.”
Ruffolo sped up her acclimation by enrolling in a seven-week, one-credit hour course called College Resources or SLS1101, a product of Daytona State’s Quality Enhancement Plan, also known as the QEP initiative. The course engages students with the Learning Commons academic resources: the Library, Academic Support Center and the Writing Center to help them successfully complete a critical ENC 1101 gatekeeper course, “Introduction to Composition.” Students take both courses concurrently and success in one seems to be fostering success in the other.
Research shows that timely completion of gatekeeper courses — initial college courses in the core subjects of mathematics and English composition — positively effects student outcomes such as attainment of certificates and degrees and transfer to four-year institutions.
After developing SLS1101 as part of the College’s re-accreditation last year with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, three sections of the course were piloted spring term and yielded promising results.
“Of the more than three dozen students who enrolled in the pilot courses, 90 percent went on to successfully complete ENC1101,” reported Dr. Tom Bellomo, who is leading the QEP implementation. “We want to take a modest approach in interpreting all of the data. In satisfying accreditation standards with our regional agency, we aren’t pressured to discover a ‘magic bullet.’ What is important is that our investigation yields useable feedback, that we uncover what’s working and what’s not—with the litmus test being student learning.”
While initial results are encouraging, they simply validate existing research that ties effective use of college resources to student success. DSC is demonstrating that students who use the academic resources showcased in the course achieve greater success rates in gatekeeper English and Math. A previous limitation on success rates has the lack of broad-base use of campus resources. The new course engages students with these resources and helps students experience their value first-hand.
For Ruffolo, the course was critical to her success. “In ENC1101, you have to write a research paper,” she said.
“Without enrolling in College Resources and learning how to effectively do library research, search journal entries, or even get constructive criticism when you need it, I wouldn’t have known what to do or how to do it. This class certainly helped me to become a better, more successful student.”
More than 500 students have already enrolled in the course for fall semester. A core value, as articulated in DSC’s Strategic Plan, states “There is no value more important than the success of our students. Our main goal is to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and drive to succeed in the classroom, the workplace, and in life.”
For more information about College Resources, speak with your academic advisor or contact Dr. Tom Bellomo, (386) 506- 3611, BellomT@DaytonaState.edu.