| | Goal
| | | | To recruit ninety-five percent of the target sixty-five students into CSTEP by February 2018, as per state guidelines
CSTEP will engage eligible students through appropriate methods that include paper and electronic mailings to offer supplementary support to their current studies. CSTEP will attempt to balance matriculating student numbers with those current program participants who are graduating or transferring out of Manhattan College.
Students will be presented with an overview of services that are available to them through engaging in the program, including what they can expect, and the expectations of them from engaging in CSTEP. After attending an orientation event, accepted students will attend an individual adviser appointment where a personal plan of support will be designed based on the student’s needs, barriers, concerns, as well as available CSTEP resources.
Information of recruited CSTEP students will be shared with the Center of Academic Success and the School of Science to ensure transparency is achieved and communication channels are established.
|  | Measure: To admit sixty-two eligible students into CSTEP by February 2018.
Other level; Direct - Student Artifact | |  | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: To successfully implement the program and achieve recruitment targets, there needs to be a commitment on four levels: a fundamental belief of the program's benefits needs to be secured from the students through strong recruitment and orientation activities; there needs to be an institution commitment to support the program within current retention strategies; faculty support is required in communicating the needs of students. This needs to be reinforced through a commitment for CSTEP to engage participants, and to track and analyze their performance to be able to deliver a student-focused support program that is appropriate and obtainable in the institutional framework, and within the parameters of CSTEP's resources.
Expected Results: CSTEP will secure target number of participants by the committed date. Students will need to complete an application form and provide relevant, supporting documentation to demonstrate their eligibility.
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| | | Measure: To build stronger internal relationships with the admissions and financial aid departments.
Institution level; Direct - Other | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: To successfully attract the right students to CSTEP, there is a significant benefit to the program engaging participants earlier on in the application process. Admissions can only help with this process in being able to offer clear details on CSTEP to prospective applicants and how the mechanics of the program can be a benefit to the success of those eligible students who commit to Manhattan College.
Equally imperative is the need to support transfer students into the School of Science to ensure services can be put in place at the point of entering the College. Furthermore, and similarly to regular admit students, transfer students should be aware of the provision CSTEP can offer before they enter their first semester.
It is important to ensure Financial Aid is kept up to date with the progress of CSTEP during and leading upto the recruitment process in order to be able to leverage any opportunities to attach student's aid to CSTEP participation in an attempt to ensure the most appropriate students are attracted to apply to CSTEP.Expected Results: CSTEP will connect with a named individual in both Financial Aid and Admissions to ensure collaboration opportunities are taken advantage of. We would hope this leads to stronger recruitment efforts and the most appropriate students being targeted for the program.
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| | | | To offer quality programing with effective evaluation mechanisms. Support will be designed around feedback and observation of each cohort.
It has been demonstrated that students from non-traditional, low income, underrepresented, and minority backgrounds benefit from smaller classroom sizes and personal learning plans to maximize their success at higher education. Manhattan College is an institution that allows for those smaller classroom sizes to be achieved, and this level of strategic support can be enhanced through CSTEP’s programing of tutoring, peer mentoring, career-planning workshops, facilitated study groups, and pre-sessional summer engagement to further support students’ individual needs.
Programing will be complemented by Manhattan College’s Center of Academic Success and Center for Career Development.
CSTEP will consult students and faculty to address need and design services . It should be noted that the demands of each cohort can change on an annual basis or even between semesters and the program’s approach should therefore adapt with those changing needs.
| | Measure: Administer student evaluations.
Program level; Indirect - Survey | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Students should be surveyed at the start and end of each academic year to determine their knowledge to date. The evaluations will also will examine what stage the students are at for career planning and how confident they are about both their current academic studies and their plans for the future.
Participants will be provided the opportunity to give feedback on the success and suggestions for improvement of the resources that they have been provided with to date.
Finally, with a goal of students participating in more research and internship programs in 2017-18, the evaluations should also be examining student's commitment to this, along with any barriers to them applying for summer and winter opportunities.
Expected Results: The surveys will be looking to measure the effectiveness of the programing as well as the confidence of the participants. If academic support is appropriate then student's grades should be correlate and also be improving; if awareness of summer and winter opportunities is increased so should student's knowledge of them; if we are improving student's readiness to graduate, one would expect confidence of pursuing post-graduate plans to also improve, whether that is entering the labor market or pursuing a graduate qualification.
If this is not the case then we need to look into why there is still a disconnect between services offered and participant outcomes.
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| | | Measure: Students to participate in the college wide Day of Service.
Program level; Indirect - Other | | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Opportunities for engagement will be directed through community projects. The aim is that participants will be able to work with school-aged students from the local area in college access workshops; sharing their own experiences, challenges and promoting their successes.
Expected Results: Students will be encouraged and expected to commit to Manhattan College's Day of Service.
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| | | Measure: To offer thought out and appropriate support.
Course level; Direct - Other | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: CSTEP will provide a collection of support services that will underpin student's individual learning goals. Participants will be provided with the resources, advisement, and counseling opportunities to perform at a high level when pursuing their academic studies at Manhattan College.
There will also be a mentoring component incorporated into CSTEP where upperclassmen will serve as mentors to the younger students in a structured but less formal environment. Mentors will be trained and equipped with a handbook that they can work through in their sessions with mentees. Sessions will focus on writing skills, learning styles, presentation skills, and exam preparation. This allows mentees to learn about the challenges mentors have experienced themselves, as well as tools to overcome them and be successful.Expected Results: If programing is effective and relationships are strong then attendance to, and reward from the supplementary support programs will be noticeable.
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| | | Measure: To track student's progress via Grade Point Average (GPA).
Course level; Direct - Exam | | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: If programing is effective then the student's academic performance in turn should be improving, within reason. If student's are committed to the intensive support that is on offer, we should be aiming for all student's to be securing above a 2.5 GPA consistently, with significant numbers scoring higher.
Expected Results: For students to meet or exceed expected grades and for GPA's to steadily be improving. All students who have been engaged in the program for a significant duration should be achieving at least a 2.5 GPA. For those that are not, there needs to be a multi-faceted attempt by the academic and support departments to further direct participants to appropriate support and for the affected participants to recommit and engage with the wide range of support that is on offer.
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| | | Measure: To work collaboratively with faculty
Institution level; Direct - Other | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: CSTEP has strong relationships with the School of Science's management, however communication channels should be established with each of the faculty teaching the participants.
At the start of each semester, faculty should be sent a list of students involved in CSTEP and the support that is in place, with a caveat that there is some privacy issues with sharing the information. This should ensure that two-way dialogue is promoted to how best support the students.Expected Results: If students are to be supported holistically then all members of a student's college support system should be working together to ensure appropriate support is in place. In engaging faculty, we would hope that communication channels maintain open to help design appropriate support for each student.
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| | | Measure: Track attendance at student participation workshops and advisement meetings.
Program level; Indirect - Other | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: At CSTEP, the ownership of the program is shared with the students, and by the participants themselves engaging in the planning of the program, the student will see that they are a fundamental component of CSTEP and its success is dependent on their commitment to the program’s development. Students from non-traditional backgrounds often come from settings where they do not have a strong, prominent voice in their education establishments.
It is therefore important to promote ownership for participants to initially commit to the program, its mission, and to ensure they see CSTEP as a support network that they can rely on when college and non-college pressures arise.
To ensure that student's are getting the most appropriate support then attendance at advisor meetings is paramount. The frequency of these meetings will vary depending on each student's level of need.Expected Results: The greater the participation in workshops and adviser meetings, the greater the benefit to the student.
Attendance will be recorded and tracked through Manhattan College's Accudemia software.
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| | | | To retain 85% of students in CSTEP, supporting retention efforts in the School of Science, and the larger institution.
It has been demonstrated across Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) that historically underrepresented students perform more successfully if they feel a sense of belonging to the institution that they attend. It is consequently imperative to promote ownership and a voice that will be listened to for students to initially commit to the program and see CSTEP as a support network that they can rely on when pressures arise. CSTEP’s aim is for resource planning to be shared with students through consultation workshops, promoting transparency and commitment. Risk levels can magnify for commuter students, who are often faced with extensive travel, family responsibilities, and work commitments.
The inclusion of appropriate support designed with the students will result in a more skilled student body who can be competitive with their peers at an institutional level and when transitioning into the labor market, enhancing their belief and commitment towards their degree program.
| | Measure: Number of new students matriculating to the program.
Program level; Indirect - Other | | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: CSTEP will ensure recruitment materials and opportunities are appropriate, updated, and shared with eligible new, and current students on a rolling basis.
Expected Results: CSTEP will attempt to balance matriculating student numbers with those current program participants who are graduating or transferring out of Manhattan College to ensure that a cohort of sixty-five is maintained.
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| | | Measure: The percentage of students in good academic standing.
Course level; Direct - Student Artifact | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: CSTEP will need to commit to a combination personal, social, and career development resources for participants to ensure that success is achieved. Faculty engagement and adaptable programing that fits the students' requirements is also extremely important to ensure success is achieved.
Immersing CSTEP students in a secondary program of study support can lead to an improvement in their academic skill set, their confidence, and their aspirations to succeed in their undergraduate program to a high level through appropriate additional learning and personal growth opportunities.
Student’s will have the opportunity to receive regular tutoring via structured study groups, supplementary instruction, and one to one intense tutoring where it is deemed the most appropriate vehicle for an individual student.Expected Results: If support is effectively designed and delivered, the results will display a more prepared cohort of students who maintain a strong academic standing.
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| | | Measure: The percentage of students who are retained in CSTEP.
Other level; Indirect - Other | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: At Manhattan College, there are systematic vehicles in place to highlight at-risk students through a faculty referral system. This can only be strengthened by creating personable, strong and open communication channels with the faculty, deans, and other staff that come into regular contact with the students. Their input will help to confirm the best support program is provided to each CSTEP student.
If CSTEP is providing the best service to the student, and the student remains enrolled in the School of Science, then there should be a natural draw to students engaging with the program.Expected Results: CSTEP is required to maintain between sixty-two and sixty-five students in the program. The desired results would be that if provision is successful that students only leave through graduation from their academic programs at Manhattan College, or if they experience unpredictable personal challenges.
Details/Description: To be eligible for CSTEP students must be enrolled in the School of Science and in turn Manhattan College. |
| | | Measure: The percentage of students who are retained in the School of Science.
Program level; Direct - Other | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: The program aims to assist students with their long-term academic and career plans by breaking them down into smaller, achievable goals with appropriate support services administered throughout. This will allow success to be achieved and celebrated at intermittent periods, and will develop into success at a larger level that will be demonstrated in students successfully completing each semester, and eventually their undergraduate program to a high level.
This minimizes the risk of barriers that are often faced by students becoming unmanageable. CSTEP participants often have additional responsibilities, and can on times feel the right choice for them in times of stress and poor performance is to withdraw from college. Therefore it is imperative that students have access to the right support at the right times to ensure they believe, and have the skills to address and overcome areas of concern, and not risk becoming overwhelmed and withdrawing from a class or a program for the wrong reasons. In offering student focused, inclusive, and intensive academic support, which can address the individual needs of CSTEP students will provide the tools to overcome barriers to success, and in turn benefit retention efforts in CSTEP, the School of Science, and Manhattan College.
CSTEP, in striving for a student focused program must be analyzing grades, common areas of concern, and student characteristics by regularly talking to students, openly discussing what they feel are the current services they require to perform to their highest level and to achieve success now, and in the future. The program will strive to meet requests that can be achieved within the confines of the grant and the college’s resources.
Freshmen students will also be paired with a peer mentor, which will offer participants a further resource to discuss concerns, as well as strategies to overcome them. A sense of belonging can result in a desire to give back. An expectation of CSTEP is that freshman participants will want to give back to other students when they become upperclassmen and to mentor incoming and transitioning students.Expected Results: CSTEP 's priority is to equip students to excel in their science qualifications. Appropriate provision should be provided to facilitate this being attained, which in turn can reduce academic barriers, non-academic barriers, and gaps in student's perquisite knowledge with the resources that are available.
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| | | | Improve students’ awareness of summer and winter research and internship programs.
There is a strong foundation and awareness of academic support within the program. However, there now needs to be a focus on curricula enhancing opportunities such as research and internship programs that can be extremely beneficial in equipping the students when entering the workforce and moving onto graduate programs.
This goal will entail working collaboratively with internal colleagues and departments as well as building participants’ capacity to seek out opportunities independently. This is particularly important for internships where the most rewarding vacancies are highly competitive. Furthermore, students need to secure the confidence of looking outside the Manhattan College community to find research placements that are appropriate and attainable for their academic discipline and career pathway, especially if it is in a niche field.
| | Measure: 50% of CSTEP students will engage in a research experience.
Program level; Direct - Student Artifact | | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Students will be signposted to appropriate programs and workshops will be delivered to improve confidence in applying.
Expected Results: In aligning with the College's goal of supporting student research and in looking at the makeup of courses being studied by current CSTEP students, an expectation that 50% of participants will engage with research.
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| | | Measure: Improve participants' confidence to apply to opportunities.
Program level; Indirect - Other | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Summer and winter opportunities will be a focus of mentoring workshops, as well as discussing the benefit and need of attending them to improve employment and postgraduate applications.
CSTEP will also connect with colleagues from the Office of Career Pathways to request help with facilitating workshops on seeking out and applying for opportunities.Expected Results: If students are provided with the resource to apply for programs then we would expect more students to apply to more opportunities.
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| | | Measure: Increase the number of students applying to internship experiences with companies.
Other level; Direct - Student Artifact | | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: With an increase of awareness and confidence to apply to internships, we would hope to see more students apply to internship opportunities. For a lot of students, especially those following math and computer science pathways an internship can be extremely beneficial to their long-term goals.
Expected Results: We would like to see at least 3-6 students apply to competitive internship programs.
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| | | Measure: To share relevant opportunities with students in an attempt to improve application rates.
Program level; Direct - Student Artifact | | | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: CSTEP will continue to share opportunities through internal and external channels of appropriate research programs and internships that participants can apply to.
Expected Results: The more awareness of opportunities the more chance there is that a participant finds one that he or she is comfortable applying to.
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Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)