By the Numbers
During the first 8 weeks of the fall 2021 semester, 116 academic success presentations were provided to Learning Community participants. Topics including academic support resources, exam preparation, study strategies, and time management were facilitated by individual learning community coordinators and through partnership with the Academic Success Center.
Supplemental Instruction (SI) at ISU ascribes to the philosophy of the International Center for Supplemental Instruction that combines teaching students "what to learn" with "how to learn." SI supports traditionally difficult courses with high enrollment. Sessions meet three times per week and are led by a qualified undergraduate SI Leader. Students who attend sessions at least once per week earn one-half to one full letter grade higher in the course than students who do not attend SI at all.
Tutoring sessions occur twice per week in small groups of 2-5 students and are led by peer tutors who have previously taken the course and done well. Tutors are trained to facilitate interactive learning activities with their groups and help students learn how to learn. For more information, visit https://go.iastate.edu/DBVDDZ
The Upward Bound program provides fundamental support to participants as they prepare to enter college and provides opportunities for participants to succeed in pre-college performance and ultimately in higher education pursuits. Our program objective is for 70% of our Upward Bound students to graduate high school "on time" with a regular diploma and enroll in postsecondary education by the fall term immediately following high school graduation.
The Writing and Media Center delivers programs to a wide array of audiences to help attendees develop in all forms of communication.
In addition to supporting students, the Writing and Media Center also offers workshops for faculty and staff.
Learning Communities offer small groups of students the opportunity to take one or more courses together, interact with peer mentors, faculty and staff, participate in out-of-class activities, and engage in career exploration with others who share similar academic interests. Additionally, 21 of our learning communities offer a residential component where students live and learn together within the same residence hall.
Every fall, the Campus Life unit, in conjunction with the Division of Student Affairs, sends the First Year Transition Survey to all first year students. This survey asks students questions about their adjustment to college and connects them to needed resources on campus.
Since December 2020, all full-time Professional and Scientific and Merit employees within the Division of Student Affairs have been invited to complete the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). The IDI® assesses intercultural competence—the capability to shift cultural perspective and appropriately adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities. The goal of this experience is to help employees within the Division of Student Affairs identify their developmental orientation on the intercultural competence continuum, to provide opportunities to increase intercultural competence through personal exploration, and to inform the division's direction for ongoing training and leadership opportunities.
The George Washington Carver Scholarship and Carver Academy serve high achieving, academically successful students of color through a four-year program that includes peer mentoring, leadership development, and faculty engagement.
The Writing and Media Center consults with students on all parts of the composing process, including brainstorming, drafting, revising, and polishing.
Money that was raised helped with infrastructure enhancements in the SHOP (Students Helping Our Peers) food pantry, including refrigeration and freezer capacity. In a recent survey, it was determined that around 1 in 4 students indicated they had low food security. For more information about how the Division of Student Affairs is addressing food insecurity, visit their website here.