First Year Experience

Create success networks that connect students with peer support, mentors, tutors, advisors, and counselors that focus on the specific needs of various student populations.

Through a US Department of Education grant, GGC launched a STEM Living Learning Community (LLC) specifically for Informational Technology (IT) and Health Science (HS) programs that offers competitive housing awards and academic and career readiness support for two cohorts of 16 students pursuing these degrees each year.  Our LLC program builds on GGC’s record of successfully preparing STEM students by providing intensive academic support, proactive advising, career planning, and high impact practices such as undergraduate research opportunities.

Learning Communities are a high-impact practice that help students establish relationships while learning in three linked classes that are relevant to their meta-major/academic focus area: Business (BUSI); Education (EDUC); Health Professions (HEPR); Humanities and Arts (HUAR); Information Technology (ITEC); Social Sciences (SOSC); or Science, Technology and Math (STEM). We aim to scale first-year LCs so all new full-time first-year students enroll in an LC by an opt-out approach.

The First Year Experience is one of three embedded experiences that is built into the GC curriculum. To “Complete your journey,” for First Year Experience, students need to complete their GCSU 0001 (FYAS) and GC1Y courses.

EGSC is seeking to improve the rate at which students complete the English composition series and required math course within their first 30 hours of coursework. We understand that failure to complete these vital and foundational courses in the early portion of a student’s education journey can hinder the student by blocking courses that need the prerequisite and by limiting the number of choices a student has available to choose from during each successive registration period.

The Bobcat Summer Leadership Program (BSLP) is open to all first-time full-time freshmen planning to attend East Georgia State College immediately after high school. The program is designed to provide the student with an opportunity to build a strong academic foundation to ease the transition from high school to college. In addition to taking courses for credit toward their degree, the student will connect with support services and engage in a range of leadership development activities.

Student Learning Communities consist of courses in which a common theme or themes are utilized in order to create opportunities for students to explore these themes in more depth and see how the theme (s) crosses different disciplines. In addition, SLCs encourage a sense of belonging and student engagement since students may share two or more courses together which focus on the same theme

Redesign content and format to improve transition experience for students and increase student success and retention

The Roadrunner Experience is a residential and immersive summer bridge program designed for students requiring learning support math and English.  In this six-week program, students were enrolled in both learning support math and English as well as their credit course counterparts.  Roadrunner Scholars were provided tutoring assistance, peer education, development opportunities, as well as social activities.  All aspects of the program were provided at no cost through scholarships offered by our Dalton State Foundation.  Students were invited to apply for the program based on their high sch

The Quality Enhancement Plan seeks continuous improvement relative to two Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills that develop their academic perseverance.
2. Students will describe an enhanced sense of belonging within the College.

Interventions are planned and implemented in Perspectives (our first-year seminar), Advising, Campus Resources, and Engagement (PACE).