As part of our ASPIRE Top Five Strategies, Dalton State College is working with Georgia Highlands College (GHC) and Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) to create pathways for GNTC graduates to receive degrees at DSC and GHC using courses completed at GNTC. These pathways indicate the degrees students can earn and the courses they will complete at GNTC to obtain those degrees. They also show to which DSC or GHC programs the students can transfer their GNTC courses. These pathways will be shared with students at GNTC, DSC, and GHC, as well as prospective students of those institutions.
The following are the pathways created thus far (GNTCDSC):
- AAS Construction Management BAS Engineering Technology; BS Organizational Leadership
- AAS Criminal Justice Technology BS Criminal Justice
- AS Early Childhood BS Elementary Education
- AAS Industrial Systems Technology BAS Engineering Technology; BS Organizational Leadership
- AAS Networking Specialist BAS Information Technology
- AS Nursing BS Nursing; RN-BSN
- AAS Radiologic Technology BS Health and Wellness; BS Organizational Leadership
- ASA Respiratory Care BS Respiratory Therapy
- AS Surgical Technology BS Health and Wellness; BS Organizational Leadership; BS Chemistry options
These pathways have been reviewed by faculty at each institution, and a signing date for these articulations has been set for December 16, 2024. We also plan to advertise the articulation agreement at GNTC in January or February 2025 to ensure students are aware. Once we have fully rolled out these articulations, GNTC, DSC, and GHC will examine other programs for potential additional articulations.
Two other ASPIRE Top Five Strategies for Dalton State included creating a Roadrunner Experience for students taking IMPACTS courses and working on course differentiation to increase the number of students engaging in experiential learning. As part of the Roadrunner Experience effort, a committee created a Roadrunner Experience definition:
The Roadrunner Experience equips students to engage challenging questions independently and collaboratively to find solutions while considering the moral and ethical implications of their decisions. Immersed in a community of passionate, caring faculty and staff who provide a foundational academic experience, students develop critical thinking, communication skills, and historical and cultural understanding. Our graduates successfully compete in the job market, excel in their careers, and contribute to their communities.
The Roadrunner Experience committee discussed the importance of creating common experiences for IMPACTS students in support of the above goal. Eventually, the Roadrunner Experience vision evolved to support creating common academic and developmental experiences for students in IMPACTS and beyond. Within this more encompassing experience will be a variety of opportunities and activities, including experiential learning options for all students. As mentioned above, increasing experiential learning for Dalton State students had been a separate initiative within Dalton State’s Top Five Strategies for ASPIRE; however, the Roadrunner Experience has come to assume this as part of its goals.
More specifics about the Roadrunner Experience are not available at this time. Dalton State is currently developing its new strategic plan, of which the Roadrunner Experience is a part, and we will be hiring an Assistant Provost and Assistant Vice-President for Student Success who will spearhead the experience. Once the strategic plan and AP/AVP for Student Success are in place, more progress, and therefore more information, will emerge.
Observations and Next Steps
As evidenced in our Student Success Inventory and our Optional Supplemental Updates, Dalton State has a strong focus on student success, and this success has manifested itself in a 10-point increase in our retention rate—from 57.9% in Fall 2022 to 67.6% in Fall 2023. Among our successful retention efforts has been our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), known as PACE (Perspectives, Advising, Campus Resources, and Engagement). Dalton State ensures that all students in the first-year course, Perspectives (PRSP), participate in similar interventions, including advising and experiential learning. For example, all PRSP courses include a common presentation and lab component related to engagement/service-learning. PRSP students also engage in rich collegiate experiences, such as Dalton State’s very first New Student Convocation, called “First Chime.” The day before classes started in August 2024, First Chime welcomed 1,200 new first-year, transfer, and dual enrollment students to campus. Students met with their PRSP faculty and classmates, enjoyed games, live music, food trucks, and a merchandise tent. The evening culminated with the lighting of the James A. Burran Bell Tower and a fireworks display. Dalton State is proud of its First Chime event, which we plan to continue annually.
Another way in which we are strengthening our QEP is through the development of a reporting structure among QEP leadership in which the coordinator for each PACE area (Perspectives, Advising, Campus Resources, and Engagement) completes a biannual report, thereby facilitating conversations and modifications surrounding the plan. Additionally, we are striving to improve our work related to the “P” in PACE (Perspectives). Each Perspectives course has a focus area, such as “Perspectives in Business,” “Perspectives in STEM,” etc.; this year, we have provided each focus area with a QEP/PACE Ambassador who collaborates with other faculty to develop common elements for the focus area. These ambassadors are led by the Senior QEP/PACE Ambassador, who focuses on campus-wide leadership of faculty teaching Perspectives.
Among our other successful endeavors has been the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning’s (CETL) Roadrunner New Faculty Academy. We currently have 11 new faculty participating who attend monthly sessions related to creating an inclusive and engaging classroom experience for all students. The CETL Director (and/or one of the assistant directors) will also be visiting the new faculty’s classes to conduct classroom observations and offer individual consultations.
CETL has also been involved in Momentum work through its CETL Faculty Fellows program, which continues to offer faculty development programming to support student success. This academic year, we have six participating fellows, including a fellow for Culture & Belonging. This fellow is involved in the Relentless Welcome initiative, which CETL piloted in the Fall 2024 semester. While Dalton State’s Relentless Welcome has had limited participation (57 faculty and staff), we intend to further develop and improve the project.
Looking to the future, Dalton State is also seeking the Seal of Excelencia through work with the organization Excelencia in Education to develop practices that will better serve all students. The Seal of Excelencia is a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment to intentionally SERVE Latino students. The framework we are using focuses on data, leadership, and practice in support of developing a comprehensive institutional strategy. In 2023, the Dalton State team completed the virtual Evidence-Based Practice Institute and completed a research project evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and support offered through our CARE (Campus Assessment, Response, and Evaluation) Team and social worker. In May 2024, our team attended the Excelencia Data Institute, and Dalton State is now part of the 2025 cohort Modeling Intentionally Serving Hispanic Serving Institutions.
Dalton State has also engaged the services of the National Institute of Student Success (NISS) at Georgia State university beginning in January 2025. We will work with NISS Diagnostic Coaches to collect, analyze, and review data. Once this process is complete, NISS will present Dalton State with a playbook that will detail school-specific and data-driven recommendations that will lead to student success once implemented.
Additionally, we are seeking to scale up our summer bridge program, known as the Roadrunners Scholars Program. This 6-week residential program was piloted in Summer 2024 and was designed for students with a high school GPA below 3.0 in need of learning support classes. Participating scholars completed MATH 0998: Learning Support Math and ENGL 0999: Learning Support English, as well as ENGL 1101: English Composition and MATH 1101: Introduction to Mathematical Modeling. They also received tutoring assistance and participated in development opportunities and social activities. All aspects of the program were provided at no cost through scholarships offered by the Dalton State Foundation. At the conclusion of the 2024 program, 11 of 15 students successfully passed both Math courses and 15 of 17 students successfully passed both English courses. We plan to expand the program in Summer 2025 to include up to 36 scholars and to add a section of Perspectives (PRSP) to the program.
Other future work will involve solidifying our articulation agreements with Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) and Georgia Highlands College (GHC) detailed in Section 3 above. After finalizing the current articulations, we plan to examine and develop articulations for other programs as well. Additionally, we will further define and develop the Roadrunner Experience, also addressed in Section 3. While originally focused on the value of IMPACTS courses, the Roadrunner Experience vision has evolved to include creating common academic and developmental experiences for students throughout their college careers. Within this more encompassing experience will be a variety of opportunities and activities, including experiential learning options for all students. Increasing experiential learning for Dalton State students had originally been a separate initiative within Dalton State’s Top Five Strategies for ASPIRE, but the goal now is to incorporate it into a larger Roadrunner Experience.
