Implementation of Summer Academy: First Year University of California, Santa Cruz

This study examines the implementation of the Summer Academy: First Year pilot in 2015. Nineteen incoming University of California, Santa Cruz students completed the Academy, earning nine college credits in three courses: (1) Genre Study: STEM, a newly designed writing course taken by all students (2 credits); (2) Navigating the Research University taken by all students (2 credits); and (3) A combination of five-credit courses: Math 2 (seven students), Math 3 (six students), Introduction to Biological Anthropology (six students), and Intro to Statistics (one student), depending on students’ math placement exam scores. Students taking Math 3, Statistics, and Anthropology enrolled in the second five-week Summer Session and took courses with other UCSC students. All other courses were offered over seven weeks and included only Summer Academy: First Year students. Students lived together with three peer mentors at Merrill College and engaged in academic as well as co-curricular activities.Respondents for this study were very positive about the program and all recommended that it continue in the future. Students valued the opportunity to get a head start on their college coursework, make new friends, meet faculty, and learn about campus life and opportunities. Instructors felt that the small class format was helpful for students and that the courses would benefit students in their STEM majors.It is to be expected that new programs experience challenges as they roll out and respondents offered helpful suggestions for how to make the program operate more smoothly and with a larger number of students in the coming years.• Staffing – Several administrators suggested that having full-year dedicated staff for the program would aid in all aspects of operations, especially recruiting, enrollment, and financial aid. The Peer Mentor model of supporting students worked extremely well, so keeping these appointments was viewed as important for future iterations. • Recruitment and Enrollment – Many fewer students than anticipated enrolled in the program. Respondents recommended broadening the recruitment pool to include potential students before they SIR, those also recruited by other summer programs, and those who list STEM majors as their first or second option on the application. They also felt that some changes in the communication strategy would yield better results, namely offering more information about the program, including courses, and providing more details about the other summer experiences. • Course Offerings – Students expressed an interest in having more choice in their course selection. Some administrators also felt that students who were ready might be able to begin their STEM coursework over the summer. This might also attract more students.• Co-Curricular Activities – Students valued the time spent together outside of the classroom. They especially liked the trips that were directly related to college STEM experiences, such as the trip to Berkeley Lawrence Lab. • Aligning Courses to Second Summer Session – Some suggested that having the Academy courses coincide with the five-week Summer Session would eliminate problems that were anticipated, but unavoidable with a small number of students living on campus outside the regular Summer Session. It would also allow for more course choice and possibly cut down on costs.