Summer Programming and Onboarding interventions aim to support growth mindset and increase college knowledge among incoming first-year students and some targeted populations of non-first year students. Specific interventions include engagement with GCPS high school seniors, initial Summer Bridge programming, the Summer Preparatory Academic Resource Camps (SPARC) and pre-Fall welcome activities on campus.
The college had over 150 residential students attend the 2nd Annual Grizzly Launch Day in August 2024 during our annual Grizzly Welcome program. We have not yet developed a formal evaluation plan or any KPIs for Grizzly Launch Day.
Example KPIs include:
> 25% of invited students attend Grizzly Launch Day
> 50% of attendees engaging in each planned activity
> 50% of attendees rate the overall event as impactful
SPARC registration for Summer 2024: For the Summer 2024 SPARC sessions, 233 students registered, with the largest numbers in the Health Professions (HEPR), Business (BUSI), and STEM meta-majors.
The post-SPARC satisfaction survey for 2023 received a small response number (only 23 student respondents). The results were positive, with 83% of students responding indicating they agreed or strongly agreed that SPARC participation helped them feel more connected (Sense of Belonging) at GGC. However, the low response rate and the merging of SPARC with the broader Grizzly Launch effort next summer has led us to reimagine how we collect student feedback for this event.
The college looks to combine Grizzly Launch Day and the SPARC program taking place in August 2025. Concerted efforts in this area will allow us to deliver a more robust summer experience for students.
Student Affairs and Student Success will meet to coordinate the planning of this unified program what once was two separate experiences for students. The curriculum and schedule for the summer SPARC program is being redesigned and planning will include additional campus partners. We are working with New Student Orientation to advertise the event to new students.
Customizing the curriculum to meet the diverse needs of student and ensuring that SPARC reaches the students who would benefit most.
