he Summit Program – Learning and Community Support for Transfer Students
The Summit Program at California State University, Stanislaus is an interdisciplinary program that links upper division general education classes together to improve a sense of community and quality learning, particularly for junior transfer students. With solid qualitative and quantitative results that show improved student learning, deeper levels of understanding of the subject matter, and higher retention and graduation rates for junior transfers University-wide, the Summit Program has proven to be a successful model for upper division general education. In this seed project, we will be developing a plan to transform the Program, elevating it from the status of a successful model to a high-profile program that is a standard for upper division general education.

This project will increase the number of clusters to serve more students and establish a foundation for continued growth of the Program. Current courses in the clusters will be redesigned, and new courses will be designed to expand the use of technology, increase opportunities for service learning, and embed assignments to be used for outcome-based assessment. Technology support for these learning communities will be developed, enrollment will be expanded through a new marketing and enrollment infrastructure, and faculty support will be increased by establishing a support network to bolster technology training, service learning opportunities, and student advising and participation in the Summit Program.

Contact: Marjorie Jaasma, MJaasma@csustan.edu