Starting Blocks – Student Success Champions

Student success is a primary goal of KSU and the University System of Georgia. The Starting Blocks program, where first-time in college (FTIC) students enroll in block scheduling, is an initiative supporting student success. CETL is seeking applications from faculty members interested in participating in a year-long professional development and leadership initiative to receive support to incorporate and enhance strategies for FTIC student success. Selected champions will play an important role in supporting faculty across KSU to collectively meet the goals of this important initiative while also helping to build a culture of student success across all types of courses.   

Starting Blocks Student Success Champions will engage in a series of professional development opportunities related to strategies for teaching, learning, and student engagement that support student success in first-year, block-scheduled courses and during their first year in college. Then, using what was learned from the professional development activities, champions will work to develop events and resources to help other faculty begin to implement these strategies in their courses. Collectively, all the champions will contribute resources they develop toward composing a resource repository that will be available on-demand for all faculty at KSU.  Each champion will be expected to lead a seminar for colleagues teaching block courses in their college, but open to all faculty interested in promoting first-year student success.   

This opportunity is appropriate for full-time, contracted faculty who will teach a course that is part of block scheduling in fall 2025.  Applicants should demonstrate excitement to learn more regarding the supporting research and theory related to FTIC student success and demonstrate enthusiasm to share their knowledge and practice to support faculty getting started with a variety of strategies in their own courses.

We will kick-off this program with a two-day Starting Blocks Student Success Summer Institute. Seminars for the block cohort and additional possible stakeholders will be scheduled throughout the academic year, and each champion will be expected to lead one seminar. Champions will spend 5-8 hours each month producing and archiving resources, developing and executing further professional development activities for members in their college, and documenting efforts and results. 

Program Objectives 

  • Create a group of Student Success Starting Blocks Champions with an expanded view of their role as leaders
  • Develop multiple linked communities of practice among instructors for first-year, block-scheduled courses
  • Broadly engage instructors within communities of practice led by Starting Block Student Success Champions
  • Systematically communicate with instructors for first-year, block-scheduled courses including tips, reminders, notification of events, etc.
  • Organize and lead a faculty seminar focused on best practices and strategies for teaching students participating in block scheduling
  • Regular user engagement with resources contained in an archival repository by instructors for first-year, block-scheduled courses

Expected Deliverables 

  • Engagement in the 2-day Summer 2025 Institute (date TBD – June 2025) and participation in one day follow-up meeting to finalize updates to the repository (date TBD – June 2026)
  • Host and complete one faculty seminar with supporting documentation
  • Provide ongoing leadership (at least monthly contact) for the first-year, block-scheduled teaching community as a champion collaborating with other faculty
  • Contribute evidence-based scholarly documentation supporting first-year, block-scheduled student success to the resource repository. The format of the contribution is flexible, but should be roughly equivalent to the effort needed to create a high quality 4-6 page resource.

Application Deadline 

Friday, Feburary 7, 2025, at 11:59pm 

Compensation 

Faculty selected as Champions in this program will be provided materials to guide our early discussions.  

In addition, faculty who complete all deliverables for summer planning will receive $1,500 in 2025 summer non-instructional pay.  Faculty contributing resource updates to the repository will receive $1000 in 2026 summer non-instructional pay.

Summer compensation counts towards the 33.33% maximum per faculty member. Overages may not be shifted to development funds in the future. All participants must provide the expected deliverables to receive the compensation.

Selection Criteria 

The goal is to have representation from each college. Applications are competitive and will be evaluated on the following criteria: 

  1. Use of strategies to support student success - clear articulation of ways you have begun to explore student success strategies in block-scheduled courses. Please include details of your experience.
  2. Plan to support colleagues - a strong description of how you envision supporting colleagues in your department/college to implement or further enhance their use of strategies for teaching, learning, and engagement supporting student success in first-year, block-scheduled courses.
  3. Dedicated time - clear demonstration that the applicant has planned to devote time to participate in the program (i.e., the applicant has a defined plan for managing this project within his/her usual workload and integrating it into his/her service load).
  4. Block participation - confirmation that the applicant will be teaching a course that is part of block scheduling in fall 2025.  

Eligibility 

All full-time, contracted KSU faculty teaching a course that is part of block scheduling in fall 2025.  

Selection and Application Process 

Each applicant must prepare the following materials. Once you submit your materials in InfoReady, your application will be routed to your supervisor/chair/director. We ask you let your supervisor/chair/director know to expect an email from the InfoReady System (display name may be Christina Ujj).

  1. Statement of Interest (2,000 character max)
    • Provide a statement of interest that describes 1) your interest in teaching, learning, and engagement strategies related to student success in first-year, block-scheduled courses 2) how you have incorporated or would plan to incorporate these practices or strategies in the courses that you teach, including impact observed.
  2. Vision for Department or College-Specific Professional Development Program and Resources (2,000 character max)
    • Describe your vision for a college-specific professional development program or resources that you would develop to further support other colleagues in your college to begin to implement or further enhance their strategies for teaching, learning, and engagement in first-year, block-scheduled courses. (e.g., What topics will be included in your seminar? What are your plans for managing your time so that adequate time is devoted to this project?)
  3. Curriculum Vitae File Upload 

Application

It will be the responsibility of the individual submitting the application to ensure all portions are complete.

The application is housed in the InfoReady system that will require use your KSU single-sign on credentials to access. After you submit the application, it will be routed to your supervisor(s)/chair(s)/director(s) for approval prior to the review from CETL. If you have any questions, please email cetl@kennesaw.edu.

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