Pathways to Student Success

Will McConnell, PhD

Coordinator

Introduction

The Pathways to Student Success (PASS) Program at Woodbury provides educational experiences that support student success and persistence toward graduation by focusing on the integration of personal and professional development, and cultivating a relationship between in- and out-of-class experiences. The PASS curriculum is grounded in a view of learning that is inextricably intertwined with intra- and interpersonal competence, psychosocial development, and practical competence in all dimensions of life. PASS provides a comprehensive, holistic, transformative experience intended to integrate academic learning and student development by helping students link their classroom experiences with their everyday emotional, intellectual, and physical growth as a bridge to their post-college lives.

Drawing upon widely recognized practices designed to foster inclusion and belonging—such as learning communities, common intellectual experiences, writing- and inquiry-intensive courses, collaborative projects, undergraduate research, field experiences, and portfolios—the PASS program employs experiential, student-centered learning through both curricular and co-curricular experiences.

The PASS program consists of seven general areas of student experience:

1. The core PASS seminar courses, PASS 100 and PASS 200;
2. A First Year Experience (FYE) program that includes linked courses and shared experiences for incoming students;
3. Orientation experiences based in Student Affairs, including SOAR and Welcome Week;
4. Co-curricular experiences originating in all the divisions and schools, including, for example, common reading experiences, student clubs and organizations, seminars, performances, colloquia, and other on- and off-campus events;
5. Additional courses designed to enhance the entry-level first-year student experience;
6. Interaction with embedded peer mentors facilitating curricular and co-curricular activities;
7. Orientation to the University-wide Honors Program.

The core one-unit PASS seminar courses—PASS 100, First Year Seminar, and PASS 200, Transfer Seminar— are designed respectively for incoming first-year and transfer students new to Woodbury. Intended to be taken during a student’s first semester, these courses provide an orientation to the University experience specific to Woodbury and provide shared experiences through a common curriculum across sections and large-group plenary events and other activities, such as speakers, student-centered activities, and field experiences, all designed to facilitate student explorations in three interrelated areas on three scales—self, Woodbury, and Los Angeles. More specifically, during the PASS seminar courses PASS 100 and PASS 200, students learn: 1. about themselves and their personal, creative, culturally influenced, and historically situated worldviews; 2. practical academic and interpersonal skills and strategies that allow them to leverage campus resources and cultural, recreational, intellectual, and interpersonal opportunities to succeed at Woodbury; 3. more about the geographical, historical, and cultural context of Woodbury in the “learning laboratory” of the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Aligned with the PASS seminar courses, the First Year Experience (FYE) program provides incoming first-year and transfer students with a shared interdisciplinary experience bridging between linked sections of an interdisciplinary critical reading/reading intensive course (INDS 101 Journeys, INDS 102 Natures, INDS 103 Conflicts, or INDS 104 Knowledges) and a first-year composition course (WRIT 113, First-Year Academic Writing). All sections of these INDS and WRIT courses include a common four-week shared experience module in their curricula. Paired INDS and WRIT sections scheduled at the same time create additional shared experiences and interdisciplinary team teaching/learning opportunities. The result is a dynamic and flexible student-faculty learning community built on student-centered, experiential- learning activities.

• Students will communicate with others orally and in writing.
• Students will apply the relationship between writing and a specific content area.