TUSKEGEE, Ala. (June 8, 2009) - The Office of the Provost recently reported a satisfactory outcome of the University's inaugural term of the First-Year Student OASIS (Orientation to Academic Success using Innovative Strategies) Program. The program was established as part of a continuing process to enrich student learning outcomes among the first-year student population.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), which accredits the University and other regional institutions, requires all institutions seeking reaffirmation of accreditation to not only show compliance with its fundamental standards, but also to develop and present a five-year Quality Enhancement Plan, which describes a carefully designed and focused plan of action to address an issue or topic directly related to improving student learning outcomes. Tuskegee University focused especially on enhancing learning outcomes of first-year students with special emphasis on the orientation program. The University's accreditation was reaffirmed on December 9, 2008, for accreditation until 2018.
The OASIS program was implemented by a team of faculty and staff led by Dr. Roberta M. Troy, assistant provost for Undergraduate Studies. Dr. Luther S. Williams serves as the University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Throughout the academic year, OASIS integrated learning through innovative strategies in teaching. The UNIVERSITY 101/102 curriculum focused on learning objectives such as oral and written communication, critical analysis and quantitative/mathematical reasoning. Several projects were undertaken in order to achieve these learning objectives. One way in which first-year students practiced the learning objectives of oral and written communication skills through critical analysis was through the class presentation of poetic works by Paul Laurence Dunbar. On April 19, students presented and produced "The Paul Laurence Dunbar Project: Interpreting Poetic Dialect through Linguistic Prose," to parents, alumni, faculty, staff and guests of the University community during the President's Essay Contest and Awards Program at the University Chapel. Students in UNIVERSITY 102, Sections 9 and 14, coordinated by Dr. Obiora N. Anekwe, performed the poetic works of Dunbar, writer of the Tuskegee Song and contemporary of Dr. Booker T. Washington, first president and founder of Tuskegee University. The student body presented three of Dunbar's works through gender dialogue, hip-hop performance, PowerPoint presentation, and exhibition montages on the life process of the poet. The presentation was dedicated to Tuskegee University First Lady, Mrs. Thelma Payton, and Professor/Dean Emeritus, Dr. James H.M. Henderson, whose donation of rare books by Paul Laurence Dunbar provided the students' research data.
Other projects during the 2008-2009 academic year also integrated learning through best practices in teaching, highlighting oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on critical analysis. This included an exhibition, "Washington and Obama: Two Proclaimed Voices of Change and Hope," which focused on the lives of Dr. Booker T. Washington and U.S. President Barack H. Obama. The concept for the exhibition was developed during the fall 2008 semester as a final examination project on Washington's autobiography, Up From Slavery, which students enrolled in UNIVERSITY 101, Sections 9 and 14, were required to read and write an extensive research analysis paper comparing and contrasting Washington and Obama. Students focused on such attributes as leadership style and oratory disposition. They presented their research papers through creative delivery such as PowerPoint, short video documentaries, poetry, hip-hop song and theatrical short plays. Additionally, students were required to write congratulatory letters to then President-Elect Obama, which were compiled in a portfolio. The purpose of the research project was to enhance the oral, written and technological communication skills of first-year students. Works were displayed at the Ford Motor Company Library on campus during the U.S. Presidential Inauguration of Obama and Black History Month.
Another addition to the UNIV 101/102 course was the emphasis on academic advising, which has been shown to enhance student learning outcomes. During the academic year, students were required to meet with their assigned freshman academic advisors for a required number of advising visits. This additional initiative has built advisee-advisor relationships, assisted in academic retention, and eased the registration process for first-year students.
Additionally, students were required to attend, through UNIVERSITY 101/102, all convocations in the University Chapel. The Fall Convocation, for instance, provided first-year students the opportunity to hear the opening address to the first-year class by Tuskegee University President, Dr. Benjamin F. Payton. Students were required to write reflective essays based on their convocation experience and orally present their essays to the class. Such initiatives enhanced oral and written communication skills among first-year students.
Students were also administered the College Assessment of Academic Proficiency standardized test. Students achieving at or above national levels in writing, mathematics or both were awarded certificates of achievement.
