First-Year Experience for STEM Students

The R.I.S.E. programs main goal is to retain, inspire, support and engage students within the STEM community at CSU Channel Islands. One of the best features of this program is that students learn within a cohort environment amongst other peers. They are not only enrolled in Chemistry 105 together, but they are also enrolled together in other necessary core classes needed for graduation, such as English 105, and University 150. One of the students in the program stated, “I’m still struggling, but I can’t imagine how it would be if not for the program.” STEM Majors are very difficult, especially when it comes to the Chemistry involved, and that’s why the RISE Program set out to retain STEM Majors and help them through their first year in college. With an integrative learning approach the students felt more comfortable amongst peers and looked forward to meeting in their weekly chemistry study groups and making new friendships along the way.

The RISE Program is able to bring students together and build community and relationships amongst the RISE students, their peer mentors, and their course professors. This was demonstrated by the way that peer mentors would work closely with course professors and receive worksheets to better focus on the topics that the professor found important. This gave students a meaningful insight as to what they would be tested on, and made study sessions all the more worthwhile, this created a more interactive learning environment. Students were also encouraged by peer mentors to seek advice from professors during office hours, their goal was to help students understand the importance of having a working dynamic with professors through out their college life and provide useful tips that can help make students more successful academically. Overall, students found the RISE program as a resource that provided them with direction and a path to aid them in getting acquainted with college life, university level courses, and building connections with other students in the STEM major that have similar concerns and goals in mind.