Implementation Teams were charged in Spring and Fall 2021 to focus on the initial findings and recommendations from the First Year Experience, Academic Support, Co-Curricular and Foundational Courses Task Groups.
Gateway Grades, Retention & Graduation Study Implementation Team
The Gateway Grades, Retention & Graduation Study Implementation Team focused on expanding the work done as part of the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities’ Powered by Publics (APLU PxP) Initiative by the Big Ten Academic Alliance Cluster.
Ask Alma Task Group
The Ask Alma Task Group compiled and coordinated campus resources to include in a user-friendly, interactive and robust database.
First-Year Academic Experience Task Force
The First-Year Academic Experience Task Force considered the academic preparations for new students entering the University in Fall 2021 and recommended interventions to help these students have a successful academic career at Illinois.
Transition to Canvas Advisory Committee
The Transition to Canvas Advisory Committee facilitated the campus-wide transition to implementing Canvas, a learning management system.
The Transition to Canvas Task Advisory Committee concluded its work in Spring 2022. While multiple Learning Management Systems’ (LMS) remain on campus, the transition was successful in migrating all courses from the Compass LMS, most of which were migrated to Canvas. The number of courses on Canvas continues to grow and student satisfaction is high. For information about the university’s transition to Canvas, please visit the Canvas Transition website which includes a Dashboard with detailed information about Canvas use by term and college. The site also includes archived messaging about the transition, support resources, and instructions on how to request a Canvas space. Instructors interested in CITL training resources can self-enroll in the Canvas 101 self-paced course or attend Canvas Help “drop-in” hours.
First-Year Experience Implementation Team
The First-Year Experience Implementation Team considered all elements of the first-year experience with the ideal that the first year should provide all students with a solid foundation to support continued success. This focus should be balanced by the needs of those students who are most likely to leave the university before graduating.
- Meet the First-Year Experience Implementation Team members
- Read the SSI First Year Experience charge letter
- Read the SSI First Year Experience final report
The FYE final report will serve as a guide as we continue to explore improvements to our first-year experience. FYE development remains underway and continues through efforts such as the Transfer Student Experience Task Force.
Student Code Academic Polices Task Force
The Student Code Academic Polices Task Force reviewed academic polices in the Student Code in light of the temporary modifications made due to the pandemic, taking into consideration best practices in higher education, the work of the Student Success Initiative in prioritizing an equity-based lens for policies, and the values of the university as a whole.
Transfer Student Experience Task Force
The Transfer Student Experience Task Force is examining the changing landscape of the transfer student experience; including new opportunities for admission and recruitment, determining existing policies and structures that present barriers and recommending practices to support transfer student retention and inclusion in our community.
Innovative Programs Grant Awards
As part of the First-Year Academic Experience, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost invited colleges to submit proposals to implement or enhance innovative instructional or programmatic efforts aimed at bolstering student preparedness and mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning. This was a one-time grant opportunity. Total funding granted as part of this program was around $750,000.
The following colleges/programs received funding as part of the grant.
- Gies College of Business
- College of Education
- Grainger College of Engineering
- School of Information Sciences
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
If you would like more information about the projects contact firstname.lastname@example.org.