History
Before 2007
- A First Year or FYE seminar had been started/stopped for several years and was cloaked in different formats including AAA 090, a 3-credit “Becoming a Master Student” class offered through the college-prep Reading department (STS 105 from 1985-2000.) From 2001-2002, Aims also tried to offer a "home grown" college success class for zero credits. This failed miserably. From 2003-2004, CSL 178 which was a 1 credit dual enrollment course with the University of Northern Colorado was offered.
2007-08: AAA 101 (1 cr) Enrollment 300
- Spring 2007: President Dr. Liddell tasked a small team of staff and faculty (Shannon McCasland, Phyllis Gosch and Marti Demarest) to activate on a credit bearing college success class to be offered by the fall of that year with the Developmental Reading and English department.
- Fall 2007: AAA 101 was offered to TRiO and Emerging Scholars students.
- Fall 2008: AAA 101 was opened to all new students as an optional course.
2009-10: Added AAA 109 (3 cr) Enrollment 618
- AAA 109 Advanced Academic Achievements (3 credits) was added as an offering.
- “Cornerstones for Community College Success” by Robert Sherfield text was adopted.
- Shannon McCasland, Marti Demarest and Phyllis Gosch presented at the 29th Annual Conference on the First Year Experience. Third Time is a Charm FYE2010-Final.pptx
2011-12: Mandated AAA 090 (3 cr)/ AAA 101 (1cr)
- AAA 101 and 090 became required courses for students in developmental education to support a successful transition into the college curriculum. AAA 101 was required for students with only one remedial need and AAA 090 was required for students with more than one remedial need.
2012-13: AAA 090 (3 cr) and AAA 101 (1cr) Enrollment 933
- Fall 2012: A full time AAA instructor. Denise Pearson was hired.
- Spring 2013: AAA instructors were trained on 12/4 on copying their course shell from a master course shell.
- Fall 2013: AAA instructors utilized a D2L shell to complement instruction in the course. Elly Darwin created a customized AAA course shell instruction booklet.
2013-14: AAA 090 (3cr)
- Spring 2014: Two new AAA 090 themed sections were offered (AAA 090 Allied Health and AAA Business). Catalyst, a second semester/year retention, engagement, and completion program was started based in part to AAA students reported desire to remain engaged in similar ways to the AAA experience. Students must be nominated by an AAA instructor to apply for the program. Ryan Barone started as the Assistant Director of FYE.
2014-15: AAA 090 (3cr) Enrollment 53 sections/Approximately 900 students
- Fall 2014: A second full time AAA instructor, Francie Rottini was hired. Due to changes in developmental education and the retirement of Phyllis Gosch, AAA became a department with Denise Pearson as the chair. The AQIP Project "Creating a Seamless and Intentional Career Engagement Curriculum" lead by Paula Yanish, Allan Obert and Denise Pearson was implemented in all AAA classes. AAA 101 was eliminated as an offering. AAA 090 became required for students with one or more remedial needs. Policy 2-250F was revised. AAA 090 Protective Services was offered (Instructor: Ray Cook.) The overarching epistemological foundation of Grown Mindset (Carol Dweck) was infused in the curriculum. An Assessment Committee was formed. October 22, 2014 Lt. Governor Joe Garcia selected AAA to Catalyst as one of 8 schools out of 30 chosen in a statewide contest (Colorado Completes) based on its impressive record for helping students overcome obstacles and succeed in college. http://www.aims.edu/about/departments/marketing/news?id=436
- Spring 2015: The AAA Assessment Team developed the AAA Instructor Self Assessment as part of a process for instructors to evaluate their own skills and knowledge and reflect on professional development needs and priorities to be completed by instructors before Fall 2015 to inform professional development/training.
- Summer 2015: ePortfolio was piloted within 2 sections.
2015-16: AAA 090 (3cr)
- Fall 2015: Two new AAA 090 themed sections were offered (AAA 090 Human Services and AAA Education). A new linked format was piloted with AAA 090 and MAT 050. An ePortfolio was piloted within 2 sections. Embedded Peer Coaches were piloted among three instructors (Rachel Veretto, Denise Pearson and Francie Rottini) with four sections of AAA 090. Rachel Veretto transitioned from the Program Coordinator to Assistant Director of FYE. Ryan Barone (Director of Student Leadership & Development, Former AAA Instructor) and Rachel Veretto (AAA instructor and Assistant Director of FYE) presented at the League for Innovations – Learning Summit in June 2015 “Fostering a Mindset of Completion: From AAA to Catalyst.” Specific to AAA the integration of the Growth Mindset into the curriculum was shared. Shannon McCasland presented at the CCSSE High Impact Practices Institute in 2015 “Fostering a Mindset of Completion: From AAA to Catalyst.”
- Spring 2016: New Winter D2L training was added. ePortfolio pilot continued in 4 sections as well as a new linked format with AAA 090 and MAT 050. AAA featured in the Signature Magazine. Click here to read the article Signature Magazine Article Spring 2016 - Teaming Up for Success.pdf. Partnered with FTLC to offer teaching circles on Math and Science Note-taking and a two part series on Culturally Responsive Teaching.
2016-17: AAA 090 (3cr)
- Fall 2016: Erika Chomina-Carter, a third AAA Faculty was hired. New course offering format (Hybrid) was created and piloted to provide better access to the course for students
- Spring 2017: AAA 109 approved for 17-18 catalog by curriculum committee.