Students who take Student Success, CLSS 1000, at Utah Valley State College say they wish they could have taken it earlier.

A new report by the Community College Research Center said courses like this one help students succeed.

The study of more than 30,000 students in Florida found that those who enrolled in student success courses -- which focus on student involvement and study skills -- were more likely to still be in school or have earned a degree after five years.

Lisa Lambert, the assistant dean for the school of general academics at UVSC, said the school's research echoes the report's conclusions.

Utah Valley State College is a four-year institution moving toward university status and plans to continue offering the courses.

UVSC's program has three objectives, said Denise Hodgkin, chair of UVSC's department of college success studies:

Connecting to campus: Students get class credit for going to basketball games and joining clubs.

Self-awareness: Students should understand their learning style in order to adapt to difficult situations.

Study and critical-thinking skills.

"The techniques we teach are designed to put them in the driver's seat of their education," said Adam Black, who teaches the course at UVSC.

Having the skills to navigate college life makes students less likely to give up.

"If they haven't felt like they have succeeded in what they've attempted to do, they get discouraged," Hodgkin said.

Being involved in campus helps students feel like they matter.

"Going off to college can be scary. If you don't know anybody, you feel alone in the sea of bodies," Black said.

The course also tries to teach students that they can approach a college education and succeed.

"This course is a safety net, in a way," Hodgkin said.

The course can help students placed in remedial classes overcome the stigma and learn to believe that they can be successful college students.

The school has an open admissions policy and will continue to have an open admissions policy as the school transitions to Utah Valley University.

"We take everybody and we say, 'We're committed to your success,' " Lambert said. "We want every student to feel welcome here."

The courses are part of a bigger project. UVSC is working to be better at retaining its first-year students. Only about 50 percent of first-time students return the next year.

The school received a Title III grant in 2006 to improve retention rates. The school will more actively support new students with first-year experience programs and will implement programs to help track students who are struggling.

Right now, UVSC offers developmental courses for students who aren't prepared for college-level work, personalized advising, a writing center, a math lab and peer tutors in addition to the student success class.

For information call the Career and Academic Counseling Center at 863-8425 or visit uvsc.edu/students and click on "student resources."

Brittani Lusk can be reached at 344-2549 or at blusk@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D2.