California State University, Fresno

Fresno State’s transformation planning process was highly collaborative and engaged strong leadership across the educational spectrum. Through diverse partnerships and sharing big ideas, the Fresno State transformation team was able to begin implementing an ambitious plan to impact the quality of life for students and families in the Central Valley region.

Transformations Highlights:

Teaching and Learning:

DISCOVERe is a tablet program that transforms classroom learning experiences for Fresno students by replacing textbooks with computer tablets. The tablet program launched in Spring 2014 with 33 faculty teaching 29 courses in 49 sections with 900 students—30 percent of whom were Hispanic and more than 50 percent first-generation.

Emerging evidence suggests students are performing better in DISCOVERe courses versus those students in the same course taught without tablets. Students are expressing more engagement and willingness to work collaboratively. Additionally, Fresno State reports that there has been a 73 percent costs savings over a traditional course in regard to course materials and books.

Academic Pathways:

Central Valley Promise is a community-wide effort and unprecedented partnership across K-12 districts and community colleges to inspire stronger college-going rates in California’s Central Valley region. Students and families pledge to do what it takes, early in the educational pipeline, to prepare for college with the guarantee that college will be there for them. With concentrated pilots focusing on specific degree and career pathways, the Promise program has the potential to impact as many as 25,000 children in the region.

The Central Valley Promise seeks to fundamentally change the idea of educational equity for those traditionally underserved. The initiative not only provides better access to college but also provides a host of resources and shared initiatives across the entire K-16 pipeline to support residents and their college aspirations and opportunity within the region.

A more detailed overview of Fresno State’s transformational work may be accessed here.