23rd International Conference on The First-Year Experience June 7-10, 2010 Maui, Hawaii
You‟re Not the Boss of Me: Putting Technology in Its Place By Using a Systemic Approach to Student Retention and Support
Rachel Phillips-Buck Career Counselor Abilene Christian University 325-665-7346 [email protected]
Technology has changed the world in which we live and has accomplished astounding feats. Our society now has a desire for human affairs to be guided by technological solutions and ―technology-generated evidence‖ (McGovern, Gerry 2010). Simply stated, technology has become the panacea to the world‘s problems. This is seen in way we use twitter and facebook to make connections. It is used at airports as the solution for identifying suspicious people, and screening for dangerous material. On our campuses, technology‘s role has expanded to sort through students‘ demographic and academic information using retention algorithms to identify at-risk students—ranging from persistence concerns to those who may be more likely to create a crisis situation on your campus. These linear approaches ignore the value of the rich resources in which we live, learn, work, and communicate—our system.
There is a new attitude emerging from this technologically-saturated milieu. When we evaluate the true implications of a linear approach, common sense recognizes that technology, however helpful it may be, needs to be placed in balance with other elements of our system. The pendulum is swinging back to an attitude that supports the value of human contributions to problem solving, decision-making, and crisis management. For example, security experts are now suggesting that ―technology should support people…skilled people (should be) at the center of our security concept rather than the other way around‖ (Gurion, 2010). Now that colleges and universities have experienced technology‘s shortcomings, leaders in higher education have begun training staff and faculty to take notice of their personal interactions with students, and be alert for interpersonal signals that a student may be struggling. By putting technology in a support role, a university creates a balance between technology and human resources--leading to a comprehensive system on the campus.
This presentation will lead participants through the evolving attitudes on technology and its role in student retention and support. It will highlight misuses, contributions, and best practices of technology integration. We will also explore the appropriate role of technology in supporting and empowering the greatest resource on campuses—people. The presentation will include a discussion and specific examples of technology‘s appropriate application in the areas of retention, at-risk populations, and student support.
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Time for questions will be reserved.
Camp Carey: Freshmen Retreat Program
Hope Larsen Program Coordinator, Senior Arizona State University 480-965-8381 [email protected]
Brennan Forss Director, Academic Services Arizona State University 480-965-0295 [email protected]
Jennifer Shick Program Coordinator, Senior Arizona State University 480-727-6622 [email protected]
It is rare to see a W. P. Carey business student without a laptop, cell phone, or Starbucks cup. Camp Carey provides access to none of those things. Instead, students are assigned randomly to teams, forced to share bathrooms, and served communal meals in a dining hall. Participants have to leave their comfort zones in order to begin building their W. P. Carey community – complete with friends, mentors, and resources. The result has been an outdoor experiential program that leads to strong bonds among peers. Research provides support for the benefits of outdoor orientation and transition programs such as Camp Carey.
Experiential education suggests that learning is best accomplished through action, observation, and reflection. These are typical processes used to facilitate learning in the classroom, but when you eliminate distractions, students have the true opportunity to act, observe, and reflect on who they are and who they want to be, offering the perfect opportunity for one to start a successful college career. Some of the learning objectives based on the research include: Connecting to other students in order to create a comfortable community; demonstrating business knowledge and developing business skills through a corporate case study; solving physical challenges as a team in order to practice teamwork; learning college traditions to develop a school-related identity and reflecting on personal behaviors in order to evaluate leadership skills.
Through qualitative and quantitative assessment we are able to evaluate the program each year and make changes for improvement.
Camp Carey is an outdoor experiential program that begins with low-risk activities such as
2 icebreakers, transitions to teamwork on a low ropes course, and culminates in a case study competition. By the end of the weekend, participants have challenged themselves and each other to take risks, step out of their comfort zones, and trust those around them (despite the fact that they were strangers two days prior). The experience wraps up with self-reflection – students are asked to consider and share about how they work in a group dynamic; how they lead, how they contribute to a team, and how they can do it better in the future.
Promoting Academic Student Success (PASS): Academic Support for Probationary First- Year Students
Kay Haralson Student Success Specialist/Associate Professor Austin Peay State University 931-624-1494 [email protected]
Mike Dunn Advising Coordinator, Title III Grant Austin Peay State University 931-221-7633 [email protected]
Loretta Griffy Director, Title III Grant/Associate Professor Austin Peay State University 931-221-7634 [email protected]
Institutions of higher education are being held accountable more than ever for the success of our students. Persistence to graduation can only occur if students successfully survive their first year. Our university implemented the Promoting Academic Student Success (PASS) program in order to throw a life-line to freshmen who find themselves placed on academic probation and to students returning from an academic suspension.
This session will focus on the design of the PASS program, the content and requirements of the program, modifications made to the program each semester, and the initial assessment of the effectiveness of the program. In this 12-week course students complete an assessment of their study and life skills and are provided customized support in areas of weakness. Students receive weekly tutoring in a course in which they have experienced difficulty. Academic and personal support and encouragement are provided by the PASS course instructor and the PASS Ambassador, a student peer mentor assigned to each class. The course instructor and the PASS Ambassador also lead interactive discussions on topics related to academic success and life skills.
Modifications have been made to the PASS program each semester as a result of suggestions
3 from the PASS instructors, the PASS Ambassadors, and the external evaluator of the Title III Grant which provides funding for the program. The main goal of this program is to increase the number of at-risk students who achieve success after a weak start to their college career and who subsequently continue to graduation.
Since its inception in Spring 2009, students completing the program have experienced greater success than students who did not complete the program. During the first semester the average term GPA for students who successfully completed the program increased by 98%, and the retention rate of completers was 81.5%. The average term GPA for students who were required to complete the program but did not, decreased an average of 12.5% and their retention rate to the next semester was 15%.
During the Fall 2009 semester, students who successfully passed the course had an average term GPA increase of 88% and were retained at a rate of 65%. Students who did not successfully complete the PASS course had an average term GPA decrease of 5% and their retention rate was 35%. Data for the Spring 2010 semester will be discussed in the session, but is not available at this time.
The Power of Mentoring First-Generation Students
Audrey Ward Dean of Student Academic Support Services Bennett College 336-517-1502 [email protected]
Millicent Rainey Sr. Associate Provost Bennett College 336-517-2158 [email protected]
Ruth Dennis-Phillips Director of Campus Life Bennett College 336-517-2207 [email protected]
The Bennett College presentation will focus on a new mentoring program designed for first year first-generation students. The presentation will show how the mentoring program, immersed in a structure of learning communities, serves as an educational conduit for retention.
The Senior Associate Provost of Academic Affairs will give the over-arching goals and objectives for establishing a mentoring program at Bennett College for Women. The Director of Campus Life will present profiles of First-year students, of Emerging Scholars, and of First-
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Generation students at the historically Black Female Institution. The Dean of Academic Support Services and Director of Learning Communities will discuss assessments of Learning Communities and of Emerging Scholars who attended The Summer Academy, the pool from which First Generation students are selected. The assessments will show comparative data of student performance for First Generation Students and that of traditionally admitted students who are not included in the population of first generation students. A look at the infrastructure of academic support programs that are intentionally structured around Learning Community concepts will give evidence for the inclusion of the mentoring program as a component of The First Year Experience. A DVD of First Generation Students telling their own stories of how the Mentoring Program impacted their First Year Experience will be the focal point of the presentation which will augment discussion regarding the ―Power of Mentoring.‖
Summer Program for High School Students to Increase the STEM Pipeline
Anisha Campbell Principal Investigator Bowie State University 301-860-3878 [email protected]
Elaine Davis Program Director Bowie State University 301-860-3876 [email protected]
Theresa Dupree Lead Program Counselor Bowie State University 301-860-4464 [email protected]
The Minority Student Pipeline Math and Science Partnership (MSP)2 is a five-year, $12.4 million partnership project funded by the National Science Foundation. It is led by Bowie State University and involves the county public school system, community college, University of Maryland, College Park, and University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. The goal of this project is to expand the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) minority student pipeline using four separate strategies that target students and teachers at the middle school, high school, undergraduate level.
The Pre-College Science Scholars Academy (PCSSA) targets rising high school 10th graders in the Prince George‘s County Public School System, which is 70% African American. Students are selected using an application, transcripts, teacher recommendations, and a 750-word essay that describes their interest in the program. The 5-week residential program consisted of preparatory courses in mathematics, English, biology and college skills. Students received
5 instruction from college professors to ensure that they understood the preparation time needed to succeed. Students were also given a reading workshop to enhance reading speed and comprehension. Upper level undergraduate junior and senior students served as mentors/tutors. The mentors participated in classroom and tutoring sessions to ease the transition of high school to college level work. The students will return for two consecutive summers to obtain college credits in biology and chemistry, hence prior to graduation from high school, participants will earn 7-8 college credits. Student progress will be compared to a dual-enrollment program with the community college and public school system where college courses are incorporated into the high school curriculum.
Students were assessed using a pre/post survey to determine (a) their reasons for attending the program, (b) expectations of the program, (c) expectation of the coursework, (d) views about science, (e) impact of the program on views of college and careers. Students will receive annual surveys that will follow them through the year after graduation from college. The purpose of this survey is to gather data about the long-term educational and career plans of participants. The survey will address the following questions: major, Institution of choice, intent to pursue a graduate degree, or career choice. The Program aims to increase the number of high school students studying sciences, taking challenging upper-level courses in the sciences, pursuing and completing undergraduate degrees in the sciences, and working or teaching in science-related fields.
Retention: Comparison Between Summer-Bridge and Regular-Admit Students
Elaine Davis Department Chair, Department of Natural Sciences Bowie State University 301-860-3876 [email protected]
Anisha Campbell Assist. Professor and Program Coordinator Bowie State University 301-860-3878 [email protected]
Theresa Dupree Administrative Assistant Bowie State University 301-860-4464 [email protected]
Bowie State University initiated the Summer Bridge Program to address deficiencies of students who showed promise but did not meet the regularly used acceptance standards. Hence participants were invited as recommended by the Office of Admissions. The participants are engaged in a summer enrichment program to address their skills in Mathematics, English and
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Reading , each of which is required to be successful at the college level. The program is residential, offering peer and faculty tutoring, professional workshops to address various skills (reading, time management, and so on). Successful completion of the Program requires that the participants obtained an average of ‗C‘ or better in the aforementioned enrichment courses. Since 2005, the number of students admitted after successfully completing the program has generated 10.5% to 16.4% of the respective entering Freshman Class. A comparative study suggests that regularly admitted students and those from the Summer Bridge Program experience similar roadblocks in the areas Mathematics and English courses. Additionally, the first year GPAs were somewhat similar, with the Summer Bridge participants exhibiting a slight edge. The overall retention rate for the Summer Bridge participants compared to regularly admitted students is higher for the past four years with the exception of AY 2006. A concerted effort to involve parents in an orientation workshop, participants in an orientation workshop, the expectation of discipline and a decent work ethics, and constant monitoring – each contributes to the success of the Summer Bridge participants.
The Road to Success: The first Year Counseling Experience Component
Tonya Swanson Director, Counseling Services Bowie State University 301-860-4161 [email protected]
Keith Hicks Counselor Bowie State University 301-860-4166 [email protected]
Aquila Mitchell Counselor Bowie State University 301-860-4160 [email protected]
The Road to Success: The First Year Counseling Experience Component at a Historically Black University was developed to present information on the design and impact of the Freshman Year Counseling Experience Program at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland. The component is a part of the Four Year Experience Counseling Program at the University, which is funded by a Title III grant. The presenters will share information on important components of the program. One component of the program involves the Freshman Seminar course, which is taught by members of the Counseling staff, to include the Freshman Counselor. Additionally, the program includes the Freshman Interview, which is a one-on-one session focusing upon psychosocial adjustment to University life. Finally, the program consists of topical student development workshops conducted by members of the staff of Counseling Services.
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The presentation will include descriptive data. The presentation also will discuss the project‘s major objectives in measurable terms and the anticipated results to measure success with specific tasks and methodologies identified. The presentation will provide the results of an initial investigation involving a sample of 113 freshmen students in the counselors‘ sections of the Freshman Seminar course. These students also completed Freshman Interviews in Counseling Services as a part of the program. Data were analyzed to determine the retention rate of the sample that completed psychosocial interviews during the 2007-2008 academic year and returned to the University during the 2008-2009 academic year. Results indicated that 100% of the students within this sample were retained at the University. According to a 2009 report on the University System of Maryland retention and graduation rates, the second year retention rate of first-time, full-time degree seeking students for the University‘s 2007 cohort was 70 percent. Therefore, program participants far exceeded the overall University retention rates.
Additionally, student satisfaction surveys were completed and analyzed to evaluate the services. Survey information is presented by gender, classification, resident, commuter, type of visit, and summary statements. The latter includes statements such as the visit was beneficial or the assistance I received was adequate to meet my needs. Overall, the majority of students rated the experience positively. Finally, student development workshops were evaluated by students in attendance to assess an overall rating, defined objectives, presenter‘s knowledge of subject, organization and articulation, level of participant interaction, management of time, and the quality and value of the workshop. Overall, workshops were evaluated very favorably by participants.
Three Learning Environments of the First-Year Seminar: Which is Best for Your Institution?
Kimball Benson Freshman Programs Manager Brigham Young University 801-422-7089 [email protected]
The poster will present a description and findings of each First-Year Seminar Learning Environments studied: Face-to-Face, Online Only and Blended. One will not be presented as the best answer but each will be discussed assessing their strengths and weaknesses. However, it will be shown that each contains vital characteristics that can used to aid in effective instruction
Intentionality in Peer-Mentor Training: Checklist Approach
Pat Esplin Director, Freshman Academy
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Brigham Young University 801-422-6284 [email protected]
Engagement is the strongest proxy for learning and success among first-year students (Kuh, Kinzie, Buckley, Bridges, & Hayek 2006). After effective teachers, other students--and by extension peer mentors--have the strongest influence on student engagement. Kuh (2009) argues that when colleges and universities intentionally design and implement programs to increase first-year students‘ engagement they enhance their potential for success. Intentionality is also a cost-effective measure during a time of shrinking educational dollars. When peer mentors know how to interact with first-year students at key times and in particular ways, their capacity for leveraging change is maximized. Therefore, investing in training peer mentors is a dividend investment in first-year students.
Peer mentors, who were themselves successful students, intuitively resolved the problems of most first-year students; however, without training they usually do not respond strategically to the range of problems they confront as they mentor first-year students. Support staff in FYE offices must provide training that prepares them to do so. Intentionality in designing training can lead to positive changes in the lives of peer mentors and in the lives of first year students they mentor. This presentation will engage participants in learning intentional processes that can be used in designing and implementing training for their peer mentors. The process highlighted employs reflection to move theory to practice, promotes deep learning, and provides a clear model of mentoring. Essential in our approach is the development and use of checklists as a trigger for remembering and enacting crucial points in practice, thus increasing intentionality and quality (Gawande, 2010). We will share checklists capturing our theoretical groundings (Dweck; Entwistle, Kuh, et al, 2006) and the practices essential for good mentoring ( basic observational and interpersonal skills).
Description of Session The session will begin with an overview of our model and the checklists we use to guide our action in engaging staff in training peer mentors. We will ask participants to consider the theories that guide their own programs, the practices they value, and the strategies for reflection that could be employed to enable peer mentors in their programs to integrate theory and practice and the ways in which checklists might enable them to be more intentional in designing their own programs.
Academic Engagement and Social Inclusion: Ensuring Substantive Equality for Refugee Students in Tertiary Teaching Settings
Jenny Silburn Associate Professor Charles Darwin University 6-8-8946 6907 [email protected]
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The study on which this presentation is based is entitled: Learning Interactively for Engagement (LIFE): Meeting the pedagogical needs of students from refugee backgrounds. The research was carried out at Murdoch and Curtin Universities in Perth Western Australia from 2008-2009 with funding from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council.
The presentation will commence with a brief overview of recent attempts to provide for equitable tertiary education in Australia and examine the challenges that universities in Australia now face in ensuring substantive equality of opportunity and successful academic outcomes for an increasingly diverse student population with multiple academic and personal support needs.
Succeeding in tertiary education is seen by many students from refugee backgrounds as one of the most effective pathways into full participation in their new home country. This is critically dependent on how they adapt to the learning and socio-cultural environment of university life.
Clips from the DVD will be used to illustrate how these students view educational opportunities and what they see as the particular challenges they face in a university context.
The paper will then discuss the variety of pedagogical strategies used to engage all first year students but particularly students who come from very diverse cultural and educational backgrounds.
Specific high impact pedagogical activities which were used to achieve successful outcomes will be discussed. Clips from the DVD will be used to illustrate how students responded to the learning modules and the benefits that accrued from a scaffold introduction to university culture and its expectations.
Finally, implications for educators at university will be discussed.
Community Colleges: How to Engage the Transient Population
Holly Craider Student Success Specialist Cuyahoga Community College 440-668-4785 [email protected]
This presentation will provide a detailed set of strategies that have proven successful in engaging transient populations found in community colleges. The strategies include collaborating with faculty to get into the developmental education classrooms to provide important information regarding campus events/procedures, utilizing Facebook to connect with students where they are--on the internet, and making calls and sending emails periodically just to say, "How's It Going?" The session will end with an opportunity for participants to share their experiences and concerns.
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Got Personality? Using Personality Type to Improve Teaching and Learning
Marsha Fralick Professor Emeritus Cuyamaca Community College 858-560-0675 [email protected]
Personality type is a key theme in the student success course at Cuyamaca Community College. The following dimensions of personality type will be presented, discussed and experienced through interactive activities: introvert, extravert, sensing, intuition, thinking, feeling, perceiving and judging.
Program Reviews completed over a ten year period from 1995-2005 have shown increased persistence of 26% for students who completed the college success course which has personality type as a central theme. Additional research has shown that students are more likely to continue their education if they have clear career goals based on their personality type, interests and values. Students assess their personality type by using an online assessment and then search a database of careers that match their personality types and interests. Results are displayed in an online portfolio which contains assessment results and careers for further exploration.
In addition to career decision making, knowledge of personality type is used in many ways in the course. Understanding personal preferences and talents help student with positive motivation to complete their educational goals. Students analyze personal preferences and relate them to learning style and strategies for learning new and difficult material in college. They also use the information on personality type to improve time management skills by matching different time management strategies to their personality types. Understanding personality types helps students to communicate with students of diverse personality types. Faculty can use the information on personality type to enhance classroom communication and participation.
The workshop will be presented in an interactive format with opportunities to engage in practical classroom exercises designed to increase understanding of personality type. Participants will receive written and online resources for practical classroom activities to help student understand their personality types. Workshop participants will: 1. Review personality theory with practical definitions and examples 2. Learn about practical applications of personality theory in the classroom: • Helping students with making good career decisions • Balancing extravert/introvert classroom participation • Using teaching methods and assignments to appeal to a variety of learners • Improving communication with students • Helping students with time management • Increasing positive motivation to succeed
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3. Participate in interactive activities to understand personality dimensions 4. Receive practical resources for online and classroom activities.
Assessing Academic Advisement of First-Year Students: What To and Not To Do?
Gita Maharaja Academic Advisor and Adjunct Faculty Duquesne University 412-396-6396 [email protected]
The session will consist of six parts: 1. The introduction will include the purpose and significance of the study. The purpose was to examine whether structured interactions between freshman U.S. students and international students can enhance these participants‘ cultural sensitivity, cultural awareness and self- awareness. A literature review on the learning experience of freshman students on cultural diversity on campus and on freshman international students‘ transition will be covered. The review will also include findings of major scholarly works related to this topic of research, focusing on learning of cultural diversity in the first year. 2. The structured interactions will be described to reflect how students met and how they spent time together and what types of conversations they were involved in. The interactions included face-to-face meetings once a week in a classroom setting, on-line communications and group gathering. The process of facilitating the interactions will be explained. 3. The methodology (subjects, research design, instrumentation, surveys, data collection and analysis and research questions) will be described. The research questions form the basis of the study and are as follows: (1) Are there changes in students‘ cultural awareness through structured interactions occurring over a semester? (2) Are there changes in students‘ cultural sensitivity through structured interactions occurring over a semester? (3) Are there changes in students‘ self-awareness through structured interactions occurring over a semester? 4. The quantitative and qualitative results will be presented. The demographic information will be shared in tabular form. The pre- and post-data of the ANOVA analysis will also be presented in a tabular form showing whether statistically significant differences were found between the beginning and end of the semester and between the domestic student s and international students. Testimonials of students will show how the experience impacted their cross-cultural learning and self-awareness and how the interactions impacted international students‘ transition to the American culture. 5. The discussion of the results will be addressed. The impact of structured interactions on students‘ cultural sensitivity, cultural awareness self-awareness and transition of international freshman students will be shared in details, including data generated by segment (gender, major, U.S./International). 6. Implications and limitations of the study, recommendations for future studies and institutional practice will be discussed. The implications for educators and administrators will focus on how the research serves as a model that can be adapted for cross-cultural training for native and domestic freshman students. Further studies using control group and longitude will
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Assessing Academic Advisement of First-year students: What To and Not To Do?
Gita Maharaja Academic Advisor and Adjunct Faculty Duquesne University 412-396-6396 [email protected]
The session will consist of six parts: 1 The introduction will include the purpose and significance of the study. The purpose was to investigate the effectiveness of advisement services on first-year students‘ learning of technology related to advisement and of degree requirements. The significance will focus on how evidenced-based practice is becoming imperative in the advisement of freshman students due to retention and the need for assessing freshmen‘s learning. 2 A brief literature review on the impact of advisement on first-year freshmen will be covered. The review will include findings of major scholarly works related to this topic of research. The intervention of the advisement team to enhance the learning experience of freshmen at Duquesne University will be described. The explanation will relate to how the advisors teach and assist the students to be knowledgeable of how to access information on the web, how to maneuver web registration procedures, degree requirements and other processes that prepare the students to be more autonomous in their remaining academic years. 3 A systematic process of how assessment was conducted will be discussed, starting with identifying the most important advisement learning objectives of the freshmen, involving the stakeholders, financing the study, designing the surveys, and finally implementing and controlling the research. The methodology, including subjects, research design, instrumentation, questionnaire, surveys, focus group, data collection and analysis of results, will be described. 4 The quantitative and qualitative results will be presented. The quantitative part will include graphical and tabular pre- and post-data, including data broken down by schools within the university and gender. The qualitative part will consist of students‘ testimonial s from the focus group as they relate to their learning experience about the use of technology and knowledge of degree requirements. 5 The implications of the study for educators, and administrators and limitations of the study, recommendations for future studies and institutional practice will be discussed. The focus will be on how freshman assessment should be directly related to their learning objectives and advisement activities and how the results should be used to revise both learning objectives and the delivery method and process. 6 At the end, the audience will be involved in activities, reflection and discussion whereby they will have the opportunity to share their experiences related to first-year students‘ advisement assessment and lessons learned. The participants will share their own assessment strategies, discuss the trials and tribulations of conducting assessment of advisement and gain insight into the learning curve of freshmen students who are developing an understanding of both degree
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Laying a Foundation for Success: Infusing Critical Thinking in a New Three-Credit First- Year Seminar
Kate Williams Director, Quality Enhancement Plan Eastern Kentucky University 859-622-6765 [email protected]
Erin Barnett Coordinator, Academic Orientation Eastern Kentucky University 859-622-2994 [email protected]
A new three-credit-hour first year course is going into its third year of pilot implementation at Eastern Kentucky University and is gaining more and more support by the campus community. The course was created as one of the initiatives to address accreditation requirements to develop a campus-wide Quality Enhancement Plan to improve student learning centered on a specific theme. EKU chose the theme to develop students who are â??informed, critical and creative thinkers who communicate effectively. The new first year course is part of the QEP with the purpose of laying a foundation of critical thinking (CT) for students. The critical thinking framework authored by Richard Paul & Linda Elder from The Foundation for Critical Thinking is used in the course both as a concept and a process.
The presentation will describe the development, implementation, and results to date of the course and the steps that have been taken to date to sustain and grow it. The presenters will discuss how faculty, departments, and an entire college have developed an appreciation for the course, enrolling their majors in the course. Over 600 students will be taking the course in fall 2010. A Professional Learning Community is developed each year one semester prior to the instruction semester for the purpose of preparing instructors to teach the course and to attend to the assessment requirements. The assessment process includes common student learning outcomes, assignments, and test questions; a perception survey; and written work evaluated with a critical thinking rubric. The longitudinal study of student critical thinking skills will also be discussed. The presentation will also describe how the Paul/Elder model is being implemented in the course.
Creating Community for Student Retention in STEM
Elene Tratras Contis Professor of Chemistry Eastern Michigan University
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734-487-0281 [email protected]
Anne Seaman Program Director Eastern Michigan University 734-487-0281 [email protected]
This presentation will provide a detailed description of EMU's CSIE Model. The Model involves recruiting and training faculty to revise their curriculum. Faculty is recruited to attend a faculty development seminar to learn how to link their course with another STEM-course first year students would be taking. These faculty members would learn how to integrate academic service-learning into an one-credit hour seminar which would help the students understand the connections between the STEM courses and community.
Next, the presentation will describe how to recruit students into CSIE courses. The part would include how to work with STEM departments to create these types of experiences and to get them into the course schedule book as well as getting students to enroll.
The presentation will also cover exactly what types of CSIE experiences have been created at EMU, which ones have been successful, which ones have not been successful and how this model could be implemented in all disciplines not just the STEM areas.
Finally, we will present four years of the evaluation of the CSIE model and how it will be sustained at EMU when NSF funded runs out next year.
We Are Not All the Same: Meeting the Diverse Needs of First-Generation Students
Nia Haydel Academic Professional for Student Retention Georgia State University 404-413-2057 [email protected]
Edward Bempong Director for First Year Students University of Illinois at Springfield 217-206-8537 [email protected]
This presentation will be framed on a discussion of the literature on the trends in higher education related to the inclusion of first generation students in the academic community. There will be a discussion on the specific characteristics of first generation students and their families, as well as an overview of specific needs that have been identified for first generation
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The presentation will incorporate the trends that have been witnessed on both the Georgia State University and University of Illinois at Springfield campuses in relation to the increases in first generation students. An overview and discussion of various challenges that have presented themselves on these campuses related to successful matriculation, persistence and graduation of first generation students will occur. Additionally, the presenters will disaggregate factors that have been identified as similar obstacles to success for both rural, suburban, and urban students. There will also be an overview and discussion on those factors that have been identified as specific to either the rural, suburban, or urban populations.
Finally, the presenters will offer recommendations for how to develop FYE programs that build on the diversity presented through the broader experiences of the members of the first year class. Traditionally, there has been a focus on limiting diversity to racial/ethnic/national origin and other social identity demographics that are easily seen and identified. The awareness that students from various geographic backgrounds hold personal experiences that have shaped their journeys to higher education and that will subsequently strongly influence their experiences on college campuses, provides a wealth of opportunity to discuss diversity in a less threatening manner. This session will allow attendees to engage in critical discussions related the creation of more comprehensive FYE programs.
Transitioning Students into a Professional Living and Learning Community
Paul Bates Head, Griffith Aviation Griffith University 61737355358 [email protected]
Students studying Aviation at Griffith University have an extraordinary opportunity to become airline pilots with one of the world‘s great Airlines-QANTAS-immediately upon graduation. One of the mechanisms that have aided this relationship between the airline and Griffith University is the development of a professional living and learning community (PLLC). As a small part of an overall research programme into this community we report on the processes in place to rapidly transition students from High School into this PLLC. We will report on the design of the transition process, the modifications to the process as a result of the surveys and the success of the programme. All the data indicate major changes in student confidence and feelings of belonging and sense of purpose (among many other measures)due to the efforts of staff and senior students in the design and operation of the transition into the PLLC.
College Success and Developmental Advising
Lori Fair Dean, Academic Affairs
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Harrisburg Area Community College 717-780-2475 [email protected]
This session will outline the data of our current developmental students enrolled in English 001 and 002; a description of our College Success Course and the deliberate approach to teaching in learning; and the strategies outlined in our developmental advising model. Additionally, Best Practices recently employed will be shared. These practices were developed as a direct result of analyzing the data, working across disciplines (math, English, Reading and Human Development faculty) in order to address student success at the college.
The First-Year Experience and the Law: Are First-Year Practitioners Doing Enough to Prepare First-Year Students to Minimize Legal Risk to the Institution?
Wayne Clark Director Higher Education Legal and Strategic Advisory Services +64 21 0336403 [email protected]
First year students, like any other consumer group in society, are exercising their rights and expectations in increasingly vexatious and litigious responses to institutional behavior, administrative decisions, disciplinary actions and common law in the campus community. Using selected higher education case studies from the US, Commonwealth, Canada, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand and Britain, this session will focus on extracting and identifying key legal issues related to: â?¢ Education malpractice â?¢ Duty of Care â?¢ Contracts and contract implications â?¢ Natural Justice â?¢ Administrative Law in the context of the first year experience and the student-institution interface.
This round table discussion will focus on how administrators and educational leaders who have responsibility for first year students can ensure that attrition risks are managed from a legal perspective, and retention improved by an increased awareness of relevant case law. In many jurisdictions, the outcome of legal dispute between the institution and a student is decided on obscure or poor process, or lack of natural justice, even when the decision(s) of the institution or its sub-systems are well within the regulations, laws or expectations of normal student- institution interaction. Awareness of these, and the possibility of better equipping both those who deal with first years, and the first years themselves, with a better understanding or duties, rights, obligations, and responsibilities from a legal or quasi-legal perspective, may be a useful tool to further enhance the first year experience. Selected case studies will demonstrate how students as claimants or plaintiffs, and institutions as defendants, have been viewed by the
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Courts as the parties seek to justify actions and decisions. The case studies will also identify and expose how law, legal methodology and legal practices can be both an ally and an enemy to the process of bringing justice to student-institution relationships that have broken down.
Measuring the Impact of College: The CIRP Model
John Pryor Director, Cooperative Institutional Research Program Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA 310-825-1925 [email protected]
The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) is in its 45 year of collecting data and providing reports to colleges and universities across the United States. It is the longest-running largest study of higher education in the United States, with data on over 13 million students since 1966. In recent years several groups and individuals from other countries have been very interested in the CIRP model and how it could be replicated in their own countries. Usually these are countries in which there is great recent interest in measuring the college experience, but not much of a history in doing so. They are coming to learn from us about how they might start a similar program in their countries. This session will highlight what CIRP has learned over 45 years of implementing national surveys in the United States and from working with over 1,900 institutions of higher education during that time.
We will cover the essential details of what makes this assessment program unique. First of all, we work in partnership with colleges and universities who use our survey instrument as a common instrument. Our questions are research-based, that is, there is a body of literature behind each question that justifies inclusion on the questionnaire. Our surveys are also comprehensive. Because the college experience is multifaceted, and does not just focus on one particular set of experiences or outcomes, we measure multiple influences and outcomes. Thus while we do include questions about student engagement (indeed, much of the literature about engagement has been informed by the original CIRP concept of involvement), we also examine academic habits, college transition issues, campus climate, and student satisfaction, to name a few areas.
CIRP surveys are longitudinal. They are designed to measure change over time, and do so by linking student responses over time from one questionnaire to another. This is much more powerful than cross sectional comparisons.
We provide benchmarking comparative information back to institutions, but publically never reveal individual results of a particular institution.
The presentation will provide these guidelines and give detailed examples of why our philosophy is as it is, and how it has been so successful in the United States. In addition, I will outlines how Japan has successfully integrated this model as JCIRP, and mention a few other countries that have found the model compelling. Questions will be encouraged throughout the
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Using Technology to Promote Information Literacy for Life-Long Learning: Creating Learning Communities with Blogs, Wikis, YouTube, Facebook
Portia Diaz Assistant Professor Indiana University of Pennsylvania 724-357-4893 [email protected]
This presentation will provide attendees with a PowerPoint Presentation to introduce social networking tools and how they are being used in higher education as a teaching tool to retain and engage students through the creation of online learning communities. The presenter will discuss the current literature on the topic; provide examples of her class assignments (e.g. facebook group discussions, Twitter information literacy Tweets, and Blogging research topics) through her own experience in teaching courses that incorporate social networking tools to engage first-year students in building their information literacy skills for life-long learning. She will provide a live demonstration, as well as Webliography of resources, on how to use specific tools such as blogs, wikis, YouTube, Twitter, yfrog, Ustream, and facebook in teaching first- year students. The presenter will end the session with a Q and A session that will address questions attendees may have on the presentation topic.
High-Impact Practices that Support First-Year Student Learning and Engagement
Frank Ross Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Learning Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis 317-274-4431 [email protected]
Jillian Kinzie Associate Director, NSSE Institute for Effective Educational Practice and the Center for Postsecondary Research Indiana University Bloomington [email protected]
In this session, we will summarize the effects of participating in high-impact practices on other college experiences and self-reported outcomes. In consultation with experts, we developed sets of items about learning communities, student-faculty research, student independent research, and study abroad, and added them to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
To illustrate, the learning communities items ask about the nature of the program and co- enrolled courses, and to what extent participating in the learning community contributed to
19 essential learning outcomes and the student-faculty research items ask about aspects of the collaboration, the kind of data collected and where (library, lab, field work, etc.), the student‘s role in the research process, and the extent the research experience contributed to essential learning outcomes.
Learning communities, student-faculty research, and other high-impact practices are effective because they create conditions whereby students devote more effort to their learning, interact more with faculty and peers (which exposes them to diversity), get more frequent formal and informal feedback, and practice and apply what they are learning to real-life situations. As a result, students typically invest more of themselves in their studies and benefit more.
The session will present these research findings and then we will engage participants in discussion about campus approaches to assessing these practices using NSSE and other institutional data sources, approaches to ensuring the participation of underrepresented first- year students, and how different campuses structure experiences to maximize student learning.
Presenters will share how they have examined these practices on the IUPUI campus and their approaches to ensuring that more urban commuter first-year students realize the benefits these high-impact practices. We will build in time to discuss with participants the implications of our findings for improving the organization and structure of programs and practices on their own campuses and for expanding student access to high-impact practices.
Enhancing Gains in Civic Engagement for First-Year Students
Frank Ross Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Learning Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis 317-274-4431 [email protected]
Keisha Hoerrner Chair, Department of First Year Programs Kennesaw State University 770-499-3222 [email protected]
Rachelle Darabi Associate Provost for Student Development & Public Affairs Missouri State University 417-836-8346 [email protected]
In this session, presenters will share their experiences of advancing civic engagement among first year students on three different campuses: Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, Kennesaw State University, and Missouri State University.
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First, we will engage the audience in a discussion to define civic engagement, and will ask for examples of how participants currently advance these efforts on their campus. Next we will detail the American Democracy Project (ADP), a component of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. ADP provided the foundation for the development of civic engagement work on these three campuses.
Next presenters will briefly detail civic engagement initiatives on each campus—highlighting both curricular and co-curricular advances in the first-year experience. Presenters will next share preliminary results from pilot administration of the ―Civic Engagement Instrument‖ which provides data demonstrating the effectiveness of these efforts.
Numerous handouts to audience members will support the presentation. We will end the session with time for discussion and questions/ answers.
Promoting First-Year Student Success: Assessment and Collaboration Improve Student Retention Through Early Identification and Intervention
John Kremer Professor of Psychology Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis 317-523-2875 [email protected]
Kenneth Wendeln Clinical Associate Professor of Management, Kelley School of Business Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis 317-278-3209 [email protected]
Kate Thedwall Director, Gateway to Graduation Program Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis 317-278-6480 [email protected]
IUPUI‘s gateway initiatives that support entering undergraduate students have brought together a diverse set of faculty and administrators with a common purpose to improve first-year academic student success in a large urban university. The model of assessing and reporting overall first-year program and course performance and engaging and supporting key faculty in gateway initiatives has been effective: (1) student retention and DFW (failing grades of D, F and Withdrawals) rates were measured, analyzed and reported by department and course. (2) Departments identified course coordinators responsible for large gateway courses. (3) Gateway coordinators met monthly with administration to discuss their efforts to reduce the DFW rate. (4) A university-wide gateway coordinator position was created to lead the gateway initiatives.
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(5) Through research, experimentation and collaboration common themes have been identified resulting in university support that could be used more broadly across other university programs.
Based on six years of student retention and course DFW data the university found that course improvements were helpful but not sufficient for reducing DFW rates. Key faculty members have concluded that there were ―gateway-course‖ principles that seemed to be uniform across courses and instructors: (1) The DFW rate has a base level and that these students do not become engaged in their courses. (2) Ability does not seem to be the primary predictor of failure. (3) The major contributor to the DWF rate was a failure to complete some of the basic requirements of the course.
Course data from 1200 students suggests that underperforming and failing students could be divided into four descriptive and predictive groups: (1) non-attendees, (2) non-compliers, (3) low-performers, and (4) drop-outs. Many faculty thought that they could predict these students very early in the courses. Based on student feedback, the student mentoring program changed from a group-oriented, content-based intervention to an individual, problem-solving approach focusing on student motivational factors and test preparation skills. Faculty is now experimenting with other early identification and intervention initiatives. These include attendance-taking and early assignments that could be used as predictors for success or failure and identifying students where early, active intervention could improve academic success. The ability to gather data across courses allows for collaboration among faculty, advisors, and mentors to more quickly and intentionally reach out to students who otherwise might become DFW failures because of their behaviors.
Additionally, changes in early warning and withdrawal policies encouraged by faculty have helped to improve student persistence.
A Mixed-Method Approach to Evaluating Themed Learning Communities
Michele Hansen Director of Assessment, University College Adjunct Associate Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis 317-652-1685 [email protected]
Lauren Chism Director, Themed Learning Communities Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis 317-278-4604 [email protected]
IUPUI‘s Themed Learning Communities (TLCs) involve two or more discipline-based courses paired with an integrative seminar in which cohorts of 25 incoming freshman students enroll. TLCs engage students, student mentors, faculty, librarians, advisors and others in a community
22 of learners that explore interdisciplinary connections both in and out of the classroom. Through the use of thematically linked curricula, service learning and co-curricular experiences, TLCs provide enriching learning experiences that foster interdisciplinary understanding. In order to measure the impact of the program and strive toward continual improvement, comprehensive assessment methods were employed.
The process of assessing TLCs begins with the goals and objectives of the program, for students, faculty and IUPUI. Institutional goals include increasing students‘ academic performance in terms of engagement, grades, and retention. Goals identified for students range from specific learning objectives to increasing student satisfaction. To measure the TLCs progression toward these goals, research has been conducted annually to estimate the effects of TLCs on first semester grades and first year retention rates. A Quasi-experimental method with a control group is employed, comparing students in the TLC program to students who participated in a first year seminar program. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) and hierarchical regression procedures were used to investigate the effects on GPAs and retention rates. Covariates used in the models included: high school GPAs, SAT scores, units of math, course load, age, gender, ethnicity, and first generation status. In 2008 the adjusted one semester GPAs for TLC students was 2.69, while the GPA for the first year seminar control group was 2.59. Hierarchal regression results demonstrated a Beta Weight of .41 for the TLC program meaning that the expected GPA for TLC students is .41 points greater than the average of NOT TLC students. Similarly, TLC participants‘ 6-year graduation rate graduation rate based on the 2003 cohort was 43% compared to 32% for non-participants. An analyses of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) results also displayed positive results. TLC students were significantly more engaged and reported significantly higher learning gains in several areas compared to a quasi-control group of IUPUI students and our NSSE Peer Group (nine peer institutions). Finally, student questionnaires including qualitative and quantitative items provided information regarding self-reported learning gains, course benefits, and satisfaction levels.
The findings of TLC assessment are disseminated campus-wide, discussed annually at a faculty development retreat and used as a guide for programmatic adjustments. We will demonstrate how assessment results using mixed-method designs are used by faculty, instructional team members, and program administrators to continuously improve the program.
Online Learning: Utilizing Technology to Enhance Student Success
Deborah Mixson-Brookshire Assistant Professor of Management, FYE & LSP Math Kennesaw State University 678-797-2074 [email protected]
Ruth Goldfine Associate Professor of English & FYE Kennesaw State University
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770-423-6131 [email protected]
As Kennesaw State University continues to grow, space constraints have fostered an increased interest on the part of both students and administrators in online courses. More departments are investigating or piloting hybrid and online sections of their courses in an effort to meet the heightened demand for classes while simultaneously dealing with the diminishing availability of classrooms. The Department of First-Year Programs began offering the First-Year Seminar (FYS) course online and as a hybrid more than a year ago. It became apparent very quickly that there exist unique challenges in teaching hybrid and online sections of this course and in meeting all of the stated learning outcomes for the course. Specifically, the seminar course has traditionally emphasized small group activities, personal contact with peers and faculty members, and directed attention to the needs of each individual student – all elements of the course that do not lend themselves well to an online environment. Given the incredible success of our First-Year Experience Program in general and the First-Year Seminar (FYS) specifically, we sought to transition sections of the FYS course to the online environment in a deliberate and carefully designed manner in order to maintain the quality and integrity of the program. Because we anticipate there will be an increased need for more online and hybrid section of in coming years, we developed a research project to investigate the effectiveness of online and hybrid FYS courses.
In this presentation, we will share the structure and design of our hybrid and online courses, identify the challenges we faced in our online instruction and discuss how we met those challenges, present the underpinnings of our research and share preliminary data results, and outline strategies for developing and implementing a hybrid/online section of a first-year seminar at your college. We will also discuss in detail how we engaged the students in the stated learning outcomes for our FYS. These outcomes include: (1) Life Skills -- goal setting, time management, budgeting, communication and leadership skills, team work, and wellness; (2) Strategies for Academic Success – critical thinking, study skills, test preparation strategies, library and research skills, presentation skills, technology skills, and an understanding of learning styles; (3) Campus and Community Connections – understanding and using campus resources, connecting with peers and faculty, getting involved in campus activities, and understanding the importance of civic engagement; (4) Foundations for Global Learning – ethics, leadership, citizenship, diversity and inclusiveness, and globalization.
Connecting Leadership Development for Current Students Within a Holistic Retention Initiative for First-Year Students
Ralph J. Rascati Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of University College Kennesaw State University 770-499-3550 [email protected]
Brian Wooten
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Director, Center for Student Leadership & Assistant Professor of University Studies Kennesaw State University 770-423-6329 [email protected]
Nancy Prochaska Associate Professor of Management Kennesaw State University 770-499-3513 [email protected]
Phillip Poskus Program Coordinator Kennesaw State University 770-423-6329 [email protected]
Christie Pugh Program Coordinator Kennesaw State University 770-423-6329 [email protected]
The Center for Student Leadership (CSL) in collaboration with University College developed a program for high achieving high school students who attend Kennesaw State University. The program is called the ―President‘s Emerging Global Scholars‖ (PEGS) program and is consistent with KSU‘s Quality Enhancement plan entitled ―Global Education for Engaged Citizenship. The program emphasizes the development of leadership skills in a global society. The program‘s philosophy is that leadership skills are best learned through active participation. Incoming first-year students who were in the top 5% of those admitted to the university were invited to participate. After an interview process, two cohorts of 20 students each were selected and enrolled in the PEGS program. A pre-enrollment summer retreat was held to allow students to begin to form connections with one another and with the program coordinators. One cohort consisted of students interested in careers in science and mathematics. The other cohort had a more general focus. Students in the general cohort participated in a 4-course learning community. The courses included a First-Year Seminar focused on the ―Seven Revolutions‖ (seven factors that will influence what the world will look like in 2025 and beyond; www.7revs.org), English Composition, Public Speaking and Introduction to Business. Within the 7-Revolutions context, the group focused on the BRIC countries in general, and Brazil in particular. The program culminated, in October, in a 10-day educational excursion to Salvador, Brazil and the surrounding area to see first-hand how Brazil is coping with some of the issues associated with the 7-Revolutions. In spring semester these students are learning leadership skills, engaging in a national service project and developing targeted academic plans. The Science and Mathematics cohort were not part of a formal learning community. Instead they participated in weekly meetings to develop leadership skills throughout fall and spring semesters. They also are developing targeted academic plans, have participated in a national
25 civic engagement project, are engaged with faculty mentors, and participated in a 10-day educational excursion to Guadalajara, Mexico in May. The focus of this program is to provide a value-added experience for high-achieving first-year students. The effectiveness of the program is being measured by retention and GPA. In addition, pre/post testing using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) is being employed to determine the effect of the international experience on intercultural awareness.
Kennesaw's Early Start Bridge Academy: A Unique Approach to Learning Support for Math Students
Ralph Rascati Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of University College Kennesaw State University 770-499-3550 [email protected]
Pinder Naidu Asst. Prof., Mathematics Kennesaw State University 770-423-6207 [email protected]
Rob Birrell Senior Lecturer Kennesaw State University 770-423-6207 [email protected]
Tonya Jones Asst. Prof., Mathematics Kennesaw State University 770-423-6207 [email protected]
Nicoly Myles Coordinator, Early Start Bridge Academy Kennesaw State University 770-499-3550 [email protected]
This session will describe how Kennesaw State University implemented a summer bridge learning community for first-year students prior to their first fall enrollment. The program, called the ―Early Start Bridge Academy (ESBA)‖ is designed to provide developmental mathematics students the opportunity to meet the goals of the program as stated in its tag line: ―Get In, Get Started, Get Through‖. The learning community consists of a developmental
26 mathematics course and a first-year seminar. The ESBA learning community gave a group of 29 (2008 cohort) and 50 (2009 cohort) incoming, self- selecting, traditional first-year students the opportunity to get a head start in a subject for which most were ill-prepared, as indicated by the standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, and COMPASS. In addition, the first-year seminar provided them with much-needed information on time management, study skills and other strategies for academic success. The learning community format also fostered strong peer interactions that contribute to students‘ success in their first year of college.
This session will describe the organization required, the unique structure and features of the program, the campus offices involved, the recruitment and selection of participants. The research foundations related to self-efficacy and mathematics self-efficacy as it pertains to the teaching and learning of developmental students will also be presented. Data collected as part of this program focused on the effectiveness of the ESBA in providing incoming traditional, developmental first-year students an alternative learning environment designed to improve their performance in mathematics and provide a successful transition to the college environment. This study examined the effect of the social and academic structure provided by the program on the mathematical success of developmental students and on their confidence to succeed in college. The goals of the program included the cultivation of developmental mathematics students‘ analytical thinking and reasoning abilities and the improvement of their ability to learn. Data were analyzed to determine academic success in terms of grades, credit hours earned (progression), and retention. The study specifically addressed the following research questions: 1) Do students who participate in the Early Start Bridge Academy perform at a higher level in their developmental mathematics courses than students who do not? and 2) Is there a higher level of academic success, retention and progression of developmental mathematics students who participated in the program compared to those that did not?
Connecting Leadership Development for current students within a holistic retention initiative for first year students
Brian Wooten Director of the Center for Student Leadership and Assistant Professor for University Studies Kennesaw State University 770-423-6329 [email protected]
Ralph J. Rascati Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of University College Kennesaw State University 770-499-3550 [email protected]
Rebecca Casey Chair, University Studies Kennesaw State University 770-423-6207
Joshua S. Hunt CSL LINK Leadership Coordinator Kennesaw State University 770-423-6329 [email protected]
Presenters will discuss the CSL‘s joint reporting structure connecting academic affairs and student success and enrollment services. Session will briefly discuss how this partnership has strengthened our ability to provide leadership development training for students that transcends the class and out-of-class divide. This connection is a fundamental value that is seen throughout the program and is particularly unique to KSU. Presenters will discuss the how the curriculum for the KSU model was developed and tested. Presenters will further detail the LINK leadership curriculum and how it is operationalized over the three-year period providing particular emphasis on the project based nature of the program. Presenters will provide information on the composition of the LINK membership and steps that have been taken to ensure a diversity of membership. The various assessment instruments utilized to evaluate the leadership growth of participating students will be explained and results will be shared to illustrate how the growth of students is measured. In addition, presenters will particularly focus on how the Orientation and Teaching Assistant programs are used as a means of evaluating leadership growth. Orientation and Teaching Assistant support information will be available to review. Finally, the presenters will share data collected from the past three years that demonstrate how these students continue to impact the retention of our first year students.
Effects of a First-Year Health-Related Fitness Course on Physical Activity
Bernard Goldfine Professor, Department of Health, Physical Education, and Sport Science Kennesaw State University 678-852-9001 [email protected]
Jennifer Beck Associate Professor Kennesaw State University 770-423-6486 [email protected]
Mitchell Collins Professor and Chair of Department of HPS Kennesaw State University [email protected]
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The transition from high school to college can be very unique and challenging for first year students. Many programs attempt to focus on educating students to utilize resources, solve problems, engage in campus life, explore civic responsibilities and prepare them to take full advantage of their time on campus. In addition to the new challenges, college-age students face an increase of risky behaviors and are also living sedentary lives. According to the CDC (2005), nearly half of American youths aged 12-21 are not vigorously active on a regular basis. To address this problem many universities began developing multidimensional health-related courses. More institutions approached the course differently, however, most focused on a variety of wellness topics and laboratory activities with the primary goal of eliciting positive behavior changes.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a required 15-week health-related fitness course on physical activity levels. Subjects (N=653) for this study were recruited from several general education courses taken by freshman or first-year students. Students that identified as never enrolling in the fitness course composed the control group while the experimental group consisted of students enrolled in a 15-week required health-related fitness course. The course was designed so that 2/3 was devoted to lecture based instruction (health and fitness based concepts) and 1/3 of the class was devoted to laboratories (cardiovascular endurance, muscular fitness, body composition and flexibility) and physical activity (aerobic and game-type activities) opportunities. Data was collected using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, where students self-reported physical activity behaviors.
Results of the study revealed no significant differences between groups for age, marital status, or race. However, following the 15-week intervention, the experimental group reported a 13.2% increase in the quantity of moderate physical activity (MET minutes/week) compared to reduced physical activity levels within the control group. With regard to the transtheortical model of change (Prochaska et. al., 1997), there was an 8.0% increase (p<.05) in the proportion of subjects in the experimental group who report being in the ―Action‖ or ―Maintenance‖ stage, and a 16% decrease in the proportion of the control group who participated in consistent PA.
Based on the findings of the study, a 15-week health-related fitness course appears to be an effective intervention at eliciting positive PA behavior changes in first year students. Using diverse teaching strategies which include critical thinking, student engagement, and personal accountability all are necessary in this multi-dimensional approach.
From Freiwillige Feuerwehr and Sapeurs-Pompiers Voluntairs to Emergency Response Student Teams: Teaching Civic Responsibility Through Student Engagement
David Thompson Coordinator of Learning Communities Kennesaw State University 678-797-2474 [email protected]
Kathy Lynn
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Lead Instructor, Emergency Preparedness Kennesaw State University 678-797-2527 [email protected]
Yvonne Wichman Instructor, Department of English Kennesaw State University 404-680-4224 [email protected]
After establishing the worldwide need to train responsible citizens to step forward as ―Good Samaritans‖ in the event of emergency, we will define, for the purpose of this presentation, ―civic engagement through student engagement.‖ We will describe the purpose and goals of the ―Emergency! Are You Prepared?‖ learning community. Then we will present highlights of our literature review.
According to our literature review, there are few scholarly articles that combine best practice of teaching with the content area of emergency preparedness. Much of the scholarly research on the topic of emergency preparedness relates to training crisis response professionals, such as healthcare workers and municipal planners.
We have found no existing work in the area of emergency preparedness or disaster awareness for first-year students in learning communities.
The literature review also includes work specific to first-year students. In particular, we refer to literature about student engagement, such as work presented at the 2010 FYE Conference by Gahagan (who examined the importance of responsible citizenship as a form of student engagement); Staley, Cowles and Lewis; Walter and Nemitz; and Ross, Evenbeck and Kinzie.
We will introduce the Research Questions for this study, then present an overview of the methods – including sample, survey instrument, data collection, process, and method of analysis.
Because data collection is in progress at this time, we cannot provide a summary of our findings here.
Defining E-mersion: Technology‟s Influence on the Transition to College as an Immersive Cultural Experience
David Thompson Coordinator of Learning Communities Kennesaw State University 678-797-2474 [email protected]
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Birgit Wassmuth Chair, Department of Communication Kennesaw State University 770-423-6298 [email protected]
This session will include 20-25 minutes for open discussion of the trend defined in this presentation as E-mersion. The first 35-40 minutes of the presentation will be spent defining E- mersion, reviewing literature that contributes to an understanding of E-mersion, and pointing out research topics that investigate E-mersion and its impact on students‘ transition to college.
Zeller and Mosier (1993) use the W-Curve to describe the phases of adaptation to life at college: Honeymoon; Culture shock; Initial adjustment; Mental isolation; and Acceptance and integration. The W-Curve and these stages of adaptation are attributed to Oberg‘s (1960) article in Practical Anthropology, ―Culture shock: Adjustments to new cultural environments.‖ Other literature that addresses culture shock includes: Winkelman (2003) who says, ―Cultural shock reactions may provoke psychological crises or social dysfunctions when reactions to cultural differences impede performance‖; and Dirkx et al (2006) who say, ―What the self needs most for its own development is often what we most consciously fear or from which we quickly turn away. Intercultural social contexts often evoke such emotional experiences.‖ This supports the reality that two possible reactions to transition to college life are turning away (going home) or dysfunction (stay in school but fail classes).
Literature related to digital devices and social media (such as ―Here comes everybody: The power of organizing without organizations‖ by Shirky, 2009) will be presented.
Based on the literature review, the idea that E-mersion may enable first-time students to avoid, delay, cope or accelerate immersion in campus culture will be spelled out.
The call for research will divide topics into two main categories: Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. Research ideas will be provided and session participants will be invited to collaborate with us on future research or to adopt and adapt these ideas for their own research agendas.
Research ideas related to Academic Affairs will include, for example: 1) the effect of Tweeting ―helpful hints‖ for assignments on student perceptions of helpfulness of instructors; and 2) visual indicators of possible need for intervention (for counseling, for example) in a photo- journaling assignment (using a cell phone camera), such as a ―week in the life‖ of [this] first- semester student.
Research ideas related to Student Affairs will include, for example: 1) the effect of Tweeting residence hall activity announcements on attendance at co-curricular events; 2) analysis of interviews with students sanctioned for behavioral misconduct using time spent in e-mersive activity as a factor.
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Understanding and Managing Student Expectations – Its Impact on Student Retention
Michelle Morgan Student Experience Manager and Learning and Teaching Coordinator Kingston University 00447751104040 [email protected]
The landscape of higher education (HE) has dramatically altered in the past 30 years and it continues to evolve and change. Not only are more students attending university than ever before but the diversity of the student body has added a complexity to the delivery of the efficient and effective provision of HE.
Supporting and enhancing the undergraduate student experience across the student lifecycle (from first contact through to becoming alumni) is a critical activity in higher education today. In order to aid retention and progression in a highly competitive HE market, the quality of the student experience is pivotal to a higher education institution‘s (HEI) ability to attract students.
Enhancing the student experience today is a key activity for all staff within HE. With the increasing pressures on HE, trying to improve and enhance the experience of the undergraduate student across the student lifecycle, is often challenging and frustrating as well as a confusing maze that leaves staff not knowing which way to turn. This can be exacerbated by using a ‗one size fits all‘ approach in activities for ease.
A key activity in providing a quality student experience is understanding and managing the student expectation. By understanding perceptions and the expectations of applicants, new students and parents, it helps HEIs manage the student experience by correcting unrealistic expectations and delivering realistic demands. It is especially important when designing and creating pre-arrival, arrival, orientation and induction information and programmes for new students. This session looks at the importance of understanding and managing student expectations, how to collect the relevant information and use the results to help shape induction and retention policies not just in the first year but throughout the student lifecycle.
The aims and objectives of the session are to: • Understand the impact of student expectations on retention • Look at how delegates institutions are presently managing student expectations • Understand how to collect the relevant information • How to use the results to help shape pre-arrival, arrival, orientation and induction information and programmes • How to use the results to help shape retention policies and the management of student expectations
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Biology Boot Camp, Freshmen Interest Groups (FIGs), and Residential Colleges: Three Approaches Designed to Help First-Year Science Students Succeed
Rebecca Rogge Academic Programs Coordinator Louisiana State University 225-578-5155 [email protected]
Sheri M. Wischusen Director of Undergraduate Research Education Louisiana State University 225-578-0405 [email protected]
E. William Wischusen Associate Chair, Biological Sciences Louisiana State University 225-578-8239 [email protected]
Steven M. Pomarico Instructor, Biological Sciences Louisiana State University 225-578-8785 [email protected]
Christopher Gregg Instructor, Biological Sciences Louisiana State University 225-578-7651 [email protected]
This presentation will achieve the following learning outcomes: a) demonstrate the partnership between an academic unit and residential life department to create a first-year experience for students in science majors, b) outline the initiative models and strategies used for successful implementation, c) share assessment results from BIOS and the living-learning programs, and d) provide recommendations for continued development and focus. Session participants will gain a greater understanding of the academic and transitional needs of first-year science students as they learn about the history and evolution of the BIOS, FIG, and residential college programs at LSU. Participants will better understand the logistics, details, and needs for developing and sustaining the BIOS program. Participants will experience the living-learning community models in more detail from learning outcomes to co-curricular activities to the custom designed first-year seminar course. Assessment data are share with participants and show specific areas of student success (e.g. course grades, ―on track‖ percentages, retention to the major, GPA, and graduation rates) and general areas of success (e.g. the first-year seminar
33 course and co-curricular elements). Finally, future directions and recommendations will be shared.
Learning Communities and Public Affairs: Launching a New Program at Missouri State University
Mike Wood Director, First-Year Programs Missouri State University 417-836-8343 [email protected]
At Missouri State University we are implementing several initiatives to improve the success and retention of our first-year students. One of these efforts includes curricular learning communities (LCs).
Missouri State has had Public Affairs (PA) as its mission since 1995; thus, PA is an integral part of the learning communities. Public Affairs is realized at Missouri State through three broad themes: Cultural Competence, Ethical Leadership, and Community Engagement. A yearly PA theme is also selected. In addition, LC faculty will use a common reader as well as assignments to promote the PA theme.
This session will focus on lessons learned from recruitment of faculty through implementation of this new learning community program. Presenter will share, through handouts and power point, suggestions and resources for building support for LCs, emphasize the importance of faculty development and support, and describe Public Affairs integration. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with the presenter, and resources (including assessment survey, marketing materials, etc.) will be shared.
Student Support Through Foundation and Extended Programmes at South African Universities
Maritz Snyders Director, Centre for Extended Studies Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University +27842089959 [email protected]
During the so-called ―Apartheid‖ era in South Africa before 1994, the country had a very fragmented and unequal educational system. No significant improvements have been made since then despite a new political dispensation. Universities that were previously dedicated for white students coming from a good schooling background, now had to open access to students from the badly resourced schools in the disadvantaged township and rural areas that were not prepared for the challenges for further study.
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This challenged universities to find a balance between accepting these students, but still do so in a responsible way to ensure that they are given a reasonable chance to succeed. Since the mid 1990‘s universities introduced a variety of special support and access programmes. The two most popular forms was • One-year ―Foundation‖ or ―Bridging‖ programmes in which students are provided with the skills and competencies needed for success in future studies. • Extended Curriculum programmes in which the regulation time for an undergraduate programme is extended by one year so allow the opportunity to built additional foundational support into the curriculum.
Universities initially had to fund special access programmes out of their own resources. Since 2004 the South African government however introduced earmarked foundational provision funding to support universities with such programmes. During the 1st 3-year funding cycle the funds could be used for either of the two types of programmes discussed above, but the criteria changed as from 2007, and currently one-year foundation or bridging programmes are not funded by the government. This forced many institutions, including NMMU, to change from foundation to extended programmes.
A research project commissioned by the Council for Higher Education showed in 2007 that less than a third of students entering universities in South Africa complete their qualifications in regulation time, with more than 50% dropping out of the system without obtaining a qualification. The report proposed that radical curriculum reform must be introduced by extending the regulation time of most undergraduate qualification by an additional year, to create the opportunity to build additional support into the curriculum for the majority of students, and not only for the minority that are currently enrolled for the extended programmes. This proposal is currently the topic of many local and national debates, but a decision by the Minister of Education is not expected soon. If this materializes the experiences gained in extended programmes can play a significant role in the revamping of higher education in South Africa.
Student Group Mentoring as a Living and Learning Community
Sarie Snyders Senior Manager, Student Academic Development Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University +2741 5042759 [email protected]
As many of the first-year students studying at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) are under-prepared, the university are confronted with the reality of having to find ways to support these unprepared students. Mentoring is offered to all residence first-years, as well as to nursing, mechanical and electrical engineering first-year students. This presentation will share the experience mentoring as a living and learning community, the benefits of mentoring to the first-year students, the mentors (senior students) and the institution, as well as
35 the process followed to implement the mentoring programmes and lastly some of the research findings.
Our decision to utilize group mentoring was affirmed by Zachary [n.d.] who indicates that group mentoring offers students participation and learning in a group, learning from each other as well as from an experienced mentor. The richness of the experience lies in group members sharing personal experiences and the questions that the mentor asks to stimulate discussion, and through sharing his/her experiences, offering feedback and being a soundboard. Zachary also mentions that group mentoring â??promotes diversity of thinking, practice and understanding. This is extremely important in the multi-cultural environment of residences in the South African context.
Since offering mentoring in 2008 to residences we have evidence, from literature as well as the empirical study that indicates that the first-year students are valuing the mentoring experience as most indicated that the mentoring had a positive impact on them and the mentors also indicated that they gained especially in terms of personal development, study skills and time management. One mentor said â??thanks for giving us this wonderful opportunity to help shape the future of fellow students and at the same time developing our facilitation skills and interpersonal relations?•.
Reference list
Zachary, L.J. Strategies for Success in Group mentoring. Retrieved on 9 February 2009 from http://humanresources.about.com/od/coachingmentoring/a/group_mentoring.htm
One Urban University, Three Orientation Programs
Daniel Fictum Director of Student Life and Development New York City College of Technology 718-260-5391 [email protected]
Manny Lopez Assistant Director of Student Life Bronx Community College 718-289-5962 [email protected]
John Andrejack Director of Student Life Queens College [email protected]
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This concurrent session will present three different approaches to new student orientation within one large urban institution, The City University of New York. Each facilitator will present an overview of the orientation program that has been developed at their campus. Consideration will be given to issues relevant to engaging one of the most diverse student populations at any university. An overview of the University and of each of the three campuses will start the program followed by presentation of the individual orientation programs.
Each institution must compete for the attention of the students as they are drawn to the attractions of the city. Although a majority of students at these institutions come from the New York City area many have not ventured far from their home neighborhoods. For many this is the first time that they have really had to interact with individuals different than themselves. Contrary to popular belief that New York City students would be worldly and self assured we find that they have many of the same issues as new students anywhere. Our students may present themselves differently however they are still often insecure and unsure of what to expect. Additionally many are first generation college students and are unfamiliar with what it means to be a college student. The orientation programs have been designed to address these concerns.
The facilitators will talk about the similarities and differences of our programs. Specific attention will be given to how these programs might be used at other urban universities as well as colleges anywhere.
Personal Branding as a Tool for Professional Development
Daniel Fictum Director of Student Life and Development New York City College of Technology-CUNY 718-260-5391 [email protected]
The workshop will begin with a presentation of the definition and review of the basic concepts of personal branding. This will include examples of individuals that have been highly successful in branding themselves. Discussion will include rational for why it is important to brand yourself and how presenting a strong personal brand can enhance your program, whether it be orientation, a first year class, or new student advisement. Establishing a strong personal brand will increase your visibility and the visibility of your programs. In times of cutbacks and budget cuts highly visible and respected programs are harder to cut from the budget.
The workshop will continue with a presentation of the steps needed to create a personal brand including how to do a self-assessment to identify personal assets, begin the process of determining what they stand for (their personal brand), and how to communicate this brand to others. Participants will be engaged through the use of worksheets and visuals designed to help them to begin the process of creating a personal brand. Participants will be encouraged through the worksheets to start to identify their own personal brands.
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Following will be a discussion of how to apply these principles to college programs. They will be introduced to ways of leveraging their personal brands to establish a respected and highly regarded college program. They will also be introduced to how to apply the personal branding techniques to programs and activities. They will better positioned to support first year students when they have created strong programs using branding techniques. A good program that no one knows about may help a few but through branding they will be able to share the wealth with many more.
The workshop session will conclude with time for open discussion with participants about applying the personal branding techniques and suggestions of how it might be used. Participants will leave with an general knowledge of personal branding, information on how to apply the concepts and an understanding of why developing a brand can be beneficial to maintaining programs for first year students. Most importantly, all participants will have the opportunity to leave the workshop with the beginnings of a personal brand statement.
Help-Seeking and Help-Giving Behaviors at Tutorial Sessions: Tutors‟ Perspective
Leroy Hamilton Director, Office of First-Year Experience/ACCESS Norfolk State University 757-823-2939 [email protected]
Alexei Matveev Director, Quality Enhancement and Critical Thinking Studies Norfolk State University 757-823-8611 [email protected]
The type of help-seeking and help-giving behaviors enacted in academic support settings significantly affects self-regulated learning strategies adopted by students, and consequently, learning outcomes (e.g., Karabenick & Newman, 2006; Zusho et al., 2008); however, there is relatively limited published in-depth qualitative research on student help-seeking behaviors in academic support services (Alexitch, 2002; Madni, 2008; McGee, 2005; Speed, 2004) and in institutions that serve minority students.
The roundtable facilitators will begin the session by providing a brief overview of the current research on academic help-seeking/giving behaviors. Specific attention will be placed on the role played by student goal-setting orientation (Elliot, 1997; Arbreton, 1998), attributions for prior performance (Ames & Lau, 1982), and epistemological development (Aleven, et al., 2003; Pizzolato et al., 2009) in delineating the differences in help-seeking behavior along the scope (i) and type (ii) dimensions – (i) between avoidant or disengaged, dependent, and appropriate help-seeking behaviors (Ryan et al., 2005) and (ii) between instrumental/strategic and executive/ expedient help-seeking behaviors (Nelson-Le Gall, 1981; Karabenick, 1998).
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The facilitators will outline the methodology of the qualitative study of help-seeking/giving behaviors enacted at SI sessions. The study was framed by role theory, a sociological theory that explains how an individual‘s behavior is influenced by the social positions s/he holds and the societal expectations that accompany those positions (Katz & Kahn, 1966; Merton, 1957). In the context of this discussion, pedagogies employed by SI student leaders can be seen as a factor of student and FYE staff expectations of the SI leaders as well as the SI leaders‘ understanding of these expectations. From the role theory perspective, opinions of SI leaders about help-seeking/giving exchanges at the SI sessions essentially serve as reflections of the perceived student demand for a certain type of help-giving behavior. Perceived demand, in turn, drives the supply of pedagogies enacted in the SI sessions by the SI leaders.
In-depth, semi-structured interviews (Rubin & Rubin, 2005) as well as session observations (Angrosino, 2007) were utilized to capture experiences of 15 SI student leaders. NVivo software was used to facilitate coding, analysis, and interpretation of the interview data (Bazeley, 2007).
The session participants will be engaged in interpretation of preliminary themes that emerged from the interview data analysis (student motivation, attribution of prior performance, SI session group dynamics, self-efficacy of SI leaders) in the context of their home institutions and relevant theories. The following preliminary findings will further guide the discussion:
- SI leaders believe that session attendees tend to exhibit dependent help-seeking behaviors and seek executive or task-based help. - In contrast, SI leaders, themselves, appear to subscribe to the instrumental or principles-based help-giving philosophy. - However, SI leaders tend to exhibit ―passive adaptation‖ or tend to align their session pedagogies with student executive help-seeking behaviors.
Drawing on the interpretations of the study findings, as well as on the discussion of common barriers and best practices in SI identified by the attendees, the facilitators will engage the participants in a structured discussion to develop specific guidelines and practical training activities that will motivate and enable SI leaders to engage SI session participants in intentional instrumental or strategic help exchanges.
It Takes a Village: Campus-Wide Retention Initiative at an Historically Black College or University
Tracey Ford Director, Center for Academic Excellence North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University 336-285-4240 [email protected]
Regina Artis
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Assistant Director, Center for Academic Excellence North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University 336-285-4240 [email protected]
The Center for Academic Excellence, formerly The Center for Student Success, was established in 2007 as a result of the work of the University Wide Retention Committee (UWRC). CAE‘s mission is to increase first year student retention and empower students to achieve long term academic, career, and personal success. The university's retention rate rose from 68.9% in 2006 to 77.1% in 2009, an 8.2% increase in 3 years. The goal is 80% by 2012
This presentation will provide participants with an overview of the UWRC hallmark initiatives (which are outlined below). Presenters will also discuss lessons learned and future plans to build on the success of the current plan.
I. Intensive Academic Advising CAE provided academic advising to new freshmen and sophomores and logged 2,245 face-to- face student contacts through individual and/or group advising sessions during fall 2009. CAE utilizes a variety of strategies to provide intensive academic advising such as learning communities and residence hall advising.
II. Improving student learning and retention in high-failure rate courses (Tutorial and Early Alert/Supplemental Instruction) The CAE Tutorial Program offered individualized and group tutorial sessions for 100- and 200- level courses in mathematics, science, foreign languages, and others. During the fall 2009 semester, the tutorial program logged approximately 1,100 student visits.
The Early Alert/Supplemental Instruction (EA/SI) initiative required supplemental instruction for freshmen students who were underperforming in three University Studies general education courses. SI attendance steadily rose during the first half of the semester and averaged over 185 students per week overall. There were significant reductions in the DFW rate for two of the three University Studies general education courses. There were approximately 900 students identified through the Early Alert process and 2,598 student visits to supplemental instruction sessions.
III. Summer Bridge Programs The purpose of the 2009 Summer Bridge Program was to increase access to higher education for students who did not meet regular admission requirements and to assist them with academic, social, and personal transition to the University. The summer 2009 bridge students, who successfully completed the program, enrolled in the University for the fall 2009 term. Academic support, such as specialized academic advising, a reading coach, block scheduling, and residence hall living/learning communities were some of the strategies used to assist bridge students‘ academic success. A preliminary review of fall 2009 grades indicated that 76 percent of bridge students were in good standing while 24 percent were on academic probation.
Implications for Institutional Improvement or Advancement
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First year student retention is an important phenomenon in higher education as it impacts graduation rates, enrollment, budgets and university programs and services. The more institutions know about why their students leave and stay can assist them in program development, fiscal management, and curriculum design. First year students bring a unique set of qualities and attributes that universities must be equipped to address if they are going to provide a welcoming and rigorous learning environment.
As more minorities enter higher education, a focus on this specific population can provide institutions with data and information to assist them in developing effective programs that are proactive instead of reactive. This presentation, presented from an HBCU perspective, will provide other minority serving institutions as well as majority institutions with promising practices on how they can develop and implement effective retention strategies targeted at these populations.
Finally, many states are beginning to link budget allocations with retention rates so it is best for institutions to take a hard look at first year student retention and the impact it can have on their university's long term goals and planning.
Creating DEEP Learning Environments: Organizational Influences on First-Year Students
Robert D. Reason Associate Professor and Senior Research Associate Penn State University 801-863-3766 [email protected]
Bradley Cox Graduate Researcher Penn State University [email protected]
Kadian McIntosh Graduate Researcher Penn State University [email protected]
Patrick Terenzini Professor and Senior Scientist Penn State University [email protected]
The presentation will be broken into four sections. Throughout the presentation, but particularly in the discussion at the end, we will encourage audience members to share examples and insights from their own institutions. Each section is discussed briefly below.
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1. Introduction and overview Previous research has highlighted the relationship between deep approaches to learning and student learning outcomes (Nelson Laird et al., 2008; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). Using a series of case studies, Kuh and his colleagues (2005) drew direct links between institutional policies, practices, and cultures and deep learning activities. Focusing on first-year students, this study uses empirical data to explore further the links suggested by Kuh et al (2005). 2. Programs and policies designed to encourage engagement with deep learning activities. We will present of a brief descriptive summary of the policies and practices, reported by CAOs and SSAOs at the 33 participating institutions, which should influence deep learning environments. Audience members will gain an understanding of the policies and practices at work on these institutions and the theoretical links between those policies and practices and deep learning environments. With this descriptive understanding in mind, we will ask: are these actions effective? 3. Our study This study uses data from 5,906 students and 12,822 faculty members from 33 institutions to determine whether institution-level policies and practices influence DEEP learning environments, as operationalized by NSSE (2004, 2005). As expected, our results do not identify any ―silver bullet‖ that will increase students‘ level of engagement with DEEP learning approaches. Promising practices are, however, identified. Indeed, analyses indicate that both the CAOs and SSAOs have policy levers under their purview that might positively affect the student environment for engagement with DEEP learning approaches. These policies and practices will be discussed. Although the relationships between institutional policies and student environments were relatively weak (some of which may be statistical artifacts of the unit of analysis used), our results indicate that faculty cultures and the behaviors they encourage directly influence the environment for students‘ engagement with DEEP learning activities. An institution‘s strongest policy levers in creating DEEP learning environments may be those that influence faculty behavior and culture. These findings, and strategies for influencing faculty behavior and culture, will be discussed. 4. Discussion We anticipate having 20-25 minutes remaining for a large group discussion. This segment will be driven by audience interest, though we will encourage attendees to consider the following questions: a. How might institutions most effectively marshal resources to influence DEEP learning environments for students? b. What obstacles exist? What strategies are available to overcome these obstacles? c. What role can staff (e.g., orientation or residence hall staff) play in promoting environments that encourage student engagement with DEEP learning activities?
Examining the Efficacy of Policies and Programs Designed to Increase Faculty-Student Interaction Outside of the Classroom
Bradley Cox Graduate Research Assistant Florida State University
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814-404-8409 [email protected]
Robert Reason Assistant Professor Pennsylvania State University [email protected]
Kadian McIntosh Graduate Research Assistant Pennsylvania State University [email protected]
Patrick Terenzini Distinguished Professor Pennsylvania State University [email protected]
The presentation will be broken into four sections. Throughout the presentation, but particularly in the discussion at the end, we will encourage audience members to share examples and insights from their own institutions. Each section is discussed briefly below.
1. Introduction and overview Previous research has highlighted the educational value of out-of-class interactions between faculty members and students (Anaya & Cole, 2001; Lundberg & Schreiner, 2004; Kuh & Hu, 2001). Yet, that same body of research suggests that such interactions occur less frequently than one might expect (Chang, 2005; Cotten & Wilson, 2006; Cox & Orehovec, 2007). Therefore, several institutions have initiated policies and practices designed, in part, to facilitate faculty- student interaction.
2. Programs and policies designed to foster faculty-student interaction Some institutions have begun requiring faculty members to participate in new-student orientation or considering faculty-student interaction as part of the faculty members‘ performance review process. Summer reading programs, first year seminars, and faculty-in- residence programs bring professors and students together outside of the traditional academic classroom. Our question: are these actions effective?
3. Our study This study uses data from 5,906 students from 33 institutions to determine whether levels of faculty-student interaction are higher at schools employing such policies or programs. Results indicate that most participating institution take a position of encouragement: rather than requiring faculty participation, institutions tend to simply encourage, for example, faculty members to attend orientation. Similarly, 81% of participating schools offer some type of initiative specifically designed to increase faculty-student interaction, but only one in four are coordinated across the entire campus. Results suggest two overall conclusions;
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i. Students do not interact more frequently on campuses that have policies related to faculty- student interaction. ii. Levels of interaction are actually lower at institutions with formal programs designed to foster faculty-student interaction.
We will present results using pie charts and cross-tabulations with chi-squared and/or ANOVA significance tests. Interpretation of these results and a discussion of their implications will follow.
4. Discussion We anticipate having 20-25 minutes remaining for a large group discussion. This segment will be driven by audience interest, though we will encourage attendees to consider the following questions: a. What might explain our counter-intuitive findings? b. Do their institutions have effective programs/policies designed to encourage faculty-student interaction? c. What role can staff (e.g., orientation or residence hall staff) play in promoting faculty-student interaction?
Delivering the First Year of College: A Profile of How It Is Done on 45 Campuses
Kadian McIntosh Ph.D. candidate and Graduate Research Assistant Pennsylvania State University 305-528-6686 [email protected]
Patrick Terenzini Distinguished Professor of Higher Education, Senior Scientist for the Center for the Study of Higher Education Pennsylvania State University 814-865-9755 [email protected]
Bradley Cox Ph.D. Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant Pennsylvania State University 814-865-7984 [email protected]
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Robert Reason Associate Professor of Higher Education and College Student Affairs, Senior Research Associate for the Center for the Study of Higher Education Pennsylvania State University 814-863-3766 [email protected]
The presentation will have three sections directed at administrators and faculty members with responsibility for some aspect of the first year of college. Sections include:
I. Introduction and Overview
After reviewing the research assessing organizational influences on an array of student outcomes, Terenzini and Reason (2005) concluded that student outcomes are influenced more by internal organizational features (structures, programs, and policies) than by conventional institutional descriptors (control, size, mission, selectivity). By providing a portrait of how the first year of college is delivered on 45 campuses that vary in control, size, and mission, the proposed presentation will help participants compare (and think about) their own campus‘s programs, practices, and policies vis-à-vis those of similar institutions across the country.
II. The Profile of Structures, Programs, and Policies
This section will present a profile of current structures, programs, and policies intended to support first-year students and maximize their chances for academic success. Findings will be organized into five areas: structures (leadership, coordination, etc.), resources (staffing and budgets), programs (advising, early-alert systems), academic policies (curriculum, class sizes, who teaches first-year students, reward system criteria), and evaluation and assessment (personnel, programs, and services).
Some results/findings:
• Structures: More than half of the institutions have a specific person dedicated to the first-year experience. Most coordinating committees (97%) in student affairs divisions do not have faculty or academic affairs representation.
• Resources: Many campuses provide only limited staffing resources but do provide a specific budget for student services.
• Academic Policies: Few institutions consider faculty members‘ involvement with first-year programs or students in hiring (12%), promotion and tenure (13%), or merit-salary increase decisions (11 %).
• Assessment: Assessment results had a strong impact in many student affairs‘ areas except hiring and budgeting.
• Alignment of Policies and Faculty Perceptions/Behaviors: Faculty perceptions of
45 organizational policies or activities, and some reported faculty behaviors, are not well-aligned with the policies and practices CAOs and CSAOs report.
III. Discussion of Implications
At least 20-30 minutes will be set aside for participants‘ questions and comments on the issues discussed. Discussion questions will include:
• What organizational structures or processes appear to be most effective on your campus (and your evidence of that)?
• What might explain findings that some policies are less effective than believed or even counter-productive?
• What other elements should be highlighted in the model that will promote understanding of student learning?
Keeping It Real: Embedding Academic Skill Development in a Business Faculty
Andrea Reid Teaching and Learning Consultant Queensland University of Technology 0409262405 [email protected]
Formal presentation, 40 minutes: The presentation will outline the initiatives that a large Business faculty has undertaken to embed academic skill development in the first year. The approach has been highly integrative and proactive and has included cross-faculty collaboration to deliver a program that develops students‘ academic skills within the context of their disciplines. The approach will be fully explored through three examples of the work undertaken in 2009 and 2010: (i) a written diagnostic test where students were subsequently referred to a program of support (ii) a support program that has been evaluated and modified to be more embedded based on evidence of low attendance at generic workshops (iii) integration of an underpinning Business-specific academic skills text that addresses graduate competences set out by a major accrediting body. A full discussion of the diagnostic test and the first and subsequent iterations of the support program will be presented which will demonstrate how the Faculty addressed low student uptake of generic programs and developed a model that integrates academic skills teaching with targeted work on particular assessment tasks. The work undertaken in the Faculty has been based on current research into provision of academic skill development and particularly supports the findings by Barratt (2009) of the benefits of a model not based on deficits but on developing skills for all students while also capturing those students at risk.
The presentation will also outline a key component of the embedded approach which is the integrated use of a Business-specific text entitled Starting your Business degree: Academic
46 skills for success, the first text of its kind to address the new graduate capabilities required by a major accrediting body, the AACSB. The book was written by the session presenters and comes with a toolkit of resources (templates and checklists) that can be used in both in-class and support programs to enable students to conceptualize and practice key academic skills within specific assessment tasks in the context of their disciplines.
Questions, 20 minutes: The formal presentation will be followed by a 20 minute interactive session where the presenters will field questions on all aspects of the Faculty of Business approach. A copy of the text and its accompanying toolkit will be available and the presenters will demonstrate how it is currently being used.
Reference: Barratt, C. (2009, July 6-9). DEPT: an embedded approach to academic skills development. 2009 HERDSA Conference Showcase. Darwin.
Strategies to Facilitate Grading Consistency in Large Classes
Larry Neale Senior Lecturer, Marketing Queensland University of Technology +61-7-3138-2274 [email protected]
First year undergraduate classes frequently contain hundreds of students, and as a result teaching teams are often used to deliver content, as well as grade assignments and exams. This variance in experience and culture influences the subjective evaluations teachers use to judge the content of student assignments and these assignments then require post-grading moderation – a time consuming and sub-optimal process. What is required is a more efficient and effective way to moderate assignment grading.
Recent developments in education technologies have allowed instructors to use interactive Audience Response Technology (ART) devices in lectures, seminars and tutorials. Using either a specific hand-held device, or any Internet enabled machine (iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, laptop computer, netbook etc.), students can respond to questions instructors pose on PowerPoint slides, and receive immediate feedback via automatically generated output slides. ART is used for many reasons: it allows feedback from large numbers of students; it engages students and encourages interactivity; it allows anonymous responses from students who would otherwise be too shy; and even allows instructors to collect data in a classroom setting.
Often, assignments in large classes marked by teaching teams are moderated after they are marked. The grades assigned by each marker are adjusted depending on how they compare to a benchmark or average. Although somewhat useful, this is a crude system, and does not deliver consistency for students because it paints each marker as easy, average or hard, and then subjects the assignments to broad increases or decreases. This teaching innovation moderates
47 assignments before they are graded, and requires the use of interactive ART and Criterion Referenced Assessment (CRA). CRA evaluates students‘ assignments against criteria, defined as desirable qualities or dimensions of a student‘s performance.
Preliminary qualitative data reveal the teaching team responds well to using ART in moderation sessions. Some representative quotes include: "ART helped me give more honest ratings without feeling embarrassed or pressured" "It made it [grading] more transparent" "I had the opportunity to give more honest feedback and learn from more experienced markers about the norms" "Previous moderation meetings were generally brief, tutors were given samples and tutors agreed the grades given but without inputs from every tutor, I believe it resulted in 'groupthink'...Keepads encouraged more feedback, especially [sic] everyone had the opportunity to provide feedback" "Allows all to indicate their views without dominant personalities taking over"
Faculty Buy-In: Engaging and Retaining Faculty Instructors
Karen Palmunen Director, First Year Seminar Program; Associate Professor of French Saint Joseph College 860.231.5296 [email protected]
Mary Ellen Bertolini Associate Director, Writing Middlebury College 802.734.8817 [email protected]
Jessica Holmes Associate Professor of Economics Middlebury College 802-443-3439 [email protected]
Carol Smith Associate Professor of Health & Human Performance Elon University 336.278.5872 [email protected]
Attracting hesitant faculty, especially tenured, senior faculty, to the first year seminar classroom is not always an easy task. This roundtable will focus on ways to engage and retain faculty instructors and develop their willing and enthusiastic participation, while strengthening the
48 important Faculty/Student Affairs/ Writing Tutorial connection. The discussion will encourage other institutions to share best practices, discuss challenges, and brainstorm new ideas for faculty engagement.
Advocates for College Education Success (ACES): A Program for Formerly Incarcerated Students
Will Flowers Assistant Dean of Students San Francisco State University 415-405-5265 [email protected]
Bonnie Hale Senior Program Coordinator San Francisco State University 415-405-3841 [email protected]
We will review the history and support of Project Rebound at San Francisco State University, a program to support people from the criminal justice system, and share current statistics about incarceration and recidivism rates and their costs to society, which formed the basis of our project's rationale. Then, we will discuss a unique and innovative pedagogy we call the "Urban Curriculum" and how campus and community partnerships and community service learning contribute to the success of this model. Courses, faculty and staff, course activities, outcomes and evaluation will likewise be discussed.
Advising As Curriculum: Using FYE to Help Students Go From Probation to Good Academic Standing
Michael Randle Lecturer / Coordinator / Advisor San Jose State University 408-924-2535 [email protected]
Michelle Randle Lecturer San Jose State University 831-345-6957 [email protected]
Background: The presentation is entitled, â??Advising As Curriculum: Using First Year Experience Courses to Help Students Go From Probation to Good Academic Standing by
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Combining Intrusive Advising with the Power of the Classroom to Facilitate Student Academic and Social Success?• will examine the role of FYE on college campuses and challenge traditional notions of what FYE courses can do within the context in which they traditionally exist (i.e., serving first time frosh and transfer student populations and taken the 1st semester). FYE instructors are often in unique positions to help various units and academic departments come together around issues related to student academic success and retention. As â??locally?• recognized experts on campus departments often look to FYE instructors to serve as informational resources to themselves as well as to students. In Fall 2009 the College of Science at San Jose State University commissioned one of its advisors to utilize a first year experience course for transfer students (entitled â??Success as Transfers?•) to work with STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math) majors on probation with the goal being to get them off probation in 1 semester or at the very least improve their academic standing. The course had great success in assisting probation students with returning to good academic standing within a single semester and now there is talk of expansion of the course.
Objectives: This presentation has 3 primary objectives. 1) To illustrate how that FYE courses have use and benefit to students beyond their 1st year in college; 2) To demonstrate the effectiveness of intrusive advising as a curricular center when working with students in academic difficulty especially when combined with the power of FYE and 3) To illustrate what a powerful force for student success and retention an FYE instructor can become as a facilitator for services the classroom experience.
Method: A presentation featuring 2 FYE instructors from the College of Science at San Jose State University will describe and explain the model of academic intervention utilized by the College of Science and advisors from the campus advising center used to assist students with successfully getting off of academic probation. Data will be shared and the audience will have an opportunity to ask questions about program design and possible applications on their campuses.
Purposeful Persistence: First-Generation College Student Success
Amy Belcastro Associate Professor of Education Southern Oregon University 541-488-1602 [email protected]
Colleges have become increasingly diverse in recent years, and one of the greatest shifts has been the increase of first generation college students (FGCS), students whose parents did not attend college. According to the literature, retention and graduation is less likely for FGCS than continuing generation college students (CGCS). FGCS are more likely to be academically under prepared, come from low income and minority backgrounds, and be less engaged in the college experience than CGCS. Initially, these contrasts between FGCS and CGCS were regarded widely as deficits of the FGCS. In recent years, some institutions of higher education have shifted in their approach from focusing on individual student shortcomings to institutional
50 conditions that encourage or discourage students from staying in school. These contrasting and evolving ideas present
This study explored the characteristics and perspectives of FGCS and the institutional conditions, policies and practices affecting first year persistence at a low persisting rural four- year university. I examined three broad questions: What are the critical characteristics of FGCS who persist past their first year at the University? What implications do these characteristics have for retaining FGCS beyond the first year of college at the institution? What implications do these attributes hold for other colleges and universities seeking to retain FGCS? Confounding results were found after analyzing demographic and academic data on FGCS; although similar to other FGCS in terms of at-risk characteristics, they were out-persisting and performing their CGCS peers. In order to understand this counterintuitive finding, institutional policies and practices were explored, and focus groups were conducted investigating the perceptions of FGCS towards college persistence.
The findings suggest that the restricted focus on external attributes of students fall short in explaining FGCS persistence. This study illustrates that institutions of higher education can better support first generation college students if they make available the freedom for individuals to develop naturally, learn through experience, and engage in the formation of their purpose (based on Dewey‘s 1938 work). In this presentation, I will discuss the factors that have influenced first-year persistence of the FGCS and offer research, policy, and practice recommendations to support FGCS persistence. Additionally, the institution‘s structural and organizational factors that support and hinder FGCS success are discussed. These recommendations, although specific to this study, may prove useful in shaping policy and practice for other institutions interested in facilitating and supporting the college experience and retention of FGCS.
Our Attempt to Educate Everyone
Theresa Dereme Assistant Professor/Counselor Suffolk County Community College 631-548-3654 [email protected]
Freshman Seminar Our first year program includes methods and techniques students can adopt to promote their perseverance and success at the college. Specific topics include college procedures and resources, academic advisement, time management, goal-setting, test and note taking, health issues and other areas related to student success in college. Students are expected to enroll in this class in their first semester
Full-time day students in all programs must successfully complete COL101: Freshman Seminar. Students are expected to enroll in this class their first semester. Alternatively, COL105: Personal Growth and College Life for developmental students, COL125: College
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Success Seminar for developmental students registered in the College Success Program.
College Success The College Success Program, now in its sixth year, has helped students successfully manage the demands of the first year college experience. During the development process, our main perspective was to establish a summer session that would introduce our students to college life and help them become acclimated to the challenges and demands of the first year experience prior to the start of the semester. With this intense fourteen day learning experience, the students are better prepared to approach the academic requirements of their first semester.
One of the major characteristics of our pedagogical approach for this program is the inclusion of increased mentoring from instructors, counselors and peers. Students are required to take part in bi-weekly, one-on-one sessions with their counselors in order to discuss any issues that may arise. This allows us to identify difficulties that may prevent a student from achieving success.
Program Specifics The following topics will be communicated at length during the presentation:
The first time student First generation students Student Attributes Development Criteria Testing and Advising Implementation Progress Report Campus environment Activities Bonding Engagement Vision Success Indicators
Engaging Students to Shape the Future First-Year Experience: Exploring Techniques to Obtain Feedback and to Inform Institutional Practice and Strategy
Marcia Ody Teaching and Learning Manager and UK SI/PASS Certified Trainer The University of Manchester +44 (0)161 275 3254 [email protected]
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The contribution of the ‗student voice‘ in teaching and learning has gained considerable significance in recent years but how do we hear the student voice? And how can we engage students in enhancing the first year experience through informing practice and policy?
The challenge is to keep abreast of the shifting expectations of an increasingly diverse student population and to adjust accordingly to provide the best possible experience to each of them.
The University of Manchester has a well established ‗Students as Partners‘ programme encompassing a wide range of student led activities to support the transition into and within higher education but how do we know if what we are doing is of benefit?
The Students as Partners programme uses a variety of techniques to ensure effective feedback is obtained from students and to provide opportunities for students to engage as co consultants in shaping activity at all levels within the University.
This interactive and experiential session will explore approaches to how we engage students in shaping the future of the student experience. The presenter will demonstrate a range of approaches including the use of an electronic personal response system, focus groups and consultation workshops. The session will provide realistic transferable examples of engaging students as co producers to the future first year student experience.
Participants will be encouraged to share their practice and discussion will explore the benefits of student engagement in informing the future student experience. Delegates will be encouraged to consider developing an approach to engaging students to understand the student experience, identify good practice and shape the provision of the future FYE.
Development of a Peer-Mentoring Program
Ralph Hall Professor, School of Social Sciences and International Studies The University of New South Wales +61293852427 [email protected]
This study reports the development of a peer-mentoring program for first year arts and social science undergraduate students at the University of New South Wales over a period of six years from 2004 to 2009. Feedback from mentees and mentors after each year of operation of the program is used to introduce improvements to the program designed to overcome problems identified in the feedback.
The program as initially introduced involved recruiting volunteer mentors from upper level Arts and Social Science students and sending them to a two-day training course offered by the University Counseling Service. Incoming first year students were invited to join the program and those who did were allocated to a mentor who then met with his or her mentees over the first seven weeks of the semester. Groups varied in size from five to ten and mentors
53 formulated their own program based on their perceptions of the needs of their mentees.
Feedback from the mentees made it clear that some of their needs were not being addressed. In response to this and subsequent feedback the following changes to the program were implemented over the following five years since 2004: • Additional training of mentors was provided to assist them in dealing with issues identified to be of importance to mentees. • A web site for mentees and mentors to communicate between meetings was established • A weekly ‗drop in‘ session hosted by a roster of mentors was instituted to enable mentees to ask questions or discuss issues between their regular meetings. • Strategies designed to help mentees adjust to the teaching style of university have been devised including a talk by an academic on university teaching and the inclusion in the program of a session by mentors on how to approach university study. • Additional social events have been included in the program to facilitate integration of mentees socially as well as academically.
Ratings of helpfulness of the program by mentees across a variety of measures have shown a consistent increase over the six years of program operation. Participants in the program report that it had helped them in making the transition to university study.
These findings will be reported and the implications for the design of peer-mentoring programs outlined.
Examining the At-Risk First-Year Student in the 21st Century
Terrell L. Strayhorn Associate Professor, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies The University of Tennessee 865-974-6457 [email protected]
Tricia McClam Professor and Associate Department Head, Educational Psychology & Counseling The University of Tennessee 865-974-3845 [email protected]
Deirdre Anderson-White PhD Student, Educational Psychology & Counseling The University of Tennessee 423-899-8146 [email protected]
Numerous initiatives aimed at facilitating the academic and social support of at-risk students exist at educational institutions throughout the world. For example, precollege outreach
54 programs and summer bridge programs are intended to assist with at-risk students‘ transition from high school to college and improve their likelihood for success. The resources, both human and financial, required to maintain such programs demand that they select those students deemed the most ―at-risk‖ in terms of success during college. The criteria for selecting at-risk students are often: (a) personal factors, such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, parents‘ level of education, and parents‘ occupation, (b) academic experiences, such as enrollment patterns, grade point average (GPA), and standardized test performance, and (c) institutional factors, such as the quality of students‘ high school, access to counselors, and availability of technology. Beyond selection of participants, these criteria are use for program development with the intent of structuring supportive environments that will maximize at-risk students‘ exposure to the areas in which they hold the greatest deficiencies.
Although this model has proven useful in the past, participants in this session will be asked to challenge assumptions about at-risk students and to consider not only what characteristics they embody when they arrive at college, but also how we can better serve them through our structured initiatives. Specifically, the session will be organized in three parts. First, presenters will share results of a meta-analysis of the literature on at-risk students from an international perspective, including a framework that depicts how we have characterized at-risk students in the past. Second, presenters will discuss findings from a summer bridge program at their host institution where they encountered differences between their perceptions of at-risk students (as identified by numerous criteria) and their experiences with those students both inside and outside of the classroom. The third part will be interactive. Session participants will be asked to identify the assumptions about at-risk students that they have in their countries and at their host institutions. In small groups, participants will be given a facilitation guide that will provide a framework for challenging their assumptions about at-risk students in the 21st century. Following the session, participants will be given access to: (a) the meta-analysis described above, (b) a white paper on findings from the summer bridge program at the presenters‘ institution, and (c) a summary of the interactive discussion on international perspectives of at- risk students developed during the session.
Bridging Courses, Countries, and Continents: The Creation of the UTEP-VU Learning Community
Irma Montelongo Lecturer The University of Texas at El Paso 915-747-8069 [email protected]
Effy George Lecturer Victoria University 61399198641 [email protected]
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Sunay Palsole Director of Instructional Services The University of Texas at El Paso 915-747-5561 [email protected]
Didier Hernandez Instructional Consultant The University of Texas at El Paso 915-747-7903 [email protected]
The Entering Student Program (ESP) at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) works in collaborative partnership with key university offices to provide a solid foundation for the success of students. These collaborations include instructional support, faculty development, and shared programming. Through these collaborations, a campus-wide network of support is created to help entering students form campus connections and achieve academic and personal success. Though half a world apart, UTEP and Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia (VU) have developed a collaborative relationship to enhance and enrich programs that contribute to student success. This collaboration resulted from the recognition that a large percentage of the student body at both institutions shares key similarities that can impact their academic performance; these include the following demographics: first-generation, minority, ESL, and lower socio-economic status. In an effort to address the needs of their students while providing the cornerstone for first year success, the two universities launched the pilot for the UTEP-VU Global Learning Community (GLC) in the fall of 2009. The GLC linked UNIV 1301, a first-semester academic first-year seminar at UTEP, which is content specific but also addresses the goals and objectives for student transition and academic success at the university, with a comparably themed first-year second-semester class at VU. The GLC pilot, entitled Imagining Nations, Imagining Regions: The Making of Cultural Diversity in Australia and on the U.S.-Mexico Border, was linked for a period of seven weeks. During the collaboration, both classes studied colonialism, nationalism, culture, migration, gender and sexuality in Australia and on the U.S.-Mexico border. These topics addressed the academic theme of UNIV 1301, UTEP‘s first-year seminar. Technologies, especially Web 2.0 tools, were integral to the implementation and ultimate success of the GLC. The ESP collaborated with its campus partners in the Instructional Support Services unit to identify, develop, and manage the appropriate technology for the GLC curriculum. The main idea behind the GLC was to transcend geographical boundaries and build a virtual community of learners who would explore the themes of national identities and multiculturalism. Recent research suggests that first year students are highly engaged in social-networking technologies (MySpace, Facebook etc.); therefore, the GLC created a learning space using NING, a Web 2.0 tool that allows users to create their own social networks. Given the versatility of NING, UTEP and VU tailored the site to meet the requirements outlined by the facilitators, and which provided the appropriate tools and the look and feel that appealed to audiences on both continents.
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Race to the Top: Examining Predictors of Competition Among First-Year Science Students
Kevin Eagan Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of California, Los Angeles 310-206-3448 [email protected]
Sylvia Hurtado Professor and Director University of California, Los Angeles 310-825-1925 [email protected]
Minh Tran Research Analyst University of California, Los Angeles 310-825-7161 [email protected]
Josephine Gasiewski Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of California, Los Angeles [email protected]
We will spend the bulk of our presentation discussing findings and implications for practice and policy. We will reserve 15-20 minutes for discussion.
The quantitative student sample was approximately 55% Black, 37% Latina/o, 7% American Indian and 80% women. Most institutions were private (53%); HBCUs and HSIs made up 17% and 8% of institutions, respectively. Institutional selectivity, measured by incoming students‘ average SAT, had a mean of 1,106.
On average, students in our sample indicated a weak level of agreement that high competition for grades existed on their campus. We found that a significant amount of variance attributed to differences across institutions in students‘ sense of competition. We found that students attending institutions that were larger and more selective experienced significantly more competition than their peers at other types of institutions.
A variety of faculty interaction measures were significantly associated with students‘ sense of competition. Feeling intimidated by faculty made students sense a greater level of competition. Likewise, respondents who tended to agree that students at the institution were treated like numbers seemed to sense a more competitive climate than their peers who disagreed.
Respondents who frequently felt overwhelmed tended to report high levels of competition in
57 contrast to those with higher first-year GPAs. In general, women tended to view the campus environment as less competitive than their male classmates. Students more inclined to help others in difficulty tend to perceive a less competitive campus environment than students with other goals.
Focus groups were 67% Latina/o, 10% Black, 8% Asian American, 8% multiracial, 3% American Indian, and 3% White. Students, staff, and faculty at larger, more selective, PWIs and HSIs cited a significant amount of competition in introductory science courses. Administrators and students at PWIs also reported that perceptions of competitive environments have a negative impact on persistence in the major and graduate school aspirations. Students at the HBCU campus offered a different perspective; they suggested that their peers seemed more willing to collaborate compared to students at the HSIs and PWIs in our sample. One student explains, ―It seems like at [this institution], the people have a mentality…like the sharing mentality, so if you don‘t share or if you‘re thinking about number one, they kind of shun you to the side.‖ The culture surrounding competition at this HBCU seemed to be drastically different from the culture described by students and faculty at the HSIs and PWIs in our sample.
Developing a Science Identity: Long Term Effects of First-Year Experiences That Matter
Kevin Eagan Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of California, Los Angeles 310-206-3448 [email protected]
Sylvia Hurtado Professor and Director, Higher Education Research Institute University of California, Los Angeles 310-825-1925 [email protected]
Jessica Sharkness Research Analyst University of California, Los Angeles 310-825-1925 [email protected]
We will spend the bulk of our presentation discussing findings and implications for practice and policy. We will reserve 15-20 minutes for discussion.
The sample for this study was approximately 19% Black, 21% Latino, 5% Native American, 13% Asian American, and 42% White. Women (71%) were overrepresented in the sample.
The first part of the science identity model examines the pre-college characteristics and
58 experiences that predict students‘ initial science identity. Results suggest that students who have completed more years of biology in high school, who exhibit stronger confidence their math ability, who report having tutored peers in high school, and who participated in pre- college summer research programs tended to begin college with a stronger science identity. Additionally, students who came to college to prepare for graduate or professional school also exhibited a stronger science identity. We did not find significant effects of race or gender on students‘ initial science identity.
At the end of the first year of college, students‘ science identity was strengthened if they had worked with faculty on research or had participated in a first-year undergraduate research program. Students who switched majors in the first year reported a weaker identity with science in the spring of 2005. Interacting with faculty during office hours and finding greater success at adjusting to the academic demands of college during the first year appeared to promote students‘ identification with science. We also found that several pre-college characteristics continued to have an indirect effect on students‘ science identity in 2005. Specifically, prior research experience, math self-confidence, and commitment to preparing for graduate or professional school indirectly enhanced students‘ science identity at the end of the first year. Furthermore, students who started college with a strong science identity tended to complete their first year of college with an even stronger science identity.
Examining predictors of students‘ science identity at the end of their fourth year of college, we find that students who worked with professors on research projects, participated in undergraduate research programs, and had stronger initial and end-of-first-year science identities also tended to report higher scores on the science identity construct in the spring of 2008. We also found that years of high school biology, pre-college summer research participation, initial math self-confidence, first-year undergraduate research participation, and first-year academic adjustment exerted long-term, indirect, positive effects on students‘ science identity in 2008.
Recruiting Students in Engineering: Assessment Strategies and Retention
Gita Alaghband Chair and Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering University of Colorado Denver 303-556-2940 [email protected]
Nien-Yin Chang Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science University of Colorado Denver 303-556-2810 [email protected]
Hamid Fardi Associate Professor, Dept. Of Electrical Engineering
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University of Colorado Denver 303-556-4938 [email protected]
Project Design ReACH has three main components: (1) A precollegiate summer workshop designed to recruit students into the College of Engineering at University Colorado Denver (College) and the ReACH Scholars program. The purpose of the program is to build the pipeline of high school students who are interested in enrolling in the College and becoming ReACH Scholars. (2) Financial scholarships to full-time students enrolled in the College who demonstrate financial need, academic achievement, and the commitment to pursue engineering. (3) Retention –A network of academic and social supports that will help ReACH Scholars persist in their studies at a high level of achievement, complete their baccalaureate in a timely manner, and pursue career and educational opportunities in the field. Such interactions will strengthen both the academic and non-academic factors that relate to college retention and performance (Braxton & McClendon, 2002; O‘Brien & Shedd, 2001; Adelman, 1999; Bean, 1983, 1985; Ishitanti & DesJardins, 2002). In addition, contemporary motivational theories have emerged as strong explanatory models of academic achievement (Covington, 2000; Dweck, 1999; Eccles & Wigfield, 2002). As a result, all ReACH students will have access to and benefit from the following program supports: Annual ReACH orientation event to reinforce their academic goals and aspirations, and emphasize to students that they matter to the institution and will be supported as they proceed toward completion of their degrees (Fidler, 1991; Tinto, 1993). Faculty student Mentoring, academic counseling and advising, and peer tutoring help improve levels of student involvement, motivation and academic self-confidence and in turn increase levels of institutional commitment and engagement (Mangold et al, 2003, Padgett & Reil, 2003). Supplemental Instruction (SI) for Freshman and Sophomore Scholars focuses on courses that historically have been high-risk in terms of retention (Congos & Schoeps, 2003; Hensen & Shelley, 2003; Ogden, Thompson & Russell, 2003; Ramirez, 1997). The SI structure also provides students with a framework for studying together, recognizing that peer support can be an important long-term strategy for academic achievement. All ReACH Scholars will be encouraged to complete an industrial internship and take advantage of the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to real world situations. In addition, Undergraduate Research Opportunities enables students to learn first-hand the underlying methodology of research and its capabilities and limitations in solving current problems.
All ReACH scholars will be encouraged to participate in student organizations and affiliated professional organizations.
College Transitions For the Millennial Parent
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Barbara J. N. Bostwick Academic Counselor/Advisor, TRiO Student Support Services Program University of Hawaii at Hilo 808-974-7619 [email protected]
College Transitions for the Millennial Parents are appropriate for parents, grandparents and guardians accompanying their college student to their campus for the first time. With an introduction to encourage group participation and awareness of college campus terminology the session helps parents to recognize their anxiety, concerns, excitement and hopes for their college student's successful transition into college as well as their own. Brief topics such as: Techno Lingo; Being Connected; Helicopter Parenting; Significant Times to be Connected; Homesickness vs. Depression; UH Alert Emergency Notification; Learning to Let Go; Campus Resources & References are discussed or provided using a PowerPoint format and handouts.
Transforming Student Engagement in the First Year and Beyond: A Team Approach to Sustainable Culture Change
Ronald Cambra Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Education University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-6231 [email protected]
Reed Dasenbrock Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-8447 [email protected]
Gary Rodwell IT Specialist University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-4036 [email protected]
Megumi Makino Director, Manoa Advising Center University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-6231 [email protected]
Leilani Takeuchi Coordinator, First Year Programs University of Hawaii at Manoa
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808-956-8626 [email protected]
Education is about transforming students‘ lives, but it is easy over time to slip into myopic policies and procedures and lose that essential focus on students.
When that happens, how can you re-engage students and make sure the changes you undertake will last?
Effecting lasting change to campus culture is often a slow, uphill battle under heavy resistance. In their research for Organizing higher education for collaboration: A guide for campus leaders (2009), Adrianna Kezar and Jaime Lester found that most such attempts fail, but that some institutions have succeeded by making change a collective responsibility.
When faced with low student engagement, retention, and graduation rates, the Assistant Vice- Chancellor for Undergraduate Education began enlisting others who shared his vision of a vibrant campus with high student engagement, one that is easy for students to navigate and supports student success.
The AVCUE mustered his troops to change campus culture. Relying on strategically placed change agents, he orchestrated a multivalent team approach that thus far includes: • an electronic degree audit system shared by advisors and students; • learning communities to ease the first year transition; • a new advising office to focus on incoming undeclared and ―pre-― majors; • academic planning and mandatory advising initiatives to set students on track; • online resources to improve communication with incoming transfer students; • a Student Success Center that provides essential services and student-friendly space; • a Manoa Peer Advisors program that provides mentoring between students; and • a Council of Academic Advisors to improve consistency between units and to make UHM easier to navigate.
The AVCUE solicited support from administration and coordinated with programs across campus, including Residential Life, School and College Services, Admissions, and Records, to build momentum toward change.
Consequently, UHM today is a far different place than it was just five years ago.
This session examines UHM‘s attempt to improve student engagement, retention, and graduation rates through multiple initiatives. It reviews the context of UHM‘s issues and related national initiatives, the considerable challenges encountered, and the even more considerable successes. It also highlights the unifying philosophy and the process/dynamics of implementing change.
The presentation includes a demonstration of the electronic degree audit system and discussions about the individual initiatives, strategies for addressing challenges, the ―snowball‖ effect of
62 successful change, and how each piece fits into the overall vision. Participants are encouraged to ask questions, share their experiences, and offer suggestions.
Complexity Made Simple Through Ownership and Engagement: Transforming Academic Advising with Technology for the "Generation Me" Students
Gary Rodwell Information Technology Specialist and STAR Director University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-4036 [email protected]
Ronald Cambra Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Education University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-6231 [email protected]
Ruth Bingham Chair, Council of Academic Advisors Director, Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-8646 [email protected]
Joy Nishida Instr & Stud Supp University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-4036 [email protected]
STAR Academic Journey advising tool was born out of necessity to engage the new generation of students coming into our Institutions.
While the instructional/research faculty provides the content and methodology for learning, perhaps the most strategic staff function is to guide and support the student on their path toward graduation. The academic advisers and counselors are the university‘s representatives that guide students on this educational path.
The missing piece for the University of Hawaii was how to effectively and efficiently engage these students on their educational path knowing that the students tended to prefer less ―face time‖ and that this generation of learners tended to utilize technology extensively and were comfortable with rapid change in technology.
We wanted to offer students "ownership" of their entire Academic Journey in one simple comfortable online format that showed both the macro degree level, their individual course
63 level information and the relationship between the two. In addition, we felt this could help the student to visualize their academic relationship with the institution as a whole.
For a technological solution to be successful, it had to be functionally adaptable, sustainable (from a resource perspective), systematic in organization of content, intuitive, and encompass students from every institution in the UH system. Products available on the market appeared to miss the critical ―engagement component‖, viewed the mission of the tool as a static ―audit‖ and were excessively resource intensive to implement and maintain.
An engineering team was assembled to see if an enterprise technological platform that adhered to the constructs was possible. In 2005, a breakthrough was found. An algorithmic rules engine was created that takes simple statements written in English (no symbols or special syntax) and converts it into database language that can process relational information (student records). This combined with a new, innovative technology to create web pages dynamically, proved to be the answer.
The results are compelling – STAR Academic Journey excels and has a natural advantage as it offers ownership, engagement and seamlessly integrates of the campuses in the University of Hawaii system.
Listening to the Student Voice: Evolving Your Program to Fit Student Needs
Leilani Takeuchi Coordinator, First Year Programs University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-7513 [email protected]
By learning more about what students expect during their first semester of college, our ACE learning community program better supports students‘ transition to college life. Data is collected through pre/post surveys, course assignments, focus groups, and institutional data. This rich data is used to constantly improve our learning community and peer mentoring programs. Highlights are provided below: Results from our ACE Survey of Student Expectations revealed that most students expected to build friendship and to study with other students in their learning community; therefore, we facilitated activities to support these expectations. In addition, course activities and assignments introduced students to academic and co-curricular resources. ACE will continue to connect students to campus resources and services. More emphasis was placed on advising and career exploration. The freshman seminar schedule and curriculum was changed to reflect students‘ needs and wants.
At the end of the semester, students were asked to indicate their five most helpful freshman seminar ―Steps to Success.‖ The most reported ―helpful‖ steps include: time management, career exploration, financial literacy, utilizing campus resources, and developing goals. Our freshman seminar curriculum changes each year to fit what students report are the most helpful
64 and needed topics.
Students also reported through surveys, reflections, and focus group feedback that academic advising and the services provided through the Student Success Center at Sinclair Library supported their academic success. In Fall 2010, all freshman seminars will be held at the Student Success Center at Sinclair Library (SSC). Students will be aware of the services provided by the Learning Assistance Center (LAC) which includes tutoring, study sessions, and supplemental instruction. In addition, students will complete a mid-semester Academic Progress Worksheet. Students who self-report that they are not achieving their academic goals will be referred to the services provided at SSC.
As part of their final classroom assignment, ACE students were asked to write a letter to next year‘s freshmen. This assignment gave students the opportunity to reflect on their transition to college and identify how they overcame these challenges. Coded results revealed that freshmen were greatly concerned about money management and time management, as well as making friends and campus connections. This information helps us better address these challenges and continue to promote campus resources and services. These findings were shared with our partners and other offices that support first year students.
Putting in Our Two Cents: The Need for Financial Literacy on College Campuses
Leilani Takeuchi Coordinator, First Year Programs University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-7513 [email protected]
Ruth Bingham Chair, Council of Academic Advisors; Director, Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-8646 [email protected]
An interdisciplinary team from UHM was asked to participate in the Institute for Higher Education and Policy (IHEP) 2009 Summer Institute. Several institutions gathered to discuss financial literacy issues on their campus. The UHM Financial Literacy Team created an action plan to incorporate financial literacy education in existing program activities. The Team then planned additional outreach activities, including an all-campus event connected to the national ―America Saves‖ initiative.
Financial literacy lessons and activities were added to the learning community freshman seminar. Students tracked their expenses for two weeks, created a budget plan, attempted to follow this new budget plan for two weeks, and reflected on their experience. In addition, students completed an online financial literacy lesson provided by USAFunds, UHM‘s guarantor. Students also completed activities regarding ―Needs versus Wants,‖ and the ―Three
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Rs: Reduce, Refuse, Reuse.‖ Each student identified a frequently purchased ―want‖ such as coffee and calculated how much money they would save a year if they reduced or refused that purchase. Many students commented that tracking their expenses and identifying their ―Latte Factor‖ greatly helped their money management skills.
In addition to written reflections, students completed surveys throughout the semester. During the first week of school, students answered questions about their credit card use and concerns about financing their education. Over 60% of students reported that they were concerned about their money management skills. Nearly 25% of students reported difficulty sleeping at night because they were concerned about their finances.
After completing the financial literacy lesson and activities, 95% of students agreed that a good starting point to begin the budget process is deciding where they spend most of their money. In addition, over 75% of students reported that they now feel good about how they manage their money.
To bring more attention for the need of financial literacy on our college campus, the UHM Financial Literacy team created ―UH Saves Day‖ in connection with the national ―America Saves‖ initiative. This event, which took place out our student union, provided nine workshops and hosted 12 exhibitors. This event was virtually cost free. Room rental and set-up fees were waived by the campus student activity board. Prizes and handouts were donated by offices and exhibitors. In this session, we will share simple and cost-effective ways to incorporate financial literacy into new and existing campus activities.
Get FIT (Get a Future in Teaching)
Margit Watts Director, Manoa Partnerships University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-4040 [email protected]
Christine Sorensen Dean, College of Education University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-7033 [email protected]
In 2008, the College of Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa initiated a new program called Get FIT – Get a Future in Teaching. This program is available to students at all levels of academic pursuit, but is especially targeted toward first and second year university students who are interested in considering teaching as a career option. The College of Education does not officially admit students into the college until their junior year. Many of the students who apply to Get FIT aspire to apply to the college.
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What prompted the creation of this new program was a need to develop an earlier pipeline of students into the College of Education designed to enhance students‘ future success in education programs. But also driving the program development was the acknowledgment that the millennial student needed to be served differently. The new college student, aside from being technologically plugged in and savvy, is one who is goal directed, service oriented, and in need of direction beyond just getting through college. The traditional first year experience focuses mostly on ―how to do college.‖ Get FIT assumes student need more than that as a focus. Students are interested in being on ‗track‘ toward a career. Get FIT gives students an option to participate in a program that embraces their general education requirements plus offers them a collection of experiences to introduce them to the field of education.
Get FIT offers help with Praxis study, advising, special courses, educational programs, faculty mentors, and early opportunities to work in K-12 classrooms observing pedagogy and participating in activities. In 2009-2010, Get FIT was provided a floor of housing in a residence hall to encourage interactions among the students. Beginning Fall 2010, Get FIT will offer an entire residence hall to students interested in becoming teachers or simply exploring the possibility. This Residential College will provide a hub for a variety of experiences, including service-learning, academic activities, events with faculty, targeted educational programs, sustainable gardening, and so forth.
This session will articulate the goals and describe the structure of Get FIT. Session leaders will connect the goals and activities to the perspectives of first year students and their needs. Future plans for expanding Get FIT will be described The audience will be asked to participate in a discussion of how to better motivate students and engage them in Get FIT and in a discussion of how Get FIT might focus students on future success as educators. Other first year experience programs could gain insights about career-based programs.
Working With a Safety Net: Creating Networks to Support Change
Ruth Bingham Chair, Council of Academic Advisors; Director, Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center University of Hawaii at Manoa 808-956-8646 [email protected]
Change does not thrive in a vacuum. Although many new initiatives are launched, few last more than a couple years. In fact, according to research (Kezar and Lester, 2009), most initiatives eventually fail.
Creating lasting change is one of the more difficult tasks in higher education, where the avant- garde and tradition rub elbows, each reining in the other. Research also shows, however, that change succeeds more often when it becomes a collective responsibility, when the instigators reach out to others to help attain their vision. The trick is finding a way for initiatives to reverberate throughout the campus community and inspire corresponding changes.
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One way to do that is to create networks that support the change(s) on multiple levels.
When the University of Hawaii at Manoa set out to transform the educational experience of its students, it began by focusing on first-year students: creating a new advising office to handle freshmen, undeclared, and transfer students; expanding the Learning Communities program; and instigating mandatory advising initiatives.
Each of these initiatives faced the usual resistance and challenges, but their eventual success came from the networks UHM enlisted or created for support. Those networks, which helped spread the underlying vision and recruit corresponding changes, include: • a multi-campus System Academic Advising and Transfer Network, • a campus-wide Council of Academic Advisors to revisit policies/procedures and provide consistency, • a professional development program for advisors; • a Manoa Peer Advisors program to provide mentoring between students, • online resources to improve communication with incoming students, and • academic planning and mandatory advising initiatives to get students on track.
UHM found that these networks supported both initial and subsequent changes, which led to ―snowballing‖ success. Initiatives to improve the first-year experience led to initiatives to improve sophomore success, overall retention, and graduation; to improving communication with prospective and incoming students, both freshmen and transfer; to improving transfer policies; and to new recruiting and intake procedures – all of which strengthened the initial changes in a continuous feedback loop.
This presentation explains the underlying philosophy of the many initiatives, how individual components work and interact, how the initial changes led to corresponding changes, and the feedback loop. The strategies, challenges, and successes of implementing each initiative provide the foundation for open discussion. The session concludes with a summary of take- home strategies for effecting lasting change. Participants are encouraged to ask questions, share their experiences, and offer suggestions.
“Lets Get It Started” - Establishing a First Year Program at a Two Year Institution
Lokelani Kenolio Counselor University of Hawaii Windward Community College 808-235-7389 [email protected]
Lui Hokoana Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs University of Hawaii Windward Community College
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808-235-7266 [email protected]
Leslie Lynn Opulauoho Counselor/Student Life Coordinator University of Hawaii Windward Community College 808-235-7469 [email protected]
Loea Akiona Supplemental Instruction Coordinator University of Hawaii Windward Community College 808-235-7454 [email protected]
Our presentation will first address the general foundation of our FYE programs including what is our First Year Program, our philosophy, and demographics of our freshmen students and the Windward Community College campus.
Second, we will share our new initiatives of the FYE pipeline starting with year one and the implementation of the new student orientation and the peer mentor program. Year two includes the design of new recruitment materials, financial aid assistance at the high schools and community events, expansion of the tutoring services, and a retooled and required new student orientation. Year three brought an opportunity to clarify steps to registration with an addition of required counselor appointments and the implementation of the gatekeeper courses in learning communities. Year four was exciting one with the required Frosh Camp and the supplemental instruction program. And year five will conclude our pipeline with the developing Frosh Cohort.
Our FYE program strategies are critical to the success of our events. We have found by committing to high touch, peer mentor training and empowerment, collaboration with our campus departments and ongoing assessment, we have made a difference in our students' success. We will share our data and national trends on program strategies and conclude with lessons learned and program challenges.
A Marriage of True Hearts: The Development of the First-Year Experience and an Invitational University
Pauline Machika Director, Academic Development Centre University of Johannesburg 27115594024
South African students, who have completed their high school studies, are motivated to enter a higher education environment. However, as a result of the apartheid legacy, they often find that they are inadequately equipped educationally to achieve academic success. It has been found that students register for various programmes and courses but find it extremely difficult to complete their studies. Taking this into account, in 2009, the University of Johannesburg launched the first year experience at an institutional level. Interventions have been implemented to ensure that students entering university have a meaningful first year experience. But are these interventions enough or does the University of Johannesburg need to look further towards the development of invitational leadership which seeps through the very being, fabric and level of the university thus creating an ―invitational university‖?
The purpose of this paper is to attempt to understand how the first year experiences of students studying at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa are linked to the philosophy of ―invitational leadership‖ as expounded by Dr Betty Siegel .
This study further reveals that a causal relationship exists between the first year experience and the need to build an invitational university within a South African setting. The research study is qualitative in nature and highlights the views and perceptions of a sample of working staff and registered first year students at the UJ. Focus group interviews will be conducted in order to gather perceptions and opinions on various phenomena from a specific group of participants. An interpretative naturalistic approach is used to understand the thinking and experiences of university staff and students around the first year experience and the need to build an invitational university within a South African setting.
One of the many implications of introducing a first year experience underpinned by an emerging invitational university would be the shift in policy focus from ―access with little academic success‖ to ―access with academic success‖ for first year students studying at the University of Johannesburg.
A South African University First-Year Experience Success Story: Student Support Programs at the University of Johannesburg
Maxine Shandler Head of Access Programmes, Academic Development Centre University of Johannesburg +27115596427 [email protected]
The broadening of access to higher education has become a critical mission worldwide, and as a result, higher education, which was previously the privilege of a select few particularly in South Africa, is now available to the majority of students. The University of Johannesburg responded to the call to broaden access to higher education by establishing a number of student support programmes which provided educationally disadvantaged and under-prepared students, with
70 alternate access routes into higher education. This presentation will show that students are of the opinion that there are a number of academic benefits that they derived from the student support programmes. Furthermore, there was consensus that these benefits had prepared them for the rigors of mainstream study and thus contributed to their academic success in higher education. The purpose of this study is to indicate how the principles of the first year experience and invitational education have informed the nature of the student support programmes at the University of Johannesburg, a South African university. The influence of these theories of practice has led to the development of innovative teaching and learning methodologies which are focused on ensuring that all the needs of the under-prepared students in these programmes are met. As a result these first year students who are studying at the University of Johannesburg, a South African University have the most positive first year experience of higher education. The aim of the study was to determine: a) how students perceived their experience of first year and b) whether students perceived that they had benefited academically as a result of their first year experience. The research study used both qualitative and quantitative methods. A generic qualitative approach was used to understand students‘ perceptions of their first year experience. Student performance in the student support programmes was analyzed and used to understand the success rates of students in their first year of study. This research study reveals that there is a place for student support programmes which (i) provide under-prepared students with access to higher education; (ii) equip under- prepared students with a solid foundation on which their success in their mainstream studies is built; and (iii) ensure that under-prepared students have the best possible first year experience that they can at a South African university.
Starting Early: Developing Expectations for College Success
Sharon Moore Assoc. Professor, Department of Teaching and Learning University of Louisville 502-852-0562 [email protected]
Scott Moore Graduate Student Oxford University, UK 502-852-0562 [email protected]
The presentation will focus on strategies to help school aged students to develop college going behaviors and to prepare for success in college. It will include specific programmatic suggestions of how to engage younger students in developing the skills and goals necessary to enter college and be successful in college. The session will focus on the intentional inclusion of such strategies in schools. Several examples will be given of such programmatic efforts. Participants will be invited to share their experiences with others in the session.
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Engaging the Local Community in Developing Self-Directed Learning Practices for First- Year Undergraduate Students
Alyssa Phillips Director of Combined Studies University of Manchester +44 161 275 3001 [email protected]
Over the past 6 years the Combined Studies Centre at the University of Manchester has been working with non-profit organizations in the Greater Manchester area. Through these partnerships we have been providing our first year students with the opportunity of engaging in real-life group projects aimed at improving their academic and transferable skills, as well as aiding their transition to university study. This learning activity is embedded into the Enhancing Academic Skills first year course-unit, which is compulsory for all Combined Honors (Humanities) students at the University of Manchester. Central to the purposes of this learning activity is to encourage the students to become more reflective and self-directed learners. Working in groups, first year students are encouraged to take the initiative in planning and developing their project with assistance from the community organizations. The student projects are varied, but central to the experience is that each group must make an important contribution to their local community. At the end of their placement, the students present the results of their work at an annual showcase, where they reflect on what they have achieved and also the academic and transferable skills they have developed.
This session will discuss the purposes of this first year learning activity, the practical challenges faced in delivering the student community projects and the outcomes of the activity in terms of the students‘ contribution to the local community and their transition to university life. Results of research into the skills students developed during this learning experience will be discussed. In encouraging the students to take a self-directed approach to their community project, we have developed frameworks to support student group work in the community. This session will include discussion of some of the innovative approaches taken, including project contracts and peer support.
Enhancing Access and Inclusion for First-Year Students: Universal Design Implementation Resources
Jeanne Higbee Professor, Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning University of Minnesota--Twin Cities 612-625-8015 [email protected]
The purpose of this session is to acquaint participants with the UD and UID models in order to promote pluralism and inclusion and expand the use of diverse teaching and learning support strategies that enable students to use their preferred ways of knowing in the learning process.
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For the past 5 years the Pedagogy and Student Services for Institutional Transformation (PASS IT) project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, has brought together postsecondary educators from a wide range of institutions to create UD and UID professional development materials for others with similar work scopes. Members of the PASS IT team include faculty who teach myriad academic disciplines: accounting, art, geology, history, mathematics, and physical therapy, to name just a few. The PASS IT team also includes student development professionals from dean‘s offices, counseling and career services, and advising and learning centers. Thus, this session will provide professional development resources created by fellow practitioners.
This session will begin with a video clip that provides an opportunity for students to have a voice in the presentation, to be followed by a brief introduction (mini-lecture) to UD and UID, including guiding principles and how they relate to models for social justice education. Then a clip from a second film will demonstrate how faculty can respond to students‘ learning concerns. Participants will then discuss how they can implement UD and UID in their own settings and consider how their ideas for implementation can benefit all students while also enhancing inclusion for students from populations that historically have been underrepresented in higher education. The session will conclude with sharing information about a wide variety of resources and the dissemination of free DVDs of the two films and a CD that includes a scholarly book (Higbee & Goff, 2008) that addresses theoretical and practical applications of UD and UID in classroom and student affairs settings and separate guidebooks for implementing UD and UID in student development programs and services and in instructional settings (Goff & Higbee, 2008a, 2008b). All handouts for this session will be provided in multiple formats.
Partial references:
Goff, E., & Higbee, J. L. (2008a). PASS IT implementation guidebook for faculty and instructional staff. Goff, E., & Higbee, J. L. (2008b). PASS IT implementation guidebook for student development and learning support. Higbee, J. L., & Goff, E. (2008). Pedagogy and student services for institutional transformation: Implementing Universal Design in higher education.
Considering Their Voices: First Semester Challenges
Suzanne Maughan Associate Professor of Sociology University of Nebraska at Kearney 308-865-8763 [email protected]
Kristi Bryant First Year Program Director University of Nebraska at Kearney
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308-865-8291 [email protected]
L. Jake Jacobsen Lecturer in Communication University of Nebraska at Kearney 308-865-8407 [email protected]
At a Midwest University, students in the First Year Program participate in a program-level writing assessment. The writing assessment includes an essay submitted at the beginning of the fall semester and one at the end of the semester. The first prompt asks students to describe their goals for their first semester. The second prompt asks them to reflect on their goals, assess how realistic they were, and discuss the highlights and challenges they experienced during the semester. In the course of reading essays for this assessment over a number of years, we realized that students were facing similar situations from year to year. Some challenges seem to be unique to students attending a university in a predominantly rural area while others are applicable to the majority of college freshmen. We conducted our research with a threefold purpose. First, using ethnographic methodology to code, identify and analyze those recurring themes; second, to consider faculty input via interviews for recurring themes; and third, to address those areas of concern with our First Year students by reshaping the First Year program.
Acceptance and Mindfulness-Based First-Year Experience: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Jacqueline Pistorello Research Faculty, Counseling Services University of Nevada, Reno 775-846-5540 [email protected]
Jason Lillis Assistant Director, Adjustment to College and Life University of Nevada, Reno 775-682-8676 [email protected]
Mike Levin Research Associate, Adjustment to College and Life University of Nevada, Reno 775-682-8676 [email protected]
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The presentation will be conducted by the chair and Principal Investigator of this study, Jacqueline Pistorello, Ph.D., along with two additional project members—Jason Lillis, Ph.D. who conducted/supervised some of these FYE classes, and Mike Levin, M.A., who is helping design a web-based course for college students.
We will start by discussing the need to prevent mental health problems, particularly suicidality, among college students. We will review this literature briefly and then explain why we thought that using FYE-like courses was ideal for dissemination—if the intervention works. The approach utilized in the experimental arm of this study is a class based on a cognitive behavioral approach titled Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which relies on experiential methods such as visualization exercises, journaling, mindfulness, values clarification, group exercises, and a variety of other methods. We will spend some time acquainting the audience with this approach and its putative mechanisms of change, such as increasing the ability of students to sit with discomfort and still do what they value. We will then describe the overall project, which is in its second year, and the methodology utilized.
The second half of the presentation will include a description of both conditions in detail. We will show the books utilized by students in these two respective classes and we will also play through audio some excerpts from the classes, so that the audience has a good feel for how the classes were run. We will then present the data: class evaluations as measured by the SEEQ, shown in terms of subscales and total scores, across both conditions. In general, class evaluations were very high for both conditions and there were no differences between the two conditions in terms of class satisfaction, attendance, and drop out. We will also present data on class dropout, which, interestingly, varied depending on whether the class was pass/fail or graded—differences naturally built into the evolution of the classes from one year to the next. Various points will be highlighted and opened for discussion by the audience as results are presented. The fact that a class based on a psychotherapeutic approach was found acceptable by 18 year olds is very encouraging, because in general attending counseling per se carries some stigma. If we can bring the therapy to the classroom, we might be able to reach many more students who wouldn‘t otherwise seek help.
First-Year experience in Australia: The Difference a Discipline Makes
Katherine Lindsay Director of Curriculum University of Newcastle 61249215872 [email protected]
Sher Campbell Associate Lecturer University of Newcastle [email protected]
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Newcastle Law School has maintained a high commitment to effective transition for the FYE for 15 years. This has meant the development of a learning culture in which teachers are committed to collective responsibility for student learning outcomes, in which the involvement and participation of student peers are integral to the quality of the learning environment and in which first year students are supported to excel.
The presentation will explore the range of integrated and inclusive School, academic (including curriculum) social and peer initiatives which aim to provide a seamless FYE support. The presentation will highlight School supports in the School's commitment to incremental learning principles, pastoral support, orientation initiatives, student liaison, staff mentors, equity initiatives, pre-Law program, rural and remote student recruitment and Street Law.
At the academic level, the paper will highlight our work in forging a foundation teaching team, streaming of students in small groups, synergy between content and assessment in first year courses and 'toolkit of skills approach" to learning, and supplementary skills support.
In the area of creating learning communities, the presentation will explore the creation of a three-way learning community amongst, staff and staff, staff and senior students, staff and first year students and senior and junior students. Some of the initiatives which have supported this 3-way model are peer mentoring, SI, effective student liaison, peer involvement and ownership in pre-Law and orientation and active commitment by peers to appropriate pastoral support.
Computing and Business Meet English: A Four-Year Experience With First-Year Seminars in Learning Communities
Dawn McKinney Senior Instructor, School of Computer and Information Sciences University of South Alabama 251-461-1598 [email protected]
Karen Peterson Instructor of English University of South Alabama 251-460-6148 [email protected]
Leo Denton Assistant Professor, School of Computer and Information Sciences University of Mobile 251-442-2573 [email protected]
National trends as well as our institution's experience indicate that retention rates in computing disciplines are low. To address this issue beginning in Fall 2006 the School of Computer and
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Information Sciences at the University of South Alabama formed a partnership with the English department. Freshmen computing majors were invited to enroll in a learning community consisting of an English composition class and a Freshman Seminar class for computing majors. In the learning community composition class, the students were given technology-based writing assignments. Our assessment indicated that the students benefited from this experience with higher writing scores despite lower ACT scores and lower pretest scores than students in the control group. Surveys indicated, however, that the students did not like the specific computing-related writing assignments. We reported on this first year at the 2007 FYE international conference. This effort has continued with modifications in each subsequent fall term.
In Fall 2007, students listed the most challenging issues facing them in their first semester. In teams the students then wrote, directed, and performed skits on these issues. Their performances were scheduled near the end of the semester and all freshmen students at the university were invited to attend. Using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, we measured value, interest, and perceived competence specific to these issues in pretests and posttests.
In Fall 2008, we introduced a major university-wide service-learning and civic engagement experience which was led by one of the Freshman Seminar classes and contributed to by another. Students fulfilled course objectives like collaboration, organization, critical thinking, and time management to plan the Martin Luther King Day of Service for the university and Mobile community. Also that Fall, two more learning communities with Business and English were assessed for quality of writing and belonging. All learning communities continued in the Fall of 2009 and are part of our assessment.
In Fall 2010, pending the awarding of a grant proposal, we are planning a major multidisciplinary service-learning project which will be assessed, and the results will be presented at the National Service-Learning Conference.
In this interactive session, participants will be provided with the details of our experience and will be guided in a process to plan their own version of our experience to take back to their institutions. We will share the results of the assessment, and what we have learned in our four years including a discussion of challenges to be overcome.
Spirituality, Authenticity, Wholeness, and Self-Renewal in the Academy
Mary Stuart Hunter Associate Vice President & Exec. Dir., National Resource Center University of South Carolina 803-777-4761 [email protected]
John N. Gardner Senior Fellow University of South Carolina
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828-966-5401 [email protected]
Betsy O. Barefoot Fellow University of South Carolina 828-966-5310 [email protected]
The session will open with the presenters providing context and background on this important topic. Then in a small group, participants will be invited to discuss the following questions: 1. In your institutional life and work, can you think of specific times or situations in which you have experienced a clash between your personal values and institutional values and practices? Give specific examples of times or occasions in which you felt compelled to compromise your values and beliefs. 2. What kind of collegial behavior or administrative policies generate value conflicts for you or create inauthentic behavior? 3. In what ways are the beliefs and values of your department or institution congruent or incongruent with your own? 4. Are there times when your interactions with students have offered opportunities to discuss issues of spirituality, authenticity, and wholeness? How have you reacted to the opportunity? 5. Does your institution provide safe structures or opportunities for the sharing of values? Would the process used for this session facilitate such sharing on your home campus? The session will conclude with the presenters facilitating a processing of the discussion and a sharing of resources on the topic.
Primer for First-Time Attendees
Mary Stuart Hunter Associate Vice President & Exec. Dir., National Resource Center University of South Carolina 803-777-4761 [email protected]
Jennifer R. Keup Director, National Resource Center University of South Carolina 803-777-2570 [email protected]
John N. Gardner Senior Fellow University of South Carolina
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828-966-5401 [email protected]
Summary: None
Using Their Words: Ways to Collect and Use Qualitative Data to Better Understand the Early College Experience
Stephanie Foote Director, Academic Success Center and First-Year Experience University of South Carolina Aiken 803-641-3321 [email protected]
Historically, there are many examples of quantitative research studies involving first-year students, first-year seminars, and programs for students in the first year of college. Some of these studies may be a result of the culture of assessment associated with first-year seminars; Upcraft (2005) describes first-year seminars as one of the areas of higher education that has been most assessed.
Although quantitative research is important, there is a need to collect and use qualitative data to better understand the early college experience because these methods capture ―many of the subtle and fine-grained complexities of college impact than the more traditional quantitative approaches‖ (Pascarella, 1991, p. 463). Further, these qualitative methods allowed the researcher to explore the intertwined relationship between perceptions and personal meaning. Seidman (1998) describes the interplay between these elements as one of the purposes for conducting this type of research.
This session illuminates the need to incorporate qualitative methods in future research about the first college year and assessment of programs aimed at helping first-year students. Drawing from several qualitative research studies, as well as qualitative first-year seminar assessment, this session presents examples of conventional and unconventional methods to collect and use qualitative data to enhance programs and resources for first-year students.
During this session, the presenter will share information about various conventional and unconventional methods to collect qualitative data; examples of how to analyze data collected using these methodologies; and ideas about how those data may be used for research, program assessment, or course improvement. Participants will leave the session with several resources they can adapt to collect qualitative data, as well as ideas on how to use those data to improve programs and services for first-year students on their campuses.
Pascarella, E. T., (1991). The impact of college on students: The nature of the evidence. The Review of Higher Education, 14(4), 453-466.
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Seidman, I. (1998). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Upcraft, M. L. (2005). Assessing the first year of college. In M. Lee Upcraft, J. N. Gardner, & B. O. Barefoot (Eds.), Challenging & supporting the first-year student: A handbook for improving the first year of college (pp. 275-291). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
„To Neither Play nor Study but to Earnestly Live‟: Using Thoreau and Outdoor Education in the First-Year Experience
Adam Tuchinsky Chair and Associate Professor, History Department University of Southern Maine 207-780-4287 [email protected]
Lynn Kuzma Associate Professor University of Southern Maine 207-780-4347 [email protected]
In the fall of 2006, the University of Southern Maine implemented a First Year Experience (FYE) program, what is termed an Entry Year Experience (EYE)—as the first step in a broader reform of general education. The goal of the EYE program was consistent with the national research on FYEs. By now, the goals and benefits of the FYE experience are clear, but what is the best way to achieve them in a manner that still manifests academic and intellectual integrity? National research on FYEs argues that student retention and engagement can be improved by designing courses that encourage students to assess their own values, increase non-classroom faculty-student interaction, expose students to student-involvement activities, facilitate peer connections, and entail enriching co-curricular elements. But what kinds of approaches support involvement and self-examination, and still serve as a bridge to later more content-centered courses?
Our paper will be a case study of our FYE course, ―Thoreau: Nature, Society, and Self.‖ The goal of our course is essential teaching strategy, was to both study Thoreau and emulate his inherent interdisciplinary. Thoreau was an environmentalist, an explorer, a scientist, an historian, a poet, and an activist; he intersects, in short, with a variety of modern academic disciplines, which makes him an ideal subject for faculty collaboration. Thoreau also probed the connection between his own values and sense of self to his society and to the natural world. He modeled the goals that are common to most FYE.
The paper will have four basic parts. The first section will explore the history of education, the way in which the FYE is rooted in pedagogical innovations first pioneered in the United States by Thoreau and other Transcendentalists in the 1830s and 1840s. Second, we will briefly
80 review and assess the literature on the FYE and student engagement. Third, we will explain how specific elements of our course, and outdoor education more generally, can achieve the pedagogical and institutional goals of FYE. Finally, we will present qualitative and quantitative data to compare the extent to which our course fulfilled the learning goals and objectives of the University of Southern Maine EYE program compared to other courses which relied upon more traditional approaches.
A High School Assessment and Intervention Program to Promote College Readiness
A.J. Metz Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology University of Utah 801-581-5847 [email protected]
The costs of secondary and post-secondary attrition are profound and experienced by society, institutions, and individuals. Recent research focusing on the role of non-cognitive factors (e.g., commitment to college, engagement in campus activities, academic discipline) identified between 6 and 9 constructs that help explain student persistence and academic performance beyond that which can be explained by traditional cognitive measures (standardized test scores and high school GPA).
The Student Strengths Inventory (SSI) is a brief psychometrically sound measure of non- cognitive factors that could be used in high school and early college as a vehicle for developing and delivering comprehensive college/workforce readiness and success programs. The SSI is a 48-item measure of six factors (academic engagement, educational commitment, campus engagement, social comfort, academic self-efficacy, and resiliency) known to be the most potent predictors of academic outcomes. This instrument is most appropriate for use with high school juniors, seniors, and college freshmen.
Colleges and universities have been measuring non-cognitive factors for several years and use the results to (a) identify students at risk for academic underperformance or attrition, (b) align campus resources to meet the needs of incoming student cohorts, (c) promote specific student support services to those most in need of those services. Given the demonstrated importance of these factors in post-secondary student success, there exists tremendous potential for developing assessment and intervention models in high schools. We believe that knowledge of a student's cognitive and non-cognitive strengths and deficits can provide educators, school counselors, and parents with a more comprehensive picture of that student's readiness for college and work. Like the college data-use models described above, we further believe that high schools can take advantage of non-cognitive assessment results to provide support services, focus efforts in student readiness curriculum, and build and implement personal education/career plans in consultation with teachers, parents, and school counselors.
This presentation will describe our work with AMES high school - an early college high school in the Granite School District in Salt Lake City, UT. In collaboration with teachers, school
81 counselors, parents, and administrators, AMES developed an advisory period model that makes use of SSI assessment data (at the aggregate, classroom, and individual student level) to deliver curriculum focused on educational planning, commitment and aspiration, resource utilization and resiliency, self-efficacy, and academic and social engagement. The role of parents, teachers, school counselors, and administrators in this school-wide intervention program will be discussed in addition to scalability and generalizability of the AMES model.
Assessment and Interventions Programs to Promote College Success
Paul Gore Associate Professor of Educational Psychology University of Utah 801-599-4567 [email protected]
Post-secondary institutions continue their efforts to understand, predict, and control the retention, academic performance, and graduation of their student populations. In our experience working with such institutions we are surprised by how few colleges and universities have coordinated and data-driven efforts in this regard. Whereas almost all post-secondary institutions now recognize the need to provide student support services (e.g., First-Year Experience, orientation, Supplemental Instruction, Learning Communities), few have coordinated their services and fewer still have developed a platform for assessing individual and aggregate student need.
Our presentation will highlight the adoption and use of a newly developed, brief, and customizable measure of non-cognitive/motivational student success factors in 5 post- secondary institutions and one early-college high school.
The presenter will share experiences from these institutions in utilizing the Student Strengths Inventory (SSI) as a tool to assess incoming first year students. Each institution faces locally specific challenges when attempting to address student persistence and performance. This presentation will incorporate experiences from a diverse group of schools, with different enrollments, student populations, and retention targets. The goals of undertaking data-driven efforts to address non-cognitive/motivational factors also differ for each institution. The presenter will describe the schools experiences assessing students prior to or upon arrival at college, efforts to develop interventions to provide customized feedback to students, as well as the creation of institutionally coordinated strategies to utilize the information about their students generated by the SSI.
An institutional decision to undertake the measurement of non-cognitive factors of incoming first year students is often a substantial undertaking. This action creates an opportunity for a campus-wide discussion on the provision of student services and systematic efforts to identify at risk students early in their experience and reach out to those students in order to connect the individual with available campus resources. The presenter will detail how the decision to assess students sparked discussion and debate about efforts to improve student retention and
82 performance among many institutional stakeholders.
The presenter will provide attendees with a set of guidelines for adopting and implementing data-driven student readiness assessment and developing institutionally coordinated use of those data.
UniStep: A Sustainable Approach to Developing Academic Literacy Skills
Neera Handa Lecturer, Student Learning Unit University of Western Sydney 61 2 47360850 [email protected]
Erst Carmichael Lecturer, Student Learning Unit University of Western Sydney 61 2 47360850 [email protected]
Clare Power Lecturer, Student Learning Unit University of Western Sydney 61 2 47360786 [email protected]
Transition programs offered to first year university students can make a substantial difference to their preparedness for higher studies. Tertiary Institutions, especially in terms of the recent widening participation agenda in higher education, need an approach which encompasses academic as well as selected non-academic and social aspects of the student experience particularly for non-traditional students who may lack the support and knowledge of university culture. This paper presents a case study of the pre-semester UniStep transition program and the ensuing benefits to first year students in developing their academic literacy skills and social networks crucial for progression and retention at the University of Western Sydney (UWS). UWS is a newer university catering to the growing migrant and low socio-economic background population of greater Sydney resulting in 52% of students at UWS being first in their family to attend university and the proportion of undergraduate students being involved in paid employment exceeds the national average by 10%. This intensive 40-hour face-to-face academic literacy program uses an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability as a platform for successful transition to university for first in family, low Socio Economic Status (SES), Non English Speaking Background (NESB) and/or mature age students. The originality of the UniStep program lies in its topical theme of sustainability and program specific Academic Skills guide and book of readings, as well as simulating the experience of a university subject. This paper includes evidence of this exemplary program‘s success from rigorous and regular end of course and follow- up student evaluations that demonstrate high levels of student
83 satisfaction, student retention and progression in the critical first year of study. The program provides a model that exemplifies a holistic approach to teaching academic skills in the transition to University for new students. By raising awareness of sustainability issues facing the planet today, UniStep entwines critical thinking and sustainability to develop students‘ ability to evaluate and apply skills to their own study context thus empowering them to better adapt to higher education culture and its demands. Many features of this program are transferable to other tertiary institutions.
Embedding Peer Learning: An Australian Success Story
Sally Rogan Head, Student Support & Peer Learning University of Wollongong 61 2 42215588 [email protected]
Kylie Austin Peer Learning Coordinator University of Wollongong 0242215685 [email protected]
The peer learning program at The University of Wollongong (UOW) is known as PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions). It is based on Supplemental Instruction (SI) as developed by the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC). It is a voluntary, mainstream program which aims to consolidate and integrate course content and discipline specific learning skills. The presenter will outline the implementation and expansion of PASS at UOW over a 9 year period. From 1 partner School and 6 Peer Leaders in 2002, the Program now has 70 senior student Peer Leaders who support over 4,000 participants per semester across all nine Schools. In 2010, the program is on offer to 95% of the 3,800 first year students and also supports a number of sophomore students. PASS is the cornerstone of the FYE at UOW and participation rates are as high as 90% in some disciplines (with 70% being the average). In 2009, 91% of participants strongly agreed that their attendance at PASS had been an enjoyable learning experience and 97% of students strongly agreed that it had also improved their understanding of the course content. In addition, 95% of respondents also strongly agreed that attending PASS had helped them to create social networks at UOW. This social engagement is essential for a successful transition to university life.
Since its implementation 9 years ago, PASS has been rigorously assessed using quantitative and qualitative surveys and reports each semester. In 2006, it was awarded a Commendation by the Australian Universities Quality Agency and added to their National Good Practice Database. PASS has also been recognized institutionally and nationally for its Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, winning multiple awards. Independent analysis also confirmed that participants of the program were far more likely to be retained and that the program had contributed to an extra 1,200 students graduating over a 7 year period. The rigorous evaluation,
84 central coordination of the program and strong faculty and senior administration buy in, has facilitated an institutional roll out and adoption of the program. The presenters will outline how this institutional buy in has been achieved and the critical role it has played in the success of the program. The presenters will also discuss other key aspects of embedding the program such as alternating periods of expansion and consolidation and effective marketing techniques. Discussion amongst participants will be encouraged to exchange and disseminate best practice and critical success factors between the international participants.
A Personalized Approach to Student Retention
Marcy Glassford Program Coordinator Utah Valley University 801-863-7067 [email protected]
Michelle Kearns Director Utah Valley University 801-863-8976 [email protected]
We will present our current retention data, which will include a snapshot of our student body and then drill down to details on our freshmen students‘ population. Briefly, we'll review the history of our office and how we started by discussing the support we've received on campus along with mentioning the lack of support in certain areas. We'll present how we have worked to create buy-in from all areas across campus. We will then present the initiatives that have worked for us and give details along with the initiatives that have not worked. Presenting data long the way and personal insights.
Creating a Supportive Environment for Students by Developing a One-Stop Shop
Michelle Taylor Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Utah Valley University 801-863-8806 [email protected]
Liz Childs Senior Director Enrollment Management Utah Valley University 801-863-8460 [email protected]
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Kimberly Barraclough Coordinator Leave of Absence Utah Valley University 801-863-8404 [email protected]
Barney Nye Coordinator Multicultural Utah Valley University 801-863-7194 [email protected]
Students are often required to stand in multiple long lines to transact the business of admissions, registration, records, financial aid, parking, and tuition payments. Providing a One Stop where Admissions' Advisors are cross-trained in multiple areas allows for a much higher level of service to first-year students. Students are able to talk to one Admission Advisor regarding multiple areas in order to get their various questions answered at the same time-- rather than going from department to department. This presentation will discuss how Utah Valley University was able to design and implement a One Stop in an effort to create a higher level of service and support for first-year students. The challenges and benefits of creating this service will be explored along with pitfalls to avoid. The creation of a culture that promotes high levels of service and support is critical in developing a successful One Stop. Ideas and strategies of how to implement this service on other campuses will be highlighted. An invitation to visit Utah Valley University will be extended.
Summer Survivor: A Cultural Jumpstart to College
Gwen Anderson Director, Multicultural Center Utah Valley University 801-863-8143 [email protected]
Brett Breton Assistant Director, Multicultural Center Utah Valley University 801-863-8885 [email protected]
Within the first 7 minutes, we‘ll present an overview with handouts, PowerPoint pictures, programs, annual assessments and data showing growth. We‘ll show student testimonials and retention data. To illustrate the ―ice-breaker‖ that works very well, we‘ll have staff introductions and conference participants engage in the ―Who‘s Who?‖ interactive exercise that includes lively group discussions, contributions to the whole group, with ―Whopper‖ candy rewards for the most colorful stories. We explain a Theme for the three day conference that is
86 culturally authentic, symbolic and motivational. Backpacks are distributed with the theme‘s graphic symbol.
We introduce briefly (five minutes) the highlights of an academic workshop (―Anyone Can Succeed!‖) with planners and interactive exercises to illustrate test taking, note-taking, time management, and academic standards‘ policies. A PowerPoint presentation guide will be made available upon request. An interactive workshop entitled ―Color Code‖ which helps students to appreciate diverse personality styles is briefly introduced (5 minutes) with a personality assessment handout, a short one minute video clip and exercise concept. A PowerPoint presentation will be made available upon request.
―How the Brain Works‖ is another workshop that is highly interactive and motivates students by understanding how learning takes place and is enhanced. Handouts and exercise concepts will be included along with PowerPoint presentation guides available upon request.
Short descriptions of diversity appreciation discussions which include video clips of the ―Color of Fear‖ and ―Last Chance for Eden‖ will be introduced with discussion handouts.(5 minutes).
Meaningful cultural group exercises that validate ethnic identity are powerful components of our ―Summer Survivor‖ orientation program. They include a ―Native American Talking Circle‖ and a ―Privilege‖ exercise that students never forget. If time allows, we will illustrate Privilege and a Talking Circle with conference attendees. (20 minutes). Instructive handouts will be provided.
We‘ll illustrate the final day by explaining ―Jeopardy‖ – a wrap-up exercise that reinforces workshop concepts taught earlier. Students vie for team prizes and they form teams of canoe racers and often get dunked in UVU‘s man-made lake. There is a Talent Show by students followed by African American styled ―Let‘s Sing Gospel‖ led by a church chorister. The President or Vice President gives closing remarks, a brief history of Utah Valley University, and everyone is dismissed. Depending on time allowed, we‘ll highlight the most exciting elements of our three day ―Summer Survivor‖ program with handouts, PowerPoints, illustrations and instructions for conference attendees.
Utilizing First-Year Experience Peer-Education Programs to Build Cross-Campus Partnerships
Chris Goslin Department Chair Utah Valley University 801-863-6558 [email protected]
Marni Sanft Associate Professor
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Utah Valley University 801-863-6183 [email protected]
Ben Moulton Associate Professor Utah Valley University 801-863-7034 [email protected]
Utah Valley University faculty from the departments of College Success Studies and Developmental Math will demonstrate how they have created a partnership to improve student retention in math courses through peer mentoring. These faculty will also discuss how partnerships with other departments and programs on campus have lead to the development of mentoring programs for international students and multicultural students. The presentation will emphasize key elements that have been a part of the initial development and evolution of each program in an effort to provide insight that may be useful to those who are interested in developing and expanding mentor programs. The elements they will highlight include creating partnerships, defining program objectives that incorporate differing points of view represented in the partnership, assessing the benefits of the program, and strategic planning for future program growth.
While peer education and mentoring have been a significant part of FYE at UVU for several years, faculty and staff from different departments on campus are working together to develop new mentoring programs on campus. The College Success Studies and Developmental Math faculty members will discuss the process they have been involved in to develop a math mentor program. They will highlight the roles that each department has played in laying the groundwork for this program. The College Success Studies faculty have experience working with mentors and coordinating a mentor program, and the Developmental Math faculty understand the demands of each course and the needs of students in those courses. The partnership has evolved to developing the program on a more complex level. The faculty are now working together to address how mentoring can be incorporated in a math class, how to train math faculty to involve mentors in the class, and how to plan for future development of the program. The process of developing a peer mentor program involves an on-going discussion within the partnership. This type of discussion provides different points of view that can strengthen on-going program coordination and strategic planning.
The presenters will discuss similar experiences working with the International Student Council and Native American students to develop mentoring programs. These examples will be used to further illustrate the key elements involved in developing a mentor program. The session will end with a focused question and answer discussion with the attendees.
Developing Emotional Intelligence in the First Year
Brian Griffith
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Assistant Clinical Professor Vanderbilt University 615-322-8486 [email protected]
The benefits of emotional and social intelligence have been recognized for the last 25 years. There currently exists a strong research-based literature with many applications to K12 schools and organizations. For example, the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations is an online repository of research and collaboration that supports the development of emotional intelligence for personal and professional success. This organization offers proven strategies and best practices for facilitating its development.
Much of the existing research and theory is applied to K-12 educational institutions. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has become the preeminent organization devoted to educating students in the art of social and emotional intelligence. CASEL‘s list of skills include self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision making, self-management, and relationship management. Many K-12 schools have incorporated these learning objectives into the curriculum.
Likewise, many organizations have benefited from the research on emotional intelligence as they develop talent and train employees. Managers who are high in emotional intelligence have been shown to be more effective in their positions. Talent development and training programs regularly make use of coaching to help employees develop advanced skills in emotional intelligence. Intellectual intelligence often gets people hired but emotional intelligence helps them get promoted. Human resource programs are well aware of the benefits of emotional intelligence and regularly support its development.
Unfortunately, college curricula and pedagogical approaches may not have taken advantage this theoretical framework. Colleges and universities have yet to extensively integrate the theory and practice of developing emotional intelligence in its students. This workshop will discuss the potential benefits of integrating emotional intelligence development strategies into the college curriculum and will give attendees an opportunity to share best practices. It will also present how the Human and Organizational Development Program at Vanderbilt University utilizes and applies the theory in the first year experience.
An instrument that we developed to assess emotional intelligence will be described and offered to attendees.
Faculty Members Living in Residence Halls: Insane or Passionate About Helping Students?
Trish Cendana Director of Residential Education West Virginia University 304-293-4686
Richard Montgomery Resident Faculty Leader West Virginia University 304-293-9737 x17050 [email protected]
Background of WVU‘s Resident Faculty Leader Program The concept of having faculty members living within the residence halls was pioneered at Oxford, Cambridge, and then at American Ivy League Schools. WVU implemented this concept (the RFL program) in 1995. Throughout the last several years, WVU has expanded on those efforts and created residential colleges. The residential college model includes having additional faculty members connected to the hall that teach courses and host academic programs. In WVU‘s residential colleges, special programs and activities bring faculty members and working professionals into the residence halls to share their knowledge and ideas, while interacting with students on a casual basis. The goal of the RFL program is to create a lifelong love of learning and to integrate the classroom with extracurricular experiences. Seminars, general education courses, trips, debates, and special lectures foster intellectual curiosity. RFLs, in loco parentis, help to make the residence hall a domus a domo ―home away from home‖.
Types of Programming within Fieldcrest Residential College Fieldcrest Hall is one of WVU‘s residential colleges which incorporate programming that focuses on academic, educational, cultural, health and wellness, and social opportunities. The session leaders will briefly outline various types of programming opportunities that are currently available within Fieldcrest Hall.
Assessment of Residential Education Programs It‘s important to review what‘s working and what‘s not working during the freshmen year so that educators can understand what kind of support is needed. Educators need to develop programs from first-year assessment results and translate that into programs that will improve retention and graduation rates. WVU‘s Residential Education program collaborates with other units to assess first-year programs offered in the residence halls. Multiple models of assessment are beneficial in establishing patterns of student success that carry on past the freshmen year. In this session we will share the different methods of assessment that are used within our own unit, as well as units that we work closely with in Student Affairs. Session leaders will encourage participants to discuss the type of assessment models they
Placement-Guided Differentiated Instruction in First-Year Mathematics
Michael Mays Director, Institute for Math Learning West Virginia University 304-293-2011 x 2324
Eddie Fuller Associate Professor of Mathematics, Department Chair West Virginia University 304-293-2011 x 2345 [email protected]
Differentiated instruction maximizes learning for all students regardless of skill level or background, based on the fact that students vary in their academic abilities, learning styles, interests, and motivation. These differences are also very apparent in first year students, who arrive on campus with a wide range of background courses and academic experiences. At WVU we use differentiated instruction for our first year mathematics courses in College Algebra and STEM Calculus. Placement for incoming students is determined by a two part test given to all students during summer orientation, giving a snapshot of mathematical proficiency in prerequisite knowledge of algebra and precalculus. The test is based on the MAA Placement Test suite, and is given on line. Students who do not demonstrate sufficient proficiency to start a College Algebra course are required to enroll in a Pre-College Algebra Workshop. The goal is to vary the starting point of the courses as necessary, but to incorporate extra instructional time to include appropriate review so that by the end of the courses the different versions are in sync, any of them an appropriate prerequisite for the next course required.
In this talk we will summarize three aspects of this process and present data relating to the success of these efforts.
1) We will describe the placement process in general using the MapleTA software offered by Maplesoft which implements the MAA Placement Testing Suite. We will then present the results from the testing of 10932 students in the first two years of the implementation along with data from a pilot program used to ascertain effective cutoff scores for placement. 2) We will present data related to the placement of students and the impact on the enrollments in courses including remedial mathematics, college algebra, trigonometry, and a two semester ―just in time‖ calculus as well as our mainstream first-term calculus. We will describe the impacts of placement on the success of students in these courses and successor courses. 3) We will present a more detailed analysis of the results of an effort to implement a developmental mathematics intervention in a self-paced format using the Pearson myMathLab product and the Intermediate Algebra online text by Martin-Gay.
We will then summarize the results and present them in the context of student retention efforts campus-wide.
I Think I Am in College: Critical Thinking in the First-Year Curriculum
Sharon Buzzard Director, First Year Program Western Kentucky University
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270-745-5191 [email protected]
Western Kentucky University adopted its Critical Thinking Initiative in August 2007 and introduced it to the faculty through a series of workshops facilitated by the Foundation for Critical Thinking. In 2007, the First-Year Program at WKU (a 2-hour voluntary class that enrolls approximately 2,000 students) began plans to revise its curricula to emphasize the habits of critical thinking and active learning. Charts that graphically depicted the eight ―Elements of Thought‖ were posted in classrooms to guide discussions regarding particular points of view and in asking questions that might provide even more clarity, accuracy, and precision. Assignments were designed that allowed students to apply the model to other materials covered in the class: career decisions, library skills, and our supplemental text, Freakonomics. The redesigned curriculum was ready for kick-off in fall 2008.
Pre-testing with the ―Critical Thinking Guide‖ asked students five questions about an essay by William Raspberry. The critical thinking model was then applied throughout the semester to subjects relevant to general education (What is the value of education from a student‘s, professor‘s, employer‘s point of view? Does a college major matter? What are the strengths and weaknesses of testing as a way to measure learning? What advantages and disadvantages are there to a broad-based education as opposed to a narrowly focused professional skill?). Students became more adept at understanding how to recognize points of view – both those represented and those that ought to be considered. They learned how to assess the accuracy of informational sources and whether others might be included. At the end of the semester, the post-test was administered using the same ―Critical Thinking Guide‖ and the same essay. Data showed a 28% improvement in critical thinking skills that institutional research says was not correlated to ACT reading or composite scores. Students themselves indicated very high satisfaction ratings (87%) with the training they received in critical thinking, in reading, and in asking questions.
Available in this session will be posters of the Critical Thinking Model; samples of pre and post tested student papers; examples of assignments linked to the ―Critical Thinking Guide; charts to illustrate assessment data results; illustration of how critical thinking strategies were applied to the supplemental text Freakonomics; illustrations of how the critical thinking model is used in other classrooms; and illustration of how teachers in subject-specific sections of their first- year seminar adapted the model; and interaction with teachers who have used this same model in other classrooms.
Rethinking Academic Integrity and the First-Year Experience
Robert Kenedy Associate Professor, Department of Sociology York University 416-736-2100 ext. 77458 [email protected]
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Marilyn Lambert-Drache Associate Dean York University [email protected]
Understanding the importance of and strategies for maintaining a high standard of academic integrity in university scholarship is often a daunting prospect for first year students. Faculty, librarians, university administrators, teaching assistants and peer mentors face many challenges when explaining the pedagogical importance of academic integrity to first year students and when encountering breeches of academic integrity. It is often when students write their first paper that challenges with the transition to university writing and referencing become evident, especially in relation to academic integrity. Many first year students struggle with the unexpected requirements of properly citing sources, using different bibliographic styles, paraphrasing properly, as well as expressing concepts and ideas in their own words. Confusion and conflict may also arise with respect to group work and acceptable levels of collaboration on assignments. Invigilators face their own set of academic integrity issues associated with tests and exams, as well as negotiating complex relations with students in an attempt to nurture a non-hostile learning environment.
This roundtable will explore current and future issues, trends, and best practices associated with fostering academic integrity in the first year. It will also explore strategies for facilitating the integration of academic integrity into student learning and scholarship. Facilitators will consider a pedagogical approach to academic integrity that treats it as a complex multidimensional issue, and which includes information literacy, ethics, academic integrity tutorials, quizzes, and various online resources. The group will explore the value of having unified, multilevel and integrated approaches that are ―pan university/college‖. Finally, group members will be encouraged to critically examine and explore the role of technology both in promoting academic integrity and in facilitating academic dishonesty (i.e., through on-line essay mills and other similar services).
Overall, the purpose of this roundtable is to explore challenges and solutions associated with integrating academic integrity into the first year experience, and to encourage the development of new and innovative strategies to address this crucial element of successful scholarship and a crucial element of University life.
Incorporating Critical Thinking as Part of the First-Year Experience Curriculum
Robert Kenedy Associate Professor, Department of Sociology York University 416-736-2100 ext. 77458 [email protected]
Marilyn Lambert-Drache Associate Dean
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York University [email protected]
Critical thinking is an important university skill that should be a standard expected learning outcome of FYE courses. Often students enter post secondary educational institutions with poorly developed faculties critical thinking and analysis. They struggle with acquiring a deeper understanding of issues in their courses. Current literature suggests that students must acquire various critical thinking skills to succeed at the University level; those who acquire critical thinking and related academic skills are more likely to successfully complete their degrees. Teaching first year students to become critical thinkers requires a comprehensive educational approach, with the evaluation process playing a vital role in ―critical thinking pedagogy‖.
This roundtable will examine the relevant pedagogical theory, research, and ―best practices‖ for teaching critical thinking. Participants will be encouraged to share their own experiences in this area, and to brainstorm together to develop novel and innovative approaches to addressing this need. The session will be designed to assist those teaching first year seminars and other first year courses by discussing appropriate activities to encourage and assess critical thinking, the successful implementation of criteria in order to evaluate student progress, and the creation of a classroom environment in which application of critical thinking is embraced as a tool for learning. If time permits, the session will also explore more general strategies for faculty, librarians, university administrators, teaching assistants, and peer advisors to promote critical thinking amongst first year students.
Overall, the purpose of this roundtable is to move toward understanding the challenges and developing and sharing solutions for encouraging critical thinking and related skills in first year students.
Creating Communities in a Large, Urban, Commuter-Based University
Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt Associate Vice President, Academic Learning Initiatives York University 416-736-5280 [email protected]
John Amanatides Associate Professor and Master Bethune College York University 416-736-2100 ext 33959 [email protected]
This session will provide information on two initiatives underway at York University in Toronto, in order to enhance the first year experience and to improve retention. York is a large (50,000 + students), urban, primarily commuter-based university, and the two initiatives share the goal of creating smaller communities by developing programs and activities designed to
94 meet the needs of specific student cohorts. The session will begin by discussing the creation of a pan-university centre for adult and part-time learners and the development of a Student Success Program for adult learners. This program features a series of academic and social support interventions targeted to this cohort of students. The session will describe the range of interventions offered during the 2008-2009 and 2009-10 academic years and will share the assessment results of these interventions in terms of their impact on student experience, student persistence and academic performance.
The second part of the session will describe a series of initiatives developed to meet the needs of first year Science and Engineering students. In this case, the central element is an undergraduate college that features curricular and co-curricular activities for residential and commuter students that are designed to create a sense of community while also building required academic skills. Assessment of the impact of the various options provided to these students will be based on performance and retention data. The session will conclude with a discussion of future programming, networking, and research intentions.
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