Transcript Student Learning as a University

Student Success as a
University-wide Commitment
Faculty Presentation
August 25, 2011
Illusion of Divergent Missions
• Problem with metaphor of “sides of the house”
• Need to affirm university-wide commitment to
common mission
• Everyone needs to understand how he or she
contributes to that mission
CCSU Mission Statement
Central Connecticut State University is a
community of learners dedicated to teaching and
scholarship that emphasizes development and
application of knowledge and ideas through
research and outreach activities, and prepares
students to be thoughtful, responsible and
successful citizens. As a comprehensive public
university, we provide broad access to quality
degree programs at the baccalaureate, master's,
and doctoral levels.
Unpacking Learning Outcomes in the
Mission
• “Thoughtful”
▫ Critical Thinking
▫ Analytic Reasoning
• “Responsible”
▫ Ethical Decision Making
▫ Intercultural Competence
▫ Sense of Social Responsibility
Unpacking Learning Outcomes in the
Mission
• “Successful”
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Complex Problem Solving
Applied Knowledge in Real World Settings
Written and Oral Communication
Teamwork Skills
Creativity and Innovation
Quantitative Reasoning
Information Literacy
• “Citizens”
▫ Civic Knowledge
▫ Community Engagement
Demand for Higher Order Skills
• 91% of employers say that they are “asking employees to take on
more responsibilities and to use a broader set of skills than in the
past”
• 90% of employers say that their “employees are expected to work
harder to coordinate with other departments than in the past”
• 88% of employers say that “the challenges their employees face are
more complex than they were in the past.”
• 88% of employers agree that “to succeed in their companies,
employees need higher levels of learning and knowledge than they
did in the past”
Source: “Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic
Downturn” (AAC&U and Hart Research Associates, 2010). Slide provided by Carol Geary
Schneider
Percentage of Employers who want Colleges to
“Place More Emphasis” on
Essential Learning Outcomes
Written and Oral Communication
Critical and Analytical Thinking
Applied Knowledge in Real Settings
Complex Problem Solving
Ethical Decision Making
Teamwork
Intercultural Competence
Creativity and Innovation
Information Literacy
Quantitative Reasoning
Civic Knowledge and Engagement
89%
81%
79%
75%
75%
71%
71%
70%
68%
63%
52%
Establishing University-wide
Learning Outcomes
1. Seek agreement about university learning
outcomes, including for nonacademic units
2. Encourage and support widespread adoption
of practices that produce learning outcomes
3. Communicate learning outcomes to students
4. Document student learning
5. Adopt common rubrics for assessing learning
outcomes
High Impact Practices (HIP)
• Promote development of higher order skills
• Support goals of student success
▫ Participation in HIP improves retention
▫ HIP increases probability of graduation
• Power of doubling up HIP (e.g. undergraduate
research in first-year experience)
High Impact Practices
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First-year Experience
Undergraduate Research
Service Learning
Capstone Experiences
Learning Communities
Writing-intensive Courses
Internships
Diversity/Global Learning
Collaborative Assignments and Projects
For the Naylor video, please click on the Video
link on the Provost’s Presentations webpage
For the USC video, please click on the Videos link
on the Provost’s Presentations webpage
High Impact Practices
• Initiatives tend to be isolated and fragmentary
• Too few students participate in HIP
• May exclude students who would most benefit
from them
What can departments do?
• Identify specific problems facing majors and
implement solutions
• Promote widespread adoption of HIP—Aim to
make HIP unavoidable
• Institute student mentoring (faculty and peer)
What can individual faculty do?
Have everyone make one small change
• Add one writing assignment
• Integrate one co-curricular activity into course;
link campus events with classroom activities
• Require attendance
• Provide early feedback
• Integrate clickers
• Redesign courses in which students struggle
Course Redesign
• Supplement course materials with media rich
online environment to engage students in lowerlevel learning
• Introduce engaging assignments:
Reacting to the Past
http://reacting.barnard.edu/headlines/videostruggle-palestine
For the Barnard video, please click on the Videos
link on the Provost’s Presentations webpage
What can everyone do?
• Listen to what students say
• Treat students with respect and courtesy
• Don’t say no too quickly; try to help them find a
solution
• Try to solve the problem yourself; if you must refer
students, call the other office to let them know the
student is coming
• Reach out to students who seem to struggle
• Let others know about any problems or concerns
you have about students
• Mentor student workers and assistant
• Partner with colleagues in other units
Intervene early and often
• Students start falling behind very quickly
• During first three weeks of class, 55% of students
report receiving feedback “once” or “never”
• Helping students through first 12-15 credits will
have lasting impact on academic success
Video Links
www.CCSU.edu/provostvideos
Sources
• Brownell, Jayne E. and Swaner, Lynn E. Five HighImpact Practices. Research on Learning Outcomes,
Completion, and Quality. American Association of
Colleges and Universities, 2010
• Rhodes, Terrel L., ed. Assessing Outcomes and
Improving Achievement. Tips and Tools for Using
Rubrics. Association of American Colleges and
Universities, 2010.
• The LEAP Vision for Learning. Outcomes,
Practices, Impact, and Employers’ Views.
Association of American Colleges and Universities,
2011.