Transcript Student Success Programs Where Retention Theory and

Student Success Programs
Where Retention Theory and
Practice Converge
Mary Stuart Hunter
Houghton Mifflin College Survival
National Conference
July 12, 2002
Atlanta, Georgia
What We Know About
Student Retention
There is widespread interest in student
success
Nationally, rates vary by institutional type
52.5% at public two-year institutions
83.6% at private universities
Overall, retention rates have changed very
little over the past 30 years
What We Know About
Student Retention
What matters most is our institution’s rate
Not a goal, rather a by-product
Student learning and success = student
retention
Perspectives on Student
Retention
From the Institution’s Perspective
From the Student’s Perspective
Lessons from Astin’s I – E – O model
Institutional Cultures and
Student Success
Barriers to Student
Success and Retention
Recruitment and Orientation
Tendency to admit under-prepared
students
Inadequate new student orientation
Inadequate pre-matriculation academic
advising
First-Year Instruction
Large first-year classes
Classes taught by the least experienced
instructors
Infrequent testing and little feedback
Instruction / grading based on
memorization and regurgitation
Little opportunity for active learning
strategies
Lack of critical thinking in classes
Research skills not required nor taught
Campus Community
Little effort to create a common community
Lack of student – faculty interaction
outside of class
Little effort is made to connect the
curriculum and the co-curriculum
Little attention to connecting the
curriculum and the co-curriculum to the
institutional mission
Lack of collaboration between student
affairs and academic affairs
Student Success Courses
and
First-Year Seminars
Ideal Settings for Addressing
Institutional Challenges
Understanding
and
Applying
Student Retention Theory
Student / Institutional Fit
(Tinto)
Student background and characteristics
help determine their commitment
education.
The greater the congruence, the more
likely that the student will persist.
Empathic Recall
Exercise
Social and Academic
Integration
(Tinto, Pascarella, Terenzini)
Valuable learning experiences incorporate
the classroom learning with out of class
learning.
Students who integrate the academic and
the social reap great benefits.
Sharing of Examples
Involvement / Community
(Astin, Kuh, Boyer, Light)
Direct link between the quality and
quantity of involvement and student
performance and satisfaction
Positive interaction with peers brings
about a sense of satisfaction and
responsibility
Reflections on Powerful
Group Experiences
Student Learning
(Astin, Tinto, Kuh)
Successful institutions create settings that
educate all students
Students who find support for their
learning, engage in active learning, and
receive frequent feedback are more likely
to stay than those who don’t
Optimal Learning
Reflection
Applying Theory to Student
Success Courses
10 Tips for Success in
Teaching First-Year Students
(Strommer)
Understand your students
Clarify your objectives
Attend to the first class
Establish a climate for learning
Abandon the non-stop lecture
Involve students with varied activities
Provide opportunities for reflection
Take risks
Include upper-class students
Develop a support group
10 Tips for Success in
Teaching First-Year Seminar
(Hunter)
Embrace high expectations and demand
quality work
Learn names early and use them
Demonstrate self disclosure
Give students ownership for some aspects
of the course
Involve students in teaching the course
Remember that process is content
Meet at least once with each student
individually
Obtain feedback throughout the term
Provide opportunity for synthesis and
projection
Know that teaching new student seminars
if a continual work in progress
7 Principles for Good
Practice in Undergraduate
Education
(Chickering and Gamsen)
Encourages contact between students and
faculty
Develops reciprocity and cooperation
among students
Encourages active learning
Gives prompt feedback
Emphasizes time on task
Communicates high expectations
Respects diverse talents and ways of
learning
A Lesson from Recycling
Think Globally
Act Locally
Stuart Hunter
[email protected]
National Resource Center
for The First-Year
Experience and Students in
Transition
www.sc.edu/fye