Transcript Engaging the First Year Student

Engaging the First Year Student
WEST TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Freshman Convocation 2005
Purpose
Vision
QEP exhibits the following characteristics:
 Model of Excellence
 Students, faculty, and staff partnerships
 Application of theory to practice
 Integrated view of knowledge
 Interdisciplinary courses and projects
 Classrooms extended beyond the “walls”
 Students, faculty & staff involved in community
“Engaged pedagogy is really the only type of
teaching that truly generates excitement in the
classroom that enables students and professors to
feel the joy of learning.”
bell hooks
Definition
QEP Focus
Engagement is a process of connecting
first year students more fully, personally
and holistically, to their education, to
their preparation for careers and to their
contributing lives as citizens.
WTAMU: A Great University
Building on our Strengths
•Small class sizes
•Affordable
•Friendly
•Strong academic programs
(CIRP, 2005)
A Focused Topic
Who Are Our Students?
Of the 1,221 Fall 2005
freshman, 790 were beginning
their first collegiate experience.
The university has more than
50% first-generation college
students.
WTAMU lost 421 freshmen in
2004.
WTAMU lost 454 freshmen in
2005.
A Focused Topic
Student Expectations of WT
Only 28.9% chose WTAMU
because it had a good
academic reputation.
Place Picture Here
Only 35% of our first year
students expected to be
satisfied with WTAMU.
Only 9% expected to develop
relationships with professors.
(According to CIRP Data)
Level of Student Engagement
Academic Challenge
Significantly Below
National Average:
 Number of books read
 Preparation for class
 Synthesis and application
 Emphasis on study time
Level of Student Engagement
Active and Collaborative Learning
Below National Average:
 Contribute to class discussion
 Made class presentation
Place Picture Here
 Class community-based
projects
 Tutored or taught other
students
Level of Student Engagement
Student-Faculty Interaction
First year students do not get
the same access to faculty:
 Collaborate with faculty/staff
 Discuss career plans
 Prompt feedback from faculty
 Discuss reading & class with
faculty outside of class time
Level of Student Engagement
Enriching Educational Experiences
Significantly Below
National Average:
 Participate in co-curricular
activities
Place Picture Here
 Field experiences, internships
 Community service
 Racially and religiously
diverse relationships
Level of Student Engagement
Support Campus Environment
Below National Average:
 Campus helps with nonacademic responsibilities
(work, family, etc.)
Place Picture Here
 Support to ensure social
success
 Quality of relationships
with students, faculty,
staff, administration
Level of Student Engagement
Where are our students experiencing
failure and frustration?
 Our students do not easily connect to faculty, staff, or
each other.
 Our students, faculty, and staff do not effectively
communicate value of the Core Curriculum.
 Our students are not well prepared for the collegiate
experience.
 Our faculty and staff do not have systemic support for
implementing engaging teaching strategies.
Goals
Goal I. Enhance Active & Collaborative Learning
OBJECTIVES:
 Facilitate faculty development &
improving classroom instruction in core
courses.
 Infuse service-learning and project
based learning into the core curriculum.
Goals
Goal II. Enrich Educational Experiences
OBJECTIVES:
 Create unique field experiences to
develop first year student civic
responsibility.
 Augment cultural awareness on a
global level for civic responsibility.
Goals
Goal III. Develop College Success Skills
OBJECTIVES:
 Build successful learning skills.
 Link problem-solving and critical
thinking skills.
Goals
Goal IV. Cultivate Supportive Campus Relationships
OBJECTIVES:
 Connect first year students to peers in
the campus community.
 Link faculty and staff to peers in the
campus community.
 Foster relationships between first year
students, faculty, and staff.
Initiatives
Five-Year Plan 2006-2011
 Core Curriculum Reform
 Core Curriculum Fellows (Pilot ’05)
 Readership WT (Pilot ’05)
 Service-Learning Project “Citizen U.”
 Smart Classrooms across Curriculum
Initiatives
Five-Year Plan 2006-2011
 Faculty Mentoring Program
 WT TV Campus Channel
 Student Learning Communities
 Engaging Orientation Programs
 Thematic Freshman Year Experience Course
Assessment
Measuring our Success
Evaluation focus
 Are QEP activities having a significant impact on
student learning?
Data Sources & Methods
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Focus groups
CIRP (Cooperative Institutional Research Program)
HERI (Higher Education Research Institute)
NSSE (National Survey on Student Engagement)
CIEQ (Course/Instructor Evaluation Question)
CEA (Course Embedded Assessment)
Institutional Research data
YFCY (Your First College Year)
Systemic Change
Institutional Support
 Office of Quality Enhancement and First Year Experience
 Center for Student Learning and Teaching Excellence
(SLATE)
 First Year Experience Coordinator
Program Improvement Plan
QEP Resource Allocation Plan 2006-2011
Total New
Initiatives
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Initiative
Request
166,454
95,000
167,200
145,000
92,000
80,500
Accreditation Visit
SACS Accreditation Team Visit
 April 10-12, 2006
 Focus will be on QEP
 Visit with all campus partners
 Inquire about knowledge of QEP focus and initiatives
 Exit interview Wednesday, April 12, 2006
“All of us in the academy . . . are called to renew our minds if
we are to transform educational institutions – and society –
so that the way we live, teach, and work can reflect our joy
in cultural diversity, our passion for justice, and our love of
freedom.”
(bell hooks, 1994)
Reactions
Review
Questions?
Reactions?
Ideas?