Transcript Strengthening Institutional Responsibility for Student Success: Lessons from NSSE George D. Kuh U of Maine System March 20, 2007

Strengthening Institutional
Responsibility for Student
Success:
Lessons from NSSE
George D. Kuh
U of Maine System
March 20, 2007
We all want the same thing—an
undergraduate experience that
results in high levels of learning
and personal development for all
students.
Overview
 Students today
 Why engagement matters
 Rethinking classroom
practices
 Conversation
Advance Organizers
To what extent do your students
engage in productive learning
activities, inside and outside the
classroom?
How do you know?
What must you do differently -- or
better -- to enhance student
success?
Student Success in College
Academic achievement,
engagement in
educationally purposeful
activities, satisfaction,
acquisition of desired
knowledge, skills and
competencies,
persistence, attainment
of educational
objectives, and postcollege performance
Students Today

Entitlement mentality
Trends in High School Grades
45
40
35
30
25
A- or better
C+ or less
20
15
10
5
0
1969 1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 2006
Student Success Quiz
What percent of high school
seniors have college-level
reading skills?
(a) 51% (b) 59% (c) 68% (d) 77%
(e) none of the above
a. 51% (ACT, 2006)
Student Success Quiz
True or false:
26% of first-year first-time frosh
take one or more remedial
courses in college.
False. 40%
Student Success Quiz
What percent of students who
take at least one remedial course
in reading do not earn a
certificate or degree within 8
years of first enrollment?
(a) 18% (b) 33% (c) 43%
(d) 61% (e) 70%
e. 70%
Student Success Quiz
True or false:
About $300 million is spent
annually on postsecondary
remediation coursework.
False. $1+ billion
Students Today


Entitlement
mentality
Cumulative
deficit re:
attitudes, study
habits,
academic skills
What to Do?!?
Student success requires that
professors explain more things
to today’s students that we once
took for granted –
“You must buy the book, you
must read it and come to class,
you must observe deadlines or
make special arrangements
when you miss one”
Prof. Richard Turner (1998, p.4)
Students Today


More diverse
than previous
cohorts
Techno-savvy
“NetGens”
Lessons from National Center for
Academic Transformation
 If doing something is important,
require it (first-year students
don’t do ‘optional’)
 Assign course points to the
activity
 Monitor and intervene when
necessary
http://www.thencat.org/Newsletters/Apr06.htm#1
Factors That Threaten Persistence and
Graduation from College
 academically underprepared for
college-level work
 first-generation college student
 gap between high school and college
 30+ hours working per week
 part-time enrollment
 single parent
 financially independent
 children at home
What Really Matters in College:
Student Engagement
Because individual effort and
involvement are the critical
determinants of impact,
institutions should focus on
the ways they can shape their
academic, interpersonal, and
extracurricular offerings to
encourage student
engagement.
Pascarella & Terenzini, How College Affects
Students, 2005, p. 602
Foundations of Student Engagement
Time on task (Tyler, 1930s)
Quality of effort (Pace, 1960-70s)
Student involvement (Astin,
1984)
Social, academic integration
(Tinto,1987, 1993)
Good practices in
undergraduate education
(Chickering & Gamson, 1987)
Outcomes (Pascarella, 1985)
Student engagement (Kuh, 1991,
2005)
Student Engagement Trinity
What students do -- time and energy
devoted to educationally purposeful
activities
What institutions do -- using
effective educational practices to
induce students to do the right
things
Educationally effective institutions
channel student energy toward the
right activities
Good Practices in
Undergraduate Education
(Chickering & Gamson, 1987;
Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005)







Student-faculty contact
Active learning
Prompt feedback
Time on task
High expectations
Respect for diverse learning styles
Cooperation among students
National Survey of
Student Engagement
(pronounced “nessie”)
Community College
Survey of Student
Engagement
(pronounced “cessie”)
College student surveys that assess
the extent to which students engage
in educational practices associated
with high levels of learning and
development
NSSE Project Scope
 One million+ students from
1,100 different schools
 80% of 4-yr U.S. undergraduate
FTE
 50 states, Puerto Rico
 35 Canadian universities
 100+ consortia
NSSE Survey
Student Behaviors
Institutional Actions &
Requirements
Reactions to People
& Environment
Student Background
Information
Student
Learning &
Development
In your experience at your institution
during the current school year, about how
often have you done each of the following?
1
Effective Educational Practices
Level of
Academic
Challenge
StudentFaculty
Interaction
Enriching
Educational
Experiences
Active &
Collaborative
Learning
Supportive
Campus
Environment
Grades, persistence,
student satisfaction,
and engagement go
hand in hand
Student engagement varies
more within than between
institutions.
Level of Academic Challenge:
Seniors at Doc-Extensive Schools
Percentile 10
Percentile 50
Percentile 90
100
80
60
40
20
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Doc-Extensive Institutions
11
12
13
14
15
Academic Challenge by Institutional Type
75 Seniors
70
70
65
65
Benchmark Scores
75 First-Year Students
60
60
55
55
50
50
45
45
40
40
35
35
30
30
25 Doc Doc
Ext
Int
MA
Bac
LA
Bac Nation
Gen
25 Doc
Ext
Doc MA
Int
Bac Bac
LA
Gen Nation
Worth Pondering
How do we reach
our least engaged
students?
Behold the compensatory
effects of engagement
What Are Faculty Telling Us?
Faculty Survey of
Student Engagement
(pronounced “fessie”)
FSSE measures
faculty expectations
and activities related
to student
engagement in
effective educational
practices
FSSE and NSSE Point to
“Disorienting Dilemmas”
Situations in which usual
perspectives or ways of
responding do not work or don’t
fit are more likely to motivate us
to learn and change (Mezirow,
1990)
Course Emphasis
Lower
Division
FACULTY report very much
or quite a bit of emphasis
on memorizing
29% / 14%
1st yr.
Students
STUDENTS report very
much or quite a bit of
emphasis on memorizing
Upper
Division
Seniors
65% / 63%
Prompt Feedback
Lower
Division
FACULTY gave prompt
feedback often or very
often
93% / 93%
1st yr.
Students
STUDENTS received prompt
feedback often or very often
Upper
Division
Seniors
64% / 76%
Association of American Colleges and Universities
Narrow Learning is Not Enough—
The Essential Learning Outcomes

Knowledge of Human Cultures
and the Physical & Natural World
 Intellectual and Practical Skills
 Personal and Social Responsibility
 Integrative Learning
Essential Learning Outcome:
Integrative Learning
NSSE DEEP LEARNING SCALE
 Integrating ideas or information
from various sources
 Synthesizing & organizing ideas,
info., or experiences
 Included diverse perspectives in
class discussions/writing
 Making judgments about the
value of information
 Put together ideas from different  Applying theories to practical
problems or in new situations
courses
 Examined the strengths and
 Discussed ideas with faculty
weaknesses of your own views
members outside of class
 Tried to better understand
 Discussed ideas with others
someone else's views
outside of class
 Analyzing the basic elements of  Learned something that
changed how you understand
an idea, experience, or theory
an issue
Essential Learning Outcome:
Intellectual and Practical Skills
NSSE SELF-REPORTED GAINS
 Acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills
 Writing clearly and effectively
 Speaking clearly and effectively
 Thinking critically and analytically
 Analyzing quantitative problems
 Using computing and information technology
 Working effectively with others
 Solving complex real-world problems
Essential Learning Outcome:
Personal & Social Responsibilities
NSSE SELF-REPORTED GAINS
 Voting in local, state, or national elections
 Learning effectively on your own
 Understanding yourself
 Understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
 Developing a personal code of values and ethics
 Contributing to the welfare of your community
 Developing a deepened sense of spirituality
Gains in Intellectual and Practical Skills
by Deep Learning Quartiles
Very much
First-Year
Senior
Quite a bit
Some
Very little
lowest
second
third
Deep Learning Quartiles
highest
Gains in Personal and Social Responsibilities
by Deep Learning Quartiles
Very much
First-Year
Senior
Quite a bit
Some
Very little
lowest
second
third
Deep Learning Quartiles
highest
Effective Educational Practices
 First-Year Seminars and Experiences
 Common Intellectual Experiences
 Learning Communities
 Writing-Intensive Courses
 Collaborative Assignments and Projects
 “Science as Science Is Done”;
Undergraduate Research
 Diversity/Global Learning
 Service Learning, Community-Based
Learning
 Internships
 Capstone Courses and Projects
Effects of Learning Communities on Engagement
First-year
Senior
Standardized
YRegression
Standardized
Coefficient Sig. Effect size
Standardized
YRegression
Standardized
Coefficient Sig. Effect size
Engagement Activities
Academic Efforts
Higher Order Thinking
Academic Integration
Active and Collaborative Learning
Interactions with Faculty
Diversity Experiences
.16
.20
.19
.26
.30
.21
***
.12
.19
.13
***
.24
.22
.18
***
***
***
***
***
***
.32
.40
.39
.53
.60
.41
.12
.15
.16
.24
.22
.16
***
.23
.37
.25
.08
.14
.10
***
.48
.45
.36
.18
.16
.11
***
***
***
***
***
***
.28
.35
.38
.54
.51
.36
Perception of Campus Environment
Quality of Academic Advising
Supportive Campus Environment
Satisfaction
***
***
***
***
.17
.32
.23
Learning Outcomes
Gains in Personal and Social
Gains in Practical Competence
General Education Gains
***
***
***
***
.40
.36
.24
Dependent variable
First-year students
Seniors
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Diversity
Density Climate In Course- Diversity Density Climate In Course- Diversity
Index Diversity Work
Press
Index Diversity Work
Press
Student Engagement
Academic challenge
Higher order thinking
Active and Collaborative
Diversity-related activities
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Supportive Campus Env.
Supportive Campus Env.
Interpersonal
-
Support for learning
Satisfaction
-
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Gains-Interpers. Dev.
Gains - Personal/social
Gains-Social Awareness
Gains-Understanding div.
Gains -Cont. to community
Gains-Understand self
+
Probability of Undergraduate Research
Faculty Time Devoted to Research and
Probability of Students Doing Research
0.50
0.38
0.25
0.13
0
2.02
6.04
10.07
Faculty Research (hours)
14.09
18.11
Probability
of Undergraduate Research
Faculty Time on Research with Undergraduates and
Probability of Student Participation in Research
0.50
0.38
0.25
0.13
0
0.91
2.17
3.42
4.68
Faculty Research with Undergraduates (hours)
5.93
Probability of Undergraduate Research
Faculty View of Importance of Doing Research with
Students and Probability of Students Doing Research
0.50
0.38
0.25
0.13
0
1.87
2.25
2.62
2.99
Importance of Undergraduate Research
3.37
Effective Educational Practices Increase
Odds That Students Will:
 Invest time and effort
 Interact with faculty and peers
about substantive matters
 Experience diversity
 Get more frequent feedback
 Discover relevance of their
learning through real-world
applications
Learning-intensive practices
George Mason requires every
student to take from 1-3 writingintensive courses. Most DEEP
schools have strong writing
centers to emphasize and support
the importance of good writing.
Technology enriched learning
U of Kansas faculty make large
lecture classes engaging via
PowerPoint, Blackboard software,
and other technology including
slides and videos, and “interactive
lecturing,” which incorporates
various opportunities for students
to participate.
Reasons for Taking Online Courses
96%
Convenience
Work at own pace
77%
Prefer learning on own
70%
Course NA nearby
34%
Online learners my age
27%
Less expensive
21%
Easier grading
8%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Comparison of Distance Education and
Campus-Based Learners
Benchmarks of Effective
Educational Practice
First-Year Senior
Level of academic challenge
+
+
Active & collaborative learning
–
–
Student-faculty interaction
+
=
Enriching educational experiences
+
=
Supportive campus environment
=
+
Comparison of Distance Education and
Campus-Based Learners
Gains
First-Year Senior
Practical competence
+
+
Personal & social devlpmt
+
+
General education
=
+
Satisfaction
=
+
Comparison of Distance Education and
Campus-Based Learners
Deep Learning
First-Year Senior
Higher-order learning
=
+
Integrative learning
=
=
Reflective learning
+
+
Faculty Priorities and
Student Engagement
AVG STUDENT
Acad emic
challenge
Activecollab
Diversity
experiences
Academic chall enge
emph asis



Active-collab
practices



Emph asis on diversity
experiences



Emph asis on higher
order thinking



Importance enriching
educ experiences


AVG FACULTY
Student faculty


Faculty Who Value
Effective Educational Practices
Areas of Emphasis
Characteristics
Academic
Active -
Emphasis
challenge
collab
on diversity
emphasis
practices
exp
Emphasis
higher order
thinking
Importance
enriching
educ exp
Faculty of color
+
+
+a
+
+
Women
+
+
+
+
+
Full -time facul ty
+
Years teaching
a
Except for Asian/Pacific Islander faculty
+
-
+
-
What to Make of This?
1. When faculty members
emphasize certain educational
practices, students engage in
them to a greater extent than
their peers elsewhere.
2. Good things go together
Focus on Student Success
“Sea change” at KU to emphasize
undergraduate instruction
 Experienced instructors teach lower
division and introductory courses
 Faculty members from each academic
unit serve as “Faculty Ambassadors”
to the Center for Teaching Excellence
 Course enrollments kept low in many
undergraduate courses; 80% have 30
or fewer students; 93% 50 or fewer
students.
Something Else That
Really Matters in College
The greatest impact appears
to stem from students’ total
level of campus engagement,
particularly when academic,
interpersonal, and
extracurricular involvements
are mutually reinforcing…
Pascarella & Terenzini, How College Affects
Students, 2005, p. 647
It Takes a Whole Campus
to Educate a Student
Difference Makers
Student success is the product of
thousands of small gestures
extended on a daily basis by
caring, supportive educators
sprinkled throughout the
institution who enact a talent
development philosophy.
Creating Conditions That Matter to
Student Success
We can’t leave
serendipity to chance
Institutional Reflection
Areas of
Effective
Educational
Practice
Areas of
Question or
Improvement
Using Engagement and Other Data
 How well do our programs work and how
do we know?
 How many students do our efforts
reach in meaningful ways and how do we
know?
 To what degree are our programs and
practices complementary and
synergistic?
 What are we doing that is not
represented among the DEEP
practices? Should we continue to do it?
 What are we not doing that we
should?
Last Word
Most institutions cannot change the
lineage of their students. Campus
cultures do not change easily or
willingly. But we can do far more to
shape the way students approach
college and what they do after they
arrive.
Do we have the will to more
consistently use promising policies
and practices to increase the odds
that more students “get ready,” “get
in,” and “get through?”
Conversation
http://nsse.iub.edu/pdf/Connecting_the_Dots_Report.pdf
http://nces.ed.gov/npec/pdf/Kuh_Team_Report.pdf