connecting completion and quality for student success in a global society network for academic...
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Connecting Completion and Qualityfor Student Success in a Global Society
Network for Academic Renewal Conference Student Success and the Quality Agenda
April 4, 2013
Carol Geary Schneider
Overview
What High Quality Means – and Why It MattersThe Mounting Evidence of a Quality ShortfallThe Best Policy Priorities – for Completion AND
Quality– High Effort, High Impact Practices
– Purposeful, Practice-Rich Educational Pathways
Student Success and Quality – Two
National Priorities
Underserved Student Success – Dramatically Expanding Access and Completion
– Markers of Progress Toward Completion:Enrollment, Persistence, Transfer, Timely Degree Completion – Credit Hours
Student Success and Quality – Two National
Priorities (cont).
American Capability – Global Positioning for the U.S. and American Learners
– Markers of Progress:Students’ Demonstrated Achievement of Learning Outcomes Needed for Success
Our Challenge
Merging the Two PrioritiesCreating a Guiding Commitment to Access
AND Achievement Completion with Demonstrated Achievement
– Mapping Purposeful Pathways for Completion and Quality
Quality Continued: What Knowledge and Skills are
Needed for Success?
Preparation for a Fast-Paced Economy – and for Multiple Jobs Over Time
Preparation for Knowledgeable Citizenship
Preparation to Make a Life – of Meaning and Purpose
Focusing ONLY on the Economy – Here’s
What Employers Say“How Should Colleges Prepare Students to Succeed in
Today’s Economy?” (2007)“How Should Colleges Assess And Improve Student
Learning? Employers’ Views on the Accountability Challenge” (2008)
“Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn (2010) *For full reports on these surveys and related employer findings, see www.aacu.org/leap.
“It Takes More Than a Major: Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success”
(AAC&U and Hart Research Associates, Forthcoming April 10,
2013)
College Learning for the 21st Century Economy
Employers are demanding more – much more
They want and seek many more university-educated workers
They also seek much higher and broader levels of learning in those they employ, retain, and promote
Employers Are Raising the Bar
93% 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”
91% of employers say that “the challenges their employees face are more complex than they were in the past.”
93% of employers agree that “to succeed in their companies, employees needs higher levels of learning and knowledge than they did in the past.”
Source: “It Takes More Than a Major: Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success” (AAC&U and Hart Research Associates, Forthcoming 2013)
The Growing Demand for Higher Order SkillsSource: Council on Competitiveness, Competitiveness Index
Economic Pressures: Innovation and Measured
Risk-Taking
In a globalized knowledge economy, the capacity to drive INNOVATION is the key strategic advantage
To Drive Innovation, Employers Seek Employees Who Can “Think Outside
the Box”
Nearly 2/3s of Employers Think that Today’s Graduates
Need Both Broad Learning AND In-Depth Learning
Preparation for a Specific Job or Field is NOT Enough
The Four Things Employers Want
Breadth as Well as Depth – Big Picture Thinking as Well as Learning Related to Jobs
High Level Skills – 21st Century Skills Necessary to Innovation
A Proactive Sense of Responsibility – Whether and Why, Not Just How
Adaptive and Applied Learning – The Ability to Get Things Done
Employers Do Not Want People Who Are “Locked Into Mental Cubicles” –
Because They Can’t Adapt to Challenges and Change
Employers Do Want Graduates Who Possess
21st Century Skills, Including Ethical Responsibility and
Intercultural Competence – and Democracy Needs These Skills
Too
So if these are the Goals, How Are Students Doing?
The Preponderance of the Evidence Shows that the
U.S. has a Quality Problem, Not Just a Completion
Problem
Underachievement
Arum/Roksa study: Academically Adrift Bok, Our Underachieving Colleges (2006) Blaich/Wabash Longitudinal Studies ACT/ETS Studies – 8-10% of seniors are
“proficient” in key skills Faculty Members’ Own Reports
Numerous studies should that that too many students are not “doing their best” and make very limited gains in college.
Making Progress? What We Know About the Achievement of Liberal Education Outcomes by Ashley Finley (AAC&U, 2012)
From “Making Progress?”
“…for six of the eleven learning outcomes measured by the Wabash
study, the majority of students showed either ‘no growth or a decline’ over
four years.” – page 8
From “Making Progress?”
ETS Proficiency Profile Seniors
Critical Thinking 8% Proficient72% Not Proficient
Writing 9% Proficient
64% Not Proficient
ACT CAAP Test – Seniors
Scores declined slightly from 2004 to 2010 on measures of Math, Critical Thinking, and Writing
Why is There a Quality Problem?
A Mini-Case: Introduction to Micro-Economics:– Large evening lecture – one 3-hour meeting– No sections– No homework – No mathematics– Two multiple choice mid-terms– One multiple choice final exam
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education, June 18, 2012
The Best Policy Priorities – for Completion AND
Quality
High Impact, High Effort Educational Practices
Purposeful, Practice-Rich Educational Pathways from First to Final Year
High Impact 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
High Impact Practices
Correlate with Increased CompletionCorrelate with Higher Levels of Learning
Outcomes
Five High-Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion,
and QualityJayne E. Brownell Lynn E. Swaner
(AAC&U, 2010)
Why Do the HIPs Work?
Create Engaged and Supportive CommunityInvolve Students in Purposeful LearningConnect Learning with Larger Questions
and Real-World SettingsRequire Higher Order Inquiry, Exploration and
Problem-SolvingEngage Diversity as a Resource for Learning
In Tackling Underachievement,
Intentionality is Central and Students’ Engaged Practice is
the Key to Developing and Demonstrating Essential
Learning Outcomes
Using New Tools to Design Purposeful Pathways
Touchstones for Quality
Mapping Essential Competencies Across Programs of StudyHigh Impact Practices – Ensuring Students’ Practice of
Essential CompetenciesIntegrating Practices That work for Persistence INTO
Programs of Study Portable Portfolios – Students Working on Key
Competencies Across Multiple Levels and Sites
There is a Lot of New Evidence About Practices
that Work to Support Completion AND Quality
Our Responsibility is to Put the New Evidence to
Work in Purposeful Designs for More
Educationally Productive Programs and Policies