George D. KuhGeorge D. KuhTHECB 2005 Governing Board THECB 2005 Governing Board

ConferenceConference

Austin TXAustin TXOctober 11, 2005October 11, 2005

Building an Excellent Building an Excellent Undergraduate Undergraduate

Experience: Experience: Taking Student Success Taking Student Success

SeriouslySeriously

We all want the same thing--an We all want the same thing--an undergraduate experience that undergraduate experience that results in high levels of results in high levels of learning and personal learning and personal development for all students.development for all students.

The Role of the BoardThe Role of the Board

Governing boards are Governing boards are responsible for insuring responsible for insuring the vitality of their the vitality of their institution, consistent institution, consistent with its educational with its educational mission, values, and mission, values, and aspirations.aspirations.

Advance OrganizersAdvance Organizers

If boards want students to get If boards want students to get as much out of their college as much out of their college experience as possible, on what experience as possible, on what should they focus? should they focus?

What might we do individually What might we do individually and collectively to uphold our and collectively to uphold our end of the educational bargain?end of the educational bargain?

OverviewOverview

Student engagement and Student engagement and educational excellence educational excellence

Some insights from NSSE Some insights from NSSE and DEEPand DEEP

Lessons for governing Lessons for governing boards boards

We value what we measureWe value what we measure

Wise decisions are Wise decisions are needed about needed about whatwhat to to measure in the context measure in the context of campus mission, of campus mission, values, and desired values, and desired outcomes. outcomes.

What Really Matters in College: What Really Matters in College: Student EngagementStudent Engagement

Because iBecause individual effort and ndividual effort and involvement are the critical involvement are the critical determinants of impact, determinants of impact, institutions should focus on institutions should focus on the ways they can shape their the ways they can shape their academic, interpersonal, and academic, interpersonal, and extracurricular offerings to extracurricular offerings to encourage encourage student student engagementengagement..

Pascarella & Terenzini, Pascarella & Terenzini, How College How College Affects StudentsAffects Students, 2005, p. 602, 2005, p. 602

Student engagement, Student engagement, ggrades, persistence, and rades, persistence, and satisfaction go hand in handsatisfaction go hand in hand

The Student Engagement TrinityThe Student Engagement Trinity

What students do -- time and What students do -- time and energy devoted to educationally energy devoted to educationally purposeful activitiespurposeful activities

What institutions do -- using What institutions do -- using effective educational practices to effective educational practices to induce students to do the right induce students to do the right thingsthings

Educationally effective Educationally effective institutions channel student institutions channel student energy toward the right activitiesenergy toward the right activities

Good Practices in Good Practices in Undergraduate EducationUndergraduate Education

(Chickering & Gamson, 1987; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005(Chickering & Gamson, 1987; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005))

Student-faculty contactStudent-faculty contact Active learningActive learning Prompt feedbackPrompt feedback Time on taskTime on task High expectationsHigh expectations Experiences with diversityExperiences with diversity Cooperation among studentsCooperation among students

National Survey of National Survey of Student EngagementStudent Engagement(pronounced “nessie”)(pronounced “nessie”)

Community College Community College Survey of Student Survey of Student EngagementEngagement(pronounced “cessie”)(pronounced “cessie”)

College student surveys that assess College student surveys that assess the extent to which students engage the extent to which students engage in educational practices associated in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and with high levels of learning and developmentdevelopment

NSSE’s Survey InstrumentThe College Student ReportThe College Student Report

Student Behaviors

Institutional Actions & Requirements

Reactions to College

Student BackgroundInformation

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 PracticesEffective Educational Practices

Level of Level of Academic Academic ChallengeChallenge

Active & Active & Collaborative Collaborative

LearningLearning

EnrichingEnrichingEducational Educational ExperiencesExperiences

SupportiveSupportiveCampusCampus

EnvironmentEnvironment

StudentStudentFaculty Faculty

InteractionInteraction

NSSE EvolutionNSSE Evolution

YearColleges & Universities

2000 276

2001 321

2002 366

2003 437

2004 473

2005 530

NSSE Project ScopeNSSE Project Scope

900,000 students from 970+ 900,000 students from 970+ different schools different schools

77% of 4-yr U.S. undergraduate 77% of 4-yr U.S. undergraduate FTE FTE

50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada

70+ consortia70+ consortia

NSSE 2000-2005 Participating NSSE 2000-2005 Participating Colleges and UniversitiesColleges and Universities

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Doc/Res-Ext

Doc/Res-Int

Master's1 & 2

Bac-LA Bac-Gen

NationalNSSE

State & University ConsortiaState & University Consortia

California State U U of MissouriCUNY U of New HampshireConnecticut New JerseyU of Hawaii U of North CarolinaIndiana U South DakotaKentucky Texas A&MTexas A&MMaryland U of TexasU of Texas U of Massachusetts U of Wisconsin

West Virginia

NSSE in TexasNSSE in Texas

28 of 41 publics28 of 41 publics 21 of 53 privates21 of 53 privates 434K/529K students434K/529K students 82% undergraduate FTE82% undergraduate FTE

407 colleges 324,337 students 43 states

www.ccsse.org

Does institutional size matter to Does institutional size matter to engagement?engagement?

Yes, Yes, size matters.size matters.

Smaller Smaller isis generally generally betterbetter..

Benchmark Scores for All Students by Benchmark Scores for All Students by Undergraduate EnrollmentUndergraduate Enrollment

Benchmark Scores for All Students by Undergraduate Enrollment Intervals

25

35

45

55

65

0 -1000

1001 -1500

1501 -2000

2001 -2500

2501 -3000

3001 -4000

4001 -5000

5001 -7500

7501 -10000

10001 -15000

15001 -20000

20001 -25000

25001 -highest

Enrollment Intervals

Level ofAcademicChallenge

Active andCollaborativeLearning

StudentInteractionswith FacultyMembersEnrichingEducationalExperiences

SupportiveCampusEnvironment

Academic Challenge, Active Learning, &Academic Challenge, Active Learning, &Student-Faculty Interaction by EnrollmentStudent-Faculty Interaction by Enrollment

20

30

40

50

60

186 1238 1921 3060 6337 11343 29426Enrollment

Level of Academic Challenge

Active and Collaborative Learning

Student Interactions with Faculty Members

Supportive Campus Environment:Supportive Campus Environment: Seniors at Master's InstitutionsSeniors at Master's Institutions

0

20

40

60

80

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Master's Institutions

Percentile 10

Percentile 50

Percentile 90

Academic Challenge at Two Public Academic Challenge at Two Public Universities in TexasUniversities in Texas

Worth PonderingWorth Pondering

How do we reach How do we reach our least engaged our least engaged students?students?

Project DEEPProject DEEP

To discover, To discover, document and document and describe what high describe what high performing performing institutions do and institutions do and how they achieved how they achieved this level of this level of effectiveness.effectiveness.

DEEP Guiding QuestionsDEEP Guiding Questions

• What do strong-performing What do strong-performing institutions do to promote institutions do to promote student success?student success?

• What campus features -- policies, What campus features -- policies, programs, and practices – are programs, and practices – are related to higher-than-predicted related to higher-than-predicted graduation rates and student graduation rates and student engagement?engagement?

DEEP Selection CriteriaDEEP Selection Criteria

Controlling for student and Controlling for student and institutional characteristics (i.e., institutional characteristics (i.e., selectivity, diversity, institutional selectivity, diversity, institutional type), DEEP schools have: type), DEEP schools have:

Higher-than-predicted graduation Higher-than-predicted graduation rates rates Higher-than-predicted NSSE Higher-than-predicted NSSE scoresscores

Region and institutional Region and institutional type, special missiontype, special mission

Project DEEP SchoolsProject DEEP Schools

Doctoral Extensives

University of Kansas

University of Michigan

Doctoral Intensives

George Mason University

Miami University (Ohio)

University of Texas El PasoUniversity of Texas El Paso

Master’s Granting

Fayetteville State University

Gonzaga University

Longwood University

Liberal ArtsLiberal Arts California State, Monterey BayCalifornia State, Monterey Bay Macalester CollegeMacalester College Sweet Briar CollegeSweet Briar College The Evergreen State CollegeThe Evergreen State College Sewanee: University of the Sewanee: University of the SouthSouth Ursinus CollegeUrsinus College Wabash College Wabash College Wheaton College (MA)Wheaton College (MA) Wofford College Wofford College

Baccalaureate GeneralBaccalaureate General Alverno College Alverno College University of Maine at University of Maine at FarmingtonFarmington Winston-Salem State UniversityWinston-Salem State University

Research ApproachResearch Approach

Case study method Case study method Team of 24 researchers review Team of 24 researchers review

institutional documents and conduct institutional documents and conduct multiple-day site visitsmultiple-day site visits

Observe individuals, classes, group Observe individuals, classes, group meetings, activities, eventsmeetings, activities, events2,700+ people, 60 classes, 30 events 2,700+ people, 60 classes, 30 events

Discover and describe effective Discover and describe effective practices and programs, campus practices and programs, campus cultureculture

Six Shared ConditionsSix Shared Conditions

1.1. ““Living” Mission and “Lived” Living” Mission and “Lived” Educational PhilosophyEducational Philosophy

2.2. Unshakeable Focus on Student Unshakeable Focus on Student Learning Learning

3.3. Environments Adapted for Environments Adapted for Educational EnrichmentEducational Enrichment

4.4. Clearly Marked Pathways to Clearly Marked Pathways to Student SuccessStudent Success

5.5. Improvement-Oriented EthosImprovement-Oriented Ethos6.6. Shared Responsibility for Shared Responsibility for

Educational QualityEducational Quality

Hay muchas maneras de Hay muchas maneras de matar pulgasmatar pulgas

There are many ways to kill fleasThere are many ways to kill fleas

Remember ThisRemember This

Many roads to an engaging, Many roads to an engaging, student-centered institutionstudent-centered institution

No one best modelNo one best model Different combinations of Different combinations of

complementary, interactive, complementary, interactive, synergistic conditionssynergistic conditions

Anything worth doing is Anything worth doing is worth doing well at scaleworth doing well at scale

Unsolicited advice…Unsolicited advice…

1. Feature student success in the 1. Feature student success in the institution’s mission.institution’s mission.

Missions, values, aspirations, Missions, values, aspirations, and operating philosophy are and operating philosophy are transparent and understandabletransparent and understandable

Institutional values really Institutional values really dodo guide many important policy and guide many important policy and operation decisions.operation decisions.

Sustained widespread Sustained widespread understanding and endorsement understanding and endorsement of educational purposes. of educational purposes.

Mission and Vision Mission and Vision

California State University, California State University, Monterey Bay is a public liberal Monterey Bay is a public liberal arts institution with a distinctive arts institution with a distinctive curriculum and outcomes- based curriculum and outcomes- based education model. Its “Vision education model. Its “Vision Statement” is the driving force Statement” is the driving force behind all decisions and actions behind all decisions and actions taken at the institution. taken at the institution.

Mission and VisionMission and Vision

George Mason UniversityGeorge Mason University

““The Right Place. The Right Time”The Right Place. The Right Time” ““[We] will be a magnet for [We] will be a magnet for outstanding faculty who will devise outstanding faculty who will devise new ways to approach problems, new ways to approach problems, invent new ways to teach, and invent new ways to teach, and develop new knowledge for the develop new knowledge for the benefit of the region and nation…”benefit of the region and nation…”

Living the MissionLiving the Mission

““Sea change” at KU to emphasize Sea change” at KU to emphasize undergraduate instructionundergraduate instruction

Experienced instructors teach lower Experienced instructors teach lower division and introductory coursesdivision and introductory courses

Faculty members from each academic Faculty members from each academic unit serve as “Faculty Ambassadors” to unit serve as “Faculty Ambassadors” to the Center for Teaching Excellence the Center for Teaching Excellence

Course enrollments kept low in many Course enrollments kept low in many undergraduate courses; 80% have 30 or undergraduate courses; 80% have 30 or fewer students; 93% 50 or fewer fewer students; 93% 50 or fewer students. students.

2. Strategically invest in student 2. Strategically invest in student learninglearning

“…“…in professional in professional baseball it still matters baseball it still matters less how much you less how much you have than how well have than how well you spend it”you spend it”

2. Strategically invest in student 2. Strategically invest in student learninglearning

Align rewards with institutional Align rewards with institutional mission, values, and prioritiesmission, values, and priorities

Hire right-minded people Hire right-minded people

Invest inInvest in physical plant physical plant improvements that facilitate improvements that facilitate learninglearning

3. Require evidence for policy 3. Require evidence for policy decisions and improvement efforts. decisions and improvement efforts.

What do the data say?What do the data say?

Sunset redundant and Sunset redundant and ineffective programs; feed those ineffective programs; feed those that are demonstrably effective that are demonstrably effective (evidence?)(evidence?)

Positive restlessness: “Are we Positive restlessness: “Are we performing as well as we can?” performing as well as we can?”

Self-correcting orientation Self-correcting orientation

FSU Chancellor concerned FSU Chancellor concerned about first-to-second year about first-to-second year retention ratesretention rates

Chancellor launches Freshman Chancellor launches Freshman Year InitiativeYear Initiative

Vision of holistic student Vision of holistic student development engaged all FSU development engaged all FSU

community memberscommunity membersExpanded facilities to support Expanded facilities to support

studentsstudents

4. Include student success indicators 4. Include student success indicators in the president’s performance reviewin the president’s performance reviewWhen, where and how do leaders When, where and how do leaders

underscore the importance of underscore the importance of undergraduate education?undergraduate education?annual state-of-the campus reportsannual state-of-the campus reportsgoverning board meetingsgoverning board meetingsalumni gatheringsalumni gatheringsconvocations, convocations, faculty meetingsfaculty meetings

What are appropriate indicators for What are appropriate indicators for evaluating the president’s performance evaluating the president’s performance related to the undergraduate related to the undergraduate experience? experience?

5. Review board priorities with student 5. Review board priorities with student success in mindsuccess in mind

How does your board hold itself How does your board hold itself accountable for student success? accountable for student success?

What structures and processes are in What structures and processes are in place for this to happen?place for this to happen?

How much time does the board How much time does the board spend annually discussing student spend annually discussing student engagement, learning outcomes, engagement, learning outcomes, persistence, and graduation rates persistence, and graduation rates relative to other matters? Meeting relative to other matters? Meeting with students? with students?

6. Make student success everybody’s 6. Make student success everybody’s business.business.

Student and academic affairs Student and academic affairs collaborationcollaboration

A caring, supportive community A caring, supportive community

6. Make student success everybody’s 6. Make student success everybody’s business.business.

Student and academic affairs Student and academic affairs collaborationcollaboration

A caring, supportive community A caring, supportive community Ms. Rita Ms. Rita

It Takes a Whole Campus It Takes a Whole Campus to Educate a Studentto Educate a Student

7. 7. Stay the courseStay the course

The good-to-great-transformations The good-to-great-transformations never happened in one fell never happened in one fell swoop. There was no single swoop. There was no single defining action, no grand defining action, no grand program, no one killer innovation, program, no one killer innovation, no solitary lucky break, no no solitary lucky break, no miracle moment. Sustainable miracle moment. Sustainable transformations follow a transformations follow a predictable pattern of buildup and predictable pattern of buildup and breakthrough…breakthrough…

(Collins, 2001, p. 186)

Ponder ThisPonder This

To what extent does the To what extent does the institutional mission—espoused institutional mission—espoused and enacted—unmistakably and enacted—unmistakably emphasize student success? emphasize student success?

How do you know whether you are How do you know whether you are achieving your mission? What is achieving your mission? What is the evidence?the evidence?

What are the institution’s core What are the institution’s core values about students and their values about students and their education? education?

Ponder ThisPonder This

Where do students and their Where do students and their learning fall among the board’s learning fall among the board’s interests and priorities? Is a interests and priorities? Is a standing committee dedicated to standing committee dedicated to student learning and campus life?student learning and campus life?

How does the institution’s How does the institution’s spending plan enhance student spending plan enhance student learning and success? Are modest learning and success? Are modest resources available to support resources available to support trying out good ideas? trying out good ideas?

Ponder ThisPonder This

What institutional and student-What institutional and student-performance indicators are used to performance indicators are used to inform board decisions? Who inform board decisions? Who reports on key indicators to the reports on key indicators to the board? board?

What mechanisms or structures What mechanisms or structures does the board use to promote and does the board use to promote and support student participation in support student participation in decision making or program decision making or program development?development?

Ponder ThisPonder This

Where among the president’s Where among the president’s priorities do students, their priorities do students, their learning, and their success fall? learning, and their success fall?

What student success indicators What student success indicators are included in the president’s are included in the president’s annual performance review?annual performance review?

Does the culture of the board Does the culture of the board encourage or discourage open, encourage or discourage open, productive dialogue about matters productive dialogue about matters related to student success?related to student success?

Questions & Questions & DiscussionDiscussion