Ideas to improve student success rates from

The Ohio State statistics buffet

NCAT Redesign Alliance Annual ConferenceNCAT Redesign Alliance Annual ConferenceOrlando March 20, 2007Orlando March 20, 2007

Dennis PearlDennis PearlThe Ohio State UniversityThe Ohio State University

• Individualize presentation• Foster commitment• Increase self-awareness• Explicit learning objectives• Test what’s important

• Build peer-to-peer community• Staff training• Campus-wide collaboration• Get & respond to feedback• Using Humor

Student RetentionStudent Retention

Issue 4 Quarters priorto Buffet

Under Buffet

Withdrawls 11% 8%Grade E or fails tomeet requirement

7% 3%

Incompletes 2% 1%Total 20% 12%

Note: fewer course repetitions means enrollment no longer includes 240 students per year who would be taking the course for the second or third time.

Options in a 3-choice Options in a 3-choice BuffetBuffet

Monday Wednesday Friday

Option AGlobal &Reflective

Illustrations and presentation of generalprinciples aided by individual reflectionopportunities.

Option BSequential &Active

Illustrations and presentation of generalprinciples aided by group basedactivities

Problem solvingsession

Problem solving may be replaced by out-of-class work coupled with on-line mastery quizzing.

Lar

ge g

roup

Smal

l gro

up Tuesday/ThursdayTuesday/Thursday

Option AOption A sensorssensors More hands-on data generationMore hands-on data generation

Option BOption B intuitiveintuitive More applet and simulation More applet and simulation activitiesactivities

1. Individualizing presentations1. Individualizing presentationsThe “buffet” idea - Serving individual tastes to encourage The “buffet” idea - Serving individual tastes to encourage

consumptionconsumption

2. Fostering commitment - student contracts - checklists 2. Fostering commitment - student contracts - checklists - calendars- calendars

3. Increase self-awareness- learning styles - school strategies

4. Explicit learning objectives- integrate components of course- appropriately direct feedback

5. Test what’s important- “test to the teach”

6. Build peer-to-peer community- global help room- collaborative learning activities

7. Staff training- customer service training for course assistants- teaching courses

8. Campus-wide collaboration- EEGP

9. Feedback9. Feedback

3-minute 3-minute paperspapers

Mid-term Mid-term feedbackfeedback

e-mail focus e-mail focus groupsgroups

Testimony to Testimony to inform inform future future

studentsstudents

10. Using humor can increase student interest, recall of material, and conceptual understanding (Friedman et al, 2002; Lomax et al, 1998)