Student Success as a University-wide CommitmentFaculty PresentationAugust 25, 2011

Illusion of Divergent Missions

•Problem with metaphor of “sides of the house”

•Need to affirm university-wide commitment to common mission

•Everyone needs to understand how he or she contributes to that mission

CCSU Mission StatementCentral Connecticut State University is a

community of learners dedicated to teaching and scholarship that emphasizes development and application of knowledge and ideas through research and outreach activities, and prepares students to be thoughtful, responsible and successful citizens. As a comprehensive public university, we provide broad access to quality degree programs at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels.

Unpacking Learning Outcomes in theMission•“Thoughtful”

▫Critical Thinking▫Analytic Reasoning

•“Responsible”▫Ethical Decision Making▫Intercultural Competence▫Sense of Social Responsibility

Unpacking Learning Outcomes in theMission• “Successful”

▫Complex Problem Solving▫Applied Knowledge in Real World Settings▫Written and Oral Communication▫Teamwork Skills▫Creativity and Innovation▫Quantitative Reasoning▫ Information Literacy

• “Citizens”▫Civic Knowledge▫Community Engagement

Demand for Higher Order Skills• 91% 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”

• 90% of employers say that their “employees are expected to work harder to coordinate with other departments than in the past”

• 88% of employers say that “the challenges their employees face are more complex than they were in the past.”

• 88% of employers agree that “to succeed in their companies, employees need higher levels of learning and knowledge than they did in the past”

Source: “Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn” (AAC&U and Hart Research Associates, 2010). Slide provided by Carol Geary Schneider

Percentage of Employers who want Colleges to “Place More Emphasis” on Essential Learning OutcomesWritten and Oral Communication 89%Critical and Analytical Thinking 81%Applied Knowledge in Real Settings 79%Complex Problem Solving 75%Ethical Decision Making 75%Teamwork 71%Intercultural Competence 71%Creativity and Innovation 70%Information Literacy 68%Quantitative Reasoning 63%Civic Knowledge and Engagement 52%

Establishing University-wide Learning Outcomes1. Seek agreement about university learning

outcomes, including for nonacademic units2. Encourage and support widespread

adoption of practices that produce learning outcomes

3. Communicate learning outcomes to students

4. Document student learning5. Adopt common rubrics for assessing

learning outcomes

High Impact Practices (HIP)

•Promote development of higher order skills

•Support goals of student success▫Participation in HIP improves retention▫HIP increases probability of graduation

•Power of doubling up HIP (e.g. undergraduate research in first-year experience)

High Impact Practices

•First-year Experience•Undergraduate Research•Service Learning•Capstone Experiences•Learning Communities•Writing-intensive Courses•Internships•Diversity/Global Learning•Collaborative Assignments and Projects

For the Naylor video, please click on the Video link on the Provost’s Presentations webpage

For the USC video, please click on the Videos link on the Provost’s Presentations webpage

High Impact Practices

•Initiatives tend to be isolated and fragmentary

•Too few students participate in HIP•May exclude students who would most

benefit from them

What can departments do?

•Identify specific problems facing majors and implement solutions

•Promote widespread adoption of HIP—Aim to make HIP unavoidable

•Institute student mentoring (faculty and peer)

What can individual faculty do?

Have everyone make one small change•Add one writing assignment•Integrate one co-curricular activity into

course; link campus events with classroom activities

•Require attendance•Provide early feedback•Integrate clickers•Redesign courses in which students

struggle

Course Redesign

•Supplement course materials with media rich online environment to engage students in lower-level learning

•Introduce engaging assignments: Reacting to the Past http://reacting.barnard.edu/headlines/video-struggle-palestine

For the Barnard video, please click on the Videos link on the Provost’s Presentations webpage

What can everyone do?• Listen to what students say• Treat students with respect and courtesy• Don’t say no too quickly; try to help them find a

solution• Try to solve the problem yourself; if you must refer

students, call the other office to let them know the student is coming

• Reach out to students who seem to struggle• Let others know about any problems or concerns

you have about students• Mentor student workers and assistant• Partner with colleagues in other units

Intervene early and often

•Students start falling behind very quickly•During first three weeks of class, 55% of

students report receiving feedback “once” or “never”

•Helping students through first 12-15 credits will have lasting impact on academic success

Video Links

www.CCSU.edu/provostvideos

Sources• Brownell, Jayne E. and Swaner, Lynn E. Five High-

Impact Practices. Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion, and Quality. American Association of Colleges and Universities, 2010

• Rhodes, Terrel L., ed. Assessing Outcomes and Improving Achievement. Tips and Tools for Using Rubrics. Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2010.

• The LEAP Vision for Learning. Outcomes, Practices, Impact, and Employers’ Views. Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2011.