What Matters to Student Success What Matters to Student Success in College: in College:

A Review of the LiteratureA Review of the Literature

George D. KuhGeorge D. Kuh

Indiana University Indiana University Center for Postsecondary ResearchCenter for Postsecondary Research

SHEEO/NCES Network Conference SHEEO/NCES Network Conference May 2006May 2006

Kuh et al. NPEC/NCES Report Kuh et al. NPEC/NCES Report

I.I. Introduction, Context, and OverviewIntroduction, Context, and OverviewII.II. Definitions and Conceptual Framework Definitions and Conceptual Framework III.III. Major Theoretical PerspectivesMajor Theoretical PerspectivesIV.IV. Student Background Characteristics, Pre- Student Background Characteristics, Pre-

College Experiences, and Enrollment College Experiences, and Enrollment PatternsPatterns

V.V. Student Behaviors, Activities and Student Behaviors, Activities and Experiences in Postsecondary Education Experiences in Postsecondary Education Related to SuccessRelated to Success

VI.VI. Institutional Conditions Related to Student Institutional Conditions Related to Student SuccessSuccess

VII.VII. Outcomes and Indicators of Student Outcomes and Indicators of Student Success During and After CollegeSuccess During and After College

VIII.VIII. Propositions and RecommendationsPropositions and Recommendations

OverviewOverview

The “pipeline” problem

Propositions and recommendations

Discussion

Student Success in CollegeStudent Success in College

Academic achievement, Academic achievement, engagement in engagement in educationally purposeful educationally purposeful activities, satisfaction, activities, satisfaction, acquisition of desired acquisition of desired knowledge, skills and knowledge, skills and competencies, competencies, persistence, attainment persistence, attainment of educational objectives, of educational objectives, and post-college and post-college performanceperformance

Theoretical PerspectivesTheoretical Perspectives

1.1. SociologicalSociological

2.2. OrganizationalOrganizational

3.3. PsychologicalPsychological

4.4. CulturalCultural

5.5. EconomicEconomic

Student Success QuizStudent Success Quiz

What percent of first-year high What percent of first-year high school students complete school students complete college six years after high college six years after high school graduation? school graduation?

(a) 18% (b) 27% (c) 40% (d) 68% (a) 18% (b) 27% (c) 40% (d) 68% (e) none of the above(e) none of the above

a. 1818%% (“participation rate”)

or e. – none of the abovenone of the above

Student Success QuizStudent Success Quiz

What percent of high school What percent of high school seniors have college-level seniors have college-level reading skills?reading skills?

(a) 51% (b) 59% (c) 68% (d) 77% (a) 51% (b) 59% (c) 68% (d) 77% (e) none of the above(e) none of the above

e. 5151%% (ACTACT, 2006)

Student Success QuizStudent Success Quiz

True or false:True or false:

About $300 million is spent About $300 million is spent annually on postsecondary annually on postsecondary remediation coursework.remediation coursework.

FalseFalse. $1-2 . $1-2 billionbillion

The primary weakness [is our] inability to help poor kids escape from the impoverished conditions in which they grow up… The vast majority of poor young people can’t even imagine going to college. By the time many poor kids are sixteen or seventeen years old, either they have already dropped out of school or they lag well behind their peers educationally.

Levine & Nidiffer,1996

Student Success QuizStudent Success Quiz

About what percent of About what percent of community college students community college students return for the second year?return for the second year?(a) 29% (b) 33% (c) 50% (a) 29% (b) 33% (c) 50% (d) 61% (e) 77%(d) 61% (e) 77%

e.e. 5050%%

17% do not complete17% do not completeone academic termone academic term

Student Success QuizStudent Success Quiz

What percent of 1999-2000 What percent of 1999-2000 college graduates attended two college graduates attended two or more institutions?or more institutions?

(a) 14% (b) 26% (c) 33% (a) 14% (b) 26% (c) 33% (d) 42% (e) 59%(d) 42% (e) 59%

e. e. 5959%%

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

Effect of Engagement on First-Year GPA by Pre-college Ability

2.00

2.20

2.40

2.60

2.80

3.00

3.20

3.40

3.60

3.80

4.00

-2.00 -1.50 -1.00 -0.50 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00

Engagement in Educationally Purposeful Activities (Standardized)

Firs

t-Yea

r GPA

ACT score of 36ACT score of 32ACT score of 28ACT score of 24ACT score of 20ACT score of 16ACT score of 12

Propositions and RecommendationsPropositions and Recommendations

1.1. The trajectory for academic success in The trajectory for academic success in college is established long before students college is established long before students matriculate. matriculate.

Ensure that all students have rigorous, Ensure that all students have rigorous, intensive pre-college academic preparation. intensive pre-college academic preparation.

Instill in K-12 educators an assets-based Instill in K-12 educators an assets-based talent development philosophy about talent development philosophy about teaching and learning. teaching and learning.

Align high school curricula with college Align high school curricula with college performance standards.performance standards.

Develop a comprehensive national college Develop a comprehensive national college readiness strategy that addresses the readiness strategy that addresses the educational needs of all students.educational needs of all students.

Principles for Strengthening Principles for Strengthening Pre-College PreparationPre-College Preparation

Expect that all underserved students are capable Expect that all underserved students are capable of being prepared to enroll and succeed in college.of being prepared to enroll and succeed in college.

Provide a range of high-quality college preparatory Provide a range of high-quality college preparatory tools for underserved students and their families.tools for underserved students and their families.

Embrace social, cultural, and learning style Embrace social, cultural, and learning style differences in developing learning environments differences in developing learning environments and activities for underserved students.and activities for underserved students.

Involve leaders at all levels in establishing Involve leaders at all levels in establishing policies, programs, and practices that facilitate policies, programs, and practices that facilitate student transitions.student transitions.

Provide sufficient financial and human resources Provide sufficient financial and human resources to enable underserved students to prepare for, to enable underserved students to prepare for, enroll, and succeed in college.enroll, and succeed in college.

Assess policy, program, practice, and institutional Assess policy, program, practice, and institutional effectiveness regularly.effectiveness regularly.

Source: Pathways to College Network – A Shared Agenda (2004)

Propositions and RecommendationsPropositions and Recommendations

2.2. Family and community support are Family and community support are indispensable.indispensable.

Expand the scale and scope of Expand the scale and scope of demonstrably effective college demonstrably effective college encouragement and transition encouragement and transition programs.programs.

Ensure that students and families Ensure that students and families have accurate information about have accurate information about college, including real costs and aid college, including real costs and aid availability. availability.

Propositions and RecommendationsPropositions and Recommendations

3.3. The right amount and kind of money The right amount and kind of money matters to student success.matters to student success.

Align financial aid and tuition policy Align financial aid and tuition policy so that financial assistance so that financial assistance packages meet students’ need. packages meet students’ need.

Create small pockets of emergency Create small pockets of emergency funds to meet student financial funds to meet student financial needs in “real” time.needs in “real” time.

Propositions and RecommendationsPropositions and Recommendations

4.4. At-risk students require early At-risk students require early interventions and sustained attention interventions and sustained attention at various transition points at various transition points

Factors That Threaten Persistence and Factors That Threaten Persistence and Graduation from College Graduation from College

academically underprepared for academically underprepared for college-level workcollege-level work

gap between high school and college gap between high school and college part-time enrollmentpart-time enrollment single parentsingle parent financially independentfinancially independent children at homechildren at home 30+ hours working per week30+ hours working per week first-generation college studentfirst-generation college student

Propositions and RecommendationsPropositions and Recommendations

4.4. At-risk students require early At-risk students require early interventions and sustained attention interventions and sustained attention at various transition points at various transition points

Clarify institutional values and Clarify institutional values and expectations early and often to expectations early and often to prospective and matriculating prospective and matriculating students. students.

Provide multiple learning support Provide multiple learning support networks, early warning systems, and networks, early warning systems, and safety nets. Ensure that all students safety nets. Ensure that all students have rigorous, intensive pre-college have rigorous, intensive pre-college academic preparationacademic preparation. .

Propositions and RecommendationsPropositions and Recommendations

5.5. Students who connect with someone Students who connect with someone or something are more likely to or something are more likely to persist.persist.

Make the classroom the locus of Make the classroom the locus of community.community.

Structure ways for more commuter Structure ways for more commuter students to spend time with classmates. students to spend time with classmates.

Involve every student in a meaningful way Involve every student in a meaningful way with some activity or some positive role with some activity or some positive role model in the college environment. model in the college environment.

Encourage students to live on campus at Encourage students to live on campus at least for the first year at institutions that least for the first year at institutions that have housing available. have housing available.

Propositions and RecommendationsPropositions and Recommendations

6.6. Institutions that focus on student Institutions that focus on student success and create a student-success and create a student-centered culture are better positioned centered culture are better positioned to help their students attain their to help their students attain their educational objectives.educational objectives.

Instill an assets-based talent Instill an assets-based talent development philosophy about development philosophy about teaching and learning. teaching and learning.

Use effective educational practices Use effective educational practices throughout the institution. throughout the institution.

Principles for Good Practice in Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate EducationUndergraduate Education

(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 Respect for diverse learning stylesRespect for diverse learning styles Cooperation among studentsCooperation among students

Propositions and RecommendationsPropositions and Recommendations

6.6. Institutions that focus on student success Institutions that focus on student success and create a student-centered culture are and create a student-centered culture are better positioned to help their students better positioned to help their students attain their educational objectives.attain their educational objectives.

Use effective educational practices Use effective educational practices throughout the institution. throughout the institution.

Use technology in educationally effective Use technology in educationally effective ways.ways.

Conduct periodic examinations of the Conduct periodic examinations of the student experience, inside and outside the student experience, inside and outside the classroom.classroom.

Incentivize postsecondary institutions to Incentivize postsecondary institutions to identify and ameliorate debilitating cultural identify and ameliorate debilitating cultural properties.properties.

DEEP Practice Briefs

Available: www.nsse.iub.edu

Propositions and RecommendationsPropositions and Recommendations7.7. Because we value what we measure, focus Because we value what we measure, focus

assessment and accountability efforts on assessment and accountability efforts on what matters to student success.what matters to student success.

Incentivize postsecondary institutions to Incentivize postsecondary institutions to report and use information about the report and use information about the student experience to improve. student experience to improve.

Require a common reporting template for Require a common reporting template for indicators of student success to make indicators of student success to make institutional performance transparent. institutional performance transparent.

Further develop state and institutional Further develop state and institutional capacity for collecting, analyzing and using capacity for collecting, analyzing and using data for accountability and improvement data for accountability and improvement purposes. purposes.

Research NeedsResearch Needs

Determine effective approaches for Determine effective approaches for encouraging different types of students encouraging different types of students (e.g., first-generation, low income, students (e.g., first-generation, low income, students of color) to participate in and benefit from of color) to participate in and benefit from postsecondary encouragement programs. postsecondary encouragement programs.

Develop additional ways to assess the Develop additional ways to assess the ability to do college-level work. ability to do college-level work.

Develop ways for colleges and universities Develop ways for colleges and universities to report back to high schools their to report back to high schools their graduates’ college performance and graduates’ college performance and useuse the information to improve. the information to improve.

Further develop and refine assessment Further develop and refine assessment tools.tools.

Research NeedsResearch Needs

Determine institutional policies and practices that Determine institutional policies and practices that work best with different groups of students at work best with different groups of students at different types of institutions.different types of institutions.

Develop additional indicators of success for Develop additional indicators of success for different types of students.different types of students.

Determine appropriate ways to measure, report, Determine appropriate ways to measure, report, and use student success indicators for and use student success indicators for accountability and improvement (e.g., common accountability and improvement (e.g., common template)template)

Examine the motivations and quality of educational Examine the motivations and quality of educational experiences of “swirlers” -- students attending experiences of “swirlers” -- students attending multiple institutions. multiple institutions.

Determine what postsecondary institutions can Determine what postsecondary institutions can realistically do at what cost to help academically realistically do at what cost to help academically underprepared students overcome the deficiencies underprepared students overcome the deficiencies they bring with them to college. they bring with them to college.

DiscussionDiscussion