Transcript Student Success and Retention

Student Success and
Retention
Supporting Students on College CampusesAnderson University’s commitment to student success.
Conversation Facilitators
Dianna Stankiewicz- Director of Learning
Assistance Programs
Abigail Knowles-Assistant Dean and
Director of Student Success
Stephanie Moran-Director of the
Community Partnership Center at Anderson
University
Overview and Objectives
 This presentation will include a 3 Program Approach to
increasing student success once the student has enrolled in
higher education.
 This session will reflect on the necessity to identify students’
individual challenges and support them academically,
professionally, and socially.
 Participants will discover how to increase the success of a
diverse student population and support the different learning
styles of those challenged in the traditional learning
environment.
What are the barriers for student
success?
The barriers for student success
 Having enough money and financial aid to attend school.
 Lacking adequate academic guidance and advising, which
students say they need to help them understand the
academic requirements, develop their goals, and plan and
execute their coursework to meet those goals and
requirements;
 Lacking highly-developed “soft-skills,” including strong
study skills and time management skills, which play a
large role in helping them maintain their self-discipline and
motivation to study; and
 The challenge of finding time and “balance,” which can be
multi-faceted for many students. Time comes through as
one of the most valuable and scarcest resources in our
exploration of student success.
 General education requirements
 Large class sizes, over-enrollment.
 Limited courses
 The need for more tutoring that is less crowded or
with a tutor that is well-versed in what they need
help with.
 The need for more face-time with professors:
Some students cite as an obstacle their not being
able to access their professors adequately or their
professors being too stretched for time.
Exploring Student Attitudes, Aspirations & Barriers to Success ,2011.
http://www.aft.org/pdfs/highered/studentfocusgrp0311.pdf
First Year Experience
 The First Year Experience (FYE) was formed in
response to the great need for new students to
become fully connected and active members of the
Anderson University community. We understand
by providing new students with a cohort-based
experience, that focuses on connection with peers,
a faculty mentor, and institutional resources
throughout the first year, the success rate of
students persisting to their sophomore year will
improve.
The FYE program consists of:
 SOAR
 Orientation
 Two academic courses
 A mentoring program
All freshmen are placed into a mentor group with 15-17 other
freshmen. Each mentor group is led by a faculty mentor and a
peer mentor. The mentors teach their group in the fall First
Year Seminar course and work throughout the entire year to
help freshmen have the most successful year possible. During
second semester mentor groups take Liberal Arts Seminar as
a group.
The Retention Puzzle
Connect the pieces to increase
completion rates
 To address student success and completion issues, a master
retention plan and comprehensive, data-informed retention
strategy should be guided by four quadrants of the retention
puzzle: Retention Puzzle
 1 – Institutional assessment
 2 – Student assessment
 3 – Institutional interventions
 4 – Student interventions
Student success initiativesnon-cognitive assessments
 Assess incoming students’ attitudes, motivations, needs, and
receptivity to assistance in areas related to student success.
 •Identify students' strengths and challenges.
 •Prioritize outreach to students based on levels of risk and
receptivity to assistance.
 •Make a caring connection to discuss results; establishing
trusting relationships.
 •Proactively connect students with key resources (academic,
personal, social, financial, career-related) that make a
difference.
 •Follow up to ensure students’ needs and interests are being
addressed in a timely and appropriate manner.
How we identify student challenges as they
enroll in higher education programs.
 College Student Inventory-CSI
 EQi-HEd125 – Alpha students (at Risk students)
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Identifies the 5 Main components and 15
subcomponents of Emotional Intelligence
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InterPersonal Skills
Stress Management Skills
Adaptability Skills
IntraPersonal Skills
General Mood Skills
How we support students in their
first year learning experience.
 Kissinger Learning Center Resources
Study Strategies Course – LART 1000
o Peer tutoring
o Study Groups
o On-line tutoring – Software Research Center (experiential
learning via a grant)
o DSS – listen for cues
o Advising
o Workshops – (recently taped)
Types of Workshops:
Learning Styles – also performed on a oneon-one basis
Time Management – also performed on a
one-on-one basis
The Textbook Maze
Note-Taking that Makes Sense
Test Taking made Easier
How to accommodate and
encourage engaged learning
 Do not prejudge a student’s ability
 Treat students with respect. Every student is an
individual, they do not appreciate being stereotyped as
just “freshmen” anymore than faculty enjoy being
lumped together as just “instructors.”
 Learn student’s names, take an interest in them
(especially if they are struggling or far away from
home), send them a note of encouragement or an
e-mail, etc.
 Give them incentives - ex. Pilot Program with
Basketball team – based on time management and
study strategies
 Incorporate Service Learning into courses
The Impact of Service Learning
and Engagement
 Enriches the student learning of course material and “brings
books to life and life to books.”
 Engages students in active learning that demonstrates the
relevance and importance of academic work for their life
experiences and career choices.
 Increases awareness of societal issues as they relate to
academic areas of interest.
 Broaden perspective of diversity issues and enhances critical
thinking skill.
 Fosters an ethics of service and civic participation in students
who will be tomorrow's civic leaders and volunteers.
Impact continued…..
 Creates potential for partnerships and collaboration on
campus and in community.
 Builds reciprocal relationships with the local and global
community.
 Improves interpersonal skills that are viewed as important
skills in achieving success in professional and personal
spheres.
At Anderson University it allows students to
live out the core values of the University:
 Integrity
 Excellence
 Servant Leadership
 Responsibility
 Generosity
Why students benefit….
 Students want to have impact while they are in college-they
do not want to wait until graduation.
 Many students have participated in service learning or project
based learning in high school and they prefer learning with
their heads, hands, and heart.
 There are many different learning styles and service learning
allows you to individualize the learning.
 Reflection teaches students to value their own experiences
and the experience of others.
 Service engagement allows students to “try out” career
options and environments prior to graduation.
 Students have opportunity to focus on someone other than
themselves.
 Students become more academically and culturally
competent.
What and How?
Service engagement opportunities can be
performed in every major.
 Music
 Art
 Environmental Sciences
 Psychology
 Physical education
 Government
 Religious Studies
 Engineering
 Nursing
 Business
MANY MORE
How to promote service learning
 Make service engagement part of your mission
 Adopt and define best practice
 Provide faculty/staff with resources they need to develop
course work and student life programs
 Provide funding opportunities and grant writing support
 Provide opportunities for global and local exploration
 Designate offices and human resources to support the effort
 Promote through all campus events
 Promote through social media
 Introduce key service learning resource individuals during
orientations (faculty, staff and students).
 Have key leaders MODEL service to others.
Thank you for your commitment to
student success!
For more information please contact the Community Partnership Center at
Anderson University. [email protected] or 765-641-3714