How to Make Your Common Reading Flourish from Beginning to Success!

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How to Make Your Common Reading Flourish from
Beginning to Success!
Julie E. Fisher Program Coordinator, Learning
Communities The University of Texas at San Antonio
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Agenda

• Background information
• Common Reading Process
• Step 1 Establish a Clear Vision
• Step 2 Administrative Prep Work
• Step 3 Pick a Book
• Step 4 Marketing
• Step 5 Collaboration!
• Step 6 Carry the Experience
• Step 7 Assessment
• Data from UTSA
• Continued challenges
• Opportunity for sharing and questions

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A Glimpse _at_ UTSA

• Founded in 1969, Hispanic Serving Institution
  (62.0 Minority)
• 30,000 students with approximately 5,000
  first-time freshmen enrolling each fall
• (67.8 undergraduates are 18 - 22)
• Historically commuter campus quickly evolving
  into a residential campus

A Glimpse _at_ Learning Communities

• Founded in 2000 (Title V Grant), served approx.
  1,750 freshmen 09 - 10 year
• Voluntary program for everyone but provisionally
  admitted students
• Traditional linked courses model always
  including a Freshman Seminar (FS) that counts as
  a 3 hour core curriculum credit housed in
  Academic Affairs
• The FS is taught by a mixture of faculty,
  adjunct instructors, and volunteer staff
• Most FS courses are different

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The Common Reading at UTSA

• 2003 - LC started the program book used as a
  text in FS courses
• 2008 - Grant established for summer program
• 2009 - LC piloted the summer program
• 2010 - The Common Reading expanded to all
  incoming freshmen
• Brought the author(s) to campus every year but
  2004

2003
2006
2004 2005
2010 2011
2007
2008 2009
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Requirements in Learning Communities

• Book used as a text
• Summer projects
• Creative assignments using themes
• Submitted for a grade in first 3 weeks
• Creates buy-in and preparedness
• Essay contest (mandatory)
• Awards dinner with guests
• Scholarships
• Publications
• Must attend 3 campus/LC events

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The Summer Common Reading Process
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Step 1 Establish a Clear Vision

• Who is your target audience and WHY?
• Goals/Learning Outcomes
• Provide a common ACADEMIC experience to new
  freshmen
• Promote cross-discipline thinking, writing, and
  dialogue
• Give freshmen the opportunity to practice
  college level skills
• Expose students to diverse ideas, thoughts, and
  practices
• Stakeholders?

• Be at peace with the fact you will ask 5,000 18
  year old freshmen to read a book during their
  summer vacation.

Timeline You will need to start this step NOW
for a summer common reading program in May 2012.
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Step 2 Administrative Prep Work

• Ensure stakeholders are on board
• Budget
• Giving vs. buying the book
• Books 5.00 to 10.00 per student
• Authors visit (set contract ASAP!)
• Honorarium and Travel 2,000 to 50,000
• Student engagement
• Films or documentaries
• Guest lectures
• Socials
• Interactive
• Volunteer opportunities
• Faculty/Staff discussions book clubs
• Marketing costs

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Step 3 Pick a Book

• Establish a committee those using the book,
  natural readers
• Our book requirements
• Must be in paperback by the time Bookstore will
  order
• Author must be alive and available (and
  reasonably priced)
• No movie adaptation exists and/or not used in
  area high schools
• Should carry well across the disciplines
• Catches the readers attention within the first
  25 pages
• Book is no more than 300 pages
• Preferred book is not widely used in the Common
  Reading realm
• Handout Timeline and Process for Picking a Book

Timeline You will need to start this step in May
2011 for a summer common reading program in May
2012.
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Instructor Support

• Tools for Instructors
• Common Reading Faculty Manual!
• Additional materials if applicable (music CD)
• Information at our annual training
• Further information at a pre-semester breakfast
• LC Blackboard page
• electronic copies of all resources
• discussion area
• Monthly support lunch meetings
• Work with the Library
• End of the day Expectations

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Step 4 Marketing

• Get the word out!
• Orientations before, during, and after
• New student materials/flyers/banners
• Advisors, faculty, staff, student leaders
• Email/social networking/website(s)
• Mail outs/take-aways
• Announcement parties
• Information fairs
• Parents
• Accountability
• Book used in classes
• Mandatory activities
• Strong words

Timeline You will need to start this step in
October for a summer common reading program in
May 2012.
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Targeted Marketing

• LC Students
• Leave Orientation with a Resource CD
• Welcome/Explanation Letter
• Tips for reading
• Food for Thought discussion questions
• Summer Projects
• Follow up letter and email
• Non-LC Students
• Leave Orientation with information
• Follow up email
• Direct to website for further information
• Campus-wide
• Single page informational, book synopsis, and
  author bio
• Direct to website

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Step 5 Collaboration!

• Collaborate ACROSS the campus think outside
  your realm
• Connect with departments and offices, build
  common goals
• Library resource area, exhibits, events
• Orientation activities, student leaders, shout
  outs
• Student Activities/University Center hub of
  student life, info fairs
• Volunteer Services Common Reading Service
  Learning GOOD!
• Dining Services want to be visible,
  contributor of free food
• Core Classes and Departments class involvement
• Great exposure for smaller/unseen offices and
  student groups
• Non-student offices or untraditional
  departments
• What students could have an interest?
• Special interest research groups/professors
  looking to be exposed?

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Step 6 Carry the Experience

• Summer projects and essay contest for LC
• Events
• What gets a crowd?
• Lectures are nice, but students want fun too!
• Get interactive
• Impact the community
• FOOD!
• Authors Visit
• Host multiple events different populations and
  activity sizes
• Faculty and staff event
• Provisional students, special interest group(s),
  etc.
• Surprise visit at student events
• Time for touring and a photo op
• Skype sessions

Timeline You will need to start this step in
November for a summer common reading program in
May 2012.
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Step 7 Assessment

• Paper vs. online surveys
• Expected rate of response
• Focus groups
• WHEN are you assessing?
• Beginning vs. end of semester
• Ensure you are assessing each piece
• Mission/Goals
• Learning outcomes
• Marketing
• Book
• Authors appearance
• Events/activities

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Assess and Share

• 6 week evaluation for LC students (fall 2009)
• 55.68 of students said they read all or most of
  the book prior to the start of the semester.
• 75.00 of students said they completed their
  Summer Project on time.
• 76.14 of students thought the Summer Common
  Reading was a good idea and should continue.
• End of term evaluation for LC students (fall
  2009)
• 51.49 of students believed the Common Reading
  helped them connect with their peers in and out
  of the classroom.
• 63.43 of students believed the Common Reading
  helped them think about issues not necessarily
  associated with their majors.
• 58.21 of students believed the Common Reading
  helped them practice academic skills needed for
  college level work.
• 77.61 of students believed the Common Reading
  was well integrated in their Freshman Seminar
  class.

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Why would or wouldnt you recommend a Common
Reading for freshmen next year?
24.35 - It helps with transition to
college 18.26 - It helps students connect and
relate to others 15.65 - It helps build academic
skills 3.48 - It helps students get
involved 23.48 - The program and/or book wasnt
interesting 8.70 - It was all a waste of
time 4.35 - Students dont like to read 1.35 -
Students are too busy for programs like this
Answers coded from an open-ended response question
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What did you enjoy least about the Common Reading
Experience?
21.74 - I had to read over the summer 19.13 - I
didnt like the book 17.39 - I didnt like the
class assignments or essay 15.65 - The
program/book was too long 14.78 - I didnt like
the activities associated 10.43 - The program
and/or book was boring/waste of time 0.87 - I
didnt want to buy the book
Data from end of term evaluation fall 2009
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What did you enjoy most about the Common Reading
Experience?
32.74 - It helped me connect with my
peers 24.78 - I enjoyed the activities
associated 23.01 - I enjoyed the book 8.85 - It
gave me something to do over the summer 7.08 -
It helped me improve my reading and/or study
skills 3.54 - It helped me with my transition
Data from end of term evaluation fall 2009
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Continued Challenges

• Picking a book with scholarly value and mass
  appeal
• Getting all the right stakeholders and backing
• Are you sure you got the message out?
• Are they really reading?
• What about students attending at the end of
  Orientation?
• Is the program worthwhile in their eyes?
• Ensuring all LC instructors give time and
  diligence to the book and topics

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Questions?
Julie Fisher Learning Communities _at_
UTSA Julie.Fisher_at_utsa.edu [phone]