Title: Success in the first year of college: Achievement, Development and Retention
1Success in the first year of college
Achievement, Development and Retention
2Members of the College Board Academic Assembly
Council
- Moderator Carol Jago, Past President, National
Council of Teachers of English, IL - Dan Davidson, President, American Councils for
International Education, DC - Arthur Eisenkraft, Distinguished Professor of
Science Education, University of Massachusetts,
MA - Roxy Peck, Professor Emerita of Statistics,
California Polytechnic State University, CA - Karen Waples, Social Studies Teacher, Cherry
Creek High School, CO
3In this session we will
- Provide data regarding college graduation rates
- Discuss the programmatic, institutional and
individual factors that influence academic
success and persistence among incoming college
students - Develop a set of recommendations to support
students more effectively as they transition from
high school and during their college experience
4The US Department of Education has compiled
statistics about institutional retention and
graduation rates for undergraduate students.
- The following charts show the percentage of
students seeking a bachelors degree at 4-year
degree-granting institutions who completed a
bachelors degree within 6 years, starting cohort
year 2005
5All Institutions
6Public Institutions
7Private nonprofit
8Private for-profit
9Retention Strategies and Results at One
Institution
- Dan Davidson, Chair of WLAAC
- American Councils and Bryn Mawr College
10Current Retention Rates at Bryn Mawr and
Haverford Colleges Faculty Perspective
- Year 2005 returned in spring graduated
- All students 92.1 81.6 (4yrs) 87.3 (6)
- Pell Grant Recipients Only 82.9 (4yrs)
86.9 (6) -
- No federal loans or grants 76.5 (4yrs)
81.1(6) - African-American 93.3 84.0 (4yrs)
87.7 (6) - Latina 91.1 72.6 (4yrs) 76.4
(6) - International 92.6
83.7 (4yrs) 89.3
11On-going interventions
- Q-Center (quantitative readiness)
- Writing Center, Writing-intensive courses all
fields - Health support. Psychological support (15)
- Peer-to-peer mentoring
- Tutoring Center, college sponsored
- Dorm advising system
- Academic support, advising (faculty and deans)
- Multi-cultural Office
- Digital tools for college use digital archiving,
data mining, computational modeling, cool tools
12Skill challenges
- Time management (16 contact hours/week)
- Self-management (executive function, reflection,
intellectual risk-taking, self-assessment
pushing the envelope ) - Dealing with distraction (24/7 connectivity)
- Identity competence (constructing the self in a
new environment)
13Predicting success of entering freshmen
- AP courses, especially when they represent longer
9 12 sequences, strong indication of
proficiency/competence, academic ambition. - Diversity of course work. Persistence.
Excellence. - Evidence of strong emphasis on fundamental
thinking skills, open-mindedness lt Grade 9 -10
on. - Caution about spreading self too thinly lots of
AP but few good AP grades.
14Success in the First Year of College
- Roxy Peck
- Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
15Institutional Initiatives and Practices
- Cal Poly25 35 Program
- New Mathematics PathwaysThe Plastic Brain
16Cal Poly25 -35 Program
- The Issue addressedMost students dont study
very much. It may work in high school, but not in
college.
17High school students dont study very much but
they are really busy with school and activities.
- Informal group surveys of Cal Poly freshmen
suggest most studied only 3-5 hours per week in
high school. - Brookings Institute paper in 1997 reports high
school students average 19 minutes a night of
study . - 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
reports 55 of high school students study three
or less hours per week and only 8 study 10 hours
per week. - However, Cal Poly freshmen say they averaged at
least 15 hours/week in other activities in high
school such as sports, music, publications, or
employment. - Considering these students were in class 30 hours
a week (5 days, six periods) as high school
students, they were quite busy managing a 50 hour
work week.
18College students increase their study relative to
high school but still fall far short of what is
needed
- National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
studies show that around 45 of college students
spend 10 hours a week or less studying and only
11 study 25 hours per week or more.
19Most new freshmen have no idea what the study
expectations are in college.
- They may triple or quadruple their high school
efforts and feel good because they had never
studied so much. But this is not nearly enough
in college. - Class and lab time runs 15-20 hours per week.
- Anecdotally, many students may proudly triple or
quadruple the hours they studied in high school
upon entering college. Even though this may
total only 10-15 hours a week, they feel good
about what they are doing as they have never
independently studied this much before. - But total time in class and studying adds to only
around 30 hours per week - not even a full time
job, not even as many academic hours as in high
school.
20The 25-35 Advice to Students
- Study 25 hours a week if you are taking three
courses, 35 if you are taking four. This is
about 2 hours/unit/week. Time in class and
studying is equivalent to a 40-50 hour work week
quite reasonable. - Make sure you are learning. You know something
if you can talk about it and teach it to someone
else. If you cant, you dont. - Test yourself before exams dont let the
instructor be the first to test your knowledge.
21Spreading the 25-35 Word Obsession on Saturation
- Open House in April Briefly mention 25-35 in all
college/department meetings for prospective
students. Display 25-35 banners. - Summer Advising Display signs and banners.
Introduce 25-35 program to new students and
accompanying parents. - Communication to New Students in August
Includes yellow 25-35 poster, letter from the
dean, four page pamphlet on studying and
learning, list of offices/phones for student
services and advising memo on alcohol abuse
study log. - Mailing to Parents of New Freshmen in August
Includes yellow 25-35 refrigerator magnet, letter
to parents asking them to put the magnet on the
refrigerator for the rest of the summer copy of
letter to students.
22Spreading the 25-35 Word Obsession on Saturation
- Moving into the Residence Halls Lobbies of each
residence hall display a 2x3 feet 25-35 banner
and lots of the yellow 8.5x11 inches 25-35
posters. A 25-35 poster and refrigerator magnet
are placed on each student bed before they
arrived. - Week-of-Welcome WOW counselors talk about 25-35
program throughout week. 25-35 is part of the
academic day message at college and department
levels. Yellow 25-35 banners and posters are
displayed in meeting sites. - Fall Quarter, First Week of Classes Display
yellow 25-35 banners around campus. Yellow
posters placed on bulletin boards outside faculty
and department offices, in labs and lecture
rooms. Faculty members implement their roles in
the 25-35 program (see next section). - Fall Quarter, Third Week of Classes Letter or
email to all new freshmen encouraging them to
evaluate their efforts, check actual study hours
against 25-35 advice, and focus on preparation
for their first set of exams. - Winter Quarter, First Day of Classes Letter to
new freshmen describing how their class did the
first quarter. Reminder of 25-35 advice. Focus
on continuity in studying and learning.
Encouragement to further find that new maturity
that leads to intellectual achievement and
student success.
23The Role of Faculty
- First Class Meeting Hold up a 25-35 sign. Talk
about the privilege and responsibilities of
attending college. Explain your academic
expectations and give guidance on how to meet
them successfully. Describe how to use 8-10
hours a week studying for your course. - Course Syllabus Clear, complete, informative
course syllabus. Make sure there is a section on
academic expectations and how to accomplish. - Early and Frequent Grading Experiences These
allow students to analyze study strategies and
make adjustments during the term without losing
the opportunity to earn a decent grade. Dont
let your exams be a mystery. If students know
what they are responsible for and are not
surprised by their first exam, they are more
likely to have confidence that studying and
learning equates with success. - Encouragement and Guidance throughout the
Quarter Take time frequently to ask students
how things are going and let them know that you
care. Continually provide guidance for studying
and learning.
24New Mathematics Pathways
- Texas Community Colleges in collaboration with
the Dana Center at University of Texas. - For students who place into developmental
mathematics. - Designed to accelerate progressremediation and
transfer-level mathematics course in 1 year (two
semesters).
25Intentional Consideration of Student Success
Issues
- Integrated into course work
- Focus on
- student confidence and direction
- Persistence
- Commitment
- Belonging
26Two Key Components
- Changing belief system
- Students believe that A students study less, but
data support a strong correlation between effort
and grades. - Students believe that they are either good at
math (or ???) or not, and that there is nothing
they can do about that.
27The Plastic Brain
- Students read article from Health and Science
News You Can Grow Your Brain New Research
Shows the Brain Can be Developed Like a Muscle. - Weightlifter analogy
- Difficult at first, but strength developed
through exercise and persistence. - Watching a weightlifter is not helpful!
- Productive struggle
28Success in the First Year of College
- Arthur Eisenkraft
- UMass Boston
29Success in the First Year of College
- Motivation
- Accessing printed material
- Patterns
- Metacognition
- Eliciting prior understandings
- Transfer of learning
- Knowledge vs information
30Motivation and Relevance
- Motivated students have higher achievement
- Relevance to their lives now.
- Why are we learning this?
- This is chapter 14.
- One day this will be useful
- Not about now and therefore not about me
- Not even true!
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32Why should I care?
- Education is not a preparation for life
education is life itself. - John Dewey
33Why should I care?
- If we want students to learn about science
content, we have to respect them and their age
appropriate perspective. - We have to find ways to help them understand how
the content is relevant to them and the society
they live in. - Physics of sports,
- Chemistry of cooking,
- Earth science of global warming
- Biological implications of prescription and
non-prescription drug use. - Science content into a larger context by adopting
project-based learning.
34Accessing Curriculum
- Accessing curriculum and instruction
- Accessing printed material
- Learning information
- Remembering information
- Completing assignments
- Working with others
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37Other Symbolic Structures (graphic organizers)
- Graphs
- Charts
- Flow diagrams
- Venn diagrams
- Equations
- Schematics
38How People Learn (www.nap.edu)
- Students come to class with preconceptions about
how the world works. - Competence in science includes a foundation of
factual knowledge, a conceptual framework, and a
means to organize scientific knowledge. - Students can learn to take control of their own
learning by defining goals and monitoring their
progress in achieving them. -
39Recognizing Patterns
- Experts vs novices
- Chess studies
- Boats
- Brain tumors
- Teaching
- Competence in science includes a foundation of
factual knowledge, a conceptual framework, and a
means to organize scientific knowledge.
40Metacognition
- Students can learn to take control of their own
learning by defining goals and monitoring their
progress in achieving them. - How People Learn (nap.edu)
41Eliciting Prior Understandings
- Students come to class with preconceptions about
how the world works. - Prior knowledge impedes subsequent learning.
42Transfer of Learning
- Thorndike
- Near transfer and distant transfer
- Pendulum/optics experiments
- How People Learn NRC (www.nap.edu)
- One set of subjects to another
- One school subject to another
- One year of school to another
- School to non-school activities
43y 3 x 6 y 3 x 6
x y
0 6
1 9
2 12
3 15
4 18
5 21
6 24
44Near Transfery 4x2 3
y 4x2 3 y 4x2 3
x y
-5 103
-4 67
-3 39
-2 19
-1 7
0 3
1 7
2 19
3 39
4 67
5 103
45Fitness ClubDistant Transfer
- Do I join the fitness club?
- Membership 15 per month BUT each visit costs
2. - No membership 4 per visit
- Solve with
- Data chart
- Graph with slope and y-intercept
- Algebraically
46Fitness ClubDistant transfer
Number of visits Cost at 4 Cost at 15 2
0 0 15
1 4 17
2 8 19
3 12 21
4 16 23
5 20 25
6 24 27
7 28 29
8 32 31
9 36 33
10 40 35
47Transfer of Learning
- Thorndike
- Near transfer and distant transfer
- Pendulum/optics experiments
- How People Learn NRC (www.nap.edu)
- One set of subjects to another
- One school subject to another
- One year of school to another
- School to non-school activities
48Where is the knowledge we have lost in
information
49Where is the knowledge we have lost in
informationWhere is the wisdom we have lost in
knowledge?
50Some Steps High Schools Might Take
- Karen Waples
- Social Studies Teacher
- Cherry Creek High School
- Greenwood Village, CO
51Some Steps High Schools Might Take
- Focus on skillsagree as a department (or as a
school) which skills will be developed at each
grade level - Early, targeted, personal interventionintervene
immediately with students who are struggling
academically - Rigordevelop a common understanding of what it
means to deliver a rigorous and challenging course
52Skills by Grade Level/Common Understanding of
Rigor
53Early, Targeted Intervention
- Do not treat all struggling students the same way
- Freshmen who are failing only Social Studies
- Mandatory support two days per week (during
lunch) - Focus on study techniques, providing resources,
organization, time management, interpersonal
skills (how to talk to your teacher) - Positive, cheerful, inviting atmospherevery
personal - Students move in and out over three week
intervals - Immediate feedback to deans, parents and teachers
54Additional Recommendations
- High schools tend to focus on the percentage of
students who attend college following graduation - High schools should develop systems to track
student success throughout college