INCREASING STUDENT RETENTION AND SUCCESS THROUGH HIGH IMPACT LEARNING PRACTICES ASPIRE ANNUAL CONFERENCE – OCTOBER 4, 2016

ACTIVITY Talk with your neighbor about an experience that you, or one of your students, has had in college; one that was deeply transformative, required much of you, and took place over an extended period of time.

WHO WE ARE Marilyn Thayer, M.Ed. Director TRIO Student Support Services Academic Advancement Center Paul Thayer, Ph.D. Special Advisor to the Provost Associate Vice President Emeritus Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado

OUTLINE OF SESSION  Discuss the concepts, elements, and principles of High Impact Practices (HIPs)  Review the research (impact and benefits of HIPs)  Highlight the disparities among student engagement in HIPs  Examine strategies for increasing opportunities for student engagement in the HIPs that are offered at your institution  Identify strategies for transforming your program’s current activities into effective HIPs

TURNING POINT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION Our responsibility for providing support to students in enrolling in postsecondary programs is only the first step…  Help them develop the skills, access resources, and receive the appropriate support to successfully walk across the graduation stage.  Ensure that students have high quality educational experiences, so that they will be better prepared for 21st century workforce.  Address the question of EQUITY – In the QUALITY of the educational experience and equity in achievement of outcomes

LEAP ESSENTIALS OF LEARNING OUTCOMES LEAP ESSENTIALS OF LEARNING OUTCOMES LIBERAL EDUCATION AND AMERICA'S PROMISE (LEAP) IS A NATIONAL PUBLIC ADVOCACY AND CAMPUS ACTION INITIATIVE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES (AAC&U) ▪Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world ▪Intellectual and practical skills ▪Personal and social responsibility ▪Integrative and applied learning Findings from the Association of American Colleges and Universities: Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College (2002), Taking Responsibility for Quality of the Baccalaureate Degree (2004), and Liberal Education Outcomes: A Preliminary Report on Achievement in College (2005)

WHY DOES STUDENT ENGAGEMENT MATTER? “This early work on student retention ushered in what can be called the ‘age of involvement’ (Study Group on the Conditions of Excellence in Higher Education, 1984). Research, most notably by Alexander Astin, Ernest Pascarella, and Patrick Terenzini, served to reinforce the importance of student contact or involvement to a range of student outcomes not the least of which was student retention (e.g., Astin, 1975, 1984; Endo & Harpel, 1982; Pascarella, 1980; Pascarella & Chapman, 1983; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1980; Terenzini, Lorang, & Pascarella, 1981). We learned that involvement matters and that it matters most during the critical first year of college.” Tinto (2006). Research and practice of student retention: What next? A study using data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE, 2013) shows that student engagement— in particular, the CCSSE benchmarks of active and collaborative learning and support for learners—is an important predictor of college completion. Price, D., & Tovr, E. (in press). Student engagement and institutional graduation rates: Identifying high-impact educational practices for community colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice.

DEFINITION OF HIGH IMPACT PRACTICES NATIONAL SURVEY OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT (NSSE) High impact practices (HIPs) are transformational learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom that engage students in learning over time and provide educational benefits, especially for traditionally underserved students.

IDENTIFIED AS PROMISING PRACTICES THROUGH RESEARCH: ▪First-year experiences ▪Common intellectual experiences ▪Learning communities ▪Writing-intensive courses ▪Collaborative assignments and projects ▪Undergraduate research ▪Diversity/global learning ▪Service learning ▪Community-based learning ▪Internships ▪Capstone courses and projects High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are Who Has Access to Them and Why They MatterHigh-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are Who Has Access to Them and Why They Matter by George D. Kuh (AAC&U 2008) Follow-up study: Five High-Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion, and Quality, by Jayne E. Brownell and Lynn E. SwanerFive High-Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion, and Quality

WHAT MAKES A PRACTICE A HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICE? Depends entirely on how they are implemented (quality), how many students they reach (scale), and how many practices students experience (intensity). Design Principles for Effective Practice: ▪Expectations set at appropriately high levels ▪Significant investment of time and effort ▪Interactions with faculty and peers ▪Experiences with diversity ▪Frequent and constructive feedback ▪Periodic and structured opportunities for reflection ▪Relevance through real-world applications ▪Public demonstration of competence (Kuh, 2008; Kuh & O’Donnell, 2013)

WHAT WE KNOW FROM RESEARCH High-Impact Practices (HIPs) are techniques and designs for teaching and learning that have proven to be beneficial for student engagement and successful learning among students from many backgrounds. Through intentional program design and advanced pedagogy, these types of practices can enhance student learning and work to narrow gaps in achievement across student populations.

OUTCOMES AND BENEFITS OF HIPS HIPs are positively associated with: ▪Persistence and Grade Point Average (GPA) ▪“Deep approaches to learning” ▪Higher rates of student-faculty interaction ▪Increases in critical thinking and writing skills ▪Greater appreciation for diversity ▪Higher student engagement overall, and “compensatory effects” (Kuh, 2008; National Survey of Student Engagement, 2007)

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS… Study of students who participated in Learning Communities, First-Year Seminars, Service-Learning, Capstone, Undergraduate research Outcomes: – Higher GPA/grades – Gains in writing, critical thinking, reading, integrative thinking, research skills – Higher rate of civic engagement, gains in commitment to social justice, multicultural awareness – Increased retention and persistence – Ease of college transition – Higher rate of graduate school Brownell, J.E., & Swaner, L. E. (2010). Five high-impact practices: Research on learning outcomes, completion, and quality. Association of American Colleges & Universities.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SELECTED HIGH-IMPACT ACTIVITIES, DEEP LEARNING, AND SELF-REPORTED GAINS RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SELECTED HIGH-IMPACT ACTIVITIES, DEEP LEARNING, AND SELF-REPORTED GAINS SOURCE: ENSURING QUALITY & TAKING HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICES TO SCALE BY GEORGE D. KUH AND KEN O’DONNELL, WITH CASE STUDIES BY SALLY REED. (WASHINGTON, DC: AAC&U, 2013). FOR INFORMATION AND MORE RESOURCES AND RESEARCH FROM LEAP, SEE Deep Learning Gains: General Gains: Personal Gains: Practical First Year Learning Communities Service Learning Senior Year Study Abroad ++++ Student–Faculty Research Internships ++ Service Learning Senior Culminating Experience p 0.10, +++p 0.30

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SELECTED HIGH-IMPACT ACTIVITIES AND CLUSTERS OF EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES Level of Academic Challenge Active and Collaborative Learning Student– Faculty Interaction Supportive Campus Environment First Year Learning Communities Service Learning +++ Senior Year Study Abroad ++ Student–Faculty Research Internships Service Learning +++ Senior Culminating Experience p 0.10, +++p 0.30

Do they matter? High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are Who Has Access to Them and Why They MatterHigh-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are Who Has Access to Them and Why They Matter by George D. Kuh (AAC&U 2008)

Do they matter? High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are Who Has Access to Them and Why They MatterHigh-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are Who Has Access to Them and Why They Matter by George D. Kuh (AAC&U 2008)

Do they matter? High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are Who Has Access to Them and Why They MatterHigh-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are Who Has Access to Them and Why They Matter by George D. Kuh (AAC&U 2008)

Graduation Rates by Ethnicity and participation in High-Impact Practices 00 Latino/anot Latino/a 38% 55% gap 17 Do they matter? Source: California State University Northridge Institutional Research (August 2010)

Graduation Rates by Ethnicity and participation in High-Impact Practices 0011 Latino/anot Latino/a 38% 55% 49% 63% gap 14 Do they matter?

Graduation Rates by Ethnicity and participation in High-Impact Practices Latino/anot Latino/a 38% 55% 49% 63% 65% 68% gap 3 Do they matter?

Graduation Rates by Ethnicity and participation in High-Impact Practices Latino/anot Latino/a 38% 55% 49% 63% 65% 68% 73% 69% gap -4 Do they matter?

BUT…

DIFFERENTIAL PARTICIPATION IN HIGH- IMPACT PRACTICES AMONG FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS: Service Learning and Learning Communities ▪Parity among racial/ethnic groups ▪Fewer 1st gen students ▪Fewer part-time students ▪Fewer transfer students ▪Fewer older students

DIFFERENTIAL PARTICIPATION IN HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICES AMONG SENIORS ▪Fewer 1st gen students ▪Fewer students of color ▪Fewer transfer students ▪Fewer part-time students ▪Fewer older students powerpoint.pdf

ACTIVITY What are barriers (perceived and actual) that may prevent TRIO students from participating in High Impact Practices?

OUR RESPONSIBILITY To influence the possibilities and outcomes of TRIO students To become integrated into and influence the host institution in ways that increase success outcomes for TRIO students and students from similar backgrounds

BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATING IN HIPS  Institutions: -Most likely to miss historically underserved groups  Students: -Time commitment and money -Competing priorities -Inadequate social support networks Finley & McNair (2013), Assessing Underserved Students’ Engagement in High-Impact Practices, AAC&U

WHAT CAN WE DO? (BREAK DOWN THE BARRIERS) ▪Develop the awareness of the stakes ▪Demystify HIPs and help students believe that it is possible for them (student panels) ▪Foster collaborations ▪Advocacy including helping develop policies ▪Promote HIPs to students and establish the pathways ▪Create new HIPs of our own

TRANSFORMING YOUR CURRENT ACTIVITIES INTO EFFECTIVE HIPS What do they need to work? ▪Time on task ▪Faculty/staff and peer interaction ▪Interaction with diversity ▪Continuous, substantive feedback ▪Connections between learning context and real world settings ▪Frequent reflection

CREATE YOUR OWN NEW ACTIVITIES ▪Costa Rica, other countries (CSU UB, PCC UB) ▪Kanab, Utah (CSU UB) ▪Bridge programs for Talent Search, EOC, SSS ▪Developmental Courses – Build learning community

ENGAGE THE INSTITUTION ▪Influencing the design and implementation of learning communities ▪MURALS ▪First Generation Education Abroad Event ▪“Make It Happen” grants

ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH IMPACT PRACTICES ▪Time on task ▪Faculty/staff and peer interaction ▪Interaction with diversity ▪Continuous, substantive feedback ▪Connections between learning context and real world settings ▪Frequent reflection

ACTIVITY ▪Divide into small groups based on the size / type of your institution. ▪Use the rubric to assess the effectiveness of one of HIP that you currently provide to your participants. ▪Identify one or two ways to modify or change the HIP model to increase the impact. OR ▪Identify a HIP that you would like to provide your students.

Questions and Comments

CONTACT INFORMATION Paul B. Thayer (970) Marilyn L. Thayer (970)