New Faculty Orientation August 13,2010 UHD First-Generation Student-Faculty Interaction Group Dr. Viola Garcia, Associate Professor, Urban Education Dr. Chynette Nealy, Associate Professor, General Business

The Stickiness Lesson What Do You Know? Attention to Details – Structure and Format What Do You Need to Know? Test - Revise How Will You Learn It? Experiment Guide the academic process Align the requirements Descriptions Goals to Monitor Progress Assessment Learner Outcomes Paying attention - Activities Requirements – Deadlines Roundtable discussions Storytelling Casual conversations “Raise students’ comfort levels”

The Stickiness Lesson What Do You Know? What Do You Need to Know? How Will You Learn It? Objective –Learner Outcome I want my students to THINK and take RESPONSIBILTIY I want them to experience a deeper learning (pool their different perspectives and experiences) I want them to create knowledge together-similar to the 21 st century workplace –which focus businesses as Learning Organizations – Knowledge Workers RETHINK Treat people the way you want to be treated *First Generation and Diverse Student Population People don’t always want to be treated the same way

Active LearningReality Based (Real World Applications) Learning occurs when students focus their attention, energies and abilities on solving real world problems and reflect on their experiences (Dewey, 1997; Kolb,1984) Abstract Conceptualization “THINK- RETHINK” Reflective Observation “OBSERVE” Active Experimentation “PLAN” C oncrete Experience “DO”

Why Active Learning - Encourage Learning (First Generation) 1-Being involved in new experiences (course material-practical applications) 2-Watching others –developing own experiences (pooling information) 3-Create theory-applications to understand observations (sharing knowledge) 4-Use theory to solve real world problems Closing The Gap: Theory - Practical Applications

Faculty-Student Interaction Tinto (1990) asserts that the quality and quantity of faculty-student interaction (particularly outside the classroom) is one of the single strongest predictors of college retention. Lohfink and Paulsen (2005) identified supportive relationships with faculty as one of the major determinants of persistence for first-generation students.

Students Longwell-Grice (2008) notes that first-generation students are less likely to interact with faculty due to social discomfort and the perception that faculty are not genuinely concerned about students.

So what can you do?

Before Classes Start Before you meet students in class:  Develop a comprehensive syllabus.  Include specific instructions for projects (provide samples if possible).  Clarify all assignments (orally, in writing, and through examples).  Provide rubrics with explicit expectations.  Select engaging textbooks.  Identify supplementary or electronic resources.

During Class Suggestions During class :  Be accessible and approachable (smile).  Listen to the students; sometimes you’ll have to read between the lines.  Engage students who are not participating.  Use active methods of teaching and not just a lecture format.  Provide or use study guides.  Encourage class discussion.  Create study groups.

After Class Suggestions Support students outside of the classroom  Develop Vista support.  Make resources available.  Suggest students use the Academic Support Center (Writing, Math, Reading) and other resources as needed.  Meet with students individually before or after class.  Scheduled appointments (especially for struggling students).

Mentor Inquire about structured support provided by your College or Department. Identify and refer students that need help. Begin to mentor students early. Use the Buddy System (peer mentoring). Consider needs and differences among students (freshmen, transfers, older, etc.). Engage faculty sponsors and members of student organizations to reach out to your students through social or academic networks.

Invitation to Collaborate UHD received $100,000 through The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) Walmart Minority Student Success Award (Walmart Stores, Inc. and the Walmart Foundation). The initiative is intended to support the success of first-generation students at UHD. We invite you to participate in the UHD First- Generation Student-Faculty Interaction Group. The focus is on classroom practices and the role faculty play in their students’ academic success.

Best wishes.