A PURPOSEFUL & INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO ENGAGING SOPHOMORES Dan Stypa & Jenna Schwartz

Session Outline  Review of the Literature & Theory  Review data collected from 2 universities  Designing your own Sophomore Year Experience  Implications for Practice  Different approaches to address sophomore needs

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The “Sophomore Slump”  Feeling as though they are forgotten, sophomores begin to experience the sophomore slump, a period when students “…[experience] a small number of special programs, few contacts with major professors, few positions of campus leadership, and little attention” (Pattengale & Schreiner, 2000)  Sophomores report feeling a lack of…  satisfaction with faculty interactions  commitment to academic major  satisfaction with academic advising  leadership opportunities  support from student affairs professionals (Finning-Kwoka, et al., 2007)

Supporting Research  Key aspects of the sophomore year that are important to promote persistence Faculty engagement Involvement Supportive relationships Intentional programming (Gohn et al., 2001 and Pattengale & Schreiner, 2000)  Given the proper support and challenge, campus environments can be created to positively influence outcomes such as learning and persistence

Theoretical Framework  Astin’s (1993) College Impact Model  Simple explanation for a complex phenomenon (the effect of experiences on college student outcomes)  Retention and Persistence (outcomes) is a function of the Expectations (inputs) and Experiences (environment)  The relationship between the inputs and the environment has an influence on the outcome  Given the proper support and challenge, environments can be created to positively influence outcomes such as learning & persistence.  Astin’s theory grounded this research and supports assertions about the role of positive relationships between the expectations and experiences of sophomores on persistence.

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Institution 1  Large, research I university of 25,000 in the Southeast  Sent electronically to all 1,200 residential sophomores  Assessed four key areas:  Students’ relationships with faculty  Commitment to major  Perceptions of university services  Self-identified issues that sophomores experienced  These areas were assessed based on prior research to determine its applicability to its sophomores

Institution 1  Survey results (N=190) suggest the importance and need for formal programs & services for sophomores  36%: Did not believe faculty was committed to sophomore success  53%: Found it difficult to make a connection between courses and academic major  73%: Struggle managing time during their sophomore year

Institution 2  Large, research I university of 48,000 in the South  10 questions  Sent to students sophomore and above  Used Google forms  Sent via  Reminder s  62 out of 250 responded

Institution 2

 One focus group with 7 students  4 Sophomores  2 Juniors  1 Senior  4 women and 3 men

Institution 2  What was your freshman year like?  Unaware and uninvolved  Involved and social  What was your sophomore year like?  Social, stability, involved, academic improvement  Social and academic decline  More personal responsibility  Confidence

Institution 2  What are some issues that sophomores face?  Career choices, purpose, identity development  Financial and personal responsibility  Academic decline  What issues did you face that you did not expect?  Uncertainty  Abandoned  Lacking ability

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Design your own SYE/Sophomore LLC  In your plan, consider these factors:  Programmatic Initiatives Faculty, campus resources/office, active vs. passive Intentionality vs. Informal social programming Curricular options/SYE course options  Creating buy-in both by students and the institution Advertising, Marketing, Publicizing Connection to campus strategic planning  Budget/Funding Partnerships, collaborations, not “reinventing the wheel”

Sharing what you learned  What programmatic elements did you include in your SYE/LLC?  Why/how would sophomores benefit from your new SYE/LLC?  How does your SYE/LLC tie into your institution type/mission?

Why does this matter for sophomores?  Emphasis on First Year Experience  Just because they’re done with their 1 st year doesn’t mean they are necessarily acclimated to the campus and expectations associated with the sophomore year  Sophomore Slump  Influencing persistence & retention  Impact on academic preparedness and success  Student engagement and involvement  Getting sophomores involved and active on campus  Keep them living on-campus & invested in their residential experience  Second Year as the Stepping Stone to Success  Getting students to think bigger picture  Reflection to help guide their future pursuits (career, personal, etc.)

“Learn MORE. Achieve MORE. sophoMORE.” at Institution 1  Primary Goal:  Through education, connect sophomores to the existing resources at the university  Methods of Reaching Sophomores:  Targeted mailings  Sophomore website  Interactive sophoMORE workshops  Engaging “Welcome Week” programs  Sophomore Academic Success Workshops

Sophomore LLC at Institution 2  Living and Learning Communities (LLCs)  Housing and Residential Education  Maximum capacity of residential spaces in  Looking to next year…

Creating a Campus Culture  Ensuring that many campus constituencies are included in planning & implementing:  Student Success Center  Career Center  Study Abroad  Housing/Residence Life  Office of the Provost  Graduate Student in Student Affairs program  Academic Advising

Limitations of data collection  One focus group at one institution  More survey responses from both institutions  Incentives, more reminders, paper copies  Avoid all non-sophomore responses in surveys  View responses based on demographic group/classification to look for trends  Limited sample size due to access issues

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Reflection & Processing  How can you apply this information back at your institution?  Any general questions?

Resources  Astin, A. W. (1993). What Matters in College? Four Critical Years Revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.  Finning-Kwoka, S.M., Clayton, J., & Newman, J. (2007, November). Evidenced- based sophomore year experience program development. Presented at the 14 th Annual National Conference on Students in Transition.  Gohn, L., Swartz, J., & Donnelly, S. (2001). A case study of second year student persistence. Journal of College Student Retention, 2,  Pattengale, J. & Schreiner, L. A. (2000). What is the sophomore slump and why should we care? In L. A. Schreiner & J. Pattengale (Eds.), Visible solutions for invisible students: Helping sophomores succeed (Monograph No. 31) (pp. vviii). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Thank you!  Dan Stypa    Jenna Schwartz  