Developing Innovative and Effective Assignments for First Year Seminars 15 May 2013

Why First Year Seminars? 21 st Century Essential Learning Outcomes** – Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world – Intellectual and practical skills – Personal and social responsibility – Integrative and applied learning ** Greater Expectations Forum on Twenty-First-Century Liberal Arts Education Practice (AAC&U)

Educational PrioritiesStudents will… Knowledge integrate and apply knowledge from a focused area of study as well as a broad general education which includes disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Inquiry respond to the complexities of contemporary and enduring problems using information literacy tools, research skills, creative thinking, and analysis. Reasoning evaluate evidence; interpret data; and use logical, mathematical, and statistical problem-solving tools. Communication speak and write clearly, listen and read actively, and engage with others in productive dialogue. Intercultural Literacy connect with diverse ideas and with people whose experiences differ from their own and that may be separated from them by time, space, or culture. Ethical Behavior recognize personal, academic, and professional standards and act with integrity. Citizenship collaborate with others and contribute in their communities and the larger world. Vocation discover and prepare for the range of opportunities and challenges that await them beyond their college experience. Well-Being respect the ways physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being may contribute to a balanced life. Educational priorities and outcomes

High Impact Practices First-year seminars/experiences Common intellectual experiences Learning communities Writing-intensive courses Collaborative assignments/projects Undergraduate research Diversity/global learning Service/community-based learning Internships Capstone courses/projects Padgett, R.D., The effects of high-impact practices on 21 st century learning outcomes. National Resource Center of the First Year Experience and Students in Transition (

High Impact Practices “…combine and concentrate other empirically validated pedagogical approaches into a single multidimensional activity..” (Kuh et al., 2010) High-impact practices have minor direct effects on student learning (Salisbury & Goodman, 2009) A more significant connection exists between “good practices” and student learning (Goodman et al, 2011)

“Vetted” Good Practices** Exposure to effective teaching Teaching clarity and organization Quality of non-classroom interactions with faculty Active learning Influential interactions with other students Cooperative learning Academic challenge High expectations Integrative learning/experiences Diversity experiences inside/outside the classroom ** e.g. Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z. F., Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. American Association of Higher Education Bulletin pp.3-7

Inputs High Impact Practice (e.g. FYS) Learning outcomes High Impact Practice delivered using good practices

FYS show tendency towards this stuff (Engaging Pedagogy)** A variety of teaching methods Meaningful discussion and homework Challenging assignments Productive use of class time Encouragement for students to speak in class and work together ** Swing, R. L., The impact of engaging pedagogy on first-year seminars. Policy Center on the First Year of College Report (

Students who participate in a FYS that was required were more likely to: Non-classroom interactions with faculty Academic challenge and effort Positive peer interactions Co-curricular involvement Service learning Integrative learning Interactions with student affairs staff Cooperative learning Study abroad Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education,

Why these specific objectives? Introduce an academic discipline and the concept of a discipline within the context of the liberal arts Provide instruction for academic skills common to all disciplines: – Academic Honesty: knowing when to document sources; understanding ethical, legal and professional reasons for documenting sources – Critical Reading: restating central points; making inferences; identifying and questioning underlying assumptions; assessing evidence – Information Literacy: distinguishing between and evaluating primary and secondary sources; popular and scholarly sources – Writing: using write-to-learn assignments to investigate, analyze, and summarize course material Address college-level academic expectations and practices Introduce academic support services

METRICMean - FYS 2011Mean - FYS 2012 More intense and challenging than high school Introduced me to available academic resources Helped understand a specific discipline Helped understand value of a liberal arts education Developed critical thinking skills Allowed for student interaction Allowed for positive exchange of ideas Professor was approachable Student satisfaction inventory 2011 (n = 215); 2012 (n = 161)

Reflective responses (n = 287)

Academically Adrift (Arum & Roksa, 2011) 2300 students, range of colleges and universities Transcript analysis Student surveys Results of Collegiate Learning Assessment 45 percent of students "did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning" during the first two years of college. 36 percent of students "did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning" over four years of college. Those students who do show improvements tend to show only modest improvements

Students majoring in liberal arts fields see "significantly higher gains in critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing skills over time than students in other fields of study.“ Students whose classes reflect high expectations (more than 40 pages of reading a week and more than 20 pages of writing a semester) gained more than other students. Students who study by themselves for more hours each week gain more knowledge -- while those who spend more time studying in peer groups see diminishing gains. BUT 32 percent of students each semester do not take any courses with more than 40 pages of reading assigned a week half don't take a single course in which they must write more than 20 pages over the course of a semester students spend, on average, only about hours a week studying, and that much of this time is studying in groups Direct relationship between rigor and gains in learning

Literature cited: Association of American Colleges and Universities Greater Expectations Forum on Twenty-First-Century Liberal Arts Education Practice Arum, R. and Roksa, J., Academically adrift: Limited learning on college campuses. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z. F., Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. American Association of Higher Education Bulletin pp.3-7. Goodman, K.M., Baxter Magolda, M., Seifert, T.A., King, P. M., Good practices for student learning: Mixed-method evidence from the Wabash National Study. About Campus 16: 2-9. Kuh, G., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., Whitt, E. J., Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco. Padgett, R.D., The effects of high-impact practices on 21 st century learning outcomes. National Resource Center of the First Year Experience and Students in Transition ( Salisbury, M. and Goodman, K., Educational practices that foster intercultural competence. Diversity and Democracy 12: Swing, R. L., The impact of engaging pedagogy on first-year seminars. Policy Center on the First Year of College Report Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education