1 Student Engagement Retreat #3 May 24, 2011

2 Review and Updates First retreat (1/18/11) Inventory of activities Placement of activities on a continuum Retreat follow-up Refinement of activities Creation of major goals and related outcomes

3 Review and Updates (continued) Second Retreat (3/17/11) Mapping activities to outcomes Defining and identifying Key Points of Engagement (KPEs) Retreat Follow-up Refine KPE criteria Focus groups with students Consult with responsible units in order to obtain additional information for KPEs – descriptions, outcomes, etc.

Student Focus Groups What did we learn from the student focus groups on ways they became engaged at Ramapo and ideas on how we might better engage them? 4

5 Outcomes for Retreat O1: Present a refreshed definition for Key Point of Engagement (first year). O2: Gain a common understanding of Ramapo’s Key Points of Engagement for First Year Students and their intended outcomes: – Review mapping of KPEs to previously agreed upon goals and outcomes; – Identify and discuss strengths, opportunities and possible gaps or weaknesses in relation to outcomes.

6 Outcomes for Retreat (continued) O3: Identify how all units can (better) support institutional KPEs for first-year students. O4: Brainstorm and begin to develop a student-friendly version of the plan that addresses: – How we introduce the plan to students and hold them accountable for reaching the stated outcomes in this pilot year ( )?; – How will we introduce the plan to students and hold them accountable for reaching the stated outcomes in the coming years?

7 Criteria for Key Points of Engagement for First Year Students A structured opportunity designed for first-year students. A structured opportunity open to all first-year students. A high-impact activity or an activity leading to a high-impact activity where a high-impact activity is defined as: – A substantive interaction, in class or out of class, with peers, faculty, or staff or – A common experience that deepens understanding of self and others or – An opportunity to connect in-class and out-of-class learning.

8 Review of the Proposed Key Points of Engagement for First Year Students Context for Session To review agreed upon Key Points of Engagement for first year students to ensure common understanding To review how the Key Points of Engagement map to goals and outcomes To identify and discuss strengths, opportunities and possible gaps

9 Review of the Key Points of Engagement for First Year Students (continued) Activity Break down into original groups and take 15 minutes to review packet and consider the following: – Do you understand the purpose and outcomes for each KPE? – What comments, questions or suggestions do you have regarding each KPE? – In looking at the KPEs and the Student Engagement Goals and Outcomes, what, if any, gaps or opportunities do you see? Take 20 minutes to discuss findings with group and prepare to report out – Are there common reactions or questions?

10 Review of the Proposed Key Points of Engagement (continued) Post-Activity Report out findings by KPE

11 All Aboard: A Passport to Student Engagement Activity Break down into groups by reporting structure Take 30 minutes to discuss how your division/unit will support and facilitate each KPE: – What resources (human, fiscal, relationship, communication) can you provide towards the success of each KPE? – What, if any synergies, exist between your work with first year students and each KPE? – Having identified gaps or opportunities between the KPEs and the Student Engagement Goals and Outcomes, what can your unit or division do to close gaps or make use of opportunities? Report Out (20 minutes)

12 Implementing a Student-Friendly Plan: Do Now and Dream Big Context for session: In rolling out this plan, we need to decide: – How and when to present the plan to students; – How to encourage students to participate and hold them accountable. In responding to those questions, we also need to decide: – What we are capable of doing now (with existing human, financial, and physical resources and under time constraints); – What we could do in the future (with additional resources and plenty of time).

13 Implementing a Student-Friendly Plan: Do Now and Dream Big (continued) Activity: Two groups do now, while two groups dream big. – Do-now groups: How and when do we present the plan to students? How do we encourage them to participate and hold them accountable (with existing resources and under time constraints)? – Dream-big groups: How and when do we present the plan to students in the future? How do we encourage them to participate and hold them accountable in the future if we had additional resources and with plenty of time?

14 Implementing a Student-Friendly Plan: Do Now and Dream Big (continued) Post-Activity: Ask each group to report its ideas based on the above questions. – Dream-big groups – Do-now groups A steering committee member will write down ideas in abbreviated form. Based on ideas from the do-now groups, we arrive at some preliminary consensus, with later further refinement from the steering committee in consultation with the reporting units, about a roll-out plan.

15 Creating a Key Point of Engagement Based on the Criteria for Key Points of Engagement, create a new KPE with your team that would occur at the conclusion of the first year. Be prepared to describe how it will fulfill all requirements.

16 Wrap-up and Future Steps Ultimately, create WEAVE plan for Student Engagement Steering Committee will ask unit heads/people responsible for KPEs to add two more pieces to each template: – Measures – Achievement Targets Formalize the KPE packet as an institutional engagement plan for first year students and begin work to Do-now and continue working on Dream-big ideas This will help to show not only what we are going to do, but in terms of resource allocation and institutional effectiveness: – How we will know if it is working? i.e. The Provost Test

17 KPEActivityOutcomes Met Method of Assessment Orientation ► Ra-mazing Race (2.1/3.1) ►Advisement/ Registration (3.1) ►Club Ramapo (2.1) ►Peer to Peer (2.1/2.2) ► 2.1 Students will explore opportunities for involvement in campus activities. ► 2.2 Students will establish connections with their peers, faculty, and staff. ►3.1 Students will demonstrate their ability to identify and utilize campus resources when needed. First Year Orientation Student Evaluation distributed at end of Orientation. Questions will be specific to ask about these outcomes? (i.e.) Did Club Ramapo give you an opportunity to explore ways to get involved in campus activities?

18 CONCLUSION Thank you for your work and commitment this semester. Our focus on outcomes and being more outcomes-driven is a big student engagement accomplishment for the semester. We look forward to working with you in the fall as we move into the second stage of student engagement at Ramapo.