What Matters to Student Success in College: A Review of the Literature George D. Kuh Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research SHEEO/NCES Network Conference May 2006

Kuh et al. NPEC/NCES Report Introduction, Context, and Overview Definitions and Conceptual Framework Major Theoretical Perspectives Student Background Characteristics, Pre- College Experiences, and Enrollment Patterns Student Behaviors, Activities and Experiences in Postsecondary Education Related to Success Institutional Conditions Related to Student Success Outcomes and Indicators of Student Success During and After College Propositions and Recommendations

The “pipeline” problem Propositions and recommendations Discussion Overview The “pipeline” problem Propositions and recommendations Discussion Conceptual Framework behind NSSE

Student Success in College Academic achievement, engagement in educationally purposeful activities, satisfaction, acquisition of desired knowledge, skills and competencies, persistence, attainment of educational objectives, and post-college performance

Theoretical Perspectives Sociological Organizational Psychological Cultural Economic

a. 18% (“participation rate”) Student Success Quiz What percent of first-year high school students complete college six years after high school graduation? (a) 18% (b) 27% (c) 40% (d) 68% (e) none of the above a. 18% (“participation rate”) or e. – none of the above

e. 51% (ACT, 2006) Student Success Quiz What percent of high school seniors have college-level reading skills? (a) 51% (b) 59% (c) 68% (d) 77% (e) none of the above e. 51% (ACT, 2006)

False. $1-2 billion Student Success Quiz True or false: About $300 million is spent annually on postsecondary remediation coursework. False. $1-2 billion

The primary weakness [is our] inability to help poor kids escape from the impoverished conditions in which they grow up… The vast majority of poor young people can’t even imagine going to college. By the time many poor kids are sixteen or seventeen years old, either they have already dropped out of school or they lag well behind their peers educationally. Levine & Nidiffer,1996

Student Success Quiz (d) 61% (e) 77% e. 50% one academic term About what percent of community college students return for the second year? (a) 29% (b) 33% (c) 50% (d) 61% (e) 77% e. 50% 17% do not complete one academic term

Student Success Quiz (d) 42% (e) 59% e. 59% (a) 14% (b) 26% (c) 33% What percent of 1999-2000 college graduates attended two or more institutions? (a) 14% (b) 26% (c) 33% (d) 42% (e) 59% e. 59%

What Really Matters in College: Student Engagement Because individual effort and involvement are the critical determinants of impact, institutions should focus on the ways they can shape their academic, interpersonal, and extracurricular offerings to encourage student engagement. Pascarella & Terenzini, How College Affects Students, 2005, p. 602

Propositions and Recommendations The trajectory for academic success in college is established long before students matriculate. Ensure that all students have rigorous, intensive pre-college academic preparation. Instill in K-12 educators an assets-based talent development philosophy about teaching and learning. Align high school curricula with college performance standards. Develop a comprehensive national college readiness strategy that addresses the educational needs of all students.

Principles for Strengthening Pre-College Preparation Expect that all underserved students are capable of being prepared to enroll and succeed in college. Provide a range of high-quality college preparatory tools for underserved students and their families. Embrace social, cultural, and learning style differences in developing learning environments and activities for underserved students. Involve leaders at all levels in establishing policies, programs, and practices that facilitate student transitions. Provide sufficient financial and human resources to enable underserved students to prepare for, enroll, and succeed in college. Assess policy, program, practice, and institutional effectiveness regularly. Source: Pathways to College Network – A Shared Agenda (2004)

Propositions and Recommendations Family and community support are indispensable. Expand the scale and scope of demonstrably effective college encouragement and transition programs. Ensure that students and families have accurate information about college, including real costs and aid availability.

Propositions and Recommendations The right amount and kind of money matters to student success. Align financial aid and tuition policy so that financial assistance packages meet students’ need. Create small pockets of emergency funds to meet student financial needs in “real” time.

Propositions and Recommendations At-risk students require early interventions and sustained attention at various transition points

Factors That Threaten Persistence and Graduation from College academically underprepared for college-level work gap between high school and college part-time enrollment single parent financially independent children at home 30+ hours working per week first-generation college student

Propositions and Recommendations At-risk students require early interventions and sustained attention at various transition points Clarify institutional values and expectations early and often to prospective and matriculating students. Provide multiple learning support networks, early warning systems, and safety nets. Ensure that all students have rigorous, intensive pre-college academic preparation.

Propositions and Recommendations Students who connect with someone or something are more likely to persist. Make the classroom the locus of community. Structure ways for more commuter students to spend time with classmates. Involve every student in a meaningful way with some activity or some positive role model in the college environment. Encourage students to live on campus at least for the first year at institutions that have housing available.

Propositions and Recommendations Institutions that focus on student success and create a student-centered culture are better positioned to help their students attain their educational objectives. Instill an assets-based talent development philosophy about teaching and learning. Use effective educational practices throughout the institution.

Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (Chickering & Gamson, 1987; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) Student-faculty contact Active learning Prompt feedback Time on task High expectations Respect for diverse learning styles Cooperation among students

Propositions and Recommendations Institutions that focus on student success and create a student-centered culture are better positioned to help their students attain their educational objectives. Use effective educational practices throughout the institution. Use technology in educationally effective ways. Conduct periodic examinations of the student experience, inside and outside the classroom. Incentivize postsecondary institutions to identify and ameliorate debilitating cultural properties.

Available: www.nsse.iub.edu DEEP Practice Briefs Available: www.nsse.iub.edu

Propositions and Recommendations Because we value what we measure, focus assessment and accountability efforts on what matters to student success. Incentivize postsecondary institutions to report and use information about the student experience to improve. Require a common reporting template for indicators of student success to make institutional performance transparent. Further develop state and institutional capacity for collecting, analyzing and using data for accountability and improvement purposes.

Research Needs Determine effective approaches for encouraging different types of students (e.g., first-generation, low income, students of color) to participate in and benefit from postsecondary encouragement programs. Develop additional ways to assess the ability to do college-level work. Develop ways for colleges and universities to report back to high schools their graduates’ college performance and use the information to improve. Further develop and refine assessment tools.

Research Needs Determine institutional policies and practices that work best with different groups of students at different types of institutions. Develop additional indicators of success for different types of students. Determine appropriate ways to measure, report, and use student success indicators for accountability and improvement (e.g., common template) Examine the motivations and quality of educational experiences of “swirlers” -- students attending multiple institutions. Determine what postsecondary institutions can realistically do at what cost to help academically underprepared students overcome the deficiencies they bring with them to college.

Discussion