1. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Utilizing Self-Assessments to Support First Generation College Students
Fred Cave 
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2. Goals
Explore how self-assessments can support First-Generation College Students
Offer an overview of self-assessment programming at UNC-Chapel Hill
Reflect on ways your campuses could incorporate self-assessment programming
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

3. Agenda Overview of The Finish Line Project
StrengthsFinder® & Strong Interest Inventory®
Program Development
Program Assessment
Challenges
Application to Your Work
Q&A/Discussion
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

4. To give you context for our programming related to First-Generation College Students we thought we would talk about our undergraduate student population at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Every year approximately 20% of students enrolled at UNC-CH as full-time degree seeking students are first generation college students. This percentage translates to approximately 4,000 students.
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

5. Due to the large population of first-generation college students and recognizing that we needed to better serve these students, our associate Dean and Director of Retention wrote for a First in The world Grant to support First-Generation College Students. First in the world grants are funded through the department of education and were created to increase competitiveness of the US in degree completion. In the last decade we have fallen behind other nations in degree completion. Funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant, The FLP initiates and evaluates innovative programs for student success at UNC-CH. Project findings will inform future practices at the University and across the nation.
The grant consists of Multi-faceted programs and supports.
We are targeting specific student populations including rural, Native American, Underrepresented Males, and transfer students.
Offer brief example of studies
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

6. Point out specific populations of students and the three different columns on the explainer

7. Finish Line Initiatives
Connect And Communicate With First-Generation Students
SELF ASSESSMENTS
Strengths-based assessments to enhance college knowledge and expectations.
BUILD COMMUNITY
Cohort models to foster communication and share common experiences among males of color.
PARTNERSHIPS
Partner with American Indian tribes to help support Native American students
attending UNC.
The use of self-assessments with first-generation and transfer students were written into the grant and one way we want to connect and communicate with students to support them on their path to degree completion.
This part of the Finish Line Project is the reason we’re doing this as part of a study that hasn’t happened yet. The programmatic efforts are building data to include in this study.
NEW PROGRAMS
Develop programs and support to assist rural student access and transition to
college.
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

8. Self-Assessments
Inventories that help students identify their interests, strengths, personality traits, values, majors and careers
What self-assessments (MBTI, StrengthsFinder, Focus 2, etc…) are currently being used on your campus?
What is going well in the use of these assessments?
What are some challenges in the use of these assessments? .
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

9. Self-Assessments at UNC-CH
Student Success Navigator®
StrengthsFinder®
Strong Interest Inventory®
Focus 2®
MBTI ®
Student Success Navigator: Undergraduate Education/Retention
StrengthsFinder: OLs, Student Life and Leadership in some programming, Incorporated in EDUC 316: Advanced LeadershipDevelopment Seminar, Incorporated into EDUC Thrive at Carolina Course
Strong Interest Inventory: Career Center
Focus 2: Career Center
MBTI Career Center
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

10. Why
StrengthsFinder®?
Clifton Strengths Finder. This assessment was created under the basic philosophy that everyone has natural talents, and that acknowledging and elevating personal strengths, rather than balancing out weaknesses, helps maximize success. After taking this assessment, students are provided in-depth information on their top five strengths, along with suggestions for utilizing their strengths in school and in life. Initiatives like these that aim to support strength identification and development have been linked to higher rates of self-confidence and motivation among students (Austin, 2005).
Rationale for Using Strengths:
“First-generation college students tend to be less prepared academically for college than their peers. They not only require more remedial coursework and lack study and time management skills, they also experience more difficulty navigating the bureaucratic aspects of academic life and have less confidence in their academic abilities.” (p.17 the Source)
Our office takes a strength-based approach instead of a deficit framework to retention, and since first generation college students lack academic self efficacy we thought that the Strengths Finder would be a powerful tool.
“One clear finding from the study was the determination that academic-efficacy levels in the strengths-development intervention program were significantly higher than in the control group.”
First-generation students have lower rates of academic self efficacy
–Straight from the Source, 2006
Strengths-based approach to retention
We hope to increase students’ self-efficacy and confidence
CARMEN/SHARON
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

11. Why the Strong Interest Inventory®?
Strong Interest Inventory (SII). This interest inventory supports students in their major and career exploration process. It is used to guide students down paths that directly relate to their interest areas. Moreover, it provides strengths-based feedback on who students are, what they enjoy, and how their interests compare to those in various occupations. It can be a helpful aid for students in their transition in and out of college, and for students who are struggling to connect their undergraduate experience to future opportunities.
“Students drop out of high school and college for many reasons…But certainly a major reason is that too many can’t see a transparent connection between their program of study and tangible opportunities in the labor market.” (Pathways to Prosperity, 2011)
UNC Definition of Student Success
We hope to help students define their purpose and increase motivation
Students struggling to connect studies to opportunities in the labor market are more likely to drop out
–Pathways to Prosperity, 2011
CARMEN/SHARON
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU

12. •Commitment from the Provost’s office to foster a culture of success and completion for all students at UNC
•Within ten years, lead all AAU public universities in four and six year graduation rates
•Enhancing support services and eliminating disparities in retention and grad rates for students of all races, ethnicities, incomes, abilities, and educational backgrounds
•Thrive committee set out to establish a university-wide definition of student success
EndFragment
Lit review; surveys to faculty, staff and students, and other institutions
Definitions re-worked multiple times 5/6 definitions
Most institutions don’t have anything similar
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU

13. Development of Programming
Self-Assessment Team
Training
UCS Partnership
Use of inventories across campus
Programming Format
Self-Assessment Team (Assessments SBED online course, GS Consultants Strong Certification)
Training
UCS Partnership
Use of StrengthsFinder Assessment in other offices
Programming Format (workshop, 1:1, Attached to current programming-Courses, Students in Academic Difficulty, Used with Transfer Connections, Used with Student Success Workshops)
Location-Housing and Advising Partnership
Dates and Time-one dates to two dates
Bootprint to Heelprint extended orientation for Veterans: Strengths
Transfer Connections: Strengths; first two/three weeks of school year
Certain workshops for students with academic difficulty
Incorporated it into EDUC 130 and 231
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

14. Workshop Outline
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

15. “I learned that I am very strong-willed and stand up for my story and future plans, even when others don’t agree with them or understand.”
“I am most proud of my strength as an achiever. I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do when I really set my mind to it.”
“I’m most proud of empathy. It aligns with my values and I want people to feel supported and understood.”
“I will try to use my strengths to achieve my goal of stepping out of my comfort zone to try new things.”
“I will use my strengths to not let problems stop me from seeing different solutions. “
For now, we had a lot of qualitative feedback from students where we asked them about the relationship between their strengths and goals for the future. We were happy to see that students were, often, able to clearly articulate how they were going to use their strengths to achieve their goals.
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU

16. Challenges and Considerations
Budget:
Strengths Quest: $10 per code
Strong Interest: $10-$16 per assessment, need trained interpreter
Assessment Completion/Communication:
Student completion of assessments prior to workshop
Student Attendance
Where/when to hold workshops?
How to communicate value?
Self-Assessment Team (Assessments SBED online course, GS Consultants Strong Certification)
Training
UCS Partnership
Use of StrengthsFinder Assessment in other offices
Programming Format (workshop, 1:1, Attached to current programming-Courses)
Location-Housing and Advising Partnership
Dates and Time-one dates to two dates
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

17. Self-Assessment Programming on YOUR Campus
Hand out worksheet, explain
Stress that there are a lot of online resources to help guide ideas
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

18. Other Schools Using StrengthsFinder
Other Schools Using Strong Interest Inventory-SII has case studies on their website including a highlighted case study with Finlandia University
Complete Handout
Provide time to work through worksheets
CARMEN
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

19. Questions?
Maybe we can include what Strengths Recommends to develop in programming
Hand out worksheet, explain
Stress that there are a lot of online resources to help guide ideas
FINISHLINE.UNC.EDU
*This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter,PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education

20. Acknowledgements
This research is part of the Finish Line Project (P116F140018; Panter, PI; Demetriou, Executive Director), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s “First in the World” grant program. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Education.