1. Addressing Non-Cognitive Issues in a Co-Requisite Classroom
Peter Adams
Community College
of Baltimore County

2. Longitudinal Study of 1988/89 Cohort in
Upper-Level Basic Writing (1993)
took 099
1988/1989
863
100%
passed
099
490
57%
never
373
43%
took 101
355
41%
took no more writing
courses
135
16%
passed 101
287
33%
never 68 8%
failed \

3. Why Do Students Drop Out?

4. They told us “none of the above”
no concrete examples
can’t write a thesis
subject-verb agreement
sentence fragments
They told us “none of the above”
when we asked students . . .
mla format
confusing words

5. stress becomes too great
student doesn’t know how college works
changes at work
financial problems
laid off
student loses confidence
problems with children
affective issues
life issues
student fears she isn’t “college material”
legal problems
car trouble
student doesn’t know anyone
stress becomes too great
abusive situation at home
student doesn’t feel connected to the college
eviction
medical problems

6. non-
cognitive
issues
affective
issues
life
issues
college
knowledge

7. non-
cognitive
issues
affective
issues
life
issues
college
knowledge

8. These issues are the major reasons students don’t succeed.
Most faculty have no preparation for addressing non-cogs.
That doesn’t mean we can’t help.
Faculty in co-req classes are not the only people on campus with a responsibility for addressing these issues
The structure of ALP is designed to address some of these issues.
Non-Cognitive Issues

9. Helping students’ believe they are “college material”
Students are in a college course.
Backward curriculum design helps avoid a classroom experience the replicates sixth grade.
The physical set-up of the room can help.
Affective Issues

10. Helping students feel attachment to the college
Faculty design the class to encourage students to get to know each other.
The small class size promotes this.
Asking students to work in groups facilitates this.
Encouraging students to form “study groups” that meet regularly has been an approach of many faculty.
Affective Issues

11. Productive
Persistence
Affective Issues
David Yeager

12. Encouraging Productive Persistence Dealing with Unfamiliar Words
Form students into groups of four or so. Ask each group to make a list of possible strategies for dealing with unfamiliar words that they encounter when they are reading .
Affective Issues

13. Encouraging Productive Persistence
Some faculty use an incentive system to encourage student effort.
Affective Issues
various point systems
if everyone brings a draft to class on Friday, I’ll bake cookies for Monday
After discussing this slide, Peter turns it back to Sarah.

14. Encouraging Productive Persistence
Short Writing Assignment
In a short essay, a page or less, explain why it is that at this point in your life you are in a developmental writing class.
Affective Issues

15. I rushed through the test.
I had a hard time paying attention.
I didn’t work very hard in high school
I didn’t like all the reading
I didn’t know some words
I had somewhere to go.
I was tired.
I was bored.
I took all three tests in a half hour.
I've been out of school a long time
I didn't take high school seriously
I'm a horrible writer.

17. I rushed through the test.
I had a hard time paying attention.
I didn’t work very hard in high school
I didn’t like all the reading
I didn’t know some words
I had somewhere to go.
I was tired.
I was bored.
I took all three tests in a half hour.
I've been out of school a long time
I didn't take high school seriously
My high school was terrible
I was sick a lot during high school
My parents are not educated
I lived in six foster homes when I was growing up
Classes in my high school had more than 50 students
My parents and friends used terrible grammar
We were homeless and it was hard to study
My mother never wanted me to go to college
I was never asked to write in high school

18. I rushed through the test.
I had a hard time paying attention.
I didn’t work very hard in high school
I didn’t like all the reading
I didn’t know some words
I had somewhere to go.
I was tired.
I was bored.
I took all three tests in a half hour.
I've been out of school a long time
I didn't take high school seriously
My high school was terrible
I was sick a lot during high school
My parents are not educated
I lived in six foster homes when I was growing up
classes in my high school had more than 50 students
My parents and friends used terrible grammar
We were homeless and it was hard to study
My mother never wanted me to go to college
I was never asked to write in high school

19. Encouraging Productive Persistence
Setbacks
Every time instructors return papers to students, they ask the students to write a short paper explaining what they learned from writing that paper.
Affective Issues
After discussing this slide, Peter turns it back to Sarah.

20. Encouraging Productive Persistence
Early in the semester, instructors
give low-stakes assignments.
Affective Issues
After discussing this slide, Peter turns it back to Sarah.

21. Encouraging Productive Persistence Goal Setting Workshops
First ask students, working individually, to write a paragraph describing where they would like to be in five years.
Then ask them to list three things they need to accomplish this year in order to reach where they would like to be in five years.
Then form them into groups of about four and ask them to discuss each other’s lists of goals for the year.
Affective Issues
After discussing this slide, Peter turns it back to Sarah.

22. Students believe that what they are learning has value.
Affective Issues

23. Earnings and Unemployment Rates by Educational Attainment
Unemployment rate in 2013 (%)
Median weekly earnings in 2013 ($)
doctoral degree
professional degree
master’s degree
bachelor’s degree
associate’s degree
some college, no degree
high school diploma
less than diploma
2.2
11.0
7.5
7.0
5.4
4.0
3.4
2.3
1623
1714
1329
1108
777
727
651
472
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

24. Ask students, working in groups of four, to brainstorm a list of benefits of a college education that are not related to jobs or income. Compare the lists from the groups.
Affective Issues

25. Benefits of a college education that are not related to jobs or income
help my kids with their homework
avoid feeling dumb around my husband's parents
win money on Jeopardy
understand what I read in the paper
avoid grammar mistakes
be able to vote intelligently in elections
be able to win arguments with my co-workers
enjoy reading book
Affective Issues

26. Faculty strive to create a classroom atmosphere in which students feel comfortable talking about issues they are experiencing.
Sometimes these discussions with the entire class are what a student feels most comfortable with.
Life Issues
Sometimes a one-on-one discussion with a student is the preferable format for discussing these issues.

27. What Are You Worried About?
Write down one thing you are worried about on a piece of paper and hand it to your instructor. Don’t put your name on it. Anything you are worried about is okay—something about school or work or your relationships or your family or the country or the world. Anything you are worried about.
Your instructor will read many of these to the entire class so they can discuss them.
Life Issues

28. Early intervention is sometimes necessary to prevent students from giving up.
Life Issues

29. Phone a friend
Life Issues

30. Life Issues Activity Log Name ______________________________________
Day
Time
Activity
Priority
Life Issues

31. Working in your group, look at the members’ activity logs, one at a time, and then answer the following questions:
Are there any surprises in your activity log? Are you spending more time than you thought you were on some tasks? Less time on others?
Are there times of the day when you are most productive? Are you working on low-priority activities in these high-productivity times?
Are there little stretches of time that you could use to squeeze in small tasks?
Are you spending lots of time on low-priority tasks? Doing so can be a sign that you are procrastinating.
Are there things you are doing that don’t need to be done? Things that can be delayed or cancelled or even done by someone else?
Is it possible to do everything you have committed to doing? If so, great. If not, what can you change to make it possible to accomplish everything you need to do?
Life Issues

32. Plan B
Life Issues

33. Mini-Research Paper on Personal Finances
Choose one of the following topics. Search the web for information about one of the following topics. After you’ve gathered some information, think about the topic until you arrive at a point you could argue to your classmates about the topic. Write a one-pager in which you attempt to convince your classmates to agree with you.
Possible topics:
the new Pell Grant rules
the pros and cons of taking out a student loan
the pros and cons of taking out a payday loan
the pros and cons of getting a credit card
is making a budget worth the time it takes?
any other topic dealing with personal finance
Life Issues

34. Students who need help are the least likely to seek it.
Sometimes faculty can contrive an opportunity for a conversation.
College Knowledge

35. A Scavenger Hunt for College Resources
For each of the following find the name of the office, the building it is in, the room number, and the hours it is open.
The office you would go to for an emergency book loan.
The place where you could get help with test preparation.
The office where a veteran can get assistance.
The office where you can appeal a parking ticket.
College Knowledge

36. Students master college behavior
Faculty development for ALP faculty should include familiarizing everyone with campus resources.
A roster of campus resources is a great idea.
College Knowledge

37. College Knowledge

38. College Knowledge syllabus withdrawal bursar office hours registration
transfer
major
program
school
department
dean
appeal
GPA
incomplete
plagiarism
FAFSA
incomplete
books on reserve
probation
pre-requisite
certificate
AA degree
tutoring
writing center
composition
essay
paper
WebCT
College Knowledge

39. padams2@ccbcmd.edu The Accelerated Learning Program
The Community College of Baltimore County