1. TENN TLC addresses retention
through student engagement
UT SIFE students
13 May 2010

2. The Persistence-Engagement Connection
Engagement is shown to occur in high-impact practices (HIPs) and deep learning, as shown by a wealth of studies (Kuh 2009).
Students with high levels of academic course engagement [through good use of academic skills such as taking notes, studying, going to class] are 1.5 times more likely to graduate—and graduate a semester early (Svanum & Bigatti 2009).

3. Student Engagement Defined
Student Engagement has taken on broader and deeper meanings. It refers to…
the time and energy that students devote to activities linked to desired student learning outcomes (those promoting success and persistence),
AND
what institutions do to get students to engage in these activities. (Astin 1984, Kuh 2009)

4. HIPs: High Impact Activities that Engage Students
First-Year Seminars and Experiences
Common Intellectual Experiences
Writing-Intensive Courses
Collaborative Assignments and Projects
Undergraduate Research
Diversity/Global Learning
Service Learning, Community- Based Learning
Internships
Capstone Courses and Projects (Kuh 2008; AAC&U HIP)
The following practices facilitate interactions among faculty, students, and staff, involve intense active learning, allow students to learn in multiple ways, and encourage cooperative learning and commitment to academics. Faculty training is an important part of successful implementation of these programmatic areas:

5. What Can Institutions do?
Chickering and Gamson (1987): The Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education assert that good practice:
Encourages student-faculty contact
Encourages cooperation among students
Encourages active learning
Gives prompt feedback
Emphasizes time on task
Communicates high expectations
Respects diverse talents and ways of learning

6. What the TENN TLC is Doing…
Principle
Response
#1. Encourages student-faculty contact (quality and amount)
Workshop on Ph.D. Mentoring and Advising
“Shadow a Student” pilot program
Faculty Inquiry Groups on Acting Principles Applied to Teaching and Reflective Practice
Workshop content includes:
Millennial student characteristics
Millennial motivations
Millennial learning styles
Encourages student-faculty contact;
Encourages cooperation among students;
Encourages active learning;
Gives prompt feedback;
Emphasizes time on task;
Communicates high expectations; and
Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

7. What the TENN TLC is Doing…
Principle
Response
#2. Encourage cooperation among students
Introductory science workshop on engaging students
Multiple tutoring and peer mentoring workshops
TENN TLC presentations include:
Peer instruction
Minimal encouragement to talk
Upcoming workshop on Students Taking Responsibility (w/ITC- OIT)
Individual consultation focused on pedagogies related to peer instruction and team approaches
Encourages student-faculty contact;
Encourages cooperation among students;
Encourages active learning;
Gives prompt feedback;
Emphasizes time on task;
Communicates high expectations; and
Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

8. What the TENN TLC is Doing…
Principle
Response
CASNR Workshop on engaging students
Custom workshops on group learning and other active learning strategies
Multiple GTA 0rientations and graduate seminar presentations
First year studies instructors training
Faculty Fellows inquiry group on Service Learning and Reflective Practice
Upcoming service learning workshops
Night at the Museum
Upcoming TENN TLC/OIT-ITC workshops on encouraging students to take responsibility for their learning process
Individual Consultation – focus on course design that includes active engaged pedagogies
#3. Active Learning
Encourages student-faculty contact;
Encourages cooperation among students;
Encourages active learning;
Gives prompt feedback;
Emphasizes time on task;
Communicates high expectations; and
Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

9. What the TENN TLC is Doing…
Principle
Response
#4. Focus on Prompt Feedback #5. Focus on Time on Task.
Time management workshop for assistant professors
TENN TLC presentations on classroom management and assessment issues
Upcoming CASNR workshop on Assessment of Learning
Individual consultations have focused classroom management, student-faculty communication, and assessment procedures including rubric development
Encourages student-faculty contact;
Encourages cooperation among students;
Encourages active learning;
Gives prompt feedback;
Emphasizes time on task;
Communicates high expectations; and
Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

10. What the TENN TLC is Doing…
Principle
Response
#6. Communication high expectations
Upcoming TENN TLC/OIT- ITC workshops on encouraging students to take responsibility for their learning process
Individual consultation reinforces rigorous requirements and how to state and reinforce expectations
Interactive online UT Faculty Teaching Guide
Encourages student-faculty contact;
Encourages cooperation among students;
Encourages active learning;
Gives prompt feedback;
Emphasizes time on task;
Communicates high expectations; and
Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

11. What the TENN TLC is Doing…
Principle
Response
#7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning
Workshops on learning styles and millenials emphasize how students learn
Shadowing A Student pilot also emphasizes understanding of student learning
Workshops on interculturalism include faculty identifying and employing the student diversity in class.
First year studies instructors
Encourages student-faculty contact;
Encourages cooperation among students;
Encourages active learning;
Gives prompt feedback;
Emphasizes time on task;
Communicates high expectations; and
Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

12. Future Endeavors
In Progress
In Planning and Piloting Stages
Teaching Certification program for Graduate Students (with the Graduate School)
Development of TENN TLC website resources for faculty development (workshop materials posted)
TENN TLC library to become part of the library catalog
Library Resources Page
Pedagogy Series (“How To” pages on active learning pedagogies for distribution at workshops and online)
Video Tutorials on how to develop a course
Development of a Tenn TLC blog for “tips,” teaching news, and announcements.

13. Units that TENN TLC has directly touched
Custom Workshops/Sessions
Math faculty and graduate students
Physics faculty
Biology faculty
Chemistry faculty
Anthropology faculty
Modern Language faculty and graduate students
English lecturers
Geography and Geology faculty and graduate students
Communications lecturers
First year studies instructors
New assistant professors
CASNER faculty and graduate students
Educational Psychology graduate students
CBA graduate students
Individual/Group Consultation
Statistics
Speech and Hearing
Psychology (2)
Communications (2)
Marketing and Logistics
Management
Math (2)
Art Education
Earth and Planetary Science
Engineering

14. Units that TENN TLC has directly touched
Creative Teaching Grants:
Math (2)
English
Sociology
Physics
Communications
Art
Statistics

15. What Faculty Members Value Impacts Student Rates of Engagement
For each engagement practice, the amount of students participating increases with the amount of faculty who place importance on the activity—about a 20% increase in student participation in the educationally effective practice valued by faculty. (Kuh, Chen Nelson, and Laird 2007; Kuh 2009)
UT students abroad

16. The mission of the TENN TLC is to work with faculty to enhance professional teaching skills and knowledge, and support the application of effective learning strategies in student-oriented environments. Through this process, students are given means to engage actively in the pursuit of learning at deeper levels of process, application, interpretation, critical evaluation, and creative thought.