1. Seeking Excellence and Promoting Success in the First Year of College and Beyond Andrew K. Koch Director of Student Access, Transition and Success Programs Purdue University Adapted with permission from presentations by John Gardner and Betsy Barefoot. Policy Center on the First Year of College

2. Objective This presentation furnishes information on student success in the first year of college. It is provided with the intent that you utilize this information to think about how you can contribute from your perspective to an attack on the core problem of student success for the greater good of your institution and your students.

3. Presentation Content Concerns about Retention Contextualized Who Leaves and Why? Things to Consider Putting Theory into Practice Conclusions and Recommendations

4. Student Success and Retention in Context

5. Concerns about Success and Retention The major focus for vast numbers of American colleges and universities Resulting in major expenditures of institutional resources on a variety of “magic bullets” BUT...

6. The first year of college in context Unacceptable levels of student failure and attrition Related expenses of remediation, repeating courses, and recruiting new students Negative consequences of attrition- related behaviors

7. Some Things are Hard to Change Student attrition is the Energizer Bunny issue. It keeps going and going and going!

8. What types of students leave and why do they do so?

9. Answer #1 Characteristics of entering students Students are more likely to drop out if they Are male Are poor Are the first in their families to go to college Have “non-traditional” characteristics Financially independentHave dependents Delayed entry to collegeSingle parents Part-time attendanceEarned a GED Full-time employment

10. Answer #2 Behaviors of Entering Students Students are more likely to drop out if they Are academically underprepared Work more than 15 (or 20) hours per week off campus (students who borrow money are more likely to be retained) Attend their 2 nd or 3 rd choice institution Do not live on campus Do not become involved in campus life Do not participate in a learning community or first- year seminar

11. Answer #3 Our Behaviors, Policies, and Practices Where we need to focus

12. Things to Consider When Addressing Success and Retention Issues on Your Campus Nine Student Success and Retention Basics to Ponder

13. Going Back to the Success and Retention Basics Expectations Class Attendance Feedback – Early and Often Relevance A Clear Plan for Progress The Good Old Summertime Work Off Campus and the Larger Issue of Money A Strengths Perspective YOU!

14. #1: Expectations What do students expect? What do you expect? Is there consistency? “Help me to do what I want to do!”

15. #2. Class Attendance “Time on task” Does it matter – to what extent does it affect the DFW rates or retention? If it does, how can you assure that students take attendance seriously?

16. #3. Feedback – Early and Often Feedback as a motivator Feedback as a challenge to “blissful denial” Is feedback enough?

17. #4. Relevance Do students understand the relevance of your course, your activity, to their experience and lives? The need to articulate, in a meaningful way, the interface between knowledge and personal experience.

18. #5. A Clear Plan for Progress Guaranteed, step-by-step plan Reduce stumbling blocks Reduce distracting options

19. #6. The Good Old Summertime The amazing correlation between summer school attendance and graduation Is this cause and effect?

20. Bachelor’s degree earners in 2000 by number of credits earned in summer terms (1992 h.s. grads) Race/ ethnicity No credits 1 – 4 credits > 4 credits All56.2%68.1%79.7% White59.8%74.2%82.2% Af.Amer21.2%42.5%78.2% Latino48.6%28.3%56.4% Asian66.8%70.0%77.9% Source: NCES: NELS:88/2000 Postsecondary Transcript Files

21. #7. Work Off Campus and the Larger Issue of Money Why students work Because they must, or because they want to support a lifestyle How should we respond? Have a conversation about the +’s and –’s of work Promote student on-campus employment Promote relevant off-campus employment Suggest loans Finances How easy or difficult is it for students to negotiate financial aid processes? How transparent or obscure are the financial rules and regulations?

22. #8. A Strengths Perspective A reversal of the prevailing “fix it” or “at-risk” models Helping students identify and build on personal strengths What can we learn from the best students – especially those who persisted “against the odds”?

23. #9. YOU! Don’t underestimate the effect of commitment to quality instruction and interactions in and out of the classroom. Who’s more likely or unlikely to exhibit commitment to students? The full-time/part-time question

24. Rethinking Our View of Retention “To retain” is what institutions do. “To persist” is what students do. Whether with us or in a different setting Student persistence rates far outstrip institutional retention rates. What is “retention quality”? It’s far more than just barely hanging on – students are making progress.

25. “Retention” in the Future As higher education becomes more complex – what will retention mean? Everything of value won’t necessarily correlate with retention in the short run. (the “engagement” conundrum) But – a continuous commitment to quality will increase both the number of students who are retained and who persist – somewhere – in higher education.

26. Putting Student Success Theory in Practice in the First College Year Some Programmatic Contexts Through Which You Can Consider Connecting Your Concepts

27. Basic Theoretical Perspectives Institutional fit (Tinto) Can the student’s needs be met at the institution? Can institutional fit be developed? Social and academic integration (Tinto with replication) Differences in preference by age and life stage Campus involvement (Astin with replication) How important for adults or commuters?

28. Basic Theoretical Perspectives Engagement in learning (Kuh and others) Links affective and cognitive dimensions of learning Is both a means to learning outcomes and an end in itself Commitment and motivation (Tinto and others) To the institution To completion of a degree To a career or life goal

29. Which are most important? Koch’s opinion (supported by the work of Barefoot, Gardner, Swing, etc.): Commitment and motivation. These factors will often mitigate inadequate academic preparation, family problems, money difficulties, etc. A committed, motivated student is hard to stop! How then do we instill commitment and motivation in today’s students?

30. Research on First-Year Programs First-Year Seminars Do credit hours matter? Is there a difference between required vs. elective courses? Do peer leaders have an impact? Is it a good idea to link seminars into a block or “learning community”? Does the type of content matter?

31. Research on First-Year Programs First-year seminars, cont’d. Does section size influence effectiveness? Does the “type” of instructor make a difference? Does impact relate to a particular textbook? What’s the bottom line on first-year seminar impact on learning, academic achievement, and retention?

32. Research on First-Year Programs Learning communities – Lots of general research findings. A lack of specific findings Impact on retention Impact on academic achievement Impact on student satisfaction Insufficient evidence about impact on student learning Insufficient evidence about impact on faculty and student leaders

33. Research on First-Year Programs Academic advising Strong anecdotal evidence about the influence of advising, especially intensive/intrusive advising Weak statistical evidence Lack of clarity about goals for advising – Retention? Speed of declaring major? Satisfaction? Time to graduation? Issues of student expectations of advisors and experiences

34. Research on First-Year Programs Supplemental Instruction Strong evidence to support link with retention Strong evidence to support link with academic achievement Living in residence Clear linkage between residence life and learning, academic achievement, involvement, and retention

35. Research on First-Year Programs Orientation – a means of early socialization Strong evidence linking orientation with retention Evidence is stronger for longer orientation programs Service learning Strong impact on expected involvement in civic affairs Strong impact on improved life skills No direct impact on retention

36. Research on First-Year Programs Developmental Education A necessary, but problematic, service on a number of levels Impact is mixed on student outcomes Do developmental courses prepare students for success in regular courses? How is developmental work best delivered – by a segregated or integrated approach

37. Conclusions and Recommendations Answer to the Compound Question, “What do I do now and how do I do it?”

38. Conclusions and Recommendations Find out what types of students leave and why do they do so? Work with faculty and staff across your campuses to draw attention to and create plans based on your findings. REMEMBER – Who delivers the message and how it is delivered are both vitally important.

39. Conclusions and Recommendations (Continued) Base these plans on theory, BUT... The basic theoretical models are sound but developed primarily for white, male students Questions: How well do these models apply to the students on your campus? Are other factors at play?

40. Conclusions and Recommendations (Continued) Use the student success and retention basics highlighted in this presentation to help operationalize the student success and retention enhancement plans – but remember to place concepts in context. Assess and evaluate!

41. Presenter Contact Information Andrew K. Koch (Drew) Director of Student Access, Transition and Success Programs Purdue University akkoch@purdue.edu 765-496-3618

42. Questions and Discussion Q & A