Effectively Engaging the AAMU
Student for Enhanced Teaching and
Learning
Dr. Juarine Stewart, Associate Provost for Undergraduate
Studies
Dr. Thomas Coaxum, Director, Office of Institutional
Research and Assessment
Executive Summary

Alabama A&M University has participated in
the Higher Education Research Institute’s
(HERI) Cooperative Institutional Research
Program (CIRP) since 2003. Each year
incoming freshmen at participating
institutions complete the Student
Information Form, and the results are used
by HERI as part of a longitudinal study. In the
study, Alabama A&M University is classified as
a public HBCU and is compared to all
HBCUs.
Executive Summary
 Incoming 2012 Alabama A&M
University
freshmen who participated in selected
orientation sections were asked to
complete the CIRP student survey. As a
result, this presentation is based on the
685 responses of those students (66.3%
of the first-time, full-time class).
Executive Summary
(Highlights from the survey)
 Alabama A&M
University respondents are
about as likely as their peers at other
public HBCUs and all HBCUs to say that
both academic reputation (AAMU-85.4%;
public HBCUs-86.6%; all HBCUs-88.6%)
and the ability of the institution to
prepare students for good jobs (AAMU81.0%; public HBCUs-80.7%; all HBCUs82.2%) were factors in their decision to
attend.
Executive Summary
(Highlights from the survey)
 More
than half of AAMU first-time
students have a high academic selfconcept (51.4%), while over a third have a
high likelihood of college involvement
(34.4%), and slightly more than a quarter
(26.0%) have a high social self-concept.
Executive Summary
(Highlights from the survey)
Slightly less than 3 in 10 (32.3%) of AAMU
freshmen were first generation students.
There was no significant difference in
percentages for males and females.
 The mothers of AAMU freshmen had a
higher level of formal education than their
fathers with 46.7% of mothers having some
college or a college degree compared to
fathers at 32.5%. Mothers were also twice as
likely to have a graduate degree, 13.2%
versus 6.8%.

Executive Summary
(Highlights from the survey)
Almost 7 in 10 (67.7%) of AAMU freshmen
parents were alive but divorced or living
apart.
 Slightly greater than 6 in 10 (60.6%) of
AAMU freshmen considered themselves
born-again Christians and 3.3% considered
themselves as Evangelical.
 AAMU men were more likely than women
to rate their mathematical ability (men56.6%; women-34.1%) and intellectual selfconfidence (men-74.5%; women-68.8%) as
“above average” or “highest 10%.”

Executive Summary
(Highlights from the survey)

AAMU freshmen were significantly less likely
than their peers at both public HBCUs and
all HBCUs to report having frequently asked
questions in class (AAMU-56.7%; public
HBCUs-61.2%; all HBCUs-63.2%), frequently
sought feedback on academic work (AAMU54.0%; public HBCUs-56.0%; all HBCUs58.3%) and frequently revised papers
(AAMU-45.1%; public HBCUs-47.3%; all
HBCUs-50.3%) in high school.
Executive Summary
(Highlights from the survey)

Beginning with the Fall 2013 Cohort, the Office of
Institutional Research and Assessment will begin using
a different freshman survey-the Beginning College
Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE). The BCSSE is
related to the National Survey of Student
Engagement (NSSE) and is similarly constructed to
collect data about entering students’ high school
academic and co-curricular experiences as well as
their expectations of their college experience. Using
BCSSE in conjunction with NSSE (which is regularly
administered at AAMU) will permit more robust
analysis of the student experience at AAMU. CIRP
will be administered every other year to allow us to
continue to maintain a longitudinal profile of entering
freshmen at AAMU.
Executive Summary
(Highlights from the survey)
Reasons Noted as “very important or somewhat
important” in choosing AAMU
AAMU
%
Public
HBCU’s
%
All
HBCU’s
%
Academic Reputation
Good reputation for social activities ***
Cost of attending AAMU
AAMU graduates get good jobs
Size of the AAMU
A visit to the campus
AAMU’s grads gain admissions to top
graduate/professional schools
85.4
85.2
81.9
81.0
69.8.
65.1
65.0
86.6
82.2
84.0
80.7
68.8
67.2
66.6
88.6
83.4
77.3
82.2
68.8
68.1
69.9
Information from AAMU’s website
58.0
57.5
60.5
Executive Summary
(Highlights from the survey)
Were you accepted by your first choice college?
Yes
Is this college your:
First Choice
Second Choice
AAMU
%
78.1
AAMU
%
38.9
34.8
How many miles is AAMU from your permanent home:
51 to 100 Miles
101 to 500 Miles
Over 500 Miles
Public
All
HBCU’s HBCU’s
%
%
72.8
72.8
Public
HBCU’s
%
35.5
34.8
All
HBCU’s
%
39.1
34.1
Percent
16.0%
44.4%
26.1%
Executive Summary
(Highlights from the survey)
Views on social issues
Agree Strongly/
Agree
Somewhat
Abortion should be legal
The death penalty should be abolished
Racial Discrimination is no longer a major problem in America
Wealthy people should pay a larger share of taxes than they do
now
45.8%
40.5%
15.4%
68.1%
Same-sex couples should have the right to legal marital status
A national health care plan is needed to cover everybody’s
medical costs
54.6%
84.2%
Colleges should prohibit racist/sexist speech on campus
58.0%
Executive Summary
(Highlights from the survey)
Percent of respondents indicating “frequent”
engagement in the following activities
AAMU
Men
AAMU
Women
Studied with other students
23.6
31.1
Used the Internet for research or homework
66.3
73.6
Tutored another student
Came late to class
Was bored in class
7.9
4.7
36.6
7.0
7.1
39.0
Performed community service as part of a class
17.6
21.3
Discussed religion
Discussed politics
Skipped school/class
Asked a teacher for advice after class
23.5
18.5
3.0
31.5
32.9
17.9
1.9
31.8
Final Thoughts
Our freshman classrooms will be filled primarily
by students straight out of high school. But by
their sophomore or junior year, many will be
working and enrolled only part time. This new
breed of college students is reshaping the face of
teaching and learning at AAMU.
 There are not many who get into AAMU who, all
things being equal, cannot handle the classes.
There are, however, plenty who are not
motivated or have no direction, and that is really
problematic at a university such as AAMU.

Final Thoughts

In a place like AAMU a student can enter a
sink or swim environment, and if they start
out poorly, the effect can really snowball and
affect them later. One semester of bad
grades isn’t good, but it’s not the end of the
world. However, two or more can really
start to harm a student’s GPA in a way that
is very difficult to improve and that can limit
their opportunities in the future like
graduate school attendance.
Final Thoughts
 The
kind of pressure that’s associated
with certain programs at AAMU, as well
as the large number of unmotivated
students (even if they are bright) and
don’t get much encouragement or
advising from the University, causes one
to wonder if it’s one of the major culprits
for our low four- and six-year graduation
rates.
What is Student Engagement?
 Student engagement is
a rendezvous
between learning and the digital tools and
techniques that excite students. (Educause
Quarterly, 2009)
 Technologies that encourage students to
engage with their course materials and to
take an active role in learning promote
retention and understanding.
Elements of Student Engagement on
College Campuses
 Academic experience
 Administrative
experience
 Student life
 Services
and fees
(Educause Quarterly, 2012)
Benefits of Student Engagement
It attracts students.
It ties them to us.
It makes them a part of our community.
It motivates them to succeed in their
academic careers.
 In summary: Engaging students in the
university in multiple, positive ways helps
them to remain with us, learn more
effectively, enjoy their student experience,
and prepare for life outside higher education.
(Educause Quarterly, 2012)




Generation Y Demographics
 Born
from 1977-2001
 Aka Echo Boomers or Millennials
 Children of Baby Boomers, some children
of Gen X
 Oldest holding entry level positions in
workforce; youngest in elementary/middle
school
 Nearly 80 million in population (larger
than the Baby Boomer population of 72
million)
Generation Y Demographics
Ethically diverse (34% are Black, Hispanic,
Asian, or Native American)
 One in four live in single-parent households
 75% have working mothers
 Highest level of education compared to
previous generations
 Women may have a higher salary than men
due to college admission rates in favor of
women.
 College graduates graduate with an average
of $20,000-30,000 in debt.

Generation Y Statistics
 90% of
Gen Y own a computer.
 82% own a mobile phone.The iPhone is
among their favorite products.
 They spend more time online than they
do watching television, with 42% watching
online video at least once per month.
 Technology is embedded into everything
Gen Yers do, making them the first “native
online population.”
Some Common Traits that Define
Generation Y
 Tech-savvy: Gen Y
grew up with
technology and rely on it to perform their
tasks better. Armed with Blackberrys,
laptops, cellphones and other gadgets,
Gen Y is plugged in 24/7.This generation
prefers to communicate through e-mail
and text messaging rather than face-toface contact and prefers webinars and
online technology to tradition lecturebased presentations.
Some Common Traits that Define
Generation Y
 Achievement-oriented: Nurtured and
pampered by parents who did not want
to make the mistakes of the previous
generation, Gen Y is confident, ambitious
and achievement-oriented.They have high
expectations of their employers, seek out
new challenges and are not afraid to
question authority. Gen Y wants
meaningful work and a solid learning
curve.
Some Common Traits that Define
Generation Y
 Team-oriented: As
children, Gen Y
participated in team sports, play groups
and other group activities. They value
teamwork and seek the input and
affirmation of others. Part of a no-personleft-behind generation, Gen Y is loyal,
committed and wants to be included and
involved.
Some Common Traits that Define
Generation Y
 Attention-craving: Gen Y
craves
attention in the forms of feedback and
guidance.They appreciate being kept in
the loop and seek frequent praise and
reassurance. Gen Y may benefit greatly
from mentors who can help guide and
develop their young careers.
Keeping Students Engaged in the
Classroom
The task of successfully engaging today’s students
in the classroom is an exercise in futility for those
teachers choosing to go it with traditional
methods – paper, pencil, chalk and blackboard –
alone.
 Today’s classrooms require a very different set of
teaching tools and teaching methods in order to
insure that students are engaged, inspired, and
motivated to learn. Given that students have
available to them 24/7 the means to access
information, interact with others, and remain
connected to the world in a real-time fashion, the
classroom, in order to remain relevant, must
adapt to fit within this new landscape.

Keeping Students Engaged in the
Classroom
The fundamental needs of the new classroom
instructional paradigm are:
 Social Engagement: The explosion in the
popularity of social networking sites is indicative
of the need that students have to be a part of
something larger, to be connected to those with
common interests, and to canvass available
opinion before reaching conclusions.That being
the case, the greater the degree to which small
group and team activities can be incorporated
into the classroom instructional environment, the
greater the level of involvement on the part of
students that will result.
Keeping Students Engaged in the
Classroom

Active Involvement: The “stand-and-deliver”
lecture-style of teaching doesn’t work in today’s
classroom. Students now expect a two-way dialogue,
and increasingly see the process of learning as a living,
breathing thing that isn’t subject to conventional
parameters. This suggests that a classroom
environment that encourages active involvement on
the part of students will produce a level of
commitment that is far superior to one that doesn’t.
In fact, the more fluid the classroom discussion, and
the greater the interest of the teacher in embracing
students in the experience, the more genuine will be
the involvement of the students in the instructional
experience.
Keeping Students Engaged in the
Classroom

Interactive Learning: Students are now quite
accustomed to having “hands-on” access to
content, both literally and figuratively. This is
starkly in evidence in the proliferation of
handheld devices in the marketplace – cell
phones, iPhones, etc. In concert with this trend,
educators need to increasingly offer hands-on,
tactile learning opportunities in the classroom in
order to create an atmosphere that is both
familiar and comfortable for students, and
therefore encourages a much greater level of
participation on their part.
Keeping Students Engaged in the
Classroom

Custom Content: With the availability of
sites such as YouTube, students are creating
their own original content in ways that we
couldn’t possibly have envisioned a decade
ago. This suggests that a classroom learning
experience that encourages students to
provide fresh perspectives on traditional
content, to develop their own original
content, and to think outside the
conventional lines of instruction, will
produce superior results as a result of
superior buy-in on the part of the students.
Keeping Students Engaged in the
Classroom

Competitive Play: As evidenced by the
proliferation of Massively Multiplayer Online
Role-playing Games (MMORPGs), etc., students
are motivated by engaging in healthy, competitive,
team play. An increasing body of research is
becoming available that attests to the positive
cognitive benefits of game play. The availability of a
growing array of “game products” that are
standards-compliant and classroom appropriate
provide teachers with a new generation of
resources to help address the needs of today’s
students.
Techniques of Active Learning
Exercises for individual students:
 The “one minute paper”
 Muddiest (or clearest point)
 Affective response
 Daily journal
 Reading quiz
 Clarification pauses
 Response to a demonstration or other
teacher-centered activity
Techniques of Active Learning
Exercises for individual students:
 The “Socratic Method”
 Wait time
 Student summary of another student’s
answer
 The fish bowl
 Quiz/test questions
 Evaluation of another student’s work
Techniques of Active Learning
Cooperative Learning Exercises:
 Cooperative groups in class
 Active review sessions
 Work at the blackboard
 Concept mapping
 Visual lists
 Jigsaw group projects
 Role playing
Techniques of Active Learning
Cooperative Learning Exercises:
 Panel discussions
 Debates
 Games