Community College of Rhode Island
January 9, 2012
Student Success Workshop
Laurie L. Hazard, Ed.D.
Bryant University
www.lauriehazard.com
lhazard@bryant.edu
1
Get Engaged in Class!
Teaching Strategies to Engage First-Year Seminar Students in Learning
“Who are you?” and “What do you want?”
Who are you?
1.
I’m happiest when ____________________________________________________.
2.
I feel I’ve really accomplished something when _____________________________.
3.
I’m disappointed when _________________________________________________.
4.
If I had an extra $50, I’d ________________________________________________.
5.
The thing I’m most proud of is ___________________________________________.
6.
I wish I could ________________________________________________________.
7.
Once people get to know me, they’re probably surprised to find I’m _____________.
8.
In my earlier school days, I was known ____________________________________.
9.
My family wants me to _________________________________________________.
10.
I’d really like to become ________________________________________________.
11.
My friends enjoy me because ____________________________________________.
12.
I can often be seen wearing _____________________________________________.
13.
I’ve been known to consume large quantities of _____________________________.
14.
I’d rather be _______________________________than ______________________.
15.
When I’m under pressure, ______________________________________________.
16.
My best quality is ____________________________________________________.
17.
My worst quality is ___________________________________________________.
18.
I hope people see me as ________________________________________________.
19.
The academic (teaching) skill I’d most like to develop is ______________________.
20.
One thing I’d like to figure out about myself is ______________________________.
What do you want? Why are you here today?
Copyright © 2005 by Constance Staley
Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lecturn
2
Foundations for Learning
FFL 101
Section:________
Course Information Sheet
Name: ______________________________________________________________
Please Circle:
Commuter
Resident
If you are a resident student, list your roommate’s name and where he/she is from:
_______________________________________________________________________
Home Address:
Campus Box:
Home Phone:
Campus Phone:
Work/Cell Phone:
E-Mail:
____________________________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
Major (it’s OK to put undecided):__________________________________________
Do you work?______If so, how many hours a week do you plan on working?______
Was Bryant your first choice institution?_______If not, what was your first
choice?_______________
Interests/Campus Activities:
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
________________________________________
Comments:
3
Academic Background Information
What was your high school GPA?________What do you expect your first-semester GPA to
be?__________
What high school did you attend?__________________________________
Do you think high school adequately prepared you for the academic challenges of your first
semester of college? Please explain your answer.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
How many hours per week did you study in high school?_______________________
What are your academic strengths?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________________
What are your academic challenges?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________________
4
How do you learn best?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________
Academic Goals:
Courses This Semester
Professors
Projected Grades
Choose a target course for FFL. You have identified your academic strengths and challenges.
Thinking about the courses you are taking during this semester, in which course do you feel you
will need the most academic support? This should be your target
course:__________________________________________________________________
5
Is there anything else you think I need to know that will help me in supporting you during your
first semester of college? Examples of things to consider:
Are you the first person in your family to attend college?
Do you have a learning disability?
Do you have a health condition that may interfere with your learning?
If you are a commuter, do you still have significant family responsibilities at home?
Are you working to finance your own education?
If you can think of any extenuating life circumstances that might make the college transition
additionally challenging for you, please consider sharing them with me below. Write as little or
as much as you’d like:
6
Intentional Interventions: A Robust Strategy for Augmenting Student Success
(unpublished manuscript)
Laurie L. Hazard, Ed. D.
Some students may be at-risk at the point of admission to an institution. Others may be
considered at-risk, after they receive their mid-term grades. Still others are identified as at-risk,
if they fail their first-year seminar course or end up on academic warning or probation.
Institutions of higher education are adept at identifying the variety of factors that make students
vulnerable to failure or worse yet, subsequent dismissal. The question is though, how to
approach students who exhibit the warning signs. Certainly, early intervention is the ideal, but as
much as institutions try to "frontload,” there are always students who don’t have the epiphany
that is hoped for during the first semester. Unfortunately, some students need to experience a
failure before they “wake up.” That is not to say, don’t bother frontloading; nevertheless,
intervention strategies should vary depending on the circumstances. The following intentional
intervention strategy draws from the helping professions of coaching, counseling, advising, and
crisis intervention.
Most often, your first-year seminar instructors are in the best position to identify early
risk indicators, but they must be skilled at identifying them, and subsequently prepared to
“confront” student who exhibit the signs. Instructors need to “tune in” to how students make
sense of their first year experience in class discussions. For example, when students describe
their experiences, do they exhibit an external locus of control? Researchers have identified locus
of control as a distinct attitude that mediates academic achievement (Cone & Owens, 1991;
Lefcourt, 1982; and Hazard, 1997). Psychologists define locus of control as a personality trait
involving a generalized expectancy people hold regarding the degree to which they control their
own fate. Internals attribute outcomes to themselves, whereas externals attribute outcomes to
luck, fate, chance or powerful others. Perhaps the most infamous expression of an external locus
of control is when students say, “That professor gave me an ‘F.’”-a clear expression of a
“powerful other” controlling an outcome. It should come as no surprise then, that internality has
been correlated with higher grade point averages; therefore, expressions of externality should be
directly addressed
Besides locus of control, researchers point to another indicator related to intelligence. Pay
close attention to students who muse, “I have always been horrible at math. I think I was just
born that way.” Dweck and Leggett (1988) propose that how students conceive of their
intelligence influences achievement. Individuals hold two basic views of intelligence: an
incremental view and an entity view. Incrementals believe intelligence involves skills that can be
improved through effort; whereas, those who hold an entity viewpoint believe that ability, not
effort, is the key factor that determines performance. The entity perspective has implications for
help-seeking behaviors. Student who believe they were born with poor math skills are less likely
to obtain a tutor, for example.
Other early risk indicators are much more obvious such as excessive absences, observing
students who appear sleep deprived, withdrawn, or perhaps even under the influence of a
substance. Once first-year seminar instructors identify particular risk factors, they must be
willing to address the observation with students, and approach the student if necessary.
Instructors need not think of approaching the student as a confrontation, but rather an
intrusive advising strategy that will hopefully act as a preventative measure. Intrusive advisors
proactively make the initial contact with students. The goal is to help students feel cared for by
7
the institution. Students who perceive that someone cares about them and that they belong to the
school community are more likely to be academically successful than those who do not feel any
sense of care by the institution (Heisserer & Parette, 2002). Once you decide to be intrusive,
switch to a coaching mode. Employ the “sandwich approach,” which involves the delivery of a
compliment, a future oriented instruction, and lastly, a compliment (Weinberg & Gould, 2007).
For example, “Gee, Susan, I really like the comment that you made in class today, but I noticed
you seemed a little tired. Do you think you can get more rest next week before you come to
class? I appreciate your contributions.” This exchange shows that you value the relationship
with the student and provides an opening for them to share what might be going on. If they
“bite,” probe and intrude-it may be the only opportunity to find out if the student needs help. On
the other hand, if the student resists your efforts, they simply may not be ready. Unfortunately,
some students just aren’t ready until second semester after the experience of failing.
Crisis intervention tools are useful when students have received some type of concrete
information about their academic progress. For some students it could be as small as a failed
quiz grade; for others, it might have to be a failed semester or impending dismissal. In these
cases, the personnel implementing the strategy might be a counselor, an advisor, the first-year
seminar instructor or a learning specialist:
Establishing A Positive Relationship
The goal is to let the student know you care about their progress: “I really want to see you be
successful. My role is to assist you with your academic, social, emotional, and intellectual
transition. Let’s use those four areas to guide our conversation. Now that you have received
concrete information about your mid-term grades, I’d like some feedback from you about how
you are doing with your academic adjustment………”
Understanding and Clarifying the Problem
This part is crucial. DON’T look at the mid-term grades, see a C- and simply refer the student to
tutoring. DO peel back the onion layers” to determine the nature and cause of the low grade. For
instance, is the C- a resulting from procrastination and motivational issues? Poor reading
comprehension skills and/or deficiency in tacit knowledge? Missing class because of sleep
problems, alcohol issues, or general health and wellness concerns? Inability to focus because of
Interpersonal issues (intimate relationships, roommates, family)? Challenges with the
pedagogical techniques of the instructor? Feeling marginalized because of race, culture, religion
and/or sexual orientation?
Assessing “Lethality”
Although academic failure may not be considered lethal, it still constitutes a crisis for the
student. Once the problem is clarified, in partnership with the student, find out what they
really want to get out of the semester and what the chances are for him or her to “turn things”
around. Here’s
where you’ll utilize success counseling techniques. What is the student
doing to get what he or she wants out of the semester? Is it working? What needs to change?
Assessing and Mobilizing Resources
What personnel from the institution does the student need assistance from in order to be
successful? Is tutoring necessary? Does the student need personal counseling? Does the student
8
need to speak with a Resident Assistant? Do they feel supported by the institution, their parents,
and friends? What do they think they need to be successful?
Formulating A Plan
Often in this stage, one or more referrals may have been necessary. Follow up once you have
made a referral. For instance, if you do determine that the student needs to see a tutor, counselor,
faculty member, and/or advisor, give them a specific, agreed upon deadline to obtain the
services. Once the deadline has passed, follow up with both the student and campus resources to
see if the student followed through. If students don’t follow through, be intrusive. Find out what
prevented them from doing so. Scheduling issues? Work? Lack of motivation? Peer pressure?
When students do follow through, find out how their session with the tutor, advisor,
and/or counselor went. Was it effective? Did they get what they needed?
The final step, though not a formal part of the crisis intervention model, is to assess the
students’ self-efficacy. That is to say, does the student believe that he or she possesses the
abilities, skills, and motivation to follow through with the plan? If not, assist the student in ways
to effectively create accountability. Would it be helpful if you checked back in with them? How
often? In what ways?
These intervention strategies drawn from coaching, counseling, advising, and crisis
intervention provide techniques for effectively approaching at-risk students in ways that can help
them achieve academic success. Moving away from the idea of confronting students, toward
partnering with them in an intrusive advising relationship, will allow institutions to support
students in their process of goal setting, self-regulation, and increased autonomy. Meeting
students at their level of readiness will ultimately lead to greater self-awareness.
9
Success Counseling: How to Frame Your One-on-One Appointments
Based on William Glasser’s Choice Theory and Reality Therapy
1. What do you want (to get out of this semester)?
2. What are you doing now to get what you want? What are you doing today to get what
you want?
3. Is it helping (you get closer to your goals)?
4. Examine your options and create a plan to do better.
5. Be aware of potential obstacles and never give up.
10
Farewell, Facebook
A COM sophomore’s reasons for quitting
BY BRENDAN GAUTHIER (COM’11)
I’ve been clean for three weeks. Every now and again, I feel the familiar urge. Grinding my nails
into my desk, I force myself to focus on my schoolwork. Resisting temptation is difficult. After
all, my fix — Facebook — is just a few clicks away.
But I don’t give in. I’ve logged out of Facebook, indefinitely.
I began thinking about deactivating my Facebook account last semester. I couldn’t justify the
amount of time I was spending — no, wasting — on it. Why was I looking through my friend’s
roommate’s girlfriend’s sorority sister’s photo albums? I didn’t even know this person, yet I
could tell you what she did last weekend.
So, three weeks ago, I decided to cut the cord — the Ethernet cord. The results were immediate.
On my first Facebook-free day, I cleaned my room, did laundry, and finished my homework —
all before my 11 a.m. class. The hole that Facebook left in my schedule quickly filled with more
important priorities.
My fingers still want to type the Facebook URL when I open my Web browser. Training my
muscles to do otherwise was an intense rehabilitation process: Facebook had become a natural
extension of my body. To keep myself from falling off the wagon, I visit the New York Times
Web site. In fact, I’ve become a news junkie, certainly an appropriate vice for a photojournalism
major.
11
My friends don’t understand. A few are impressed, but most are just perplexed. It was as if
deactivating my Facebook account would also deactivate my social life.
It’s true that most BU organizations advertise their events on Facebook, and without an account,
I no longer receive a steady stream of invitations to auditions, concerts, dance shows, and
fundraisers. But all of these groups have Web sites or e-mail lists, which are just as effective.
One friend compared my abandoning Facebook to moving far away. “I won’t see you around the
Facebook neighborhood anymore,” he said.
His comparison is not without merit. With its myriad networks, Facebook is like a town with
many neighborhoods. And within these neighborhoods are gatherings, also known as Facebook
events, and organizations, or Facebook groups. “Facebookville” even has its own postal system,
Facebook messaging, and direct line of communication, Facebook chat.
My friends’ responses, both positive and negative, made me wonder about the larger realms of
social communication. Since when did society decide it was not only okay, but expected, for us
to bare our hearts and souls on a few gigabytes of the World Wide Web?
I can’t deny the benefits of Facebook. It has been my sole means of communication with friends
from home. But when did we decide that writing, “Hey! How’s school?” on a friend’s wall was
the same as having an extended conversation with her?
And if Facebook were an effective means of communication, then why was I “friends” with more
than 300 people? I wouldn’t even acknowledge some of my Facebook friends if I ran into them
on Comm Ave. I’ve been introduced to some of them in person, and acted as if I hadn’t already
looked through 237 of their tagged photos.
At what point are we willing to sacrifice real friendships for convenience? Since giving up
Facebook, I’ve called my high school friends, and our conversations are much more gratifying
than three words on our wall-to-wall.
My recent Facebook-free stint has also made me wonder how generations before ours got
through college. A mere 10 years ago, hardly anyone our age owned a laptop, let alone a cell
phone. And they survived just fine without Facebook.
12
I guess I am just a stickler for the old days. I still love traditional mail, and I refuse to replace my
camera with a digital model.
Going a few days without Facebook might not be for everyone, but I recommend giving it a try.
It’s an enlightening experience — despite the withdrawal symptoms.
Brendan Gauthier can be reached at btgauth@bu.edu.
ASSIGNMENT:
Have you ever wondered how much your screen time (time in front of the television, surfing
the Internet, instant messaging) affects your ability to immerse yourself in your
schoolwork? Take a break from all screen time (except academic use of computers) for two
days, and determine whether your ability to concentrate increases or decreases. Describe your
experience (similar to the way the student did in Farewell Facebook. At what points was it
difficult and why? What did you get accomplished that you normally would not
have? Thoroughly describe your “dry out” experience. Expand, explain,
explore.............................
13
VOCABULARY BUILDING
Sample One: Transpiration pull
From lecture notes:
p.___
Transpiration pull
p.___
Definition TextIs the pulling up to a column of water as it
moves into a leaf to replace the water loss
by transpiration or photosynthesis.
Associated information:
Draw a picture
Chart
Sample Two: Xylem
Cohesion: A traction of water molecules
for each other.
Polar moleculeExample???
p.____
From lecture notes:
Definition TextVascular tissue in plants conducts water
and dissolved mineral through the stems to
leaves.
Example:
Associated ConceptsPhloem:
Vascular tissue which carries to the root.
14
Concept pg. _____
Concept pg. _____
Concept pg. _____
15
Foundation Metaphor for the Schema-Building Process
Supplemental Text
Website
Additional Research
Existing Schema
Journal of College Reading and Learning, 41(2), Spring 2011 (Armstrong and Newman, 2011)
16
The Psychology of Procrastination
What am I currently putting off doing?
____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________
What are other tasks I can recall procrastinating in the past?
____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________
What is the pattern? (Are there certain types of tasks I tend to put off? Certain
situations in which I am more likely to procrastinate?)
____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
How do I know when I am procrastinating? Do I have favorite replacement
activities? What are they?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________
Cost/Benefit Analysis of Replacement Activities
Benefits of my replacement activities
(Are there internal/psychological
benefits?)
17
Costs of my replacement activities
(What are the consequences? What am I
losing by procrastinating?)
Breaking Through Procrastination
 Identify one project you have been postponing:
______________________________________________________
Benefits of completing the project
Costs of not completing the project
List 4 measurable action steps you can take toward completing the project with a
deadline for each step:
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Deadline: ______________
Deadline: ______________
Deadline: ______________
Deadline: ______________
Identify an accountability partner (who will you check in with to help you follow
through?):
______________________________________________________
Predict possible obstacles you may encounter based on your awareness of past
procrastination patterns:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
______________________________________________
What different choices will you make to counter these obstacles?
18
Setting Goals
What is a goal?
According to psychologists, there are two types of goals: objective goals, which focus on
attaining a specific standard of proficiency on a task, usually within a specified time (Locke &
Latham, 2002, p. 705) and subjective goals, which are general statements of intent like, “I want
to get good grades” or “I want to be a better athlete.” Goals can be short-term, that is, ones you
will achieve in the near future: within a day or within a week, or possibly within a few months.
Long-term goals are those that you will achieve over a longer period of time such as over one
semester or a year. As a student, most of your goal setting will be related to getting
course work completed for your classes each semester. For this purpose, you
will be focusing primarily on objective and short-term goals.
How do I set goals?
The ability to meet goals largely depends on you regulating your behavior during an extended,
yet discrete period of time--a skill you can develop like building endurance to run a marathon.
You will have to be “smart” about how you go about setting your goals or you will be unable to
reach them in the allotted amount of time you designate for your studying each day. You will
have to figure out how to break your goals into objectives (smaller steps to achieve your shortterm goal). Goals and objectives should be SMART:
Specific: articulated in a clear and simple statement, such as, “complete problems 1-25
on page 149 in math, and check my work. “
Measurable: for a goal to be reached, you have to be able to measure it along the way. A
goal should have a clear beginning and end point. For example, read pages 50-75 in
philosophy. You will need to check your progress. For instance, after fifteen minutes of
sustained reading in philosophy, how many pages have I read? Am I up to page 65 yet?
Attainable: you have to be realistic. Under most circumstances, optimism is helpful, but
if you set a goal of reading two chapters in economics in an hour, this objective is most
likely overly optimistic and unattainable.
Relevant: your objective must match up with your end goal. If your end goal is to
complete a draft of a paper, then working with a writing tutor on brainstorming examples
to include in order to support your thesis is what you should be doing.
Time-based: sometimes it’s hard for individuals to predict how much time it will take to
achieve a particular goal or objective. Once you’ve determined exactly what you will be
doing in a daily study session, give yourself a time deadline to complete your task. For
instance, you decide to study after dinner from 7:00 pm-9:00PM. Once you’ve reached
your personal deadline of 9:00PM, assess what percentage of your goal has been
completed.
19
How do I know whether the goals I set are SMART?
Weak Objective
Strong Objective
Read Economics
Read Chapter 3 in Economics
Do Math Homework
Complete problems 1-25 on page
149
Write paper for Liberal Arts Seminar
Review text for assignment and
brainstorm thesis statement
Study for French exam
Review chapters 5-9 for French
exam.
Excellent Objective
Read Chapter 3 in Economics, pages
152-179. Write a summary of the
main topics from the chapter. Create
a list of questions I was not clear
about to discuss with my professor
during office hours
Complete problems 1-25 on page
149. Take the practice test at the end
of the chapter. Ask SA tutor to assist
in reviewing problems I am unclear
on.
Review text and jot down examples
to use to support my ideas and
thesis. Cross reference my examples
with class discussion notes. Make a
Writing Center appointment.
Review chapter 5 on irregular verbs.
Make a list of irregular verbs and
conjugate them.
What do I do when I am caught up on my work and don’t have anything to do?
A basketball player can always improve his foul line percentage by practicing foul shots. Use
this time to “practice.” Unless you have taken the last final exam for the semester, there is no
such thing as “having nothing to do.” Simply put, get ahead. For every class you have, you have
reading to do, so you can get ahead. You can check your planner to see what your next
assignment is to get ahead. You can review your notes to get ahead. You can create a study
guide for your next exam to get ahead. Simply put, use this time to get ahead and practice.
What if I get stuck and can’t figure out how to set and meet my goals?
At most colleges and universities, there are a wide variety of services to help students with the
goal setting process. A learning specialist or a tutor can help you not only with your goal setting
process, but also assist you on particular assignments in your classes. You can even solicit help
from an instructor or advisor to help with mastering smart goal-setting
How long do I need to study? Of course the answer to this question depends on the kinds of
short-term study goals that you have set for yourself; however, to be productive and go through
the whole goal setting process, you will need to spend a minimum of one hour. In general, two
hours of sustained studying is the guideline before most individuals need a short break.
20
The Goal Setting Process
Name:
Date:
Time:
I reaffirm my commitment to the Bryant University Pledge and to “claiming my education.”
_____________(initial)
My long-term goal for my semester GPA is____________(initial)
In my effort to meet my long-term goal GPA, I will work on the following short-term goal and
objectives during this study session:
Subject
Goal/Objective
Projected
Completion
Time
Actual
Time
Complete
Estimate %
In order to meet the projected goals, I will need:
______to meet with my professor during his/her office hours (external)
______a one-on-one tutor (external)
______to learn new and/or more effective study strategies (internal/external)
______increase my interest in the subject matter (internal)
______figure out a way to motivate myself to stick to my plan (internal)
______to adjust my attitude/mindset (internal)
______other? Please explain
Were you able to meet your projected goals during this study session? If not, what obstacles got
in the way?
______I did not have enough time (external)
______My time projections were not accurate (internal)
______I did not understand the content of the assignment (internal)
______I was unable to focus/sustain motivation (internal)
______I was unable to get help from the Study Hall tutor (external)
______my motivation (internal)
______attitude/mindset (internal)
______Other, please explain
What is your plan between now and the next time you sit down to study, to work on removing
the obstacles that may have gotten in your way?
21
22