New Research on Student Experiences
with High-Impact Practices:
Effective and Efficient Ways to
Implement, Connect, and Scale
Facilitated by
Peter Felten and Jessie L. Moore
Center for Engaged Learning (@CEL_Elon)
Elon University
Questions of
Quality, Access, and Success
“The research universities
have too often failed, and
continue to fail, their
undergraduate
populations…. Thousands of
students graduate without
ever seeing the worldfamous professors or tasting
genuine research…. All too
often they graduate without
knowing how to think
logically, write clearly, or
speak coherently” (pp. 5-6).
(1998)
“Stakeholders in the higher
education system have
increasingly come to raise
questions about the state of
collegiate learning… Legislators…
increasingly have expressed
worry over the value and returns
to their investments in higher
education. Business leaders have
begun to ask whether graduates
have acquired the necessary
skills to ensure economic
competitiveness” (p. 1).
(2011)
We also suffer from a college attainment gap, as high school
graduates from the wealthiest families in our nation are
almost certain to continue on to higher education, while just
over half of our high school graduates in the poorest quarter
of families attend college. And while more than half of
college students graduate within six years, the completion
rate for low-income students is around 25 percent.
“Whatever the world may
think about the quality of
American colleges and
universities, the public here
at home is far from
satisfied” (p. 2).
(2013)
High-Impact Practices: Filling the Gaps
“The two main challenges are to:
• Make… faculty commitments to
innovation to improve student
learning normative, and
• Enhance the yield from disparate
efforts through coordination of
initiatives and integration of findings.
Scaling up these developments requires
a change in institutional and faculty
culture so that these efforts at
innovation and improvement are both
systematic and systemic within and
across institutions” (p. 4).
Filling the Gaps: Evidence-Based
Learning Practices
• Evidence 1: Published
Scholarship
• Evidence 2: Assessment &
Ongoing Data Collection
www.youtube.com/CELatElon
• Evidence 3: Heuristic for
Moving from Evidence to
Practical Arguments
Research Panelists
• Michael Reder, Connecticut College
• Luke Millard, Birmingham City University
• Jeffrey Coker and Desiree Porter,
Elon University
MICHAEL REDER,
CONNECTICUT COLLEGE
LUKE MILLARD,
BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY
Creating the Learning Community
through Students as Partners
Luke Millard
Head of Learning Partnerships
Birmingham City University
Luke.millard@bcu.ac.uk
In the 10 minutes (no more)
•
•
•
•
•
Why Students as Partners?
Creating the principles
Outside influences and a new paradigm
Delivery of students as partners
Impact – sectoral and internal
Birmingham City University
• 24,000 students (18k full time; 6k part
time)
• Six faculties with an emphasis on
professional and creative practice
• Strong WP and regional agenda
• Multi-campus: 8 sites consolidating to
two
Why Students as Partners?
•
•
•
•
•
2007/8 NSS and SES told us a story
Disparate campuses and professions
Create a Learning Community approach
Partnership with Students’ Union
Student and staff partnerships to deliver
change
• Student Academic Partners
A state of mind….principles
•
•
•
•
•
Student engagement as mainstream activity
Students at the centre of design and delivery
Students, where applicable, to be paid
Meaningful partnership, not necessarily equal
Joint investment
‘Student engagement is concerned with the interaction between the
time, effort and other relevant resources invested by both students and
their institutions intended to optimise the student experience and
enhance the learning outcomes and development of students and the
performance, and reputation of the institution’ Trowler (2010)
100 hours student work per project, ≈ 50 projects a year (219
total)……Main areas of development:
• Development of new content: curriculum focus
– Learning / resources / assessment approaches /
• Consultation: student engagement focus
– Survey / networking projects / community building
• Employability:
– professional practice and placement experience
• Thematic: institutional imperatives
– progression / retention / social media /
internationalisation
Moving forward 2013/14
Student Engagement Initiative
Applications Total 130
Applications Funded
StAMP
SAP
13
BCBS, 4
Co-Lab
BIAD, 25
TEE, 37
16
StAMP, 37
Co-Lab, 36
Applications per Faculty
Central
Services,
20
PME, 15
SAP, 57
22
ELSS, 20
Health, 9
Collab
Funded per Faculty
TEE, 0
BCBS, 1
BIAD, 2
ELSS, 2
BIAD, 3
TEE, 8
BIAD, 3
Central
Services, 2
PME, 3
Health, 1
BCBS, 1
BCBS, 0
TEE, 3
PME, 3
SAP
Funded per Faculty
StAMP
Funded per Faculty
Central
Services, 4
Central
Services, 5
ELSS, 3
Health, 2
PME, 1
Health, 1
ELSS, 3
National impact
•
•
•
•
HEA Students as Partners change programme
10 Universities - incl Oxford, Ulster, Glamorgan
Bath, Exeter, Lincoln……
NUS Manifesto for Partnership
QAA Quality Code - B5
• New paradigm – consumerism vs partnership
Scraping the surface or cultural change?
• 24,000 students at BCU
• 2,000? working in student engagement activities
• Institutional imperative through mission ‘to be an
examplar for student engagement’
“There will be others that aren’t interested in
getting engaged…The challenge is how we best
support those that want to get involved”
Alex Bols, NUS, 2012
NSS: Part of an academic community
78
76
74
72
70
2009
2010
68
2011
66
2012
64
62
60
58
B11.5 I feel part of an academic community in my college or university.
Items of interest
•
NUS (2012) Manifesto for Partnership
http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/news/article/highereducation/Rachel-Wenstone-launches-a-Manifestofor-Partnership/ (last accessed 23.1.14)
•
Nygaard, C et al (eds) Student Engagement: Identity, Motivation and Community. Faringdon, Libri
publishing
•
QAA (2012), UK Quality Code for Higher Education - Chapter B5: Student engagement
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Pages/quality-code-B5.aspx (last accessed
23.1.14)
•
Thomas, L (2012) Building Student Engagement and belonging in Higher Education at a time of change:
final report from the What Works? Student Retention and Success programme.
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/what-works-studentretention/What_Works_Summary_Report
•
Trowler, V (2010) Student Engagement Literature Review
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/studentengagement/StudentEngagementLiteratureRevie
w.pdf ( accessed 23.1.14)
•
For further information on the work at Birmingham City University http://www.bcu.ac.uk/aboutus/celt/student-engagement or contact luke.millard@bcu.ac.uk
JEFFREY COKER AND DESIREE PORTER,
ELON UNIVERSITY
A Comparative Study of Motivations, Participation, and
Outcomes Across Five Forms of Experiential Learning
Jeffrey S. Coker
Director of the Elon Core Curriculum, Elon University
Desiree Porter
Student Researcher, Elon University Class of 2015
Elon Experiences & ELR
• Students are required to complete experiential
learning as part of the core curriculum.
Research Questions
• What motivates students to choose certain
experiential learning opportunities?
• How do demographic variables influence
student experiences?
• What are the comparative outcomes of
completing various experiential learning
opportunities?
Methodology
• Paper Surveys: 62 seniors within a month of
their graduation.
• Student Records: Elon Experiences Transcript
• Video Interviews: 24 seniors
Key Findings: Diverse Motivations
It is clear that students are influenced by a myriad of factors. On average, career
goals and majors were among the most influential factors, followed by learning
goals. Peers were the most influential group of people among the factors listed.
Key Findings: Diverse Motivations
• Of the students who participated in a given experience in high
school, 80% went on to complete a similar college experience. On the
other hand, 60% of students who did not complete a given high school
experience went on to complete it at Elon.
• Of the students who rated cost as being “highly influential” in their
experiential learning choices, only 38% studied abroad. Among all
others, 90% studied abroad.
• Few students (14%) were aware of gender influences. Nonetheless,
females were more influenced by parents, career, and major, while
males were more influenced by cost.
Key Findings: Diverse motivations
Each of the five experiences was thought to be the most valuable by at least a few
students. Undergraduate research was most frequently rated lowest amongst students
and study abroad was most frequently rated highest. (Note: Students who actually
completed research rarely ranked it lowest.)
Key Findings: Positive Benefits
• The majority of students reported that they benefitted from the
Elon Experiences in terms of worldview (93%), career
development (87%), and academic learning (84%).
• When asked how much they learned from each experience,
students rated each experience highly, ranging from 3.93 for
service learning to 4.73 for study abroad on a 1 to 5 Likert scale.
Benefitted career development
Altered future plans
Take-Home Messages
• See handout.
THEMES
Students are agents in HIPs
Relationships and networks are essential in HIPs
Student-faculty partnerships act as multipliers
Context matters for research and practice
New Research on Student Experiences
with High-Impact Practices
http://www.elon.edu/eweb/academics/cel/aacu2014.xhtml
Peter Felten and Jessie L. Moore
Michael Reder
Luke Millard
Desiree Porter and Jeffrey Coker