Student Engagement Retreat
January 18, 2011
Background



Why this retreat? (Context)
Why this group? (Structure)
What do we hope to accomplish ? (Purpose)
Goals and Outcomes for the Retreat



To define student engagement
To review current data on student engagement at
Ramapo
To create a student engagement plan organized
according to a college experience continuum.
Goals and Outcomes for the Retreat

To create a student engagement plan organized
according to a college experience continuum.
–
–
–
–
–
Produce an inventory of current student engagement
activities
Determine which current activities achieve desired
outcomes
Identify new activities that Ramapo College should consider
implementing
Define or characterize stages of student engagement in the
college experience
Place activities, both current and proposed, in each of the
defined stages
Goals and Outcomes for the Retreat



To define student engagement
To review current data on student engagement at
Ramapo
To create a student engagement plan organized
according to a college experience continuum.
–
–
–
–

Determine which current activities achieve desired outcomes
Identify new activities that Ramapo College should consider
implementing
Define or characterize stages of student engagement in the
college experience
Place activities, both current and proposed, in each of the defined
stages
To identify next steps
What is Student Engagement?
Student engagement represents the time and
effort students devote to activities empirically
linked to the intended outcomes of college
and what institutions do to both provide these
activities and induce students to participate
in them (Kuh, 2009).
Characteristics and Examples of
Student Engagement

Substantive interaction, in class and out of class, with peers, faculty,
and staff - first year seminars, peer mentoring/education, facultystudent research, student attendance/presentation at conferences,
living-learning communities, etc.

Common experiences that deepen understanding of self and others –
service learning, common readings, study abroad, etc.

Opportunities to connect in class and out of class learning – campus
job, co-curricular activities, club/organization/team involvement, etc.
Positive Outcomes of
Student Engagement


Student engagement is generally considered to be among the
better predictors of learning and personal development (Carini,
Kuh, & Klein, 2006).
“Educationally purposeful” practices produce the following
student outcomes:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Investing time and effort
Interacting with faculty, staff, and peers about substantive matters
Experiencing diversity
Responding to more frequent feedback
Reflecting and integrating learning
Discovering relevance of learning through real-world experiences
(Brownell & Swaner, 2010)
What do we know about student
engagement at Ramapo?

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
– Survey of students at four-year institutions
– Self-reported data about participation in “educationally purposeful
activities”
– Indirect assessment of learning
– Comparisons with peer groups
– Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice
Benchmarks of Effective Educational
Practice





Level of Academic Challenge
Active and Collaborative Learning
Student-Faculty Interaction
Supportive Campus Environment
Enriching Educational Experiences
Active and Collaborative Learning
“Students learn more when they are intensely
involved in their education... Collaborating
with others in solving problems or mastering
difficult material prepares students to deal
with the messy, unscripted problems they will
encounter daily during and after college.”
(NSSE, 2010)
About how often have you done each of the
following?
(1=never; 2=sometimes; 3=often; 4=very often)
activity
RCNJ
freshmen seniors
2.81
3.16
asked questions
in class
made a class
2.42
presentation
worked with classmates 2.40
outside of class
discussed readings
outside of class
community-based
project
(part of course)
COPLAC
freshmen
seniors
2.88
3.19
2.96
2.29
2.81
2.71
2.51
2.77
2.55
2.84
2.83
2.98
1.79
1.92
1.53
1.75
Supportive Campus Environment
“Students perform better and are more satisfied
at colleges that are committed to their
success and cultivate positive working and
social relations among different groups on
campus.” (NSSE, 2010)
What is the quality of your relationships with people
on campus? (1=unfriendly and unsupportive;
7=friendly and supportive)
people
RCNJ
freshmen
seniors
COPLAC
freshmen
seniors
students
5.44
5.52
5.45
5.57
faculty
5.15
5.53
5.31
5.59
administrative
personnel
4.53
4.35
4.78
4.64
Enriching Educational Experiences
“Complementary learning opportunities inside
and outside the classroom augment the
academic program… Internships, community
service, and senior capstone courses provide
students with opportunities to synthesize,
integrate, and apply their knowledge.”
(NSSE, 2010)
Which of the following have you done or do you
plan to do … ? (0=not done; 1=done)
activity
RCNJ
freshmen
seniors
COPLAC
freshmen
seniors
Internship
(and related
activities)
learning
community
research with
faculty
study abroad
.05
.56
.06
.53
.07
.23
.15
.25
.07
.19
.04
.21
.01
.09
.02
.16
community
service/
volunteer work
.33
.59
.38
.61
How many hours do you spend [per] week doing
each of the following? (2=1-5 hours; 3=6-10 hours)
Activity
RCNJ
Freshmen
co-curricular
activities
(organizations,
publications,
sororities,
fraternities,
SGA, sports)
2.46
COPLAC
Seniors
2.15
Freshmen
2.37
Seniors
2.18
Institutional Outcomes and the
Role of Strategic Enrollment Management
Strategic Enrollment Management is “a
comprehensive process designed to help
an institution achieve and maintain
optimum recruitment, retention and
graduation rates of students where
'optimum' is defined within the academic
context of the institution” (Dolence, 1993).
Ramapo Context

Enrollment plan aimed at attracting high achieving
students

SEM helps us map our outcomes versus schools
with similar missions/selectivity

Do our enrollment-related outcomes reflect the
preparedness levels of the type of students we are
admitting? Are we providing the experience to retain
and ultimately graduate them?
What do we know about Ramapo
outcomes?
1st Year Retention Rates
88%
86%
84%
82%
80%
78%
76%
74%
72%
RCNJ
NJ Public State Colleges
National
What do we know about Ramapo
outcomes in relation to similar schools?
First Year Retention According To Selectivity
98%
96%
94%
92%
90%
88%
86%
84%
RCNJ
St. Mary's College of MD
SUNY Geneseo
TCNJ
What do we know about Ramapo
outcomes?
Average 6 Year Graduation Rates
66.0%
64.0%
62.0%
60.0%
58.0%
56.0%
54.0%
52.0%
50.0%
RCNJ
NJ Public State Colleges
National
What do we know about Ramapo
outcomes related to similar schools?
Bottom Schools by Graduation Rate:
Highly Competitive
70%
65%
60%
55%
50%
Bennington
College
Stony Brook
University
The New
School
Ramapo
College
Northeastern
University
Source: AEI report
Intersection of Enrollment Management
and Student Engagement can improve
these outcomes
The single best predictor of student satisfaction
with college is the degree to which students
perceive the college environment to be
supportive of their academic and social
needs. (Pascarella/Terenzini, 2005)
Student Engagement Plan
How an institution deploys its resources and
organizes the curriculum, other learning
opportunities and support services leads to
positive experiences and desired outcomes
such as persistence, satisfaction, learning
and graduation. (Kuh, 2001 and
Pascarella/Terenzini, 2005)
Small Group Activity (part 1) – Student
Engagement Activity Inventory
In your small groups please answer the following
questions (goal 3):
1.
What forms of student engagement does the College
currently provide (outcome a)?
a.
b.
c.
Who is the target audience?
How frequently does the activity occur (e.g., daily, yearly,
etc.)?
What data do we currently collect on the activity?
Student Engagement Activity Inventory
- Continued
2.
Of those student engagement activities, which meet the desired
outcomes, and how do we know (outcome b)?
3.
What forms of student engagement does the College currently
not provide but should consider implementing (outcome c)?
Small Group Activity (part 2) – Student
Engagement Plan
In your small groups please answer the following
questions (goal 3):
1.
If we divided the college experience into stages along a
continuum from first to final year, which activities would belong to
each stage? To answer this question, take the activities identified
this morning, both current and new, and cluster them where you
think that they belong—first year, last year, or somewhere along
the continuum between those two points. It is possible that a
particular activity may belong to more than one stage. It is also
possible that you may place an activity where it currently does
not take place.
Small Group Activity (part 2) – Student
Engagement Plan
FIRST YEAR
FINAL YEAR
Small Group Activity (part 2) – Student
Engagement Plan
In your small groups please answer the following
questions (goal 3):
2.
Why did you place the activities where you placed them on the
continuum, and what commonalities does each cluster share?
Small Group Activity (part 2) – Student
Engagement Plan
FIRST YEAR
FINAL YEAR
Commonalities of activities
Commonalities of
In the first year
activities between the first
and final year
Commonalities of
activities in the final year
ORIENTATION
COMMENCEMENT
Four-Year Student Engagement Plan
(Example)
goal
experiential
international/
intercultural
activity
study abroad
in-depth
knowledge
in the major
engagement
critical thinking
F: attend fair
M: explore options
L: study abroad
student
organizations
F: join club
M: do project
L: run for office
academic
advising
F/M: explore
majors and
requirements
FYS
F: beginning skills
capstone
L: culminating
project
CEC
F: focus on GE
M: focus on major
internship
L: focus on career
L: advanced skills
Conclusion and Next Steps




Review of purpose, goals and achievement
Action Items
Timeline
Discussion
References
Brownell, J.E., Swaner, L.E. (2010). High-impact practices: Research on learning outcomes,
completion, and quality. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and
Universities.
Brownell, J.E., Swaner, L.E. (2009). High-impact practices: Applying the learning outcomes
literature to the development of successful campus programs. Peer Review, 11(2), 26.
Carini, R., Kuh, G.D., & Klein, S.P. (2006). Student engagement and student learning: Testing
the linkages. Research in Higher Education, 47(1).
Kinzie, J.I., Kuh, G.D. (2004). Going deep: Learning from campuses that share responsibility
for student success. About Campus.
Kuh, G.D. (2009). What student affairs professionals need to know about student engagement.
Journal of College Student Development, 50(6), 683.
Pascarella, E.T & Terenzini, P.T (2005). How College Affects Students, Volume 2, A Third
Decade of Research. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.