Engaged Learning:
More than one
way to skin a cat
SEAN BRUMFIELD, ED.D.
DAWN Z. HODGES, PH.D.
Introductions and activity
Engaged Learning:
The ultimate definition

Student engagement occurs when "students make a psychological investment
in learning. They try hard to learn what school offers. They take pride not simply
in earning the formal indicators of success (grades), but in understanding the
material and incorporating or internalizing it in their lives."[1] It is increasingly seen
as an indicator of successful classroom instruction, and as a valued outcome of
school reform. The phrase was identified in 1996 as "the latest buzzword in
education circles."[2] Students are engaged when they are involved in their
work, persist despite challenges and obstacles, and take visible delight in
accomplishing their work.[3] Student engagement also refers to a "student's
willingness, need, desire and compulsion to participate in, and be successful in,
the learning process promoting higher level thinking for enduring
understanding."[4] Student engagement is also a usefully ambiguous term that
can be used to recognize the complexity of 'engagement' beyond the
fragmented domains of cognition, behaviour, emotion or affect, and in doing
so encompass the historically situated individual within their contextual variables
(such as personal and familial circumstances) that at every moment influence
how engaged an individual (or group) is in their learning.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_engagement
Engaged Learning:
Literature Review

The findings from 20 years of research on undergraduate
education have been unequivocal: The more actively
engaged students are---with college faculty and staff,
with other students, and with the subject matter they
study---the more likely they are to learn, to stick with
their students, and to attain their academic goals.

McClenney, Marti, & Adkins. (2006). Student Engagement and Student
Outcomes: Key Findings from CCSSE Validation Research.
Engaged Learning:
Literature Review

Educators have the difficult task of discerning students’
individualized, self-actuating cues, those prompts that
generate interest, engagement, and satisfaction with the
education experience.

Beachbord, Beachboard, Li & Adkison, 2011; Astin, 1999,
Berger & Milem, 1999.
NSSE and CCSSE ask students to
respond to these types of items:

Asked questions in class or
contributed to class discussions

Made a class presentation

Worked with other students on
projects during class time

Prepared two or more drafts of a
paper or assignment before turning it
in

Used e-mail to communicate with
the instructor

Discussed grades or assignments
with the instructor

Talked about career plans with a
faculty member or advisor

Received prompt feedback from
faculty on your academic
performance (written or oral)

Had serious conversations with
students of a different race or
ethnicity than your own

Had serious conversations with
students who differ from you in terms
of their religious beliefs, political
opinions, or personal values

Discussed ideas from your readings
or classes with others outside the
class (faculty, students, family
members, coworkers…)
Multiple approaches to increasing
student engagement


Create an emotionally safe
classroom
Create an intellectually safe
classroom

Use the 10:2 method.

Incorporate movement into your
lessons.

Pick up the pace.

Practice journal or blog writing to
communicate with students

Provide frequent and effective
feedback.

Teach self-awareness about
knowledge


Use Questioning Strategies that
make all students think and
answer
Allow students 5-7 seconds of
“think time” when asking
questions.

At the end of the lesson use the 32-1 method of summarizing.

Edutopia.org

Readinghorizons.com
Strategies for Increasing Motivation

Promote mastery learning.

Evaluate student work as soon as possible after project completion, and
be sure that feedback is clear and constructive.

Work to build quality relationship with students; this is a critical factor of
student engagement that allows [students] to foster a sense of
connection with [the college]

Model and communicate the value of lifelong learning.

Provide and participate in professional development activities that deal
with motivation, effective use of homework and student engagement.

Brewster & Fager . (2000). Increasing student engagement and motication: From
time-on-task to homework. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
Yeah, yeah, we know this stuff
already!
So, let’s get to the point!

Two Quality Enhancement Plans (QEP)

Two colleges’ plans to increase student engagement.

Engage to Learn: Learn to Engage (Southern Crescent
Technical College)

EDGE---Education Depends on GPC Engagement
(Georgia Perimeter College)

BOTH focus on faculty development as a means to
increase students’ engagement……..
Engage to Learn, Learn to Engage

Designed to improve the environment for student learning;

The expected outcome is that students who receive direct
instruction and practice in learning strategies will be more likely to
report increased use of learning strategies, as well as higher
performance on assessments in their courses;

Two cohorts of faculty (8 each) will be created each year for five
years (impact 80 faculty);


Combination of new faculty and experienced faculty
Over five years it is projected that 5,520 students will be served
through 240 different courses.
Engage to Learn, Learn to Engage

In the two cohorts, faculty will :

Meet together twice a month with a group facilitator (QEP director);

One meeting will be in person; one meeting will be through ANGEL

Study the literature concerning metacognitive learning strategies;

Participate in collaborative mentoring;

Revise assignments for courses to infuse the teaching of metacognitive
learning strategies to students;

Include assessments to measure students’ use of strategies and
performance on tests;

Do pre- and post- assessments using the LASSI (Learning and Study
Strategies Inventory)
Learning and Study Strategies
Inventory (LASSI)

80 items

10 scales

Attitude (ATT)

Motivation (MOT)

Time management (TMT)

Anxiety (ANX)

Concentration (CON)

Information Processing (INP)

Selecting Main Ideas (SMI)

Study Aids (STA)

Self-Testing (SFT)

Test Strategies (TST)
Engage to Learn, Learn to Engage
Engage to Learn, Learn to Engage
EDGE: Engagement Drives GPC
Education

Goals of GPC’s QEP
1. The QEP will examine the efficiency and effectiveness of 4 distinct
pedagogies: (1) collaborative learning, (2) problem based learning, (3)
service learning, (4) community based research.
2. Incorporate existing campus engagement activities into the
curriculum (i.e., campus gardens, GPC Reads, the Democracy
Commitment, days of service, sustainability, etc.) via one of the four
targeted pedagogies.
3. Recognize the excellent work faculty are doing in their courses.
College-wide Goals of the EDGE
Initiative
1.
Enhancement of the skills of faculty and staff by fostering efforts to
develop and integrate applied learning experiences into curricular
and co-curricular GPC experiences.
2.
Improvement in student learning outcomes in courses using
engaged learning pedagogies.
3.
Improvement in critical thinking skills in students taking courses using
engaged learning pedagogies.
4.
Increase in students’ perceptions that their courses are relevant to
life outside the classroom.
5.
Increase in student persistence to the end of the semester in courses
using engaged learning practices.
Courses to be EDGE-ified

Eightcourses are targeted over 5 years, with two new courses
debuting each fall:

2013: English 1101 & History 1111

2014: Communications 1201 & First Year Seminar

2015: English 1102 & History 2111 & 2112

2016: Political Science 1101 and Environmental Science 1401

2017: No new courses this year
Implementation of the Plan

Baseline course data will be collected during the year prior to
implementation.

Faculty members will be invited to participate in EDGE-related
faculty development activities.

Course interventions will be implemented beginning each fall
semester.

Assessment will occur each semester.
Assessment of the QEP

Assessment will occur every semester during the life of the QEP.

Formative:


Faculty focus groups / surveys are used to determine the effectiveness
of faculty development activities.

Appropriate changes will be made to faculty development activities as
needed.
Summative:

Students will be surveyed to determine if courses are “real world”
relevant using CCSSE items from the CCSSE course evaluation form.

Faculty will self-rate the level of engagement of their own courses.

QEP committee and students will rate the level of engagement of
courses.
Rating Engagement of Courses







Relevance: I have an understanding of how this course is relevant to my
life and career (through assignments, activities, etc.).
Perspective: The course materials and exercises encouraged original
thought and perspective in discussions.
Student-focused: The course was clearly student-focused. My instructor
served as facilitator, guiding me in my learning.
Engagement: I maintained active involvement throughout the course.
Contextualization: This course incorporated real-world materials
(newspaper articles, media clips, etc.), problem sets, projects, etc.
Real-world application: I gained practice applying what I learned to
real-world situations.
Reflection: The course materials and exercises actively engagement
me in reflection activities that required me to think about the relevance
of the concept after each new concept was introduced.
Contact Information
Dawn Z. Hodges, Ph.D.
Sean A. Brumfield, Ed. D.
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Executive Director, Quality
Enhancement Plan
Southern Crescent Technical College
501 Varsity Road
Griffin, GA 30223
(770) 229-3293
dhodges@sctech.edu
Assistant Professor of English
Georgia Perimeter College
555 N Indian Creek Drive
Clarkston, GA 30021
(678) 891-2322
sean.brumfield@gpc.edu
Wake up! Are there any questions?
How about some discussion?????