Marilee J. Bresciani, Ph.D.
Professor, Postsecondary Education and
Co-Director of the Center for Educational Leadership,
Innovation, and Policy
Founder and President, Rushing to Yoga Foundation
San Diego State University
3590 Camino Del Rio North
San Diego, California, U.S.A.
619-594-8318
Marilee.Bresciani@mail.sdsu.edu
www.rushingtoyoga.org
Bresciani, M.J.

Bresciani, M.J.

Student Success “Knowns”
Informed by Research
• Social and academic integration into college
(Tinto, 1975; Astin, 1993, and lots more)
• Match of institutional environment and/or commitment and student characteristics and/or commitment (Tinto, 1987, and lots more)
• Students’ beliefs and attitudes (Bean, 1980, ditto)
• Expectations of students and institutional members (Kuh, 2003; Rendon, 1994; Solorzano,
Cejna, Yosso, 2000; and lots more)
Bresciani, M.J.

Student Success “Knowns”
Informed by Research, Cont.
• Academic, Social and Financial Support
(Bowles & Jones, 2003)
• Monitoring and feedback on student and institutional members’ performance (Angelo
& Cross, 1993)
• Actual student and organizational learning
(Barr & Tagg, 1995)
• Academic Preparation (Kuh, Kinzie, Buckley,
Bridges, &Hayek, 2007)
Bresciani, M.J.

Based on that quick summary, what would be one solution higher education leaders could implement right away?
1) Set tougher admissions standards
2) Create expectations for student success tied to funding formulas
3) Implement systematic student development programs
4) Increase responsibility for students to make meaning out of their learning
5) Throw more on campus parties
Bresciani, M.J.

What do we know about student learning and development from national assessment?
Bresciani, M.J.

* In the first 2 years, 45% of students showed no significant improvement in critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving, and written communication skills
* After 4 years, 36% still showed no improvement, but with greater gains for students in
Liberal Arts
"Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College
Campuses" (2011, University of Chicago Press)
Bresciani, M.J.

Learning Employers Demand of
Colleges (AAC&U, 2009)
• The ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing
- 89 %
• Critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills - 81%
• The ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world settings through internships or other hands-on experiences
- 79%
• The ability to analyze and solve complex problems - 75%
• The ability to connect choices and actions to ethical decisions - 75%
• Teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others in diverse group settings - 71%
• The ability to innovate and be creative - 70%
Bresciani, M.J.

(Center for Creative Leadership, 2011)
Leaders need to:
• be creative,
• navigate complexity and ambiguity,
• be agile,
• be adaptable,
• be boundary spanning,
• engage in network thinking,
• be self aware, and
• be co-creators
Bresciani, M.J.

Given that data, what would be one solution higher education leaders could implement right away?
1. Create national tests so we can gather more data and determine the problem
2. Enroll students in MOOCs and use campus resources to teach the missing skills
3. Outsource general learning and deepen specialized learning
4. Implement training programs to address missing skills as required internship components for each degree
5. Tell employers to do the educating of students if they think it is so easy
Bresciani, M.J.

With all this data, why can’t we improve student success?
Bresciani, M.J.

• Currently, higher education is organized primarily around singular course delivery
– calculations for full-time equivalency and its related funding
– grade point average calculation
– federal financial aid packaging based on course enrollment
– faculty workload assignments, construction of degrees
Bresciani, M.J.

The Linear Student Learning and
Development Experience
Performance Indicators
Inputs Integrated Exp. Outcomes
Outcomes-based Evidence
Bresciani, M.J.

The Non-Linear Learning and
Development Experience
Bresciani, M.J.

Life
Experience
/Cocurricular
Meaning
Making/in tegrate
Content
Knowledge from
Courses
Bresciani, M.J.

So, why would we focus more on modularized segmented learning and reduce funds toward that which promotes students’ meaning making and self-expression?
Bresciani, M.J.

“Our explanations must be guided by truth; truth cannot be adjusted to conform to what we want to hear.” – Leonard Mlodinow (2011, p.17)
Known ----------------------------------- Unknown
“We don’t yet know the most fundamental laws [of nature or the human mind]…So there seems to be an irreducible mystery that science will not eliminate.” – Steven Weinberg
( http://www.physlink.com/education/essay_weinberg.cfm
)
Bresciani, M.J.

What You Focus on Changes the
Structure and Function of your Brain
(Alvarez & Emory, 2006;
Chan, Shum, Toulopoulou,
& Chen, 2008;
Chiesa, Calati, Serretti,
2011; Goldin & Gross,
2010; Hölzel, Carmody,
Vangel, Congleton,
Yerramsetti, Gard, & Lazar,
2011; Kozasa, Sato,
Lacerda, Barreiros,
Radvany, Russel, Sanches,
& Mello, 2012; Lutz,
Slagter,
Dunne, & Davidson, 2008;
Todd, Cunningham,
Anderson, & Thompson,
2012 )
Bresciani, M.J.

We can Intentionally Change the
Structure and Function of your Brain
Via
Attention,
Emotion, and
Cognitive
Regulation
Training
Bresciani, M.J.

Given that information, what would be one solution higher education leaders could implement right away?
1. Fund research so we can find the solutions
2. Enroll students in MOOCs and use campus resources to teach the missing skills
3. Outsource general learning and deepen specialized learning
4. Implement AR, ER, and CR training programs
5. I don’t know
Bresciani, M.J.

(under investigation)
Known/Evidence
Unknown/
Spontaneous
Creativity
Bresciani, M.J.
Student learning and development
Feel/
Sense

(under investigation)
Known/Evidence
Via Courses
Unknown/
Spontaneous
Creativity Via
Intentional
“Messy”
Opportunities
Student learning and development
Feel/Sense
Via
Facilitated
Experiences
Bresciani, M.J.

www.rushingtoyoga.org
Bresciani, M.J.

Contact Marilee Bresciani, Ph.D. at rushingtoyoga@gmail.com
or at mbrescia@mail.sdsu.edu
Bresciani, M.J.

• Bean, J.P. (1980) dropouts and turnover: The synthesis and test of a causal model of student attrition. Research in Higher Education 12(2 ):155-
187
• Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education:
A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Education Research 65 (Winter) : 89-125.
• Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures for student attrition. 2 nd ed.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Bresciani, M.J.

• Kuh, G.J., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J.A., Bridges, B.K.,
&Hayek, J.C. (2007),Piecing together the student success puzzle: Research, propositions, and recommendations
• Rendon, L. (1994). Validating culturally diverse students: Toward a new model of learning and student development.
Innovative Higher
Education, 19, 13-52.
Bresciani, M.J.

• Solorzano, D., Cejna, M., Yosso, T. (2000). Critical race theory, racial microaggressions, and campus climate: The experiences of African American college students.
Journal of Negro Education , 69,
60-73.
• Kuh, G. (2003). What we’re learning about student engagement from NSSE. Change, 35, 24-
32.
• Astin, A. (1993). What matters in college? San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bresciani, M.J.

• Angelo, T. & Cross, P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Barr, R. & Tagg, J. (1995). From teaching to learning: A new paradigm for undergraduate education. Change, November-December , 13-25
• Bowles, T.J. & Jones, J. (2003). The effect of supplemental instruction on retention: A bivariate probit model. College Student
Retention: Research, Theory, and Practice, 5, 431-
439.
Bresciani, M.J.

• For details on (Alvarez & Emory, 2006; Chan,
Shum, Toulopoulou, & Chen, 2008; Chiesa, Calati,
Serretti, 2011; Goldin & Gross, 2010; Hölzel,
Carmody, Vangel, Congleton, Yerramsetti, Gard, &
Lazar, 2011; Kozasa, Sato, Lacerda, Barreiros,
Radvany, Russel, Sanches, & Mello, 2012; Lutz,
Slagter, Dunne, & Davidson, 2008; Todd,
Cunningham, Anderson, & Thompson, 2012) please refer to the Supporting Research tab at www.rushingtoyoga.org
Bresciani, M.J.