Assessing Student
Success:
A Discussion of Outcomes in Year Two of a Learning Community
at an Urban, Commuter University
Laura Woodward, Ph.D. and Jan Collins-Eaglin, Ph.D.
International Assessment and Retention Conference
St. Louis, MO. in the Pershing/Lindell Room.
Sunday, June 10 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Program ID-1853, http://attitudesresearch.org/naspa2007.htm
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Goals of presentation



To discuss techniques to assess a multi-cultural
learning community.
To demonstrate multi-cultural components of selfregulated learning.
To describe how the self-regulated learning paradigm
can help staff systematize assessment.
2
Our cohort

High-achieving high school graduates from an urban,
predominantly African American school district.


Archives indicated performance lower than expected. (Reaves,
Woodward and Collins-Eaglin, 2005)
This project documents the success of this group following
intervention.
3
Intervention

A learning community
 A first year experience
course


Weekly instruction
regarding study strategies
The textbook, Learning to
Learn, was used.




Taking courses as a
cohort
Intrusive advising
Peer mentorship
Get-togethers
4
Description of the program


This learning community provided a social community with a
focus upon academic achievement.
 Academic, social and academic integration (Tinto,
Goodsell, & Russo, 1993).
 Achievement and social and emotional well-being.
(Wentzel, 1999)
Another important component of the program was its emphasis
upon academic ability as being improvable through effort.
 (Aronson, 2005; Aronson, Fried, & Good, 2002). )
5
Conceptual foundation

Self-regulated learning

A theory that tries to look
at these three aspects
holistically:

Skill


Will


What skills does a student
need to get through academic
material?
How does the student stay
motivated to get those skills?
Self-regulation

How do they regulate
motivation and skill building
even when it is hard?
6
Self-regulated learners

Self regulated learners




are motivated,
set goals to strive for in their
learning,
have a high sense of selfefficacy,
and set expectations for their
learning.

They are active in



monitoring,
adapting
and controlling their learning.
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Strategies that students use
include:







putting time and effort into
planning
keeping track of how much
effort, time, and help they need
making choices about whether
to increase or decrease their
effort
sticking to it
regulating how much effort to
put forth
using self-talk that emphasizes
the importance of effort
using help-seeking to be
successful
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Motivation and beliefs



Motivation to improve abilities is enhanced by student beliefs that
abilities are malleable, and that effort and strategies can improve
abilities.
This goes against past descriptions of intelligence as genetic and
fixed.
Research shows that greater performance, academic
engagement and enjoyment of the academic process is evident
in students who are encouraged to think of intelligence as
malleable.
(Aronson, Fried and Good, 2002; Hong, 2001; Hong, Chiu, Dweck, Lin & Wan, 1999)
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Bernard Weiner's Attribution Theory
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Motivation and effort
Uncontrollable Controllable
Internal
Ability
Effort
Luck
External Help from others
Task difficulty
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Motivation in self-regulated learning
for African American students

Belonging


Achievement in college is
related to feelings that
one is accepted by a
group that values high
achievement. (Wentzel,
1999)
Learning is facilitated by
teaching one another
and helping one another
feel a sense of
belonging. (Aronson,
2005)

Effort matters

Helping students to
understand that
intelligence is malleable
increases




Effort
Joy in challenge
Risk-taking
Pleasure in learning
(Aronson, 2005)
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Method

A mixed methods
approach.





Formative measurement
Summative measurement

Two cohorts were
compared.


Both cohorts
2005 (without intervention)
2006 (with intervention)

Were gifted students
from Detroit Public
Schools
Received a full tuition
scholarship based on
their academic
achievement in high
school
Intervention

Learning community
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Technology

Assessment was facilitated by the use of
Blackboard’s online survey software.
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Goals for assessment

Goals for our students:
 A feeling of belonging
 Gaining strategies of a
self-regulated learner

According to the selfregulated learning literature,
improvement in these areas
is related to:
 Improved grades
 Improved retention
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Formative assessment

Documented challenges
and strengths
 Social community


23% of the comments
related to the peer
support.
Self-regulated learning
techniques

24% of the comments
related to study skills
and time-management
What has your learning community done so far this semester which
contributed to your academic success?
Time-management
6%
Mentorship
6%
Peer support
23%
How to adapt
6%
Nothing
12%
Accountability
17%
General success
12%
Study skills
18%
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Self-regulation:
Study strategies they realized they worked


“I have learned to take big What was the most important thing you learned this semester?
projects one piece at a
Study
time. In addition I have used
10%
a planner to keep me on
I can do well
10%
task.”
Time-management
40%
“I have actually studied. That
Career
10%
is so major. In High School, I
could blow off my classes
Be organized
10%
and still pull off an A. But in
Stay motivated
College if I am off track for a
20%
couple of days, my grade is
hurt severely.”
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Self-regulation:
Study strategies they realized they needed
What could you have done differently to improve your academic su
Study skills

•
“To improve my academic
success I could have studied
more for my tests in Chemistry. I
could have performed better on
my quizzes and took more time
out of my schedule to focus more
on my courses.”
Use resources
6%
Scheduling
6%
Workload
13%
Study skills
31%
Time-management

•
“I waited to the very last minute to
do many assignments. If I could
go back, I would do things earlier
so I wouldn't have to work and
cram the night before on an
assignment.”
Attending class

•
“I could have not missed any
classes which would have helped
me not to be so behind.”
Attend class
19%
Time-management
25%
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Self-regulation:
Noticing what works and making changes to
increase learning





I had another quiz in Algebra and the
rehearsal technique was a very effective
way for me to study.
It’s hard to sit in a lecture for two hours.
But I just remind myself that I have to pay
attention if I want a good grade and that I
cannot get into medical school without
good grades.
I have been studying at the library but I
noticed that when the weather turns cold,
it gets kind of noisy up there. I may start
looking for a different place to study.
When I feel myself becoming frustrated, I
take a break. I usually feel better after a
break.
Now before I do a reading assignment, I
briefly skim the chapter first.



I learned this week that I am most
productive at night. I am a very social
person and so when others are having
fun, I want to have fun with them. But at
night, it is only me, my computer and my
thoughts. I focus better at this time of
day.
I have noticed that I tend to drift off in
government class when the professor
lectures. I will try to refocus my energy
and listen by making myself look into the
professor’s eyes so that I can get an idea
of how the professor feels about what he
is saying.
To keep myself paying attention, I pinch
myself so that I will stop falling asleep.
The other way I stay awake is by taking
notes and finding interesting things about
the subject.
Comments from students’ journals and the portfolios.
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Summative assessment
3.5
3
2.5
LC
2.9
No LC
2.26
88%
86%
2
84%
1.5
82%
1
80%
0.5
78%
0
76%
Academic Achievement:
GPA first semester
N no learning community =16
LC
88%
90%
No LC
81%
Retention: Percent retained
for the first year
N learning community =25
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Compilation

Our approach worked:
 Formative analysis indicated that friendships and study
skills helped students stay on track academically.
 Summative analysis indicated higher grades and increased
enrollment.
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Conclusions

How the self-regulated
learning paradigm can
help staff systematize
assessment:



Study strategies
Friendships
Meta-cognition

Multi-cultural
components of selfregulated learning.



Sense of belonging
Importance of effort
Techniques to assess a
multi-cultural learning
community.


Formative
Summative
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References
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