Assessing Educational Sanctions
that Facilitate Student Learning with
First-Time Alcohol Policy Violators
International Assessment and
Retention Conference
St. Louis, Missouri
June 10, 2007
Dr. David Hoffman
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Director, Office
of Citizenship and Community Standards
Truman State University
Agenda

Institutional Overview
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Overview of Educational Sanctions
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Educational Sanction Learning Outcomes
Educational Sanctions for First-time Alcohol Policy
Violators


Fast Facts
Context
AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
Alcohol Discussion Group
Out-of-Class Experiences Planning Map Sanction Assignment
Alcohol Reflection Essay
Documenting Student Learning and Development
Experiential Activity: Evaluating an Alcohol Reflection
Essay
Disseminating Results
Questions and Sharing:

Assessing student conduct learning and development outcomes
on your campus
Truman State University
Quick Facts

Mission: Missouri’s highly selective public
liberal arts and science university
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Location: Kirksville, Missouri
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Provide the quality of a private liberal arts education
at a public institution cost
Rural community of 17,000 located:
90 miles north of Columbia, MO
150 miles northeast of Kansas City
200 miles from St. Louis
140 miles southeast from Des Moines, IA
Student to Faculty Ratio: 15:1
Truman State University: Quick Facts

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On-campus Residents: approximately 3,000
Enrollment: approximately 6,000 total
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Greek Population: 1,520

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5,750 undergraduate
250 graduate
43% male/57%female
Average age 19
26% total
20% women
35% men
Campus Safety: Commissioned, armed police
officers
Context
Truman has a long history of being a “dry”
campus and alcohol is not permitted on
campus for students, faculty, staff, or guests
 Truman serves primarily traditional age, 18-22
year old students in a residential liberal arts
setting


First-year students required to live on campus
• Comprise about 50% of campus residents
• Only about 25 local students that live at home

Other on-campus residents
• Sophomores comprise 25%
• Juniors and Seniors 25%
Context

Truman is a member of Missouri Partners in
Prevention, a state-wide coalition of 12 four-year
public higher education institutions committed to
reducing underage student drinking and the
misuse and abuse of alcohol

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
http://pip.truman.edu/
http://web.missouri.edu/~umcstudentlifemopip/
Comprehensive Campus Approach (based on
recommendations of Higher Education Center)
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Prevention Education
Harm Reduction
Environmental Management
Intervention
Context

Efforts of the campus-wide coalition as assessed
by CORE Alcohol and Drug Survey and EBI
Residence Life Survey have demonstrated:
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Decrease in frequency and number of drinks
consumed per occasion (CORE)
Decrease in high risk or “binge” drinking rates
(CORE)
Decrease in number of underage drinkers (CORE)
Increase in resident students who report not drinking
to 50% (EBI)
CORE: http://pip.truman.edu/survey_results.asp
Context

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Alcohol policy enforcement is one prong of Truman’s
campus-wide approach to addressing student alcohol
misuse and abuse
Improved consistency in enforcing campus alcohol policy
has resulted in increased conduct referrals during last six
years from Residence Life and Campus Police to
Conduct Office
The Office of Citizenship and Community Standards has
a holistic educational philosophy in addressing student
misconduct through the sanctioning process:
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Environmental management-accountability for behavior
Prevention Education-enhance knowledge, skills, and attitudes
Harm Reduction-enhance knowledge, skills, and attitudes
Intervention-referral and accountability for behavior
2003-2006 Three-Year Alcohol Violation Statistics
Proscribed
Conduct-Student
Conduct Code
Charged with
Alcohol Violations
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
# of
Offenses
% of
Offenses
# of
Offenses
% of
Offenses
# of
Offenses
% of
Offenses
10. Alcohol
Violations
106
43.1%
162
41.5%
184
17.6%
10.1 Public
Intoxication
34
13.8%
42
10.8%
63
6.0%
10.2 Manufacture,
possession,
distribution of
alcoholic beverages
71
28.9%
107
27.4%
115
11.0%
10.3 Operating a
vehicle under the
influence of alcohol
1
0.4%
3
0.8%
4
0.4%
10.4 Furnishing
Alcohol to under age
students, intoxicated
individuals, or
students on
University property.
0
0.0%
10
2.6%
2
0.2%
Overview of
Educational Sanctions

Evolved from developmental sanctioning
philosophy and guide
 Developmental alcohol sanctions in place for six
years
 Influenced by Gary Pavela’s charge to learn
from “positive psychology” and include more
Socratic dialogue in sanctions
 ASJA (Association for Student Judicial Affairs)
listserv suggested using Harvard College
Alcohol Study and having students focus on
second-hand effects of alcohol
Overview of
Educational Sanctions
 Charged
by SSAO to assess learning
outcomes of departmental programs
(sanctions)
 Use Kitchener and King Reflective
Judgment Model as a basis for alcohol
reflection essays
 Sanctions are assigned within the context
of a comprehensive campus-wide approach
to addressing student alcohol misuse and
abuse
Educational Sanction
Learning Outcomes
 Provide/assure
student baseline
knowledge about alcohol
 Provide opportunity for student to reflect
on incident
 Provide opportunity for student to take
responsibility for behavior during incident
 Provide opportunity for student to think
about behaving differently in future based
on incident and sanctions
Educational Sanctions for First-time
Alcohol Policy Violators

Complete web-based AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
course
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$30 cost billed to student account
Allowed three weeks to complete first three chapters,
two surveys, and exam
Allowed two weeks to complete Chapter 4 and Survey
3 after month interval from exam due date
Attend Alcohol Discussion Group offered by
Counseling Center for conduct referrals

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Offered once per month
90-120 minute discussion group
Educational Sanctions for First-time
Alcohol Policy Violators

Alcohol Reflection Essay
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Essay 1 (Read Kingsley essay, reflect on Out-ofClass Experiences Planning Map assignment, and
respond to prompts)-first-years
Essay 2 (Read Kingsley essay, read
Harvard/Wechsler college alcohol study article, and
respond to prompts)-sophomores
Essay 3 (Read Eesley essay, read Harvard/Wechsler
college alcohol study article, and respond to
prompts)-juniors/seniors
Additional Sanctions in Cases with
Health or Safety Concerns

Parental notification in health and safety
situations
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Assessment in severe intoxication or violence
situations
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BAC above .15, hospital ER visit, protective custody,
driving while intoxicated
Student generally has 48 hours from hearing to inform
parents and have them confirm with Conduct Officer
Alcohol Innerview
Counseling Assessment
Residence hall relocation
Limitation on activities
AlcoholEdu for Sanctions

Special Features for Judicial Programs

Several important features of AlcoholEdu for
Sanctions make it the most effective online tool
available to meet the specific alcohol prevention
needs of college judicial and disciplinary programs:
 Screening
Tool: AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
integrates AUDIT (the Alcohol Use Disorders
Identification Test), a tool developed by the World Health
Organization, to help students assess their own drinking
behavior. Though not a diagnostic intervention, the 10question test presents automated feedback to students
based on their responses, encouraging those with
potential problems to seek support through a formal
assessment by a trained health professional.
AlcoholEdu for Sanctions

Personalized Feedback: Based on proven
motivational interviewing techniques, AlcoholEdu for
Sanctions collects responses from students to questions
about their behavior and provides information that helps
them evaluate and reflect upon their past drinking
choices.
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Personal Journal: Students respond to open-ended
questions about the kinds of choices and situations that
often result in violations of alcohol policies in a
confidential, personal journal. With year-long access
through the AlcoholEdu for Sanctions Notebook portal,
they can later review and reflect upon what they have
written.
AlcoholEdu for Sanctions

Four-Chapter Format AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
includes four chapters covering decision-making about
drinking – from the way drinking affects college life to
practical scenarios that illustrate the real circumstances
in which drinking decisions will have to be made. The
chapter contents include:


Shaping Our Decisions: Highlights to students the
factors that influence their drinking decisions,
including family and culture, social situations, media,
and advertising.
Knowing the Facts: Introduces the science- and
research-based facts, including the impact of alcohol
on the body, the factors influencing BAC levels, its
impact on risk-taking behaviors and decision-making,
including drinking and driving, and the effects of
various levels of BAC on learning and memory.
AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
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When it Matters: Helps students design their own
decision-making strategies, including handling
parties, coping with peer pressure, understanding
alcohol’s interactions with other drugs, finding a
support network, and helping others address
problems with alcohol.
Deciding for Yourself: Encourages students to
integrate key content and decision-making strategies
with their experiences with alcohol since the start of
the program (approximately 30 days earlier).
The Course Also Features:

Surveys and knowledge tests. The course collects
data on students’ alcohol-related knowledge,
attitudes, and behaviors at three points in time during
the AlcoholEdu for Sanctions experience.
AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
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Customized user experience. Customized course
pathways – based on each student’s sex and drinking
patterns – ensure students engage with the program
in a meaningful and relevant way to help reduce
negative consequences. The course also reassesses
a student’s “readiness to change” later in the course
and provides additional customization at that point.
Case-based learning and interactive exercises. A
multi-series case study allows students to practice
using realistic scenarios and develop skills that can
be applied in their own lives. Interactive exercises are
also included throughout the course to help reinforce
key content.
AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
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Evidence-based prevention strategies. The course
incorporates evidence-based prevention strategies,
including personalized feedback, motivational
interviewing, expectancy theory, and normative
feedback – strategies recommended by the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
Test out and opt out. The course acknowledges
students’ previous learning, allowing them to “test out”
of certain sections. Students can also “opt out” of
certain, non-compulsory sections of the course.
These options provide a satisfying, streamlined user
experience.
AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
 Course
sequence
 Outside
The Classroom

http://www.outsidetheclassroom.com
AlcoholEdu for College Results
2004-2005
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98 students assigned to course
88 students completed course
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95 students completed exam
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3 students didn’t complete exam
7 students didn’t complete course conclusion
91 met the required 75% passing score on the exam
Two students didn’t pass (73% and 74% scores)
Average score was 90.1%
High 100%; low 73%
Wealth of attitudinal and knowledge gain data
provided in analysis by Outside the Classroom
AlcoholEdu for Sanctions Results
2005-2006
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99 students assigned to course
75 students completed course
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97 students completed
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Average score on first attempt was 87.1%
High 100%,; low 65%
13 students didn’t pass first-time and had to re-take the exam
91 students completed exam with a passing score of 80
on the exam
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2 students didn’t complete exam
22 students didn’t complete course conclusion
Average score was 89%
High 100%; low 80%
Wealth of attitudinal and knowledge gain data provided
in analysis by Outside the Classroom
Alcohol Discussion Group
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Usually held once a month in the evening
Facilitated by University Counselor and Intern
Alcohol 101+ and AlcoholEdu materials serve as
resource
Psycho-educational, mostly discussion based
reflection group
Topics: responsible drinking, alcohol effects on
the body, driving while intoxicated, setting
drinking limits, etc.
Confidential, attendance verified
Students assigned sanction
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2004-2005: 87 students
2005-2006: 64 students
2006-2007: 60 students
Out-of-Class Experience Planning Map
Sanction Assignment
Out-of-Class Experience Planning
Map Sanction Assignment

First Year students
 Completion of the Out-of-Class Planning Map
Self-Assessment and Goal Setting Exercises
by (Friday four weeks after hearing date) at 5
p.m.


You are required to review information on the Out-of-Class
Experience Map which can be found at
http://saffairs.truman.edu/planning_map/.
Please read and review the following sections: Understand the
Purpose, Download the Map (Quadrants, Setting Goals,
Examples, How to Get Involved, and How to Use the Map), Take
the Self-Assessment, Experience the Benefits, and Questions for
Students.
Out-of-Class Experience Planning Map
Sanction Assignment

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Please download and complete the Out-of-Class Planning Map
Self-Assessment available at:
http://saffairs.truman.edu/planning_map/self_assessment.htm.
After completing the self-assessment, download the Goal Sheet
available at
http://saffairs.truman.edu/planning_map/planning_map.htm.
Please identify at least one long-term goal for each of the four
quadrants and two out-of-class activities that you might engage
in to accomplish each goal.
When you have completed the self-assessment
and the goal sheet as instructed, seek out a
member of the faculty or staff at Truman (your
RCP or faculty advisor, hall director, coach,
student affairs staff, etc.) to discuss your selfassessment and initial set of long-term goals.
Out-of-Class Experience Planning
Map Sanction Assignment

Based on that discussion, revise your list of
long-term goals and the out-of-class activities
you have identified to assist you in achieving
your goals.
 Please submit by date copies of your selfassessment, your initial goals and out-of-class
activities sheet, and your revised goals and outof-class activities sheet.
 Students assigned sanction:

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2004-2005: 64 students
2005-2006: 76 students
2006-2007: 33 students
Reflection Assignments for
Alcohol Policy Violators

First assigned 2001-2002 by predecessor as Conduct
Officer
 Refined in 2002-2003 when I assumed role
 Assessed beginning in 2003-2004 through 2005-2006
with an Alcohol Reflection Essay and a Harvard College
Alcohol Study Article Review

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Assignments refined a bit each year
First-year and sophomore students completed a reflection essay
including reading Kingsley essay and completing Out-of-Class
Experiences Planning Map
Juniors and seniors completed a reflection essay reading Eesley
essay and completing separate Harvard College Alcohol Study
Review
Revised to three essay assignment format in 2006-2007
Revised (shortened) evaluation form
Have used coalition members and conduct board
members to evaluate
Alcohol Essay Evaluation
2004-2005 : Reflective Judgment
 Dean
of Student’s reviewed 84 usable
reflection papers for reflective judgment
based on Kitchener and King’s model
 69 (82%) demonstrated evidence of writer
taking personal responsibility for actions
 59 (70%) indicated learning something
from one or more of the educational
sanctions
 55 (65%) indicated they would change
their behavior based upon the experience
Alcohol Reflection Essay 1:
First Year Students (FY07)

Assignment Directions:


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


Alcohol Reflection Essay 1 due date (after AlcoholEdu first
date and Group) at 5:00 p.m. in the Office of Citizenship and
Community Standards.
You are required to write a paper reflecting on what you have
learned from this experience, your completion of AlcoholEdu for
Sanctions, participation in the Alcohol Discussion Group, and
completion of the Out-of-Class Planning Map assignment.
In addition, please read the essay by Jennifer Kingsley entitled
“Academics are the Easy Part of College” available at:
http://www.collegevalues.org/reflections.cfm?id=322&a=1 .
This paper should be three to five pages in length, 12-point font,
Times New Roman, and double-spaced with standard margins.
This paper should utilize appropriate language, grammar, and
spelling.
If the paper does not address these requirements it may be
returned for revisions.
Alcohol Reflection Essay 1:
First Year Students (FY07)

Reflection prompts:






Please write about what you have learned about your
own decisions and behavior during this incident.
How do your values and ethics affect your decisions?
How does alcohol affect this decision-making ability
for you?
What responsibility do you have for the effects of your
drinking behavior on others, especially those in the
Truman community?
How has your drinking behavior impacted others,
especially those in the Truman community?
What are your thoughts on Ms. Kingsley’s statement
“the most difficult, dilemma-filled component of
college life is the social life.”
Alcohol Reflection Essay 2:
Sophomore Students (FY07)

Assignment Directions



Alcohol Reflection Essay 2 due date (after
AlcoholEdu for Sanctions first due date and
Group) at 5:00 p.m. in the Office of Citizenship
and Community Standards.
You are required to write a paper reflecting on what
you have learned from this experience, your
completion of AlcoholEdu for Sanctions, and
participation in the Alcohol Discussion Group.
In addition, please read the essay by Jennifer
Kingsley entitled “Academics are the Easy Part of
College” available at:
http://www.collegevalues.org/reflections.cfm?id=322&
a=1 and the 2001 Harvard College Alcohol Study and
Trends article by Henry Wechsler and others
available at:
Alcohol Reflection Essay 2:
Sophomore Students (FY07)




http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/Documents/trends/Tre
nds.pdf.
This paper should be five to seven pages, 12-point font,
Times New Roman, and double-spaced with standard
margins.
This paper should utilize appropriate language,
grammar, and spelling.
If the paper does not address the requirements it may
be returned for revisions.
Alcohol Reflection Essay 2:
Sophomore Students (FY07)

Reflection Prompts:




Please write about what you have learned about your
own decisions and behavior during this incident.
How do your values and ethics affect your decisions?
How does alcohol affect this decision-making ability
for you?
What are your thoughts on Ms. Kingsley’s statement
“the most difficult, dilemma-filled component of
college life is the social life?”
Alcohol Reflection Essay 2:
Sophomore Students (FY07)




In reading the Harvard Study, please focus on what
Wechsler and his colleagues describe as the
secondary effects of binge drinking and alcohol abuse
by college students. What responsibility do you have
for the effects of your drinking behavior on others,
especially those in the Truman community?
How has your drinking behavior impacted others,
especially those in the Truman community?
Based on this review and your answers to the
previous questions, do you believe you need to act
differently in the future?
Why or why not?
Alcohol Reflection Essay 3:
Junior/Senior Students (FY07)
 Assignment



Directions:
Reflection Paper due date (after AlcoholEdu for
Sanctions first due date and Group) at 5:00 p.m. in
the Office of Citizenship and Community
Standards.
You are required to write a paper reflecting on what
you have learned from this experience, your
completion of AlcoholEdu for Sanctions, and
participation in the Alcohol Discussion Group.
In addition, please read the essay by Chuck Eesley
entitled “Figuring Out Life’s Most Important
Questions” available at:
http://www.collegevalues.org/reflections.cfm?id=676&
a=1 and the 2001 Harvard College Alcohol Study and
Trends article by Henry Wechsler and colleagues
available at:
Alcohol Reflection Essay 3:
Junior/Senior Students (FY07)
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/Documents/trends/Trends.pdf



This paper should be five to seven pages, 12-point
font, Times New Roman, and double-spaced with
standard margins.
This paper should utilize appropriate language,
grammar, and spelling.
If the paper does not address these requirements it
may be returned for revisions.
Alcohol Reflection Essay 3:
Junior/Senior Students (FY07)

Reflection Prompts:




Please answer the following questions: What legacy
do you want to leave for this world?
What have you done to accomplish this?
How might your behavior in this incident be an
obstacle to accomplishing your goals in this regard?
In reading the Harvard Study, please focus on what
Wechsler and his colleagues describe as the
secondary effects of binge drinking and alcohol abuse
by college students.
Alcohol Reflection Essay 3:
Junior/Senior Students (FY07)




What responsibility do you have for the effects of your
drinking behavior on others, especially those in the
Truman community?
How has your drinking behavior impacted others,
especially those in the Truman community?
Based on this review and your answers to the
previous questions, do you believe you need to act
differently in the future?
Why or why not?
Alcohol Reflection Essays 2006-2007

Alcohol Reflection Essay 1 Assigned: 58




Alcohol Reflection Essay 2 Assigned: 13




Completed as of June 3, 2007: 47
Fall 2006: 28 assigned; 27 completed
Spring 2007: 30 assigned; 20 completed
Completed as of June 3, 2007 : 9
Fall 2006: 9 assigned; 6 completed
Spring 2007:4 assigned; 3 completed
Alcohol Reflection Essay 3 Assigned: 29



Completed as of June 3, 2007 : 24
Fall 2006: 22 assigned; 19 completed
Spring 2007: 7 assigned; 5 completed
Fall 2006 Alcohol Essay
Sanction Evaluation

A sample of 51 out of 52 completed Alcohol
Reflection Essays were evaluated from the Fall
2006 semester




Alcohol Reflection Essay 1: 27
Alcohol Reflection Essay 2: 6
Alcohol Reflection Essay 3: 19
Evaluations were conducted by six student
members of University Conduct Board
 Rater disagreements were resolved by a student
worker in Office of Citizenship and Community
Standards
Fall 2006 Alcohol Essay
Sanction Evaluation
Theme
Yes
No
Not Discussed
A. AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
A.1 Student reported AlcoholEdu for sanctions was
a positive experience
A.2 Student reported gaining useful knowledge and/or
information from AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
A.3 Other themes:
31
12
8
60.8%
23.5%
15.7%
32
11
8
62.7%
21.6%
15.7%
5
38
8
9.8%
74.5%
15.7%
Fall 2006 Alcohol Essay
Sanction Evaluation
B. Alcohol Discussion Group
B.1 Student reported the Alcohol Discussion Group
was a positive experience
B.2 Student reported gaining useful knowledge and/or
information from Alcohol Discussion Group
B.3 Other themes:
20
11
20
39.2%
21.6%
39.2%
18
13
20
35.3%
25.5%
39.2%
4
27
20
7.8%
53.0%
39.2%
Fall 2006 Alcohol Essay
Sanction Evaluation
C. Reflective Judgment
C.1 Essay demonstrates student taking personal
responsibility for his/her actions/behavior during
46
5
90.2%
9.8%
41
10
80.4%
19.6%
42
9
82.4%
17.6%
incident
C.2 Essay demonstrates student gained useful
knowledge and/or information from one or more
of the educational sanctions
C.3 Essay demonstrates that student indicates he/she
will change behavior based on incident
Fall 2006 Alcohol Essay Evaluation:
Documenting Student Learning
and Development




Compiled summary list of narrative themes documented
by evaluators
Evaluation of the alcohol reflection essays demonstrate
that approximately 75% of those discussing AlcoholEdu
for Sanctions reported gaining useful knowledge and that
it was a positive experience
Evaluation of the alcohol reflection essays demonstrate
that approximately two-thirds of those discussing the
Alcohol Discussion Group reported gaining useful
knowledge and that it was a positive experience
The alcohol reflection essay demonstrate that over 80%
of the sanctioned students achieved the learning
reflection outcomes as assessed by the evaluators.
Experiential Activity
 Rate
an Alcohol Reflection Essay
 Compare ratings with your partner
 Discussion
Disseminating Results

Results of the assessment have been shared in
the department’s annual report with the Senior
Student Affairs Officer since 2003-2004.
 The SSAO included the results from the
department’s annual report in a bi-monthly report
to University Board of Governors in August
2004.
 The Board of Governors were intrigued by the
assessment and asked that this assessment
data continue to be collected and reported to
them on an annual basis.
Disseminating Results

The summary data is available to the University
community on the office website.
 The data is shared annually with other Student
Affairs directors as part of the office presentation
of assessment data.
 The outcome evaluation data has been
significant in refining and/or retaining the
reflection prompts, the alcohol discussion group,
and AlcoholEdu for Sanctions
Discussion and Questions
 Successful
Educational Sanctions for
Violators on your campus?
THANK YOU!!
David A. Hoffman, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and
Director, Office of Citizenship and
Community Standards
Truman State University
 E-mail:
dhoffman@truman.edu
 Voice: 660.785.4111
 Web: http://conduct.truman.edu
Resources

Web

Truman State University
http://www.truman.edu/

Office of Citizenship and Community Standards
http://conduct.truman.edu/

Partners in Prevention
http://pip.truman.edu/

Student Affairs
http://saffairs.truman.edu/

Out-of-Class Planning Map
http://.truman.edu/planning_map/

References



King, P. & Kitchener, K. (1994). Developing reflective judgment. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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