AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Student Engagement & SEM: A
Shared Vision for Institutional
Effectiveness
Clayton Smith, University of Windsor
Alicia Moore, Central Oregon Community College
©Smith/Moore
1
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Topics
 Welcome & Introductions
 History & Context
 Key Research Findings
 Understanding Institutional Culture &
Readiness
 Connecting Back to SEM
 Best Practices
 Discussion, Resources & Wrap-Up
© Smith/Moore
2
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Welcome &
Introductions
© Smith/Moore
3
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Student Engagement:
Setting the Stage
© Smith/Moore
4
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Institutional Reputation
 At first focused on inputs:
• Student characteristics (prior academic performance
mostly); the more selective, the better
• Institutional resources (quality of faculty, campus
infrastructure, books in the library)
 This formed the basis for rankings (e.g., US
News & World Report, Maclean’s)
© Smith/Moore
5
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Predicting College Success
 It isn’t what you think:
• Test scores
• High school grades
• First term performance
 It is completion of Algebra II in high school
 But it is not used in the admission decision
process at many institutions, including opendoor community colleges
© Smith/Moore
- U. S. DOE, 1999
6
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
But . . .
The nature and quality of first year students’
experiences in the classroom, with faculty, and
with peers are better predictors of desired
educational outcomes associated with college
attendance than precollege characteristics.
-Gerken & Volkwien, 2000
© Smith/Moore
7
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
The Rest of the Story
 What happens during the student’s campus
experience is as, or more, critical than student inputs
 Institutions began to survey students on their
satisfaction with programs & services (e.g., Noel
Levitz’s SSI, CUSC) & external bodies followed
(state/provincial governments, Maclean’s, Globe &
Mail)
 Now some of these measures are considered
accountability measures (e.g., NSSE, CSSE)
© Smith/Moore
8
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Student Engagement:
Key Concepts
 Students’ sustained involvement in learning activities
 Early studies focused on time-on-task behaviors, on
students’ willingness to participate in routine
activities, such as attending classes, submitting
required work and following teachers’ directions in
class
 But student engagement can also be inferred from
more subtle cognitive, behavioral and affective
indicators
© Smith/Moore
9
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Student Engagement:
Key Concepts
 Evidence from decades of studies indicates that:
• The level of challenge and students’ time on task are
positively related to persistence
• The degree to which students are engaged in their
studies impacts directly on the quality of their learning
and their overall educational experience
• The more opportunities a student has to build a
connection to campus, the better their chances of
success
• The characteristics of student engagement can serve as
proxies for quality
© Smith/Moore
10
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
3 Key Student Success Processes
 Active involvement: Time & energy invested in
learning experience inside and outside classroom
(Astin, Tinto, Pace)
 Social integration: Interaction, collaboration &
interpersonal relationships between students &
peers, faculty, staff & administrators (Tinto)
 Personal reflection: Think deeply on learning
experiences (Entwistle & Ramsden, Flavell, Svinicki,
Vygotsky)
© Smith/Moore
11
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
A Comparative Look: Student
Engagement in the US & Canada
 Differ in term of the frequency with which they engage in
active and collaborative learning and student-faculty
interaction. Why?
• The Canadian classroom experience involves less
active participation by students and less individual
contact with faculty members
• The large size of most Canadian universities and
higher student-faculty ratios makes collaborative
learning experiences and faculty contact more
challenging
- Kandiko, 2009
© Smith/Moore
12
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
A Comparative Look, continued
 Students in Canada participate less in three of
the best practices in undergraduate education:
active learning, peer collaboration, and studentfaculty interaction. Three possible explanations:
1. As faculty spend more time doing research, there is
less time available for students
2. Full-time non-tenure and part-time faculty are often
overloaded with classes and unable to devote time and
effort towards fully engaging students
3. Increasing student-faculty ratios leave fewer faculty
assigned to larger cohorts of students.
© Smith/Moore
13
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
A Comparative Look, continued
 Student engagement in Canada and the U.S. was found to
differ by academic major.
• Students in professional fields, such as finance,
management and pre-law had similar responses in
both countries. The narrowest gaps occurred in the
business and professional fields.
• In contrast, there was a marked difference between
Canadian and U.S. students in arts and humanities, life
sciences and social sciences. Canadian students in
those majors reported considerably less engagement
overall compared to their U.S. peers.
© Smith/Moore
14
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Student Engagement:
New Perspectives
© Smith/Moore
15
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Vital Engagement
 Builds on the new discipline of positive
psychology
 Rather than focusing on student
deficiencies, teach and support to student
strengths
 Strength Quest instrument, Gallup
Organization’s Higher Education Division
© Smith/Moore
16
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Vital Engagement
Students find meaning and purpose and a
sense of satisfaction in life after they
discover their signature strengths and after
they gain experience in playing to these
strengths.
-Larry Braskamp (2006)
© Smith/Moore
17
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Vital Engagement Principles
1. Measurement of student characteristics includes
strengths.
2. Educators personalize the learning experience
by practicing individualization whereby they
think about and act upon the strengths of each
student.
© Smith/Moore
18
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Vital Engagement Principles
3. Networking with personal supporters of
strengths development affirms the best in
people and provides praise and recognition for
strengths-based successes.
4. Deliberate application of strengths within and
outside of the classroom fosters development
and integration of new behaviors associated
with positive outcomes.
© Smith/Moore
19
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Vital Engagement Principles
5. Intentional development of strengths requires
that educators and students actively seek out
novel experiences and previously unexplored
venues for focused practice of their strengths
through strategic course selection, use of
campus resources, involvement in
extracurricular activities, internships,
mentoring relationships, or other targeted
growth opportunities.
-Lopez & Louis (2009)
© Smith/Moore
20
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Student Engagement:
Key Research Findings
© Smith/Moore
21
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Key Research Findings
 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; Pascarella/Terenzini, 2005)
 Retention is achieved through the development of
supportive social and education communities in
which all students are integrated (Tinto, 1987)
© Smith/Moore
22
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Key Research Findings
 Students learn more when the are involved in both
the academic and social aspects of the collegiate
experience. An involved student is one who
devotes considerable energy to academics, spends
much time on campus, participates actively in
student organizations and activities, and interacts
often with faculty (Astin, 1993).
© Smith/Moore
23
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Key Research Findings

Student engagement varies more within any given school
or institutional type than between schools or institutional
types (Pascarella/Terenzini, 2005)
•
Though smaller schools generally engage students
more effectively, colleges and universities of similar
size can vary widely (NSSE, 2005)
•
Student engagement is unrelated to selectivity
(Kuh/Pascarella, 2004; NSSE, 2003)
•
Some non-residential schools & community colleges
have exemplary student engagement practices
© Smith/Moore
24
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Key Research Findings
 Some students – such as first generation
students, males, transfer students and those
who live off-campus – are generally less
engaged than others
 Some single mission schools confer
engagement advantages to their students (Kinzie
et al, 2007)
© Smith/Moore
25
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Key Research Findings
Aspirations:
CCSSE

Did not turnComputer
in one or Labs
more
assignments matter
Relationships
19%
26%
Percent of entering students who strongly agree
 Disconnect
students’
aspirations
and
Academicbetween
Advising
20%
or
agree
that
they
have
the
motivation
to
do
Skipped class at least once
28%
actions
what it takes to succeed in college:
Tutoring
 Students
don’t
know what23%
they don’t know
90%
Turned in assignment late
38%
 Finances
are
of primary concern
Financial
Aid
Advising
28% who strongly agree
Percent of entering students
 More
to workprepared
20+ hours
week
thatthan
theyhalf
are expect
academically
to per
succeed
Came to class unprepared
50%
Skill
Labs
32%
in college:
 Students
report more stress over taking tests than
84%study skills 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
other
0%
10%
© Smith/Moore
20%
30%
40%
26
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Key Research Findings
 NSSE
• Academic Challenge
• Active & Collaborative Learning
• Student-Faculty Interaction
• Supportive Campus Environment
• Enriching Educational Experiences
 Similar “best practices” outlined by Gardiner et
al., Astin, Chickering/Gamson, Tinto and
countless others
© Smith/Moore
27
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Student Engagement:
Understanding Institutional
Culture & Readiness
© Smith/Moore
28
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Critical Aspects of Student
Engagement
 Include & engage faculty
 Move away from an “a la carte” approach to
meeting student needs
 Be part of an intentional institution-wide
strategy
 Assess – and scrutinize – effectiveness
 Scalable
© Smith/Moore
29
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Shared Vision
 Involve faculty, student affairs educators, institutional
researchers, SEM practitioners . . . and anyone on campus
who will listen!
 IR as the lead for making sense of data
 Participate where ever possible:
• All campus, division-specific or faculty-only retreats
• Keynote speakers
• State- or province-wide consortiums and work teams
 Honor institutional culture
© Smith/Moore
30
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Learn More About Students
 Gain a broad perspective on the student
population
 Monitor engagement of specific groups of
students
• Entire subpopulations of students may be retention
risks (transfer students, athletes, Aboriginal students)
 Learn about needs of individual students
 Who is vulnerable to departure?
• Who is not making transition to PSE well?
© Smith/Moore
31
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Use Multiple Data Sources
 Confirm findings are consistent across
multiple surveys & assessment methods
 Link results from NSSE, CESSE, CUSC to
other student data such as GPA, residential
status, etc.
• Helps determine if engagement varies across
groups
• Helps identify gaps—or potentially interinstitutional best practices-- in student support
structures
© Smith/Moore
32
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Using NSSE (& Other) Data
 NSSE, CSSE, CUSC, SENSE & others to plan
& improve students’ experiences
 Some examples include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Collaborate & communicate results
Use multiple sources for triangulation
Use data to learn more about students
Use data for assessment
Enhance the first-year experience
Link results from engagement and satisfaction
surveys to student data (e.g., GPA, residency,
credits completed, program, student groups)
© Smith/Moore
33
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
10 Working Principles
1. Create & maintain a stimulating intellectual
environment
2. Value academic work and high standards
3. Monitor & respond to demographic subgroup
differences and their impact on engagement
4. Ensure expectations are explicit and responsive
5. Foster social connections
- Krause, 2005
© Smith/Moore
34
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
10 Working Principles
6. Acknowledge the challenges
7. Provide targeted self-management strategies
8. Use assessment to shape the student experience
and encourage engagement
9. Manage online learning experiences with care
10. Recognize the complex nature of engagement in
your policy and practice
- Krause, 2005
© Smith/Moore
35
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
In the End . . .
 Breathe.
 Keep it simple.
 Find something that clicks, and rally around it.
© Smith/Moore
36
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Student Engagement:
Key Research Findings
© Smith/Moore
37
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Connecting It Back to SEM
 What is the SEM practitioner’s role in
student engagement activities?
 Can NSSE, CSSE & other surveys be used
to set SEM goals?
 Where & how should one begin?
© Smith/Moore
38
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
SEM & Student Engagement Goals
Students who are:
 Better connected
 Increasingly involved on campus
 Deeply invested in learning & growth
…are more likely to persist & graduate.
© Smith/Moore
39
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Important Note
The relationship between student engagement &
student persistence is not linear

Increased level of academic engagement, when
not connected with high levels of social
engagement, is negatively related to student
persistence

High level social engagement in social activities
is positively connected to student persistence
© Smith/Moore
- Hu, 2010
40
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
SEM Transition Model
Strategic
Tactical
Structural
Nominal
Denial
© Smith/Moore
41
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
A Few Student
Engagement Stand-Outs
© Smith/Moore
42
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
University of Nevada – Las Vegas
College of Urban Affairs: Learning
Communities Project
© Smith/Moore
4343
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Overview
 Purpose:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Create connections with peers
Increase course satisfaction
Increase interaction with faculty and students
Increase understanding of connection between disciplines
Increase awareness of college resources
Assistance in building a complete resume
Improve ability to graduate within five years
Increase satisfaction with collegiate experience
 http://urbanaffairs.unlv.edu/advising/learning
© Smith/Moore
44
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Program
 Seven focus areas, depending on student interests:
 Shared advising and instructors
 Service-Learning requirement
 End of the semester celebration
© Smith/Moore
45
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Everett Community College:
Writing on the Rocks
© Smith/Moore
4646
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Overview
 Purpose:
• Increase course satisfaction
• Increase student success in target courses
• Build student connection to one another and to the campus
• Increase interaction amongst faculty
© Smith/Moore
47
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Overview
 Description:
Join a fun and supportive community of learners to study
Mother Earth from a variety of perspectives; perform hands-on
lab experiments; observe the awesome power of Mt. St. Helens,
personally, in the field; and connect those activities through
writing projects. This course combines the study of the
dynamic processes of the Earth (plate tectonics, earthquakes,
volcanoes and geologic time) with the study of the dynamic
process of writing effective essays. Enhance your knowledge of
the Earth by exploring it through a variety of essay formats. And
hone your writing skills by focusing on an in-depth study of our
planet.
© Smith/Moore
48
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
The University of Windsor’s
Outstanding Scholars Program
http://www.uwindsor.ca/outstandingscholars/
© Smith/Moore
49
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Overview
 Purpose:
• To increase high achieving student enrollment in
selected low enrollment programs
• To enhance quality of teaching assistants
 An annual base renewable scholarship
 A paid (200 hours per year) academic
appointment in their home department
 Strong relationships with faculty members
© Smith/Moore
50
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Overview
The Outstanding Scholars Award
HS GPA
4-Yr
3-Yrs of Academic
Scholarship Appointments
Total
80-84.9
$4,000
$6,000
$10,000
85-89.9
$6,000
$6,000
$12,000
90-94.9
$8,000
$6,000
$14,000
95+
$10,000
$6,000
$16,000
…and most other awards can be held concurrently
with an Outstanding Scholars award!
© Smith/Moore
51
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Overview
 Renew Eligibility Requirements
• Achieve a minimum 10.0 cumulative and 10.5
major (out of 13) GPA
• Attend monthly meetings with the program
coordinator during the first year
• Complete a 2-day pre-academic appointment
training program at the beginning of the 2nd year
• Hold an academic appointment during years 2-4
© Smith/Moore
52
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Portland Community College:
Accelerated Math
© Smith/Moore
5353
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Overview
 Purpose
• Accelerate a students progress through developmental-
level math courses
• Decrease student tuition costs
• Increase student sense of accomplishment
 Responding to state initiatives
© Smith/Moore
54
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Program
 Math Skill Building Course
•
•
•
•
•
Five-day, 15-hour program with varying dates and times
Non-credit
Pre- and post-testing for placement
Targeted towards students who tested into MTH 60 (Algebra I)
Saves spaces in more advanced math classes for those
completing this program
• Offered just prior to the term beginning
 Initial cohort: 56% increased math placement levels
© Smith/Moore
55
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Lethbridge College: First Nations,
Métis and Inuit Transition Program
http://www.lethbridgecollege.ab.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1049&Itemid=907
©Smith/Moore
56
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Program
 Provides 12 students with a $12,000 scholarship to aid
with finances
 Provides 3 steps to aid in transition
• Course on introduction to college life (August)
• Additional course in 1st term on skills and attitudes needed for
college success
• Class on leadership skills (January)
 Spiritual support from elders; help from mentors and
advisors
©Smith/Moore
57
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Comprehensive Plan for Faculty
Development at Bethune-Cookman
University
 Faculty-driven faculty development program
 Emphasizes communities of practice
 The synergy created by drawing colleagues
from the eight schools, institutional research
and planning, the Faculty Development Center,
and student affairs
© Smith/Moore
58
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Central Oregon Community
College: Math Course Redesign
© Smith/Moore
5959
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Overview
 Purpose
• Increase student success in and progress though
developmental math courses
• Increase student sense of accomplishment
• Decrease cost of instruction
 Responding to internal SEM goals and state
initiatives
 http://www.thencat.org/index.html
© Smith/Moore
60
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Program
 Math Skill Building Course
• Meet once per week in lecture format
• Two hours per week required in a drop-in lab
• Lab is open Monday – Thursday, 8 am – 8 pm; Fridays, 8
am – 3 pm; Sundays, 12 pm – 8 pm
• Staffed by two “lab assistants”
 Future Directions
• Allow students to move at self-pace and up to two courses
per term
© Smith/Moore
61
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Program
 Results
• Failure rate decreases by up to 20%
• Retention rate increases by up to 30%
• Instructional costs reduced by 20 - 77%
© Smith/Moore
62
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Ontario: Foundations for
Success Project
 Offers case-managed support services & financial
incentives to students at 3 Ontario colleges (Seneca,
Mohawk & Confederation)
• Assesses students after admission but before begin,
identifying those that would benefit from academic tutoring,
peer mentorship & career counselling
• Highest impact when matched with (small) financial bursary
• Has led to 6.4% increase in student retention
• Project specifically benefited low-income students, ESL
students, students entering with low (under 65%) high school
grades, & women
© Smith/Moore
63
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
And Some Other Strategies…
 Aboriginal/Native American student access/retention
 Academic civility
 Academic programs/courses – specialized
 Academic support – writing
 Access – special populations
 Bridging programs
 Building connections between curricular and
extracurricular experiences
 Career development
©Smith/Moore
64
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
And Some Other Strategies…
 Coaching (case managed access to student services,
coaching first-year students on probation)
 Co-curricular record
 Community outreach
 Cross-departmental collaboration
 Cultural sensitivity
 Emotional Intelligence interventions
 Faculty development
 Financial aid
©Smith/Moore
65
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
And Some Other Strategies…
 Graduate student teaching development workshops
 Integration of enrolment management & student
services
 Learning & information commons
 Peer mentor programs
 Planning (staff/faculty retreats and symposia)
 Recognition for staff & faculty
 Residence (academic, bridging and transition
programs)
©Smith/Moore
66
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
And Some Other Strategies…
 Service learning
 Supplemental instruction
 Teaching (clickers, critical thinking, early feedback,
hybrid courses, idea incubator, technology in large
classes)
©Smith/Moore
67
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Case Studies
© Smith/Moore
68
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Case Study Questions
 What would you do to increase institutional
capacity for student engagement?
 What SEM practices might help this
institution reach its student engagement
goals?
© Smith/Moore
69
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Wrap-Up
© Smith/Moore
70
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Resources
© Smith/Moore
71
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Resources
 National Survey on Student Engagement
Website: http://nsse.iub.edu/html/reports.cfm
 National Resource Center for the First-Year
Experience and Students in Transition Web
site: http://www.sc.edu/fye/
 Community College Survey on Student
Engagement: http://www.ccsse.org/index.cfm
 Canadian SEM Website: www.uwindsor.ca/sem
• Student Engagement Bibliography
• Student Engagement Programs in Canada
© Smith/Moore
72
AACRAO SEM Conference Nashville 2010
Contact Us
Clayton Smith
csmith@windsor.ca
519.253.3000
Alicia Moore
amoore@cocc.edu
541.383.7244
© Smith/Moore
73