A “Fresh” Perspective on
College Freshmen
Beloit College Mindset List – c/o 2011
Members of the class of 2011, entering college fall 2007, were mostly born in 1989.
For these students:
 Fox has always been a major TV network.
 Russia has always had a multi-party political system.
 What Berlin Wall?
 They have never “rolled down” a car window.
 Wal-Mart has always been a larger retailer than Sears and has always
employed more workers than GM.
 MTV has never featured music videos.
 "Google" has always been a verb. (taken from c/o 2010 list)
 Thanks to MySpace and Facebook, autobiography can happen in real time.
 The WWW has been an online tool since they were born.
 When else fails, the Prozac defense has always been a possibility.
 Rap music has always been mainstream.
 Women’s Studies has always been offered as a major on college campuses.
 They will encounter roughly equal numbers of female and male professors in the
classroom.
Source: www.beloit.edu/publicaffairs/mindset/2011.php
National Norms for Fall 2007
Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP)
Freshman Survey administered by the Higher Education Research
Institute at UCLA.
 Conducted for 42 years; Over 13 million student participants
Over 1900 schools
 Published each year in “The American Freshman”
 2007 data based on responses of 272,036 students at 356 4-year
colleges and universities
 Examines characteristics and expectations of incoming students
before starting college
 http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/index.php
Most Frequent Habits of Mind
Students were asked to identify how likely they were to
engage in each of the following over the last year:
Support opinions with a logical argument Ask questions in class Revise your papers to improve your writing Seek feedback on your academic work Evaluate reliability of info you received Explore topics on your own -
58.2%
54.4%
46.8%
43.9%
35.0%
29.0%
(even though it was not required for class)
Look up scientific research articles and resources-
21.2%
Parental Involvement
Survey assessed students’ perceptions of parental
involvement with college-related activities.
Latino students were more likely to report “too little”
parental involvement.
Activity
Choosing college activities
Choosing college courses
Dealings with officials at college
Application to college
Decision to go to college
White
16.1%
18.6%
12.1%
11.9%
4.2%
Latino
43.3%
43.5%
32.2%
27.3%
11.5%
Note: Indicates percentage who reported “too little” parental involvement for each activity.
Social Networking Sites
According to the HERI website, 94% of first year college
students use them.
 49% reported spending 1-5 hours per week on sites
 32% reported spending none to less than 1 hour
 19% reported 6 hours or more
 Women were more likely than men to use them
 Doesn’t appear to take time away from studying
(51% reported spending 1-5 hours per week on
HW/studying)
 Those with high use do report less confidence in study
skills and time management
Additional Findings
 Research indicated an increase in overall importance
of diversity issues.
 Slight increase in the importance of environmental
issues (although not as high as it was in early 90s).
 When asked about reasons for selecting a
college/university, results indicated slight increases in
the following factors:
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Academic Reputation
Job Outlook for Graduates
Graduate School Admissions
National Rankings
Cost/Affordability
FIU’s CIRP Data
In 2007 FIU participated in the CIRP survey
 2114 FIU first-year students participated
 The following data offers comparison between
responses and perceptions of FIU students and
their national counterparts.
FIU’s CIRP Data
Demographics
Ethnicity
White
African Am./Black
Latino/Hispanic
Asian Am./Asian
Pacific Islander/Hawaii
Other
FIU*
20.7%
8.9%
71.6%
5.2%
0.5%
6.0%
National
86.7%
6.8%
5.3%
3.8%
0.8%
2.5%
English is Native Language
61.9% 96.7%
*Note: This reflects data from only those students who completed the survey
FIU’s CIRP Data
High School Information
HS Type
Public
Public (charter/magnet)
Private religious
FIU*
60.1%
20.4%
15.6%
National
82.1%
3.3%
9.9%
Mostly white
Mostly non-white
23.1% 59.3%
42.6% 7.4%
*Note: This reflects data from only those students who completed the survey
FIU’s CIRP Data
Parental Information/Background
Income Info
Income ≥ $100,000
FIU*
National
25.0% 38.5%
College Degree
Father
Mother
FIU*
National
45.1% 52.6%
44.7% 52.8%
*Note: This reflects data from only those students who completed the survey
FIU freshman spent more time than
their national counterparts:
 Socializing with someone of another
racial/ethnic group
 Using the internet for research or homework
 Volunteering
 Working more than 20 hours per week
 Tutoring another student
 Studying with other students
 Reading for pleasure
FIU freshman spent less time than their
national counterparts:
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Smoking cigarettes
Talking with teachers outside of class
Discussing politics
Being bored in class
Drinking beer/wine/liquor
Feeling depressed
Feeling overwhelmed by all they had to do
Millennial Students/Helicopter Parents
 Born between approximately 1978 - 1995
 When these students were growing up, they were highly
scheduled and highly sheltered by their parents.
 There are strong bonds between these students and their
parents and they tend to stay connected.
 They are expected to excel. If they do not excel and their
parents have the financial means, they are provided tutors
and coaches.
 Parents expect that individual attention, extra help, and other
institutional resources will be provided. They expect us to
protect and educate their students.
Source: Muntz, P. (2004). “Millenials Go to College,” Journal of College Admission. Book Review.
The Millennials:
 Also called Generation Y, Net Generation, Digital Generation, Baby
Busters
 Techno-savvy; always connected
 Self-confident, optimistic, hopeful, goal-oriented, and success-driven
 They are diverse and inclusive
 More global, civic, and community-minded than Generation X
 Entrepreneurial
 Approach learning from a collaborative approach
 Believe that education is a good thing
 Thrive on flexibility and space to explore
 Value guidance and partner well with mentors
Source: “Who Are the Millenials?” - Fact Sheet by Deloitte Consulting (2007).
High School Experience
 Their days were rigidly controlled
 They often had a personal relationship with a teacher which
helped to motivate them
 Assigned reading was discussed thoroughly in class
 Students were tested frequently covering short spans of material
 Their view of learning was often memorizing a collection of facts
 Their view of teaching was transmission of knowledge from
teacher to student
 Many had strong support systems of family and friends to turn to
for advice, help or comfort
Their First Year
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sharing a room for the first time
writing a check for the first time
finding their way around a new place
learning a new set of rules and procedures
adapting to living away from home
learning to manage their own time
interacting with people with diverse backgrounds and values
adapting to different classroom norms
learning how to learn
altering or developing study habits
exploring their sexuality
thinking about their future
feeling like a small fish in a big pond
Student Development Theory
 Astin’s Involvement Theory
 Challenge and Support – Sanford
 Identity Development Theories (racial,
ethnic, GLBT, gender)
 Schlossberg’s Transition Theory
 Kohlberg – Moral Development
 Chickering – Vectors of Identity
 Perry – Intellectual Development
Chickering’s 7 Vectors of
Identity Development
k
Developing
Competence
Moving Through
Autonomy Toward
Interdependence
Managing
Emotions
“Vectors are major highways for journeying
toward individualization”-Arthur Chickering
Developing
Purpose
Establishing
Identity
Developing
Integrity
Developing Mature
Interpersonal
Relationships
Emotional, Interpersonal,
Ethical & Intellectual
Development
Perry
Facts; Black and
White; Right
and Wrong
Just as lost
What knowledge is to them…
Container to
be Filled
How they view other students…
Intellectual
Development
How they view self…
Structure,
interaction,
experience
of new students
Ways they learn…
Source of ALL
Knowledge
How they view the instructor…
Memorizing
the facts
What learning means…
What Can We Do?
 Realize that entering freshmen were high school students three months
earlier.
 Be explicit about your expectations and the type of learning expected in
your course.
 Communicate directly the importance of attending class.
 Teach students how to prepare for college assignments and exams.
 Provide assessment and feedback often.
 Ask students questions during class.
 Encourage students to ask questions or seek assistance as a normal part
of the learning process
 Maximize active, experiential, problem-based learning; minimize lecturing.
 Use cooperative (team-based) learning extensively, both in and out of
class.
 Highlight major points at the beginning of the lecture.
 Summarize periodically during each class and at the end of a lecture.
 Design course in terms of learning outcomes, instead of course objectives.
WHY?
Our task as educators of freshmen
students involves far more than teaching
the content of our courses. We need to
teach these students how to become
effective life-long learners.
Charlie Andrews
Director, Academic Advising Center
Undergraduate Studies – University Park
www.fiu.edu/~advising
andrewsc@fiu.edu
305-348-2892