Improving Student Success in Gateway Classes

1. Update from Gateway Success Implementation Team April 29, 2009 Dr. Mary McCoy, co-chair Dr. Steven Shore, co-chair

2. Charge • Improve success rates in “gateway classes” identified by a prior committee as courses that needed attention. • ENGL 1113, POLSC 1113, PSY 1113, HIST 1483, MATH 1513 • Look at and implement methods (e.g. collaborative or cooperative learning and critical reading) identified by the same committee to improve student success.

3. Goals • Improve student success in gateway classes without sacrificing rigor. • Maintain variety in teaching approaches - one size does not fit all. • Make information and training options available to faculty.

4. Approach • Identify “best practices” already on campus. • Explore strategies that have been successful elsewhere. • Once identified, make recommendations for promoting those practices and strategies.

5. Completed Activities • Institutional Effectiveness recently conducted student focus groups (two sessions) on what professors do to encourage or discourage success in gateway classes. Data pending. (Questions) • Developed methodology to identify some of the “best practices” already present on campus.

6. Faculty “Best Practices” Methodology • Institutional Effectiveness identified five faculty for each gateway course with the highest rate of students (out of >100 students) completing with A,B,C,or S from Sp 07 to Fa 08. Faculty names are being kept confidential. • Gateway Success Team developed a list of eleven questions to explore what identified faculty are doing. • Identified faculty were sent email (when possible) plus a written request for their participation. • Identified faculty who volunteer to participate are being scheduled for informal in-person interviews (1 hour) with committee members. • Once scheduled, identified faculty volunteers are given the list of questions along with a request to choose any three to five questions to address in the interview. • Interviews are being conducted with the opportunity for follow-up questions from the committee. Sessions are being taped if permitted by the interviewee.

7. Ongoing Activities • Faculty interviews • Six completed so far. • Three more scheduled. • Very preliminary findings… • Instructors interviewed have had high expectations of students (strict late policies, high demands, and high standards) • Most have favored a lecture format • Most showed indications of considerable self-reflection - How can I do this better? • Most indicated making efforts at individual student contact.

8. Future Activities • Analyze data from student focus groups (Fa 09?) • Complete faculty interviews (Fa 09?) • Analyze data from faculty interviews (Fa 09) • Develop list of recommendations based on findings • Training session on cooperative learning • Coordinated by Center for Learning and Teaching and Professional Development. • Consultants from University of Minnesota will come here to train faculty volunteers in cooperative learning approach. • Trained faculty will implement new approach in Fall 09. • Faculty implementing cooperative learning approach will begin training other faculty volunteers in Sp 10. • Supplemental or follow-up surveys??

9. Committee Members • Paul Buckelew - Math and Science • Dr. Jeff Carlisle - Social Sciences • Kim Jameson - Arts and Humanities • Jenean Jones - Business • Haifeng Ji - Information Technology • Susan VanSchuyver - Dean, Arts and Humanities THANK YOU!

11. Student Focus Group Questions 1.  What things did your instructor do that helped you be successful in your class? 2.  What things did your instructor do that may have hindered your success in your class? 3.  What things could your instructor have done that would have helped you be successful? • After these questions had been addressed, the facilitator explored what things other than the instructor the students felt had impacted their success or lack of success.

12. Faculty Interview Questions 1.  What is your primary instructional strategy? (e.g. lecture with or without PowerPoint/ multimedia, discussions, groups, etc.) 2. How do you motivate students to interact with the material? 3. Would you describe techniques that you use outside the classroom that you believe assist in your student’s success. 4. If you were a mentor to a first time faculty member, what is the number one piece of advice you would have for this new faculty member? 5. When you have low energy with a class or with your teaching, what do you do? 6. Would you describe some specific techniques that you use in the classroom that you believe assist in your student’s success. 7. If you utilize classroom discussions, how do you make those discussions effective and encourage student participation? 8. Do you include any collaborative or cooperative learning activities in your class?  Would you give some specific examples of those activities? 9. If you utilize collaborative/cooperative learning, how do insure groups stay on task and each group’s dynamic is working? 10. What is your greatest fear about what you are not doing for your students in relation to their success? 11. When a student is not having success in your class, what do you do?