Academic Interventions that Support Student Achievement and Persistence: A Faculty Perspective

1. Academic Interventions that Support Student Achievement and Persistence:A Faculty Perspective David R. Arendale, Ph.D. General College, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities August 2005 http://mccfl.arendale.org

2. Best Practices (Definition) • Comprised of policies, principles, standards, guidelines, and procedures that contribute to the highest, most resource-effective performance of a discipline. – T. Finneran, CIBER, Inc.

3. CLA Best Practices AreConsistent with the Following • Current student retention theories • Professional standards • Contemporary learning theories for a more diverse student population • Survive rigorous evaluation • Successful replication at variety of institutions • Recognition of practice by national awards programs (e.g., Noel-Levitz, CRLA, NADE)

4. Tinto’s Themes of Attrition • Difficult adjustment • Difficulty level high day-to-day • Incongruence • Social isolation • Financial need • Negative social group Vincent Tinto, Leaving College, 1993.

5. A Staying Environment... • Academic (Curriculum, Instruction) • Progress toward educational career goal • Academic success • Program options clear • Advising and support services available • Social/Psychological (Peers, Environment) • Feeling of belonging • Social Integration • Personal involvement • Positive identity • High self-esteem American College Testing Program

6. Hierarchy of Learning Improvement Programs Higher Potential for improved learning and instructional change Level 4 Comprehensive Learning Systems Level 3: Course- related Learning Services Level 2:Learning Assistance for Individual Students Lower potential Level 1: Remedial Courses Keimig, Raising Academic Standards, 1983

7. Sources of Standards • Professional associations • CRLA Tutoring Training Certification • NADE Guides for DE and Learning Assistance • NADE Certification for DE Components • U.S. Department of Education (e.g. Principles of Scientific Research, Clearinghouse for What Works in Education) • Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) • Exxon National Study of DE Practices • National Study of Postsecondary Student Support Service Programs (TRIO) • Six national CLA programs

8. Overview of Course-basedLearning Assistance Programs

9. Goals of the CLA Program • Improve student academic performance • Increase persistence and graduation rates • Improve cognitive, metacognitive, and affective domain skills • Serve as opportunity for personal and professional growth

10. Common CLA Session Activities • Meet weekly throughout academic term • Integrate what to learn with how to learn it • Allow students to make connections among prior knowledge, text, and lecture • Frequent opportunities for feedback • Modeled behaviors to adopt • Supportive environment to achieve higher

11. What issues does CLA address? • Potential student dropouts do not always display symptoms or weaknesses • Learning environment needs to be enriched for all students (Universal Instructional Design) • Mismatch between the level of instruction and the level of student preparation • Managing study time with a supportive learning and social community

12. Common Venues for CLA • Historically-difficult course for all or groups of students • Rates of 30% or more of D or F final course grades and withdrawals • High rates of reenrollment in the course • Gatekeeper or prerequisite course • Courses at undergraduate, graduate, and professional school level • Test preparation programs (e.g., MCAT, USMLE)

13. Key CLA Partners • CLA program administrator • CLA professional staff • CLA facilitator • CLA sponsoring Instructor • CLA participating students

14. Common Outcomes of CLA • Participating students • Higher success in challenging courses • Higher persistence rates • CLA facilitators • Personal and professional growth • Institution • Higher revenue due to retained students • CLA sponsoring instructors

15. Potential Benefits of CLA forSponsoring Instructors • Better prepared students for class • Higher levels of student class interactions • Managed study time of students • Adopt some CLA activities for use in class • Higher student evaluations of class • If requested, anonymous feedback • Identifies general student learning needs • Opportunity to revisit previous or alter future class activities and curriculum • Professional development

16. Course-based LearningAssistance Programs • Accelerated Learning Groups (University of Southern California) • Emerging Scholars Program (University of California-Berkley) • Peer-led Team Learning (City Univ. NY) • Structured Learning Assistance (Ferris State University) • Supplemental Instruction (University of Missouri-Kansas City) • Video-based Supplemental Instruction (University of Missouri-Kansas City)

17. Best Practices in CLA • Organizational and administrative practices • Essential program components • Critical learning practices • Important personnel practices • Rigorous evaluation procedures • Necessary institutional practices

18. 1. Organizational and Administrative Practices • Centrally administrated and organized • Attached to a specific course with high rates of unsuccessful enrollments • CLA program follows guidelines established by national organizations • CLA program has been certified • Clear written mission, goals, and objectives • Collaborates and coordinates with other campus units

19. CLA Program Collaborates withOther Campus Units • Enrollment management program • First Year Experience program • Developmental education program • New student orientation • Personal counseling program • Academic departments • Admission office • Education department • Office of research

20. 2. Essential CLAProgram Components • Scheduled sessions held throughout the term • Coordination of the course and CLA session activities • Assessment and evaluation activities • Involvement of course instructor • A supportive learning and social community • Mandatory attendance in CLA sessions • Mandatory assessment affective/cognitive skills • Available support services to make referrals (advising, counseling, DE courses, disability services)

21. 3. Critical Learning Practices by the CLA Facilitators • High expectations for all to achieve • Varied instruction for diverse learners • Frequent assessment and feedback • Facilitating skills used by CLA staff • Employ active and cooperative learning • Develop capacity for other courses • Model behaviors for learners to practice during CLA sessions and adopt for use • Integrate what to learn with how to learn it • Link prior knowledge, textbook, and lectures

22. 4. Important Personnel Practices • CLA facilitators reflect diversity of student body • Provide intensive training for all facilitators prior to the academic term • Continuous professional development for CLA facilitators (training, group meetings, visitations) • Facilitator already successful in target course • Facilitators attend class lectures and talk with instructor frequently outside of class. • CLA professional staff observe and supervise CLA facilitators periodically during the term • CLA professional staff involved with professional associations and CLA organizations

23. 5. Rigorous Evaluation Procedures • Systematic program evaluation • Regularly conducted • Variety of measures • Rigorous evaluation protocols (quantitative/qualitative) • Evaluation results lead to changes in CLA program practice • Widely disseminate evaluation reports to stakeholders

24. Evaluation Measures • Formative evaluation measures: • Student and faculty satisfaction ratings • Number of students served • Grades in CLA courses • Summative evaluation measures: • Grades in subsequent non-CLA courses • Comparisons of student groups regarding persistence • DE students completed DE program of study • DE students did not complete program • Non-DE students

25. 6. Necessary Institutional Practices • Strong institutional support • Top administrators can articulate mission of program • CLA program cited in important planning documents • Campus-wide advisory board for CLA • Encourages “buy-in” by wider community • Informs the CLA unit • Financially supports CLA unit • Helps solicit outside grant funds to expand service • “Hard money” institutional funding for critical functions • Stable room scheduling in appropriate settings • Student retention and success viewed as a campus-wide responsibility

26. Integrating CLA Activities within the Course

27. Making Explicit Connections • Prior knowledge • Previous class session • Current class session • Next class session • Textbook • Supplemental readings

28. Model Thinking • State thought process to reach conclusions • Share original solution solving notes

29. Focus on the “Big Picture” • Identify the main purpose of big idea • Course • Class session • Textbook chapter • Connect course to contemporary life

30. Make Explicit Instructor Values • Refer to course syllabus throughout the academic term • Use textbook frequently in the class • Refer to supplemental readings

31. Employ Active Learning • Implement planned peer cooperative learning activities • Employ simulations to engage students

32. Support Metacognitive Skill Development • Employ classroom assessment techniques • Provide mock exam before first major exam • Before first major exam administer a moderate quiz with low grade impact • Return major exams within one week

33. Embed Best Practice of DE within the Course • Employ graphic organizers • Practice with test preparation and test-taking strategies on mock exams • Debrief major exams • Share strategies for textbook reading • Incorporate “how to learn” along with “what to learn”

34. Support Multi-Cultural Education • Employ variety of assessment methods • Reflect diversity in selection of curriculum materials • Ensure relevance to society • Assess the campus environment (i.e., MAP-IT).

35. For More Information David R. Arendale, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, College of Education and Human Development 262 Appleby Hall, 128 Pleasant Street SE University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612) 625-2928, E-mail: arendale@umn.eduhttp://arendale.org