The professor who played with fire (student success) A Mystery

The professor who played with fire(student success)A Mystery Thomas F. Nelson Laird Indiana University Plenary Session at AAC&U’s 2012 Institute on High-Impact Practices & Student Success

Table of Contents • Chapter 1: The situation • Chapter 2: Our charge • Chapters 3-6: Finding clues • Chapter 7: Analyzing what we found • Chapter 8: Wrap up & discussion

Situation • Fires were lit in many of our students • How many faculty were involved? • Can we describe the culprits? • The fires • Valuing high-impact practices • Including diversity • Emphasizing integrative learning • Emphasizing personal & social responsibility

Situation (cont.) • Why these fires? • AAC&U support & attention • Faculty emphasis or use leads to student use and improved outcomes • Illustrate a range of practices/orientations • Distinct concepts • Assessment of these practices not specific to NSSE/FSSE (HERI, PSRI, GPI, and many institution-based instruments)

Our Charge • Learn how much faculty members emphasize, value, or use certain practices (solve the mystery, in part) • Learn what characterizes faculty members who are involved(solve the mystery, in part) • Consider the implications (what should be done to/with the culprits)

My Ulterior Motives • Spark your curiosity (cultivate further investigation) • Promote assumption checking (tough questioning and honest interpretation) • Illustrate a less common approach to presenting assessment findings (use evidence creatively)

Valuing High-Impact Practices

High-Impact Practices • Experiences that… • require an investment of time and energy over an extended period • result in greater engagement and learning

FSSE and HIPs • Measure of valuing HIPs (6 items)How important is it to you that undergraduates at your institution do the following? • Practicum, internship, field experience… • Community service or volunteer work • Participation in a learning community… • Work on a research project with a faculty member… • Study abroad • Culminating senior experience

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Including Diversity

Inclusive Excellence The active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity—in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect—in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions -AAC&U Website

Diversity Inclusivity • The amount any element of a course includes diversity can vary from not at all to extensively • Course elements include purpose/goals, content, instructor(s), learners, pedagogy, assessment/evaluation • Items developed for FSSE in 2007

Emphasizing Integrative Learning

Integrative Learning • An Essential Learning Outcome • Integrative Learning includes • Synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies

FSSE and Integrative Learning • Measure of Emphasis on IL (5 items)Faculty asked for the importance, frequency, or % of students • Work on a paper or project that requires integrating ideas or information from various sources • Put together ideas or concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions • Discuss ideas or readings from class with others outside of class (other students, family members, co-workers, etc.) • Have class discussions or writing assignments that include diverse perspectives (different races, religions, genders, political beliefs, etc.) • At least once, discuss ideas from your readings or classes with you outside of class

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EmphasizingPersonal & Social Responsibility

Personal & Social Responsibility • PSR an Essential Learning Outcome • PSR includes • Civic knowledge and engagement—local and global • Intercultural knowledge and competence • Ethical reasoning and action • Foundations and skills for lifelong learning

FSSE and PSR • Measure of Emphasis on PSR (4 items)To what extent do you structure your selected course section so that students learn and develop in the following areas • Understanding themselves • Understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds • Developing a personal code of values and ethics • Developing a deepened sense of spirituality

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Wrap Up & Discussion

Do We HaveEnough Culprits?

Over 75% of responding faculty • Valued practicum, internships, field experiences • Valued senior culminating experiences • Regularly emphasized using multiple approaches to understand problems • Regularly had a classroom atmosphere that encouraged all students’ active participation • Regularly had students feel empowered in class • Valued students working on a paper or project that requires integrating ideas or information…

Less than 20% of faculty • Had 50% or more of their students, at least once, discuss ideas from readings or classes with them outside of class • Regularly structured their courses to promote students’ development of a deepened sense of spirituality

Things to Note and Question • Few Diverse Grounding and no PSR items in the 75% or more group • Does this warrant concern? • Few items in the less than 20% group • Time to celebrate? • What about spirituality and out-of-class contact between faculty and students? Cause for alarm? • What results were (un)anticipated? • How would this look on your campus?

Whodunit?

Common Characteristics • Women • Faculty of color • Teaching in a soft field • Lower division courses (-) • Small courses • General education requirements

Things to Note and Question • What if an institution wants to improve? • Might programs/efforts draw disproportionately from certain faculty? • Should we use hiring to improve? • What effects should be changed? • Women, faculty of color • Discipline • General education

Things to Note and Question • How do we change the effects? • Faculty development • Hiring for teaching practices

Thank you!

The professor who played with fire (student success) A Mystery