Buy in for student success

Multiple Paths, Common Goals

Your Academic Journey at Metropolitan State University

Carol Lacey (carol.lacey@metrostate.edu)

Megumi Yamasaki (megumi.yamasaki@metrostate.edu)

Starting point: hybrid FYE • Metro 101 (Academic Journey) taught almost

completely f2f with minimal online.• Once weekly classes provide little opportunity for

discussion/connection in between for entering students.

• D2L website for f2f or online can improve individualization to meet students’ needs.

• Shared resources save time and $.

CTL/Metro State partnership• MNSCU’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)

provides support for curricular innovation and improvement to address measurable outcomes (quantitative such as completion and retention rates, qualitative such as clearer assessment through application of competencies and rubrics.

• Curricular innovation and improvement based on framework of collaborative AND individual effort and creativity.

Starting point: students

• Digital natives know a great deal about computers and technology: 51%Y/31%N

• Interest in taking web-assisted or online course because of D2L intro: 35%Y/28%N

• Come to class once a week

• Website points of interest (top 4)

Communicate with instructor/classmates

See grades onlineAsk questions or get

informationSee when

homework/assignments due

Self Assessment Limited Developing Advanced Proficient Exemplary

Learning Styles

0 5 6 7 2

Time Management

2 4 4 9 1

Reading Skills 0 5 10 4 2

Critical thinking

1 4 12 4 0

Communi-cation skills

3 4 4 9 1

Interests/goals

1 2 6 9 3

Major/programs

0 6 8 4 3

(at start)

Starting point: faculty

• Mix of community and resident faculty• Great variance in comfort/experience with online

teaching and/or communication• Teaching in very different ways-similar goals, but

widely varying content • Frustrations and concerns with how to meet needs of

Power of You as well as other students• Concerned about serious fail/withdraw/drop

rate(<1/3)

Learning outcomes

• Nature of higher education• Learning styles, interests, • Career exploration, major options• Reinforce key academic skills: reading, writing,

critical thinking, time management• MSU values, processes, resources, • complex and richly diverse community

Focus on learning, not retention

• If students are learning, they will stay.• Therefore, make sure students learn and KNOW

HOW TO LEARN in their first year.• Hybrid approach enhances student learning and

connection to campus and colleagues and in the process, also improves student success and retention rates.

Process in a nutshell

• MNSCU CTL grant support for master d2l course site with core course content, discussions, resource links, study and academic skills testing.

• Individualized (including syllabus, gradebook, dropbox) for fall 07 pilot.

• Revision (IP) with shared content vehicles, learning outcomes and rubrics for use in all sections by fall 08.

Pedagogy First

• Original plan focused on training faculty for hybrid and online teaching (few had any online teaching or learning experience).Training will continue through fall ‘08.

• FYE teaching seminar: faculty shared best practices for teaching and assessing learning outcomes.

• Each faculty developed topical “vehicles” which all others can use.

• The truly collaborative effort strengthened course design and delivery overall.

Hybrid FYE collaborative

• Improves consistency in learning outcomes and assessment

• Shares best practices, including curricular vehicles with specialized focus.

• Pedagogy first, technology follows

Curricular “vehicle” options (IP)

• Environment• Immigration (links with Project Shine)• Service learning (links with Project Shine and

other community service)• Diversity• Educational philosophy

Environmental action

• Death in paradise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7cMihMeq3Y

• Personal emissions calculator (EPA):• http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html

• EPA action steps: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/actionsteps.html

Education equity

• Savage Inequalities (Jonathan Kozol): http://www.

youtube.com/watch?v=8mdlYaCjf2I

• Little Boxes of Levittown: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=nynfGo6yg-4

• Gender equity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRFHlw0iE_8

Service learning resources

• Project Shine video: http://umconnect.umn.edu/p32071329

• Learning to life video: http://servicelearning.org/lsa/bring_learning/fullvideo.php

• Service learning evaluation: http://servicelearning.org/instant_info/hot_topics/eval_assess/index.php

Sense of community: students

• Cohort class (one exception) built cohesiveness, community.

• FYE class had positive impact on retention (25/26 fall 07 students continued in spring 08-one transferred to MCTC).

• Class mixing FYE with other students would give more realistic experience of future class mix.

• Need to clarify D2L discussions vs. MySpace/IM communication style.

Sense of community: faculty

• Faculty receptive, if not ready to teach online.• Faculty respectful of others in their

community of colleagues.• Hybrid course development drew out dynamic

exchange, discussion and refining (IP) of best practices.

Power of You lessons learned

• Hybrid approach significantly improved retention/completion (almost all succeeded).

• Better coordination with summer orientation to reduce unneeded overlap

• Clearer focus needed on transition or high school/college distinctions

• POY students throughout FYE sections more realistic student-centered (schedules/future class experiences)

Next steps• Refine individual curriculum vehicles developed by

faculty on topics of interest, adding dynamic multi-media resources

• Implement shared outcomes through D2L competencies and rubrics tool.

• Improve collaboration with university-wide Power of You efforts

• Improve student affairs/FYE communication and collaboration for all entering first-year students.

Teaching first year students

• What challenges do you face teaching first year students?

• What are you doing to improve their success/retention? Specific measures?

• Do you know about Power of You or have POY students on your campus?

• What experiences have you had?