WHAT COLLEGE COULD BE:

AN ADVISING AND SUPPORT MODEL FOR

UNDERPREPARED FIRST YEAR STUDENTS

NACADA Conference March 2016

Jennifer C. Evans, MA

Compass Program Director

Merrimack College

Nora E. Cochrane, M.Ed

Academic Support Specialist

Merrimack College

Megan A. Lussier, M.Ed

Academic Counselor

Merrimack College Graduate Fellow

Michael F. Mascolo, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

Academic Director, Compass Program

Merrimack College

What College Could Be

Mainstream Students Have Deep Skill Gaps.

Disconnected Classes

Performance Rather than Learning Orientation

Will this be on the test?

Value-Neutral Approach

Failure to Promote and Assess Genuine Learning

One Morning I Looked Into the Mirror…

A College Should Stand for Something, !*#@ it!

The Compass Program

Compass was created for students who

demonstrate academic promise, but who, for

whatever reason, have not had the degree of

academic success that aligns with their potential.

Basic Reading and Writing

Test Taking and Study Skills

Time Management

Motivation and Work Ethic

Academic Fragility and Socio-Emotional Difficulties

Learning and Attention Difficulties

30-40% Students in Compass are eligible for ADA accommodations, learning as well as social and emotional challenges

Our Challenges

Compass Philosophy

SELF-CULTIVATION

Milieu of Scaffolded SupportCharacter Development

Project-Based Mastery Learning

Ethos of Guided MasteryGuided Learning-through-Doing

through to Mastery

Self-Reflection & Goal Monitoring

Identifying Core Values and Putting them into Practice

Specially-Designed InstructionReading, Writing, Active

Listening, Time Management

Emotional DevelopmentCultivating a Growth Mindset,

Hard Work Ethic, and Responsibility

Project Based Mastery Learning

Academic Counselor

Milieu of Scaffolded Support

Don’t Assume Self-Regulation and then Fill Deficits

Assume Developmental Need

Provide Blanket of Directed Support Until Clear Student Does Not Need It

Turn over Responsibility to Student with Increasing Mastery

Up the Ante

Character Development

Compass is not a value-neutral environment. It is guided by a series of explicit values and goals that it seeks to inculcate:

Mastery and the Growth Mindset (Carol Dweck)

Perseverance and Emotional Hardiness

Responsibility and Moral Goodness

Seeking and Accepting Assistance and Feedback

Increased Self-Reliance Over Time

Self-Criticism and Self-Acceptance

Compassion for Others

Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution

Not “Strategies” – It’s What we Do

Today, we’ll learn about how to be motivated!

NOT!

Example I: Promoting Growth Mindset

Not Promoting the Growth Mindset

Teacher: What is the difference between interests and

positions?

Student: I don’t know.

Teacher: Does anyone else know?

Example I: Promoting Growth Mindset

Promoting the Growth Mindset

Teacher: What is the difference between interests and positions?

Student: I don’t know.

Teacher: What is an interest?

Student: I can’t. I don’t know.

Teacher: No – you don’t know yet. Let’s figure it out. Use the term

“interest” in a sentence…

Student: I’m interested in escaping from your endless questioning!

Teacher: Ah! And you said you couldn’t do it…

Example II:

Fostering “Inner Contradiction” to Motivate Development

Write your understanding –

not what the teacher writes or says

If you don’t understand it when you hear it, you won’t later

Task: Understanding Note-Taking As Active Listening

I write what I don’t

understand to

remember it later

In note taking, listen effortfully, monitor

your understanding ... don't let the

professor go until you do. Translate

what is said into your own words, write

down your understanding…

S:

What are YOU

writing down?

Things I heard. Like the things

that we're doing--okay so like

the stuff I'm writing down is

sometimes the stuff I don't

I: What does THIS say

you're supposed to

write down?

CONTRADICTIONCONTRADICTION

CONTRADICTION

What Does it Mean to Write Down Your Understanding?

P: Read this

from class…

Uh... "Listen, translate your

understanding..." Is that what you're

talking about, right? Oh "write down

my understanding."

S:

P:

How can you

write down

what you

don’t

understand?

CONTRADICTION

Yeah, that

doesn’t

make sense

How Contradiction Motivates From Within

THESIS

Write Down

What I

Hear/Don’t

Understand

ANTI-THESIS

Write Down

What I

Understand

CONFLICT

Write Down

What I

Understand

Write Down

What I Don’t

Understand

SYNTHESIS

Listen to

Understand,

Then Write

Down

Understanding

Example III: “An Intervention”

THESIS

I don’t really

want to be

at school

ANTI-THESIS

I would be living at

home indefinitely,

working for my

father painting for

$10 per hour…

CONFLICT

I would hate

painting for

forever

I don’t like

being here

SYNTHESIS

?

What would you be doing, right now, if you were failed out of school – this moment –

where would you be living? What would you be doing? For how much? For how long?

Support Structure

Critical Inquiry Course & Cohort Courses

Reading and Writing Instruction

Academic Content: Self-Cultivation

Hand picked professors who share a mindset

Study Skills Workshops

Guided Study time

Academic Counseling / Learning Specialists

1-1 Meetings / Holistic and Intrusive counseling

Academic Liaison to Course Professors

Support for Cohort Courses

Deliver Workshops and Specialized Study Sessions

Coordinated Support Services

Peer Mentors and Academic Counselors

Writing Center Fellows

Math Center Workshops

Coordinated Outreach to Student Service Departments

Key Program Elements

Professors are closely tied to the learning community

Careful and deliberate choosing of the Professors

Open lines of communication between Professor and Academic Counselors

Weekly one-on-one academic counseling meetings for the entire first semester using intrusive/holistic advising model

3 hours of mandatory guided study time outside of class times –This is tied to their Critical Inquiry grade – TEETH!

Cohort course model where students are with the same group for two/three of their courses

Weekly workshops in lab time for study skills and peer mentorship

IF IT’S NOT IN THEIR SCHEDULE THEY WILL NOT COME

Carol Dweck’s “Mindset” as a shared reader

Holistic Advising Support

Three Areas of Overall Health

Academic/ Intellectual

Social/

Emotional

Physical/

Psychological

Academic/Intellectual Health

Accountability,

Organization and Time

Management!

Open Communication

with parents when

needed (for parents and

students), academic

intervention with advisor,

professor and parents

Academic/Intellectual Motivation

Some students arrive lacking the motivation to do

well

Some of this is lack of academic confidence, but

others could simple just not know why they are in

college

We can all agree that lecturing and finger wagging

does not work to motivate students – if it did they

would not be here

Intervention strategies – Developmental Counseling

Mental/Physical Health

Close coordination with various departments on campus

Health Center

Acute needs: concussions, mono

Ongoing diagnosed needs: diabetes, seizure disorder, hearing and vision difficulties, help in getting ADD medication and other medication that may effect academic performance and attendance

Mental Health Center

Acute/immediate mental health needs – students in crisis

Students with ongoing diagnosed mental health needs

Programming for substance abuse, eating disorders, coping strategies and other such needs

Getting them there!! This is a struggle with some students –intervention may be necessary

Social/ Emotional Health

Transition to college: fitting in, adjusting to life away from home, making friends, independence

Difficulty getting along with peers- class and dorm

Navigating life with roommates/floor mates

Boyfriend/Girlfriend issues

Family responsibilities, obligations and stressors

Commuting stressors

Anxiety

Depression

Most of these issues are typical first year challenges; however, they can become bigger and impede academic and personal success/retention issues

Benefits of Cohort Courses

Linking at least two classes – each semester for the first year

Students care about their peers and encourage each other to succeed, especially for commuters and fringe students

Students will stick up for one another in bystander situations, belonging

Students with similar challenges find one another in friendship

Gives them accountability to one another

Students will make sure their classmate comes to class, knows about a test, has someone to ask about paper requirements

Smaller class sizes if possible

Students are empowered in a classroom of familiar faces

Students feel like they belong to something immediately (retention)

Hand picked professors sensitive to first-year challenges collaborate regularly with Academic Counselors

Outreach

Networking and building true relationships with other departments are key factors

ADA Office

Office of Residence Life – high risk academically can be high risk behavior / CARE reports

Registrar’s office – some of these students need deliberately constructed schedules, hand picked professors to succeed in the first year

Parent contact for high need students is essential

Intervention meetings with Academic Counselor, professor and parents. Sometimes personnel from other offices are needed

Beyond the First Year

Sophomores Full Time Mainstream Courses

Upper Classmen:

Receive academic counseling

Return as formal/informal mentors

Are continuously monitored

Receive specialized upper-class workshops

Have become leaders in the community: RAs, OLs,

students moved into our honors program, Fulbright

Fellowship, high profile internships, student

government positions, and service trip leaders

Assessment: Student Achievement

Compass

2011/2012

(N=36)

Compass

2012/2013

(N=41)

Compass

2013/2014

(N=42)

Compass

2014/2015

(N=56)

Simple

Mean

Acceptance in to Program Conditional Invite Cond &

Invite

Conditional

Cum GPA end of freshman Yr 2.19 2.74 2.69 2.692.57

Credits Earned/Attempted 85% 91% 89% 92%89%

Academic Monitoring sp15 17% 7% 7% 4%9%

Dean’s List sp15 6% 10% 18% 13%12%

Freshman to Sophomore

retention* 67% 87% 84% 80% 80%

Freshmen Year Academic Performance for Compass Students, 2011-2014:

Compass Program

Compass

2011/201

2

(N=36)

Compass

2012/201

3

(N=41)

Compass

2013/201

4

(N=42)

Compass

2014/2015

(N=56)

Simple

Mean

Retention 67% 87% 84% 80% 80%

Academically

Successful Transfers 16% 5% 7% 13% 10%

Withdrew 16% 7% 9% 7% 10%

Freshmen Year Compass Students Retention Break Down, 2011-2014:

Side by Side Comparison

Compass (2012 Cohort)

Compass

(N=42)

Non-Compass

Comparison*(N=29)

Mainstream

First Year

Students

(N=765)

GPA 2.74 2.37 2.89

CREDITS EARNED/ATTEMPTED 91% 84% NA

ACADEMIC MONITORING 7% 19% 11%

RETENTION 87% 76% 81%

*Invited to participate in Compass, but declined.

What Can I do on my Campus?

Incorporating a shared reader such as Dweck’s Mindset – with a focus on hard work/resiliency

Learning Communities with close faculty tie in

FYE Courses to address:

Resiliency

Self Identity

Values/conflict resolution

Cohort courses – easy and inexpensive

Academic Counseling that makes a true connection with the students – if the student does not perceive immediate value they will not return.

Academic Counseling / Intrusive, honest and incorporates accountability. “Whatever is in your way”

What Can I Do On My Campus? -

Graduate Fellow/Assistant

Become an Academic Counselor to a group/cohort

of students

Relate personal academic struggles to student struggles

Apply graduate course work into counseling sessions

Facilitate workshops to enhance academic growth

Create a peer mentor program for high-risk students

Assign graduate fellow/assistant to a specific

student group (i.e. sports, major, club/organization)

What are some of the best practices you are

implementing on your own campus to retain high-

need and underprepared students?

Let’s Share

Thank you for listening