Promoting Student Success: Lessons Learned

1. Promoting Student Success: Lessons Learned Higher Education Academy Conference on Innovations in Student Success London, February 9, 2006 Vincent Tinto Syracuse University

2. Graduation Rates (United States) • Universities - Overall • Public - 53% over six years • Private - 69% over six years • Selective Private and Public Universities • 80 - 95% • Open Enrollment Public Universities • 30 - 40%

3. Graduation Rates (United States) • Majority Students • Public Universities - 56% • Minority Students • Public Universities - 39% • High Income Students • Public Universities - 67% • Low Income Students • Public Universities - 48%

4. Conditions for Student Retention • Commitment • Expectations • Support • Feedback • Involvement • Learning

5. Conditions for Student Retention Students are more likely to succeed when they are placed in settings that are committed to their success, hold high expectations for their success, provide academic and social support, frequent feedback about their performance and require them to actively share learning with others.

6. Effective Learning Environments: Some Examples • Cooperative / Collaborative Learning • Problem-Based Learning • Learning Communities • Classroom Assessment • Supplemental Instruction • Summer Bridge / Transition Programs

7. Effective Learning Environments:Some Commonalities • Focus on the conditions within classrooms • Emphasis on shared, connected learning • Support connected to the classroom

8. Effective Learning Environments:What Has the Research Shown? • Students find support

9. Finding Support “In the cluster we knew each other, we were friends, we discussed everything from all the classes. We knew things very well because we discussed it all so much. We had discussions about everything…if we needed help or if we had questions, we could help each other…and we did…it was like a raft running the rapids of my life.”

10. Effective Learning Environments:What Has the Research Shown? • Students find support • Students become engaged in learning

11. Becoming Engaged in Learning “ You know, the more I talk to other people about our class stuff, the homework, the tests, the more I’m actually learning ... and the more I learn not only about other people, but also about the subject because my brain is getting more, because I’m getting more involved with the other students in the class. I’m getting more involved with the class even after class.”

12. Becoming Engaged in Learning Activity Score Program Comparison Course 3.05* 2.46 Library 2.15* 1.94 Faculty 2.25* 1.99 Students 3.12* 2.85 Writing 2.81* 2.65 Gain 2.68* 2.46 * indicates significant difference between groups at .05 level.

13. Effective Learning Environments:What Has the Research Shown? • Students find support • Students become engaged in learning • Students learn better together

14. Learning Better Together “I think more people should be educated in this form of education…We learn to interact with other people of different races, different sizes, different colors, different everything. I mean it just makes it better...not only do you learn more, you learn better.”

15. Effective Learning Environments:What Has the Research Shown? • Students find support • Students become engaged in learning • Students learn better together • Students learn and persist

16. Learning and Persistence* Outcomes Program Comparison Pass Rates 76.6 55.9 Persistence 57.3 41.2 * estimated from several studies

17. Increasing Student Retention:Governmental Actions • Financial aid programs (e.g. Pell Grants) • Funding of academic support programs (e.g. TRIO) • Accountability systems • Incentive Grant programs • Initiatives to address gaps in graduation between different groups of students

18. Increasing Student Retention:Next Steps • Restructure the learning environment • Invest in pedagogy and staff development • Invest in incentives for innovation • Engage in formative assessment • Government funding for support programs and institutional innovation and improvement

19. Thank you.