Engaging Students: Developing and Measuring Guiding Principles for Learning

1. Engaging Students: Developing and Measuring Guiding Principles for Learning Chad Compton Paul Freebairn Ronald Miller SelaUnga Brigham Young University April 29, 2013

2. About BYUH • Small campus • Diverse student population • Student focused

3. Challenge • Improve Quality • Serve More Students • Decrease Costs

4. Half Day Faculty Retreat • Small group discussion of principles and best practices of teaching and learning. • Flip chart paper posted on wall (80 comments) • 10 dots for all faculty to vote • Top 20 best practices

5. Steering Committee • Purpose: Develop framework of teaching and learning (guiding principles) • 12 faculty, 4 students • Weekly meetings (read and discuss) 1+ years • Student/faculty interviews and focus groups

6. First Things • Teaching as a craft, art, and science • Focused on principles of learning

7. Result: 6 Principles of Learning Framework • Motivated by desire to serve • Active Not Passive • Self directed and responsible • Meaningful self reflection and assessment • Open to change • Skilled in learning process

8. Principles to Practices • Prepare • Engage • Improve

9. Implementation • General Education • Coordinated with student life • Increased classroom visits (lunch) • Emailed inspirational quotes regularly • Annual faculty and department reports • Presented framework to faculty and students • Implemented a 1-year new faculty orientation • Organized the Center for Teaching and Learning • Held on and off-campus seminars with guest speakers • Created brochures, website resources, and video vignettes • Conducted a student time study • Benchmarked student learning activities, opinions, and time usage

10. Institutional Research Team

11. Framework Survey Development

12. Framework Survey • About Yourself • course load, credit load, # of classes requiring preparation beforehand, hours spent per week on various activities (school & work, exercise & entertainment, and church, service, & other) • About the Framework • 2 open-ended questions: understanding and application of the Framework • About Your Learning • Prepare, Engage, and Improve • 5-point scale: never (1), hardly ever (2), sometimes (3), often (4), very often (5) • Demographics • Gender, Age, Regional Home Area, Class, GPA, etc.

13. Framework Survey: About Your Learning

14. In your own words, describe the BYU-Hawaii Framework for Student Learning The majority of students described the Framework as “preparing”, “engaging”, or “improving” their learning 39% of the respondents did not know, did not respond to the question appropriately, or were not familiar with the Framework Text analysis taken from Framework Survey

15. Please give a few specific examples of how you see the BYU-Hawaii Framework for Student Learning being applied by instructors in your class 37% of the respondents gave examples of pre-class preparation or class discussion when describing how the Framework was being applied. Text analysis taken from Framework Survey

16. Prepare: As a student, how often do you…? very often - often - Overall Mean sometimes - hardly ever - never -

17. Additional findings * Significant effects: p<.05 1= never; 2= hardly ever; 3= sometimes; 4= often; 5= very often

18. Engage: As a student, how often do you…? very often - often - sometimes - hardly ever - never -

19. Additional findings * Significant effects: p<.05 1= never; 2= hardly ever; 3= sometimes; 4= often; 5= very often

20. Improve: As a student, how often do you…? very often - often - sometimes - hardly ever - never -

21. Additional findings * Significant effects: p<.05 1= never; 2= hardly ever; 3= sometimes; 4= often; 5= very often

22. About Your Learning: Prepare, Engage, and Improve

23. More students... • take initiative on their own to learn • thoroughly read and studied materials before class • set personal goals • engage in self-assessment

24. About Your Learning: Prepare, Engage, and Improve

25. Fewer students... • discussed ideas with faculty outside of class • studied before class with others • prepared thoughtful questions before class • worked with others outside of class

26. Exploratory Factor Analysis

27. New Structure

28. Validity & Reliability

29. Time Usage Study

30. 1 Week at a Glance

31. 1 Week at a Glance

32. Time Study

33. Time Study Key Findings • underestimated time spent studying outside of class • underestimated time spent on exercise and entertainment-related activities

34. We're in it for the long-term • Creating new culture of learning takes time, resources, leadership, and buy-in • No "quick fix" available • Patience, persistence, and vision needed • What's next?

35. Please Contact Us • Chad Compton, Associate VP for Instructionchad.compton@byuh.edu • Paul Freebairn, Dir. Assessment & Testing freebaip@byuh.edu • Ronald Miller, Associate Professor of Psychology ronald.miller@byuh.edu • SelaUnga is the IR Planning Analyst Intern unga2@go.byuh.edu