Student Engagement at Lutheran Colleges Story Lines from Employers and NSSE in an

1. Student Engagement at • Lutheran Colleges • Story Lines from Employers • and NSSE in an • Era of Accountability • George D. Kuh • LECNA • Destin, FL • February 6, 2010

2. or “It’s the Learning, Stupid” The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

3. Context Global Competitiveness in Degree Attainment The New Majority and Demographic Gaps Questionable Levels of Student Performance In an Environment of Increasing Fiscal Strain…  We Need Higher Levels of Student Achievement at an Affordable or Value-Based Price

4. Overview • What the world needs now • Why engagement matters • High-impact practices • Spirituality and LECNA schools • Implications

5. Advance Organizers • To what extent do your students engage in productive learning activities, inside and outside the classroom? • For what should a Lutheran college be known? • What is distinctive about your school? How do you know?

6. The Promise An educational experience resulting in “a reinvigorated liberal education of high quality for all students” (p. 10), one that “prepares them for personal success and fosters a just, democratic society” (p. 21).

7. The Promise “For students to engage intellectually and seriously with what is taught… [leading to] deep learning…the ability to defend positions…” to “write well and think clearly…” to develop “rational and reflective minds, open to continuous learning…” (pp. 8-9)

8. The Promise “to develop a coherent constellation of integrated values and ethical principles….”

9. Association of American Colleges and Universities

10. Narrow Learning is Not Enough: The Essential Learning Outcomes • Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical & Natural World • Intellectual, Practical & Technical Skills • Personal and Social Responsibility • “Deep” Integrative Learning

11. Personal & Social Responsibility • Civic knowledge and engagement—local and global • Intercultural knowledge and competence • Ethical reasoning and action • Humanitarian, allocentric sensibilities

12. “Deep learningis learning that takes root in our apparatus of understanding, in the embedded meanings that define us and that we use to define the world.” J. Tagg (2003). The learning paradigm college (p. 70). Bolton, MA: Anker

13. Deep, Integrative Learning • Attend to the underlying meaning of information as well as content • Integrate and synthesize different ideas, sources of information • Discern patterns in evidence or phenomena • Apply knowledge in different situations • View issues from multiple perspectives

14. P e t e r D HART RESEARCH A S S O C I A T E S Raising The Bar Employers’ Views On College Learning In The Wake Of The Economic Downturn Key findings from survey among 302 employersConducted October 27 – November 17, 2009for

15. Employers’ expectations of employees have increased. % who agree with each statement Our company is asking employees to take on more responsibilities and to use a broader set of skills than in the past Employees are expected to work harder to coordinate with other departments than in the past The challenges employees face within our company are more complex today than they were in the past To succeed in our company, employees need higher levels of learning and knowledge today than they did in the past

16. Employers’ Top Priorities for Student Learning In College % saying two- and four-year colleges should place MORE emphasis on helping students develop these skills, qualities, capabilities, knowledge Effective oral/written communication Critical thinking/ analytical reasoning Knowledge/skills applied to real world settings Analyze/solve complex problems Connect choices and actions to ethical decisions Teamwork skills/ ability to collaborate Ability to innovate and be creative Developments in science/technology

17. Other Areas Of Learning Needing More Emphasis % saying two- and four-year colleges should emphasize MORE helping students develop in these areas Locate/organize/evaluate information Understand global context Global issues’ implications for future Understand & work with statistics Understand role of U.S. in the world Knowledge of cultural diversity in US/world Civic knowledge, community engagement Foreign language proficiency Understand, apply democratic values

18. What Really Matters in College: Student Engagement Because individual effort and involvement are the critical determinants of college impact, institutions should focus on the ways they can shape their academic, interpersonal, and extracurricular offerings to encourage student engagement. Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005, p. 602

19. Student Engagement Trifecta • What students do -- time and energy devoted to educationally purposeful activities • What institutions do -- using effective educational practices to induce students to do the right things • Educationally effective institutions channel student energy toward the right activities

20. National Survey of Student Engagement(pronounced “nessie”)Community College Survey of Student Engagement(pronounced “cessie”) College student surveys that assess the extent to which students engage in educational practices associated with high levels of learning and development

21. NSSE Project Scope • Since 2000: • 2,000,000+ students from 1,400 different schools • 80+% of 4-yr U.S. undergraduate FTE • 50 states, Puerto Rico • 59 Canadian IHEs • 100+ consortia

22. Effective Educational Practices Level of Academic Challenge Active & Collaborative Learning Student- Faculty Interaction Supportive Campus Environment Enriching Educational Experiences

23. Grades, persistence, student satisfaction, gains across a range of desired outcomes, and engagement go hand in hand

24. Both the NSSE benchmark and deep learning scales are…significantly and positively linked to … effective reasoning and problem solving, well being, inclination to inquire and lifelong learning, intercultural effectiveness, leadership, and moral character… These associations persisted even after introducing controls for important confounding influences. Pascarella et al., 2009 reporting on the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education (WNSLAE)

25. How Do Lutheran Colleges Stack Up

26. NSSE Participation 2007-2009 • 32 LECNA schools • 12 also did FSSE • 12 recoded to either Bac LA or Gen Bac

27. Level of Academic Challenge

28. Active and Collaborative Learning

29. Student-Faculty Interaction

30. Enriching Educational Experiences

31. Supportive Campus Environment

32. It’s more complicated than this… • Many of the effects of college are “conditional” • Some are compensatory

33. Who’s more engaged? • Women • Fraternity & sorority members • Full-time students • Students who live on campus • Students with diversity experiences • Students who start and stay at same school

38. Who’s more engaged? • Women • Fraternity & sorority members • Full-time students • Students who live on campus • Students with diversity experiences • Students who start and stay at same school • Students who have done “high- impact” practices

39. www.aacu.org

40. Narrow Learning is Not Enough: The Essential Learning Outcomes • Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical & Natural World • Intellectual, Practical & Technical Skills • Personal and Social Responsibility • “Deep” Integrative Learning

41. Integrating ideas or information from various sources Included diverse perspectives in class discussions/writing Put together ideas from different courses Discussed ideas with faculty members outside of class Discussed ideas with others outside of class Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience, or theory Essential Learning Outcome:NSSE Deep/Integrative Learning • Synthesizing & organizing ideas, info., or experiences • Making judgments about the value of information • Applying theories to practical problems or in new situations • Examined the strengths and weaknesses of your own views • Tried to better understand someone else's views • Learned something that changed how you understand an issue

42. High Impact Activities • First-Year Seminars and Experiences  • Common Intellectual Experiences • Learning Communities • Writing-Intensive Courses • Collaborative Assignments and Projects • “Science as Science Is Done”; Undergraduate Research • Diversity/Global Learning • Service Learning, Community-Based Learning • Internships • Capstone Courses and Projects

43. Effects of Participating in High-Impact Activities on Deep/Integrative Learning and Gains

44. Effects of Participating in High-Impact Activities on Student Engagement

45. High-Impact Activities Increase Odds Students Will: • Invest time and effort • Interact with faculty and peers about substantive matters • Experience diversity • Get more frequent feedback • Reflect & integrate learning • Discover relevance of learning through real-world applications

46. Participated in a community-based project (e.g. service learning) as part of a regular course Seniors

47. Participated in a learning community or some other formal program where groups of students take two or more classes together Seniors

48. Worked on a research project with a faculty member outside of course or program requirements Seniors

49. Studied abroad Seniors

50. Practicum, internship, field experience, co-op experience, or clinical assignment Seniors