May 26, 2009 • Austin, Texas

1. 2009 CCCSE Workshop Engagement in the Classroom • May 26, 2009 • Austin, Texas

2. Courtney Adkins Survey Operations Coordinator adkins@ccsse.org Karla Fisher College Relations Coordinator fisher@ccsse.org Center for Community College Student Engagement –CCCSE Community College Leadership Program The University of Texas at Austin Community College Survey of Student Engagement Community College Survey of Student Engagement

3. Student Engagement Community College Survey of Student Engagement

4. What is Student Engagement? …the amount of time and energy students invest in meaningful educational practices …in other words, institutional practices and student behaviors that are highly correlated with student learning and retention Community College Survey of Student Engagement Community College Survey of Student Engagement

5. Why classroom engagement is so important • Almost 40% of 2008 CCSSE Cohort respondents spend more than 30 hours a week working for pay • Over25% of 2008 CCSSE Cohort respondents spend more than21 hours a week caring for dependents • 82% of 2008 CCSSE Cohort respondents never participate in college-sponsored activities • 60% of community college students are enrolled part time Student Engagement

6. Three questions to think about What role do faculty play in student engagement? What role do staff play in student engagement? What role do administrators play in student engagement? Community College Survey of Student Engagement Community College Survey of Student Engagement

7. Report out Faculty roles Staff roles Administrators roles Community College Survey of Student Engagement Community College Survey of Student Engagement

8. Student Voices: What Students Say Matters Most Community College Survey of Student Engagement

9. What makes a classroom engaging? • Students say it happens when • “It’s personal” • “It’s interactive” • “It’s challenging” • “It’s encouraging” Community College Survey of Student Engagement

10. “It’s personal”Student Faculty Interaction “The process of interacting with the teacher.  It’s not about someone just coming and trying to teach you everything.  You know something, the teacher also knows something, so you exchange.  That process makes you get involved and it makes you feel better because you tell yourself, ‘Wow.  I know something.’” Community College Survey of Student Engagement

11. Student who often or very often… Community College Survey of Student Engagement

12. “It’s interactive”Active and Collaborative Learning “I really get into classes that have teachers who encourage discussion.  It really doesn’t matter what class it is.  Classes that really engage…It’s rarer than I’d like, only a few classes really got into that.” “[She] will read the notes and then give you funny ways that will make you remember stuff.  It’s a fun class where she’s real interactive with the students.  She’ll let you ask questions; most instructors don’t like questions.” Community College Survey of Student Engagement

13. Community College Survey of Student Engagement • 4a) Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions • 64% (often or very often) • 3% (never) • 4b) Made a class presentation • 28% (often or very often) • 31% (never) • 4f) Worked with other students on projects during class • 46% (often or very often) • 13% (never)

14. “It’s challenging”Academic Challenge “They told us the first week, ‘If you miss X number of classes then this happens, if you miss another, then this happens…’  When I got the letter…from my advisor saying that I have missed two days…I’m like, ‘Oh, they were serious about that.’  I’ve been on time ever since.  I have not missed another class; I’m passing my quizzes, reading my text.”  “I hate it at the moment, but my favorite teachers are always the ass-kickers … I like to be challenged. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

15. Community College Survey of Student Engagement • During the current school year, how often have you • 4p) Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor’s standards or expectations? • 49% (often or very often) • 11% (never) • How much does your coursework at this college emphasize? • 5f) Using information you have read or heard to perform a new skill • 60% (quite a bit or very much) • 9% (very little)

16. “It’s encouraging”Support for Learners “I believe all of them are very good at using strong encouragement.  I think that’s important.  Of course we can get encouragement from family and friends, but that instructor giving you that pat on the back…it makes coming to class more rewarding.” “All my [high school] teachers…told me that your teachers in college, they wouldn’t care whether you showed up, they wouldn’t care if you turned in your assignments, they wouldn’t care if you failed.  But, at the community college, all my teachers are really showing that they are interested in us succeeding.  I didn’t expect that.” Community College Survey of Student Engagement

17. “It’s encouraging”Support for Learners “Our English teacher is the most awesome teacher ever.  She’ll go through and do the lectures but then she has comical relief in between.  You walk out of there knowing you’ve learned something…but not feeling, ‘Oh my God, the world is falling on me.’” “The instructors…are more than willing to help me.  I’ve always felt that…if I’m willing to work, they’re willing to work just as hard.” Community College Survey of Student Engagement

18. What CCFSSE Data Tell Us Community College Survey of Student Engagement

19. A Tale of Two Perspectives Community College Survey of Student Engagement

20. Student-Faculty Interaction: Student Experiences/Faculty Perceptions Community College Survey of Student Engagement

21. Explaining the gap… • Personal experiences vs. Systematically-collected data • The part-time double whammy Community College Survey of Student Engagement

22. Pedagogical approaches • Nearly a third (31%) of the 2008 CCFSSE Cohort (faculty respondents) say that they spend 50–100% of their class time lecturing. • More than half (53%) of faculty members allocate less than 10% of their class time to small group activities. • 89% of faculty members report spending less than 20% of their class time on in-class writing. • 50% of faculty respondents spend no class time on student computer use. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

23. Activity • In groups, come up with ideas that will help increase student engagement in the classroom. • What can faculty do? • What can staff do? • What can administrators do? Community College Survey of Student Engagement

24. Report out Faculty? Staff? Administrators? Community College Survey of Student Engagement Community College Survey of Student Engagement

25. Promising PracticesPatrick Henry Community College (VA) • On the 2005 CCSSE, PHCC students identified memorization as their major learning mode. PHCC decided to move away from lecture-based instruction to “one where the learner is actively engaged and more accountable for his/her learning.” To accomplish this, they implemented an aggressive faculty professional development plan. 62% of full-time faculty including 100% of developmental ed faculty have completed the training and adopted cooperative learning strategies. • Students enrolled in PHCC courses using cooperative learning (CL) demonstrate higher persistence in the first year: 71% of students in two CL courses and 63% of students in one CL course persisted through their first year, compared to 54% of students in no CL courses. • PHCC is creating “SCALE” (Southern Center for Active Learning Excellence,” an active learning institute to provide additional faculty training in a variety of teaching strategies. Center for Community College Student Engagement

26. Promising PracticesGainesville State College (GA) • GSC uses supplemental instruction (SI) to support students in traditionally difficult courses — those with DFW grade rates of more than 30%. In classes with SI, a student leader attends class with the students and holds regularly scheduled review sessions. • Among students participating in SI, the college found increases of 26% to 67% in ABC grade rates, depending on the number of SI sessions the students attended. Center for Community College Student Engagement

27. Your promising practices… • Institutional / policy • Support staff / services • Classroom Community College Survey of Student Engagement

28. Helpful CCSSE Tools for involving faculty and staff in classroom engagement data • Predictions Exercises • Course Feedback Form Community College Survey of Student Engagement

31. End-of-course evaluation instrument Developed with the assistance of an advisory panel from CCSSE member colleges Based on student engagement items from the CCSSE survey and additional course feedback items submitted and reviewed by our advisory panel members CCSSE Course Feedback Form Community College Survey of Student Engagement

33. Community College Survey of Student Engagement Questions/Discussion Please complete your CCCSE Workshop Evaluation Form. Please leave your Evaluation Form and Promising Practices Form on the table.