23rd International Conference on The First-Year Experience June - PDF document

23rd International Conference on The First-Year Experience June 7-10, 2010 Maui, Hawaii You‟re Not the Boss of Me: Putting Technology in Its Place By Using a Systemic Approach to Student Retention and Support Rachel Phillips-Buck Career Counselor Abilene Christian University 325-665-7346 rachelphillipsbuck@gmail.com Technology has changed the world in which we live and has accomplished astounding feats. Our society now has a desire for human affairs to be guided by technological solutions and ―technology - generated evidence‖ (McGovern, Gerry 2010). Simply stated, technology has become the panacea to the world‘s problems. This is seen in way we use twitter and facebook to make connections. It is used at airports as the solution for identifying suspicious people, and screening for dangerous material. On our campuses, technology‘s role has expanded to sort through students‘ demographic and academic information using retention algorithms to identify at-risk students — ranging from persistence concerns to those who may be more likely to create a crisis situation on your campus. These linear approaches ignore the value of the rich resources in which we live, learn, work, and communicate — our system. There is a new attitude emerging from this technologically-saturated milieu. When we evaluate the true implications of a linear approach, common sense recognizes that technology, however helpful it may be, needs to be placed in balance with other elements of our system. The pendulum is swinging back to an attitude that supports the value of human contributions to problem solving, decision-making, and crisis management. For example, security experts are now suggesting that ―technology should support people…skilled people (should be) at the center of our security concept rather than the other way around‖ (Gurion, 2010). Now that colleges and universities have experienced technology‘s shortcomings, leaders in higher education have begun training staff and faculty to take notice of their personal interactions with students, and be alert for interpersonal signals that a student may be struggling. By putting technology in a support role, a university creates a balance between technology and human resources--leading to a comprehensive system on the campus. This presentation will lead participants through the evolving attitudes on technology and its role in student retention and support. It will highlight misuses, contributions, and best practices of technology integration. We will also explore the appropriate role of technology in supporting and empowering the greatest resource on campuses — people. The presentation will include a discussion and specific example s of technology‘s appropriate application in the areas of retention, at-risk populations, and student support. 1

Time for questions will be reserved. Camp Carey: Freshmen Retreat Program Hope Larsen Program Coordinator, Senior Arizona State University 480-965-8381 hope.larsen@asu.edu Brennan Forss Director, Academic Services Arizona State University 480-965-0295 brennan.forss@asu.edu Jennifer Shick Program Coordinator, Senior Arizona State University 480-727-6622 jennifer.shick@asu.edu It is rare to see a W. P. Carey business student without a laptop, cell phone, or Starbucks cup. Camp Carey provides access to none of those things. Instead, students are assigned randomly to teams, forced to share bathrooms, and served communal meals in a dining hall. Participants have to leave their comfort zones in order to begin building their W. P. Carey community – complete with friends, mentors, and resources. The result has been an outdoor experiential program that leads to strong bonds among peers. Research provides support for the benefits of outdoor orientation and transition programs such as Camp Carey. Experiential education suggests that learning is best accomplished through action, observation, and reflection. These are typical processes used to facilitate learning in the classroom, but when you eliminate distractions, students have the true opportunity to act, observe, and reflect on who they are and who they want to be, offering the perfect opportunity for one to start a successful college career. Some of the learning objectives based on the research include: Connecting to other students in order to create a comfortable community; demonstrating business knowledge and developing business skills through a corporate case study; solving physical challenges as a team in order to practice teamwork; learning college traditions to develop a school-related identity and reflecting on personal behaviors in order to evaluate leadership skills. Through qualitative and quantitative assessment we are able to evaluate the program each year and make changes for improvement. Camp Carey is an outdoor experiential program that begins with low-risk activities such as 2

icebreakers, transitions to teamwork on a low ropes course, and culminates in a case study competition. By the end of the weekend, participants have challenged themselves and each other to take risks, step out of their comfort zones, and trust those around them (despite the fact that they were strangers two days prior). The experience wraps up with self-reflection – students are asked to consider and share about how they work in a group dynamic; how they lead, how they contribute to a team, and how they can do it better in the future. Promoting Academic Student Success (PASS): Academic Support for Probationary First- Year Students Kay Haralson Student Success Specialist/Associate Professor Austin Peay State University 931-624-1494 haralsonk@apsu.edu Mike Dunn Advising Coordinator, Title III Grant Austin Peay State University 931-221-7633 dunnm@apsu.edu Loretta Griffy Director, Title III Grant/Associate Professor Austin Peay State University 931-221-7634 griffyl@apsu.edu Institutions of higher education are being held accountable more than ever for the success of our students. Persistence to graduation can only occur if students successfully survive their first year. Our university implemented the Promoting Academic Student Success (PASS) program in order to throw a life-line to freshmen who find themselves placed on academic probation and to students returning from an academic suspension. This session will focus on the design of the PASS program, the content and requirements of the program, modifications made to the program each semester, and the initial assessment of the effectiveness of the program. In this 12-week course students complete an assessment of their study and life skills and are provided customized support in areas of weakness. Students receive weekly tutoring in a course in which they have experienced difficulty. Academic and personal support and encouragement are provided by the PASS course instructor and the PASS Ambassador, a student peer mentor assigned to each class. The course instructor and the PASS Ambassador also lead interactive discussions on topics related to academic success and life skills. Modifications have been made to the PASS program each semester as a result of suggestions 3

from the PASS instructors, the PASS Ambassadors, and the external evaluator of the Title III Grant which provides funding for the program. The main goal of this program is to increase the number of at-risk students who achieve success after a weak start to their college career and who subsequently continue to graduation. Since its inception in Spring 2009, students completing the program have experienced greater success than students who did not complete the program. During the first semester the average term GPA for students who successfully completed the program increased by 98%, and the retention rate of completers was 81.5%. The average term GPA for students who were required to complete the program but did not, decreased an average of 12.5% and their retention rate to the next semester was 15%. During the Fall 2009 semester, students who successfully passed the course had an average term GPA increase of 88% and were retained at a rate of 65%. Students who did not successfully complete the PASS course had an average term GPA decrease of 5% and their retention rate was 35%. Data for the Spring 2010 semester will be discussed in the session, but is not available at this time. The Power of Mentoring First-Generation Students Audrey Ward Dean of Student Academic Support Services Bennett College 336-517-1502 award@bennett.edu Millicent Rainey Sr. Associate Provost Bennett College 336-517-2158 mrainey@bennett.edu Ruth Dennis-Phillips Director of Campus Life Bennett College 336-517-2207 rdphillips@bennett.edu The Bennett College presentation will focus on a new mentoring program designed for first year first-generation students. The presentation will show how the mentoring program, immersed in a structure of learning communities, serves as an educational conduit for retention. The Senior Associate Provost of Academic Affairs will give the over-arching goals and objectives for establishing a mentoring program at Bennett College for Women. The Director of Campus Life will present profiles of First-year students, of Emerging Scholars, and of First- 4