Highlights from A National Survey on Enhancing Undergraduate Student Success and Retention

1. Highlights from A National Survey on Enhancing Undergraduate Student Success and Retention Looking Beyond the First Year

2. Survey Contents • Summer Bridge Programs • Pre-Term Orientation • Academic/Transition Seminars • Learning Communities • Early Warning/Academic Alert Systems • Service Learning • Undergraduate Research

3. Survey respondents • 527 four-year institutions (from an overall population of 1,373) • Response rate 38.4% • The largest percentage of respondents was in the 1,001 – 5,000 student category.

4. Academic/Transition Seminars

5. Percentage of Students Participating The highest rates of student participation in all seminars are in institutions with no more than 5,000 students.

6. Sophomore Seminars: Examples • Part of a four-course sequence that spans the undergraduate years. • Focus on self and society, purpose, and critical thinking • Major-based courses; information literacy in the major • Coverage of specific general education competencies (e.g., multiculturalism) • Residential – part of “sophomore residential colleges” • Courses for students on probation or at risk of dropping out • Career-oriented courses • Honors courses

7. Junior Seminars: Examples • Courses taught through “disciplinary lens” of professor but focused on general topics • Knowledge of research methodology in major • Extensive writing course to meet graduation requirements • “Juniors abroad” • Experiential learning requirement with linked seminars • Capstone for the general education core • Honors • Elective on civic engagement • Preparation for graduate/professional school in STEM departments

8. Senior Seminars • Demonstration of major related competencies (90%) • Creation/presentation of original research or artistic expression (78%) • Career readiness (57%) • Integration of general education and major (45%) • Better understanding of the liberal arts (27%) • Other – “integration of faith and learning,” “preparation for senior project”

9. Learning Communities

10. Learning Community Characteristics • First-Year Learning Communities • Students co-enrolled in two or more courses; faculty work closely (60%) • One of the courses is a first-year seminar (58%) • Linkage to residence life (56%) • Courses linked by common intellectual theme (52%) • Sophomore Learning Communities (n = 44) • Linkage to residence life (51%) • Courses linked by common intellectual theme (49%) • Students co-enrolled; faculty work closely together (44%) • One of the courses is a sophomore seminar (12%)

11. Junior and Senior Learning Communities (13 identified at each level) • Junior • Honors learning community • Single community: entrepreneurship • One of the integrated learning communities: “What does it mean to be human?” “What is truth?” What is the common good?” • Residential communities • Senior • “GreenBelt Learning Community: Living learning community themed on sustainability • Integration of liberal arts, major, and Christian perspective • Honors learning community

12. Early Warning For Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors Students most likely to be monitored: academic probation, athletes, EOP students, scholarship students

13. Service Learning

14. Undergraduate Research

15. Summation Institutional emphasis still tends to be on the first or the senior year. Size matters: smaller institutions are more likely to involve more students in whatever they offer. Large institutions are trying to “look like” smaller institutions through learning communities.

16. For What Shall This Institution Be Known? • Is there a common identity? • Who owns that identity – who ignores it? • How will that identity become part of each stage of the undergraduate experience? • How will graduates represent, and act in accordance with, that identity?