Student-Faculty Interactions … from the field to the classroom and college community

1. Student-Faculty Interactions…from the field to the classroom and college community Sehoya Cotner Anne Kellerman … Robin Wright John Anderson David Biesboer

2. What do you do to foster positive student-faculty interactions? Please list one or two thoughts

3. “The U”some relevant facts & figures • Large, public, land-grant, research university • >50,000 students, ~30,000 ugrad • Five freshman-admitting colleges • Biological Sciences (since 1997) • majors in biochemistry, biology, genetics, ecology, plant biology, microbiology, neuroscience

4. College of Biological Sciencessome relevant facts & figures • 140 faculty • ~450 graduate students • ~1700 undergrads average CBS freshman • top 10th percentile of high school class • ACT = 27 (10% >30) • more than half already have college credits

5. Movie!

6. Nature of Life: Program Goals • help students begin to explore biology from molecules to ecosystems • introduce opportunities in CBS & the U • *build a community of learners • increase retention & graduation rates

7. Program Overview • 2-credit class required for all students entering from high school • Begins at the Lake Itasca Field station (in summer) • 3 learning modules • evening sessions & discussions • exam

8. Geography interlude:Where the heck is Itasca? veritas caput http://www.nps.gov/cuva/kidstuff/pac/watersheds/images/USmaps/US_new.jpg

9. Nature of Life:Overview • 2-credit class required for all students entering from high school • Continues back in the Twin Cities • Reflective essays • Involvement at various levels

10. Academic success Building community Creating connections

11. Program logistics • ~350 entering freshmen • 4 NOL sessions during summer 80-90 students per session • 1 make-up session second weekend after classes begin • ~40 students • Finances: • $190 course fee (covers transportation, room, board, supplies, s’mores) • tuition (covers faculty honoraria) • Small in-house grant (covers faculty housing & board)

12. Overall schedule of activities at the Lake Itasca Field Station

13. Emphasis on small group activities (12-14 students) • Check-in & bus trip activities • Learning modules • Roundtable conversations • Exam & exam feedback

14. Emphasis on small group activities (12-14 students) • Check-in: assigned to groups with names relevant to faculty in program • karmellae; phragmoplast; bangi-bangi; hectocotylus; etc. • First activity: create poster about what word means

15. Emphasis on small group activities (12-14 students) • Check-in & bus trip activities • Learning modules • Roundtable conversations • Exam feedback

16. Small group activities: Learning Modules • Goals • Provide hands-on snapshots of biology disciplines • Explore field biology opportunities at Itasca • Begin the transition to college level study & expectations • Highlight opportunities in research • INTERACT WITH FACULTY IN CASUAL SETTING

17. Field Biology Bog Biology Lake Ecology Ornithology Invertebrate diversity River Ecology Laboratory Biology Biochemical analysis of plant pigments Molecular biology Computer modeling Nerve function Small group activities: Learning Module Topicsnote: each module is a 4-hour session! • Issues in Biology • Implications of the human genome project • Genetic counseling • Social implications of biology

18. Learning Module example:hypothesis building & testing

19. Plenary Activities with all students (~80 students) • Station safety • Itasca biogeography • Keys to success at the U of M • Career building strategies • University traditions

20. Plenary Activities with all students (~80 students) • Campfires & s’mores

21. Plenary Activities with all students (~80 students) • Authentic exam!

22. Plenary Activities with all students (~80 students) • “graduation”

23. Of course, there is a little free time

24. Does the program achieve its goals? • Formal IRB-approved protocols to measure attitudes • Pre-program questionnaire • Post-program questionnaire • part 1: repeat pre-program questions • part 2: learning module & program assessment Informal • Follow-up surveys on-line • Essays: reflection on NOL experience; conversation with a professor Outcomes • retention, graduation, success

25. assessment results (goal: introduce opportunities in CBS & the U) p<.0001 & ~.10

26. assessment results (goal: increase retention & graduation rates) p<.0001

27. Student-Faculty Interactions: Who cares? • Student-faculty interactions as key to success • Pascarella et al • Tinto • Chickering • Woodside, Wong, & Wiest • etc.

28. Focus on the Faculty!

29. What’s so great about the faculty? • Using NOL ‘06 as an example… • In student evaluations of individual modules, 112 commented specifically on faculty attributes: • Knowledge (21) • Interest (25) • Approachability (21) • Enthusiasm (23) • Fun factor (11) • Teaching methods (7) • Just loved the professor/thought professor was great (39)

30. assessment results (goal: build a community of learners) p<.0001

31. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? • Follow-up survey administered to all CBS undergraduates, December 2006 • NOL (n=180) and non-NOL (n = 77) respondents • Questions focused on faculty interactions, within the college and beyond

32. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? “I have introduced myself to faculty members without any intent beyond the introduction” • Never (0) • 1 or 2 times total (1) • 3-5 times total (2) • 6-10 times (3) • over 10 times (4)

33. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? “I have introduced myself to faculty members without any intent beyond the introduction” • Never (0) • 1 or 2 times total (1) • 3-5 times total (2) • 6-10 times (3) • over 10 times (4) • Yes: 2.133 (n=180) • No: 1.844 (n = 77) • t-ratio = -2.08976 • p>|t| = .0384

34. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? “I have made appointments to discuss course material with faculty”

35. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? “I have made appointments to discuss course material with faculty” • Yes: 1.855 • No: 2.22 • t-ratio: 1.977 • p>|t| = .0506

36. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? “I have taken a faculty member to lunch”

37. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? “I have taken a faculty member to lunch” • Yes: 1.13889 • No: 1.01299 • T-ratio: -3.33304 • P>|t| = .0010

38. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? “I have had coffee with a faculty member” Yes: 1.23889 • No: 1.11688 • T-ratio: -1.85404 • p>|t| = .0652

39. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? • In general, my interactions with faculty have been positive • N/A (0) • disagree strongly (1) • disagree (2) • Agree (3) • agree strongly (4)

40. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? • In general, my interactions with faculty have been positive • N/A (0) • disagree strongly (1) • disagree (2) • Agree (3) • agree strongly (4) • Yes: 3.14444 • No: 2.79221 • t-ratio: -2.58241 • p>|t| = .0110

41. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? • In general, my impressions of CBS faculty are positive • Yes: 3.12222 • No: 2.94805 • t-ratio: -1.71733 • p>|t| = .0880

42. Student-faculty interactions: long-term effects? • I feel like I know some of the faculty in CBS • Yes: 2.64444 • No: 2.25974 • t-ratio: -2.9687 • p>|t| = .0035

43. What do the faculty say? • Non-NOL faculty: • “Why do all these students keep introducing themselves to me?” • “How do I get invited up to NOL?” • NOL faculty: • “I’m exhausted!” • “Hey, look at all these familiar faces.” • “Let’s not tell our colleagues about this sweet deal.”

44. …but what about outcomes?

46. …but what about outcomes?

47. …but what about outcomes?

48. Some unanswered questions remain • Graduation impact? • Best follow-up scenario? • Is this sustainable? • What about the students that HATE it? • others??

50. Focus on the Faculty!