Promoting First-Year Student Success through Residential Learning Initiatives

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Promoting First-Year Student Success through
Residential Learning Initiatives

• Jimmie Gahagan
• Anna McLeod
• Kimberly Dressler
• Jody A. Kunk

University of South Carolina- Columbia
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Presentation Overview

• Definition of Residential Learning Initiatives
• History of Residential Learning Initiatives at
  USC
• Highlighted Programs
• Student Success Initiative (SSI)
• Academic Centers for Excellence (ACE)
• Additional FYE Academic Support Initiatives
• Faculty Involvement
• The Future of Residential Learning Initiatives

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What are residential learning initiatives?

• Academic Success Initiatives
• Faculty Involvement / Academic Partnering
• Residential Learning Communities

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History of Residential Learning Initiatives at USC

• Student Affairs Academic Affairs Partnership
• Renaissance Discussions brought together
  partners from across campus
• Associate Provost articulated a clear vision to
  create an Academic Buzz on the first floor of
  every residence hall

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The Case for Residential Learning Initiatives

• Supports the First-Year Experience
• - DEEP institutions also demonstrate that
  effective institutions connect residential
  learning and the first-year experience (Kuh,
  Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt, 2005)
• Enhanced College Experience
• Connecting Curriculum and Co-curriculum
• Civic and Community Engagement
• Providing multiple safety nets for students

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Academic Learning Outcomes

• Resident Student Learning Model (RSLM)
• Five common objectives with specific learning
  outcomes that guide experiences for all on-campus
  residents
• Academic Success
• Character
• Leadership
• Self Responsibility
• Community Responsibility

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The Case for Residential Learning Initiatives

• Retention and Graduation
• - Students living on campus are more likely to
  persist and graduate than students who
  commute Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005, p.
  421).
• Values and Beliefs
• - Living on campus positively impacted increases
  in aesthetic, cultural, and intellectual
  values (Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005,
  p. 421).

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The Case for Residential Learning Initiatives

• Diversity
• - Residence Halls influence a positive shift
  toward more positive and inclusive
  racial-ethnic attitudes and openness to
  diversity broadly defined (Pascarella and
  Terenzini, 2005, pg. 310)
• Academic Achievement
• - University of Michigan study found that living
  and learning programs had an impact on
  students academic achievement and
  intellectual engagement (Pasque and Murphy,
  2005)

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Residential Learning Initiatives at the
University of South Carolina
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Student Success Initiative (SSI)
Developing the First-Year SSI

• University Housing Committee (Spring,1997)
• Composed of resident advisors, graduate
  assistants, residence life coordinators and
  support staff
• Committees recommendations included
• Separate first-year students from upper-class
  students
• Allocate full-time staff members to freshman
  centers
• Lower RA student ratio to 1 RA 20 students
• Establish roommate contracts
• Improve students grades

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Outcomes of the First-Year SSI

• Change the culture from the RAs being police to
  more of a mentor
• Create opportunities for first-year students to
  change culture at USC
• Develop strong, intentional communities among
  students
• Provide easily accessible academic support
• Devote staff resources to developing strong
  relationships between students and staff

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Structure of the SSI

• An intentional discussion 4 times a year
• Twice in the fall
• Twice in the spring
• Discussion guide facilitates the intentional
  interaction between the RA and student
• Questions based on the 5 areas of USCs Resident
  Student Learning Model
• Academic Success, Leadership, Community
• Responsibility, Self Responsibility, Character

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Content of the SSI Discussion Guide

• Potential questions
• Suggested resources
• Structured note pages
• Tear-out action plans
• Concern Reports (academic and behavioral)
• Exit survey (First-Year SSI only)

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SSI Concern Reports
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SSI Training/Supervision Expectations

• Resident advisors are trained every fall and
  spring
• SSI Meetings are Uniform and Formal Process
• Intentional, one-on-one interactions
• Completed in front of residents
• Students will be aware of the process

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Assessment of SSI
Meeting with RA was helpful
Spring 2005
Spring 2004
Contributed to Overall Academic Experience
Spring 2004
Spring 2005
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Challenges of Student Success Initiative

• Supervision by Staff Member
• Management of large numbers
• Training
• Student Approachability and Access
• Buy-in
• RA Role
• Training
• Number of residents

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Academic Centers for Excellence (ACE)

• ACE provides
• general academic skills consultations,
• after-hours Writing Center consultations, and
• group math tutoring
• in three residence halls for all students at the
  University of South Carolina.

ACE began in 1999 by offering writing and math
tutoring.
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Academic Skills Consultants
15-20 Higher Education and Students Affairs
masters students volunteer as ACE academic skills
consultants.

• Consultants
• Meet with students about study skills,
• Assist students in interpretation of LASSI
  scores (Learning and Study Strategies Inventory)
• Present to University 101 classes on academic
  success strategies, and
• Create study skills resources

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Academic Skills Consultants

• Participated in a 3-day training in the fall on
  study skills, academic difficulties, and
  university resources
• Receive 150 stipend when contribute 30 hours
  towards ACE activities each semester. Stipend can
  be used for registration at a professional
  conference registration of their choice
• Currently we have graduate volunteers but we
  are exploring offering this opportunity to
  undergraduate students

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ACE Participation Fall 2005

• Academic Skills
• 9 scheduled appointments (20 already for
  Spring)
• Presented to 400 first-year students in
  University 101 courses
• 175 students took the LASSI

• Writing
• 397 students attended an ACE writing
  consultation

• Math
• 250 students dropped in for math tutoring

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Challenges of ACE

• Increasing students recognition of ACE
  services and decreasing the stigma associated
  with receiving assistance
• Improving physical visibility of some ACEs
• Maintaining partnerships with other units

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Additional Academic Success Programs
Early Interventions Recognition Advising
Sessions Undergraduate Research
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Early Intervention Programs

• Class Absence Initiative
• Managed through Director of Retention and
  Planning
• University 101 and First-Year English instructors
  report students excessive absences
• Excessive absences are reported to campus
  partners, including University Housing
• Resident Directors follow up with students

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Early Intervention Programs

• Academic Interventions
• Each January we pull the cumulative and semester
  GPAs for all on-campus students whose GPAs
  qualify as academically deficient.
• Housing professional and graduate staff meet
  one-on-one with these students to identify what
  issues caused the poor academic performance and
  share resources on how to improve in the future.

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Early Intervention Programs

• Academic Interventions- continued
• This past fall we had almost 7,000 students live
  on-campus
• 784 of those students had a deficient GPA.
• The average GPA of students living on campus for
  Fall 2005 was 3.14

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Recognition

• Academic Excellence Reception
• Each January we recognize on-campus residents who
  have a 3.75 or higher cumulative GPA
• Of 7,000 residents, almost 1,400 qualified in
  2006
• Reception honors these students with remarks from
  the Provost, hors d'oeuvres, door prizes, and
  information tables from academic partners (ie
  Study Abroad, Career Center)

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Advising Sessions

• Pre-Advising
• Prior to the advising season each semester, we
  invite advisors from various departments to host
  informal advising sessions in residence halls
• Generally, sessions are held in residence halls
  with high first-year populations
• Assists first-year students in preparing for
  their upcoming advising sessions

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Undergraduate Research

• Office of Undergraduate Research
• Magellan Scholar Program
• Provides students with faculty mentoring
  relationships and a professional research
  experience
• Each scholar receives up to 3,000 to fund
  project
• Preston Residential College Research Grants
• Provides residents opportunity to work with
  faculty associates
• Grants ranged from 120 to 500
• 6 residents received grants this year
• Will be expanding to other learning communities
  in 06-07

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Challenges to Academic Success Initiatives

• Students awareness of initiatives
• Buy-in from staff
• Coordination and timing of initiatives

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Faculty Involvement

• Helping faculty and students connect in a wide
  variety of settings
• Benefits of faculty-student interaction
• Academic Achievement
• Personal and Intellectual Development
• Retention (Cuseo,J., n.d.)

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Cultivating Faculty Involvement

• Develop initiatives that support the academic
  good of the institution
• Build partnership around institutional and
  departmental mission and goal statements
• Clarify roles and communication patterns
• Leave credit with the academic unit
• Develop tangible rewards and recognition
• Involve faculty in the design and development of
  new facilities
• Support faculty development and instruction

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Faculty Involvement at USC

• Faculty Principals/Directors
• Supporting Faculty Research
• Faculty Associates
• Residence Hall classrooms
• Out to Lunch
• Residence Hall Presentations
• Recognition Events
• (We want interaction across all levels)

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Sustaining Residential Learning Initiatives

• Requires visionary leadership and motivation
• Institutionalization
• Recurring support
• Supporting the institutional mission
• Managing change
• Managing relationships
• Managing the story

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Challenges to Sustainability

• Financial Investment
• Housing funds
• Academic funds
• Communication
• Faculty Reward
• Technology
• Assessment

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Questions?
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Contact Information
Jimmie Gahagan 803-777-1445 /
gahagan_at_sc.edu Anna McLeod 803-777-4885 /
mcleod_at_sc.edu Kimberly Dressler 803-777-0193 /
kimberly.dressler_at_sc.edu Jody A. Kunk
803-777-0193 / Jody.Kunk_at_sc.edu
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References

• Kuh, G., Kinzie, J., Schuh, Whitt, E.,
  Associates. (2005). Student Success in College
  Creating Conditions that Matter. San Francisco,
  CA Jossey-Bass.
• Light, Richard (2001) Making the Most of College
  Students Speak Their Minds. Cambridge, MA
  Harvard University Press.
• Pascarella, E. T., Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How
  College Affects Students, Volume 2 A Third
  Decade of Research. San Francisco, CA
  Jossey-Bass.
• Pasque, P. A., Murphy, R. (2005). The
  intersections of living-learning programs and
  social identity as factors of academic
  achievement and intellectual engagement. Journal
  of College Student Development, 46, 4, pp.
  429-441.