Impacting firstyear student persistence: Departmental orientation

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Impacting first-year student persistenceDepartme
ntal orientation advising CAN make a difference!

• Presented By
• Brett McFarlane
• Portland State University

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Today we will

• Look at past research on retention and
  persistence related to advising
• Review data from 1 credit orientation/advising
  course taught by SBA advising staff
• Discuss how other schools are using departmental
  advising to impact persistence

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So whats the problem?

• More than 50 of those who leave college do so in
  the first year
• Majority of students entering higher education do
  not complete a degree
• Attrition rates continue to increase nationwide

Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange
(1999) Postsecondary Education Opportunity (2002)
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And

• Most departmental advising resources are focused
  on upper division studentsthose already most
  likely to earn a degree
• Cost to recruit one new student could be used to
  retain 3-5 current students

Noel, Levitz, Saluri (1985) Tinto (1975)
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What does research tell us?

• That were not going to find any direct
  correlationsbad news for positivists
• Orientation and advising have and indirect
  relationship with persistence and educational
  attainment
• Indirect relationship CAN be studied and CAN
  impact persistence

Pascarella Terenzini (1991) Metzner (1989)
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Student persistence/attrition

• Academic, social, and personal adjustment
• Help make transition, work toward academic
  career goals, teach students how to succeed
• frontload academic experiences

Upcraft Gardner Associates (1989) Pascarella
Terenzini (1991) Tinto (1993) Hurtado, Milem,
Clayton-Pederson Allen (1996) Hurtado, Carder,
Kardia (1998)
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Student orientation

• Statistically positive link between orientation
  experiences and persistence
• 3 day summer orientation can show positive effect
  on persistence

Pascarella Terenzini (1991) Wolfe (1986)
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What I did

• Group development of a 1 credit orientation
  course for 1st year matriculating business majors
• Quantitative analysis of course

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What I found

• Learning outcomes of the 1 credit orientation
  course were achieved
• The course DID indicate some positive indirect
  results related to persistence and retention.

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Conceptual Model
Astin (1993)
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Intervention Overview

• Advising challenges in the School of Business
  (SBA)
• Orientation Intervention and learning outcomes
• Analysis of orientation
• Limitations and implications

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School of Business Snapshot
Fall 2004 Bus. Admits

• SBA growth
• Skewed advising model
• PSU advising ratings

NSSE (2001) NSSE (2002)
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Desired situation within SBA

• Address growing 1st year student population,
  decreasing transfer population
• Higher advising satisfaction ratings
• Advising resource allocation based upon student
  success research
• Increased persistence

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Orientation learning outcomes

• Degree understanding
• Resource connect
• Classroom success
• Survey instrument developed with 16 questions
  directed at these learning outcomes

Upcraft, Gardner, Associates (1989)
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Learning outcome population
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Learning Outcome ResultsDegree Understanding
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Learning Outcome ResultsResource Connect (Sig.
only)
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Learning Outcome ResultsStudent Tools
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Measures of Persistence

• Is there a relationship between the orientation
  intervention and PSU cumulative GPA?
• Is there a relationship between the orientation
  intervention and degree progress as measured by
  cumulative credits at Portland State and
  re-enrollment?

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Measures of persistence PSU credits after Fall
Term 2004
TOT CR 200404 4.25 10.2 HS GPA 6.83 ORIENT
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Measures of persistence PSU GPA after Fall
Term, 2004
PSU GPA 200404 -.477 .75 HS GPA .192 ORIENT
- .481 B Coefficient B Earned GED
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Measures of persistence Re-enrollment, Fall 2004
Re-enroll .563 .133 ORIENT
Non parametric Chi-Square Test No orientation
56.3 Re-enroll Orientation 69.6 Re-enroll
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Research Summary

• Learning outcomes of degree understanding and
  resource connect were achieved
• Course did have slight effect on degree progress
  and re-enrollment at PSU
• Orientation did not have a measurable effect on
  GPA

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Implications

• Learning outcome success directly tied to
  research on student success and persistence
• Even more crucial for underrepresented students
  and 1st generation students
• Departmental focus
• If 3 days can have an impactwhat about a full
  term?

Attinassi (1989) Pascarella Terenzini (1991)
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Intervention Limitations

• 3 day orientation
• Only 1 year of data to study
• Poor design of Likert-type scale (1-5)
• Regression assumptions

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Other departmental programs

• Orientation sessions/courses
• Advising interventions
• Partnerships with main advising/career centers
• Partnerships with other academic centers

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Questions?