Joanne Damminger, Ed.D.

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First-Year Experiences Focused on Intentional
Learning and Decision Making

• Joanne Damminger, Ed.D.
• Rowan University
• Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience
• February 19, 2007

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Objectives

• To inform participants about
• A comprehensive learning community
• Research results
• Intentional learning techniques
• MyRoad
• Discover
• Let Me Learn and LCI
• LCI First-Year initiative

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Visions of the Future (VOF) Learning Community

• Visions of the Future
• Setting Your Career Plan in Motion
• is
• A comprehensive first-year learning community
• for undeclared students.
• It is sponsored by the
• Office of VP for Student Affairs

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Learning Community (LC) Learning Outcomes

• Students will
• Readily meet and know other students, professors
  and administrators to ease their social and
  academic adjustment
• Learn about themselves and what it means to
  become intentional learners
• Be well-informed as a result of community
  meetings and activities
• Understand the value of career advising
• Intentional academic advising
• Exploring self, learning patterns, majors, and
  occupations.

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Components of the Program

• Grouped housing
• Paired courses (CCI and Rowan Seminar)
• Faculty interaction
• Peer mentors
• Intentional career advising (more to come)
• Sense of community
• Structured monthly meetings
• Self-assessment of learning patterns, interests,
  values, and abilities
• Exploration of majors and careers
• Socialization
• Time management
• Campus involvement

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Relationship to Theory

• First-year Experience
• John Gardner (1999) states that the learning
  community is the structural and pedagogical
  innovation currently being developed in American
  higher education that may hold the greatest
  promise for improving first-year student academic
  performance and retention (p. v).
• Tintos Integration Theory
• Tinto (1987, 1993) states that students who
  become integrated in the institutions social and
  academic systems maintain commitment to degree
  completion.
• Theory of Involvement
• Astin (1977, 1993) states student involvement
  leads to learning and determining the quality
  college experience.
• NACE Virtual Seminar, Career Counseling the
  Elusive Freshman, 2/6/03
• Developmental freshmen need information,
  self-knowledge, sense of community, and
  self-management

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Self-Assessment, Majors, and Occupations

• MyRoad.com
• by Collegeboard.com
• www.collegeboard.com, 1-888-331-8300,
  myroadinfo_at_collegeboard.com
• Personality Profiler
• Discover
• by ACT
• www.act.org
• D. Killingsworth, Atlanta, Georgia, 404-231-1952
• UNIACT Inventory

Both are Internet Accessible
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Career Advising

• Build relationship with academic advisor
• 2 advisors assigned to VOF program
• Invited to monthly meetings
• Students visit each semester
• Include self-assessment results in academic
  advising and course selection
• Discuss well-matched majors and criteria to apply
• Research related occupations
• Consider short and long term career plans

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Learning Connections Inventory (LCI)

• Administer Let Me Learn learning preference
  inventory by Christine Johnston and Gary Dainton
• Learning Outcomes
• Students can identify and understand their own
  patterns and others
• Students decode assignments and utilize
  strategies for academic achievement
• Website www.letmelearn.org, 856-358-0039

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LCI Patterns

• Sequential
• Precise
• Technical
• Confluent

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The Sequential Pattern

• Use First
• I want clear directions.
• I prefer step-by-step directions.
• I want time to do my work neatly.
• I like to do my work from beginning to end.
• I want to know if I am meeting the instructors
  expectations.
• Avoid
• I do not value directions, plan or live by a
  schedule
• I find directions confusing and sometimes
  frustrating

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The Precise Pattern

• Use First
• I ask lots of questions.
• I like to answer questions.
• I need to be accurate and correct.
• I want complete and thorough explanations.
• I like a lot of details
• Avoid
• I rarely read for pleasure and dont attend to
  details
• Memorizing is tedious and a waste of time
• Much of the conversation going on around me
  simply sounds like blah, blah, blah

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The Technical Pattern

• Use First
• I dont like to write things down.
• I need to see the purpose of what I am doing.
• I like to work by myself.
• I like to figure things out.
• I dont like to use a lot of words.
• Avoid
• I dont like to take things apart I hire others
  for building and repairs.
• I problem solve with others, not by myself.

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The Confluent Pattern

• Use First
• I dont like doing the same thing over and over.
• I see situations very differently then others do.
• I like to do things my own way.
• I dont like following the rules.
• Avoid
• I think taking risks seems foolish and wasteful.
• I like to be very careful and cautious in making
  life decisions.

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Safety Patrol Report

• No Report

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LCI Freshman Initiative

• Fall 2006, 73 of class took LCI via email
  communication
• Learned about its value at Orientation, Residence
  Hall programming and RS class
• Fall 2007, first-year students are taking with NJ
  Placement Test
• Challenge is informing all constituencies
• campus, students and parents

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Benefits

• Assist with academic and social adjustment
• Meet and know peers and faculty
• Explore self, patterns, majors and related
  occupations
• Apply to well-matched majors in timely fashion
• Promote faculty interaction
• Increase active student classroom involvement
• Encourage campus involvement
• Provide transitional support
• Foster and model collaboration

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VOF Retention Data
Note 2005-2006 retention data not yet available.
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Faculty Feedback

• FACULTY SAY
• VOF students
• Develop a sense of community
• Students are different in class
• They take care of one another
• Have an awareness of one another
• Interact more frequently
• Fail and drop out of class less frequently
• Are more engaged in class

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Student Feedback

• STUDENTS SAY
• Its an experience you will thank your parents
  for. The moderators and advisor are really
  enjoyable to be around and they help you
  understand college and key strategies for
  successfully getting through your first two
  semesters.   
• VOF helped me learn a lot about choosing a major
  and gave lots of advice about getting involved on
  campus.  
• While it was not something I was thrilled to join
  it has helped me make friends and become
  comfortable on campus!    
• In the confusion of freshman year, VOF is a guide
  providing information and clearing up any
  misconceptions. VOF is a bank of information and
  everything one could know about Rowan!       

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Learning Community Model in Academic Departments

• Currently
• Biology all majors
• R/TV/Film Pilot
• History 2-year model
• Fall 2007
• Computer Science

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Applicability

• Easily applied and
• adapted to other
• institutions

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Contact Information

• Joanne K. Damminger, Ed.D.
• Rowan University
• 201 Mullica Hill Rd.
• Glassboro, NJ 08028
• [phone]
• damminger_at_rowan.edu

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References

• Astin, A. W. (1977). Four critical years. San
  Francisco Jossey-Bass.
• Astin, A. W. (1993, Fall). What matters in
  college? Liberal Education, 79(4), 4-13.
• Gardner, J. N., Levine, J. H. (1999). Trends
  and future directions. In J. H. Levine (Ed.),
  Learning communities New structures, new
  partnerships for learning (Monograph No. 26)
  (pp. 9-18). Columbia, SC University of South
  Carolina, National Resource Center for The
  First-Year Experience and Students in
  Transition.
• Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college Rethinking the
  causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago
  University of Chicago Press.
• Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college Rethinking the
  causes and cures of student attrition. (2nd
  ed.). Chicago University of Chicago Press.
• Wallace, N., February 6, 2003. Career counseling
  and the elusive freshman, why and how. NACE
  Virtual Seminar.