The FirstYear Experience: Teaching and Learning

1
The First-Year ExperienceTeaching and Learning

• First-Year Experience Retreat
• August 13, 2008
• Alan Wright
• Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning
• University of Windsor

2
Access and Success

• The large number of dropouts and secondary
  students choosing not to enter PSE has grave
  consequences. It means
• fewer students enrolled in higher education,
• lost opportunities for the students
  themselves, and
• loss of revenue and productivity for society
• Grayson, 2003
• The challenge is to both provide wider access
  to studies and to put mechanisms into place to
  ensure that students persevere beyond first year.

3
Multiple Factors

• The decision to interrupt studies cannot be
  attributed to a single factor but rather is due
  to multiple factors in play at various moments in
  the life of students.
• These factors have particular significance
  for under-represented populations.
• Galand, Neuville and Frenay 2005 Sauvé et al.
  2006
• Neuville et al. 2007

4
The Institutional Role

• Universities can play a leading role in
  improving access and increasing student success.
  Their role involves strategies and practices
  touching on recruitment, financial aid, outreach,
  curriculum reform, student support services and
  pedagogical innovations.

5
A Holistic Approach

• Our holistic approach to the study of access
  and success in university is rooted in the notion
  that institutions must take an integrated
  approach when addressing these issues.

6
Post-Secondary Access
7
Dropping out of University
8
Areas of Intervention for Success
9
Effective Institutional Strategies for Student
Success

• An intentional and comprehensive approach
• Internal assessment of the approaches
• Administrative support and sustainability
• Involvement of large numbers of stakeholders
• A broad impact on students, including those from
  under-represented groups.
• Barefoot et al., 2005

10
Effective First-Year Practicesbeyond the
classroom

• Orientation
• Advising
• Central advising centre
• Mentoring

• Peer leaders/advisors
• Residence life
• Service initiatives

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Ideas for academic practices

• What measuresprograms, policies,
  practiceseither based on individual initiatives
  or departmental/university-wide strategies, do
  you think would help Windsor become more centred
  on learning and support student success in the
  first year of their academic programs?

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Effective First Year Practicesacademic
strategies

• Common reading
• Convocations
• Core curriculum
• Electronic portfolios
• Experiential learning
• Faculty development
• First year seminars

• Summer academic programs
• Supplemental instruction
• Liberal arts
• Learning communities
• Learning centres

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Student Success

• Focusing on the first year
• Monitoring student progress
• Improving instruction in introductory courses
• Supporting student success
• Offering special programs for at-risk populations
• Engle and OBrien, 2007

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Characteristics of Effective Programs

• Respond to the needs and experiences of the
  individual students
• Promote diverse educational cultures within
  post-secondary settings
• Draw on the services, resources and energies of
  multiple stakeholder groups
• Rely on holistic and multi-faceted approaches to
  intervention

15
Characteristics of Effective Programs (contd)

• Attend to a range of needs (academic, social,
  emotional, and financial)
• Emphasize early intervention
• Improve communication of information to students
• Offer opportunities for leadership and mentorship

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Conclusion

• The most successful initiatives are those
• characterized by
• a recognition of the importance of early
• intervention,
• a coordinated approach to academic and non-
• academic services.

17
References

• Barefoot, B.O., Gardner, J.N., Cutright, M.,
  Morris, L.V., Schroeder, C.C., Schwartz, S. W.,
  Siegel, M.J., and Swing, R.L. (2005). Achieving
  and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the
  First Year of College. San Francisco
  Jossey-Bass.
• Engle, J., and OBrien, C. (2007). Demography Is
  Not Destiny Increasing the Graduation Rates of
  Low-Income College Students at Large Public
  Universities. Washington, DC Pell Institute.
• Galand, B., Neuville, S., and Frenay, M. (2005).
  Léchec à luniversité en Communauté française
  de Belgique comprendre pour mieux prévenir.
  Cahiers de recherche en éducation et formation
  39 5-17.
• Grayson, J.P., and Grayson, K. (2003). Research
  on Retention and Attrition. Montreal Canada
  Millennium Scholarship Foundation.
• Neuville, S., Frenay, M., Schmitz, J.,
  Boudrenghien, G., Noël, B., and Wertz, V. (2007).
  Tintos Theoretical Perspective and
  Expectancy-Value Paradigm A Confrontation to
  Explain Freshmen Academic Achievement.
  Psychologica Belgica 47(1-2) 31-50.
• Sauvé, L., Debeurme, G., Wright, A., Fournier,
  J., and Fontaine, E. (2006). Labandon et la
  persévérance aux études postsecondaires les
  données récentes de la recherche. Quebec
  Télé-université and Fonds de recherche sur la
  societé et la culture.