Developing Innovative and Effective Assignments for First Year Seminars

15 May 2013

Why First Year Seminars?

• 21st Century Essential Learning Outcomes**– Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and

natural world– Intellectual and practical skills– Personal and social responsibility – Integrative and applied learning

** 2002-03 Greater Expectations Forum on Twenty-First-Century Liberal Arts Education Practice (AAC&U)

Educational Priorities Students will…

Knowledgeintegrate and apply knowledge from a focused area of study as well as a broad general education which includes disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences.

Inquiry

 

respond to the complexities of contemporary and enduring problems using information literacy tools, research skills, creative thinking, and analysis.

Reasoning evaluate evidence; interpret data; and use logical, mathematical, and statistical problem-solving tools.

Communicationspeak and write clearly, listen and read actively, and engage with others in productive dialogue.

Intercultural Literacyconnect with diverse ideas and with people whose experiences differ from their own and that may be separated from them by time, space, or culture.

Ethical Behavior recognize personal, academic, and professional standards and act with integrity.

Citizenship collaborate with others and contribute in their communities and the larger world.

Vocationdiscover and prepare for the range of opportunities and challenges that await them beyond their college experience.

Well-Beingrespect the ways physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being may contribute to a balanced life.

Educational priorities and outcomes

High Impact Practices• First-year seminars/experiences• Common intellectual experiences• Learning communities• Writing-intensive courses• Collaborative assignments/projects• Undergraduate research• Diversity/global learning• Service/community-based learning• Internships• Capstone courses/projectsPadgett, R.D., 2011. The effects of high-impact practices on 21st century learning outcomes. National Resource Center of the First Year Experience and Students in Transition (http://www.sc.edu/fye)

High Impact Practices • “…combine and concentrate other empirically

validated pedagogical approaches into a single multidimensional activity..” (Kuh et al., 2010)

• High-impact practices have minor direct effects on student learning (Salisbury & Goodman, 2009)

• A more significant connection exists between “good practices” and student learning (Goodman et al, 2011)

“Vetted” Good Practices**• Exposure to effective teaching• Teaching clarity and organization• Quality of non-classroom interactions with faculty• Active learning• Influential interactions with other students• Cooperative learning• Academic challenge• High expectations• Integrative learning/experiences• Diversity experiences inside/outside the classroom

** e.g. Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z. F., 1987. Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. American Association of Higher Education Bulletin pp.3-7

Inputs

High Impact Practice (e.g. FYS)

Learning outcomes

High Impact Practice delivered

using good practices

FYS show tendency towards this stuff(Engaging Pedagogy)**

• A variety of teaching methods• Meaningful discussion and homework• Challenging assignments• Productive use of class time• Encouragement for students to speak in class and

work together

** Swing, R. L., 2002. The impact of engaging pedagogy on first-year seminars. Policy Center on the First Year of College Report (http://www.sc.edu/fye/resources/assessment/essays/Swing-8.28.02.html)

Students who participate in a FYS that was required were more likely to:

• Non-classroom interactions with faculty• Academic challenge and effort• Positive peer interactions• Co-curricular involvement• Service learning• Integrative learning• Interactions with student affairs staff• Cooperative learning• Study abroad

Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, 2006-09

Why these specific objectives?• Introduce an academic discipline and the concept of a discipline within the context

of the liberal arts• Provide instruction for academic skills common to all disciplines:

– Academic Honesty:  knowing when to document sources; understanding ethical, legal and professional reasons for documenting sources

– Critical Reading: restating central points; making inferences; identifying and questioning underlying assumptions; assessing evidence

– Information Literacy: distinguishing between and evaluating primary and secondary sources; popular and scholarly sources

– Writing: using write-to-learn assignments to investigate, analyze, and summarize course material

• Address college-level academic expectations and practices• Introduce academic support services

METRIC Mean - FYS 2011 Mean - FYS 2012More intense and challenging than high school

3.69 3.61

Introduced me to available academic resources

4.03 4.13

Helped understand a specific discipline

4.07 4.11

Helped understand value of a liberal arts education

3.69 3.91

Developed critical thinking skills 3.93 3.91Allowed for student interaction 4.23 4.22Allowed for positive exchange of ideas

4.24 4.31

Professor was approachable 4.37 4.44

Student satisfaction inventory

2011 (n = 215); 2012 (n = 161)

Reflective responses

(n = 287)

Academically Adrift (Arum & Roksa, 2011)

• 2300 students, range of colleges and universities• Transcript analysis• Student surveys• Results of Collegiate Learning Assessment

• 45 percent of students "did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning" during the first two years of college.

• 36 percent of students "did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning" over four years of college.

• Those students who do show improvements tend to show only modest improvements

• Students majoring in liberal arts fields see "significantly higher gains in critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing skills over time than students in other fields of study.“

• Students whose classes reflect high expectations (more than 40 pages of reading a week and more than 20 pages of writing a semester) gained more than other students.

• Students who study by themselves for more hours each week gain more knowledge -- while those who spend more time studying in peer groups see diminishing gains.

BUT

• 32 percent of students each semester do not take any courses with more than 40 pages of reading assigned a week

• half don't take a single course in which they must write more than 20 pages over the course of a semester

• students spend, on average, only about 12-14 hours a week studying, and that much of this time is studying in groups

Direct relationship between rigor and gains in learning

Literature cited:Association of American Colleges and Universities - 2002-03 Greater Expectations Forum on Twenty-First-Century Liberal Arts Education Practicehttp://www.aacu.org/gex/Forum/Arum, R. and Roksa, J., 2011. Academically adrift: Limited learning on

college campuses. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z. F., 1987. Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. American Association of Higher Education Bulletin pp.3-7.Goodman, K.M., Baxter Magolda, M., Seifert, T.A., King, P. M., 2011. Good practices for

student learning: Mixed-method evidence from the Wabash National Study. About Campus 16: 2-9.Kuh, G., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., Whitt, E. J., 2010. Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco.Padgett, R.D., 2011. The effects of high-impact practices on 21st century learning outcomes. National Resource Center of the First Year Experience and Students in Transition (http://www.sc.edu/fye)Salisbury, M. and Goodman, K., 2009. Educational practices that foster intercultural competence. Diversity and Democracy 12: 12-13.Swing, R. L., 2002. The impact of engaging pedagogy on first-year seminars. Policy Center on the First Year of College Report http://www.sc.edu/fye/resources/assessment/essays/Swing-8.28.02.htmlWabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education 2006-2009

http://www.liberalarts.wabash.edu/study-research/