Review of Successful Practices in Teaching and Learning

David ArendaleCo-Director for Dissemination

Supplemental Instruction

Objectives for Overview Session

• Everyone begin with same base level of information about SI.

• Observe an example of how to share information about the SI model with other policymakers on home campus.

• Provide overview to reference materials about SI (e.g., research, bibliography).

Supplemental Instruction

What’s in a name?

SI is Supplemental to the Instruction

Chinese Proverb

• Tell me, and I forget• Show me, and I remember• Involve me, and I understand

Dr. Steven Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Maturity Continuum

Dependent

Independent

Interdependent

Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Is teaching and learning two sides of the same coin?

New Emphasis in Higher Education

Old ModelTeacher-centeredTransmission of

increasing quantityTraditional exam and

verify methodsTraditional views of

students

New ModelLearning-centeredEfficiency & effectiveness

of learningContinuous classroom

assessmentUnderstand needs of

today’s students

Future National Trends and Challenges

• Political• Student• Institutional• Economic• Instructional

NADE Homepage

NADE Vision Statement

By 2003, NADE will be a nationally recognized association of professionals with expertise to help students succeed throughout the entire educational experience from high school through college and graduate/professional school.

NADE Mission Statement

The purpose of NADE is to increase the academic success of students.

NADE Homepage

Developmental Educator Strengths

Strengths to share with others– Peer collaborative learning– Informal classroom assessment– High school/college bridge programs– Instructional technology– Affective domain needs of students– Curriculum development– Adapting instruction for diverse

learning styles

Schreiner, 1990. N=43 institutions; 3,874 students

Dropouts and Persisters:Separated by Cumulative G.P.A.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Dropouts 42.1% 18.9% 19.6% 19.1%Persisters 15.8% 24.9% 26.2% 33.1%

Below 2.00 2.00 to 2.49 2.50 to 2.99 3.00 to 4.00

American College Testing, 1995. N=2,583 institutions

National Dropout Rates:First to Second Year by Institution Type

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Dropouts 47.7% 29.9% 33.1% 29.3% 30.5% 24.0% 24.4% 17.0%

2-Yr Pub

2-Yr Pri

BA Pub

BA Pri MA Pub

MA Pri

PhD Pub

Phd Pri

American College Testing, 1995. N=2,583 institutions

National Dropout Rates:First to Second Year by Selectivity

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Dropouts 8.7% 18.5% 27.6% 34.1% 46.0%

Highly Selective Traditional Liberal Open

American Colleges Testing Service

Basic Principles of Retention

• Attrition should not be accepted passively as a "natural phenomenon"

• Attrition can be predicted and prevented

• Retention is enhanced by changing the campus environment

American College Testing Service

Types of Attrition

• Natural: Institution has limited options to help (change in economic status, job location, health, mobility)

• Stop-Outs: Student will return to institution after earning sufficient money

• Unnecessary: Institutions has options to help students who experience academic, financial, and social adjustment problems

Noel/Levitz Centers, Inc.

Types of Attrition

Voluntary DesirableCompleted Objective

Voluntary UndesirableAcademic Frustration

Involuntary DesirableSocial Dismissal

Involuntary UndesirableAcademic Dismissal

Tinto, Leaving College, 1993, p. 37-38

Tinto’s Themes of Attrition

• Adjustment problems• Difficulty• Incongruence• Social isolation• Personal finances• Obligations to external communities

(e.g., family, friends)

Tinto, Leaving College, 1987

Principles of Institutional Action

• Students have opportunity to acquire needed academic success skills

• Make personal contact beyond formal academic life

• Retention should be systematic• Primary commitment should be to the

students• Education, not retention, is the goal

American College Testing Service

A Staying Environment Encourage Student Retention

• Academic (curriculum and instruction)– progress towards

educational career goal– academic success– clear academic

program options– good advising services– helpful support

services

• Social/Psychological(faculty, peers, environment)– feeling of belonging– social integration– personal involvement– positive identity– high self-esteem

Upcraft & Gardner, 1989

Success Factors for Students: Fulfilling Educational & Personal Goals

• Develop intellectual competence• Establish interpersonal relationships• Develop an identity• Decide on a career and life-style• Develop an integrated philosophy of life

Noel, Levitz, & Saluri, Increasing Student Retention, 1985

Frontloading Services

To make the first-year student connection, institutions must adopt the concept of "front loading", putting the strongest, most student-centered people, programs and services during the first year.

Cibik & Chambers, NASPA Journal, Winter 1991

Factors in Minority Student Departure

• Separation from past communities

• Separation from past memberships

• Bewildering transition to college life

Cibik & Chambers, NASPA Journal, Winter 1991

Malintegration for Minority Students

The major constructs of Tinto's model have largely withstood the test of time. Within this framework, minority students are at especially high risk of "malintegration" to academic and social systems.

Conciatore, Recruitment & Retention, 1991

Factors for Improving Minority Student Retention

• Peer study groups• Peer tutoring• Student/faculty contact• High expectations of achievement• Mentoring• Social and cultural activities

Adjustments at Predominantly White Institutions

For many minority students at predominantly white institutions, the necessary social, cultural and mental adjustments are simply insurmountable.

Challenges with Traditional Study Skills Instruction

• Difficult for students to transfer and apply specific strategies with their content classes

• Graduation credit courses increase student motivation to learn new skills

• Without support, students tend to revert back to old habits

Importance of Peer Learning Activities to the SI Model

• Summary Findings• Detailed Findings• Out-of-Class Models• Learning Communities• Cooperative Learning

Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

Keimig, Raising Academic Standards, 1983

Hierarchy of Learning Improvement Programs

Level 1: Remedial Courses

Level 2: Learning Assistancefor Individual Students

Level 4Comprehensive

Learning SystemsLevel 3: Course- related Learning Services

Higher Potential forimproved learning and instructional change

Lowerpotential

These Questions Typically Determine Learning Center Design

• Who are the most likely to dropout?Who are the “high risk” students?

• How do you identify them?• Where are they located on campus?• How do you diagnose their needs?• How do you meet their needs?

Common Answers to Who High Risk Students Are

• Academically under-prepared

• Non-traditional demographics

Traditional Methods to Identify and Diagnose Needs of High Risk Students

• Standardized test scores• High school class rank and high school

course performance• In-house diagnostic testing• Self-referral by the student

Traditional Methods to Meet the Needs of High Risk Students

• Individual Tutoring• Study skill courses• Remedial subject courses• Workshops• Counseling sessions

Challenges with Traditional Approaches

• Inaccurate/incomplete identification of “high risk” students

• Expensive to provide developmental education courses, testing, etc.

• Presumes time to identify/remediate• Promotes remedial image• Difficult to evaluate effectiveness

Supplemental InstructionStudent Academic Assistance Program

• Targets historically difficult academic courses

• Regularly scheduled, out-of-class sessions• Student facilitated review sessions• SI offered to all enrolled students• Sessions are voluntary and anonymous

Goals of SI

• Improve student performance

• Increase continued enrollment

• Improve learning skills^ Thinking /reasoning^ Responsibility^ Reflection

SI Guidelines

• SI leader regularly attends the class• SI leader is trained prior to the term• Trained staff member supervises• Faculty member must approve SI service

for the class• SI sessions are regularly conducted• SI sessions integrate course content &

learning strategies• Program is appropriately evaluated

In SI, Students Construct Own Knowledge Through a Process of

•social interaction

•exploration•application

With the guidance of a SI leader...

• Students discuss course content• students clarify what they read and hear• students learn to analyze, criticize,

question, and seek verification of ideas• students recognize that they perceive the

world differently as a function of personal experiences

International Needs for New Education Delivery Systems

• Great Britain• Eastern Europe• South Africa

Dr. Robert BlancUMKC Board Prep Program

SI Program Expansion Since 1973

• Created at the University of Missouri - KC in 1973 by Dr. Deanna C. Martin

• Faculty and staff from 860+ institutions have been attended workshops

• Expansion to 12 countries• Estimate 250,000 students

per academic term participate in SI at 400+ institutions worldwide Http://www.umkc.edu/cad/si.htm

Major Considerations When First Starting SI at UMKC

• Didn’t want to lose students at such a high rate.

• Didn’t want to lower academic standards.• Didn’t want to inflate grades.• Didn’t want to spend any money.

Initial Concerns of UMKC Administrators

• Results must be measurable through tight evaluation.

• Program must be cost effective.• Acceptable to faculty, if possible.

Initial Concerns of UMKC Faculty Members

• Complement the lecture system.• Couldn’t be an extra burden on them.• Correct some student deficiencies.• Work toward independent learners.• Have a non-remedial image.

Mismatch Between Instruction and Student Preparation

• Attrition cannot be addressed effectively by treating only those who show either symptoms or predisposing weakness.

• The treatment must be more generalized.• The problem must be addressed at or

near its source: the mismatch between the level of instruction and the level of student preparation.

Theoretical Framework for SI

• Constructivism [Piaget]

• Zone of Proximal Development [Vygotsky]

• Student Involvement [Astin; Dale]

• Academic/Social Integration [Tinto]

• Situated Cognition [Hattie, Biggs, & Purdie;Hadwin & Winne; Weinstein]

• Collaborative Learning [Johnson & Johnson]

Unique Features of SI

• Focus on “historically difficult courses” rather than “high risk students”

• Deliver services to students beginning on the first week of class

• Integrate study skills with content• Outreach services in geographic area

assigned to academic department• Use peer-led collaborative learning

SI Leader Point-of-View About Role of SI Sessions

• Break material into smaller pieces

• Help students discover prior knowledge

• Improve self-esteem

Scott StubbsUMKC SI Leader

SI Participant Point-of-View About SI Sessions

• Small group is more comfortable

• Don’t have to talk, can listen to others

• Group discussion puts lecture material into “better words” Felecia

UMKC SI Participant

Reasons that Institutions Choose SI

• No remedial stigma attached to SI• Population is easy to identify• Record keeping is simple• Evaluation of SI is tight• Program is cost-effective• Faculty are supportive of SI

In SI, the SI leaders...

• Support the development of reading, study and critical thinking skills

• Encourage questions and risk-taking

• Facilitate the learning• Refer students as

appropriate

Lessons Learned from Tests of Missouri High School Students

• New assessment tests are more precise• Real-world problems are emphasized• Students need to be able to explain in

writing the steps taken to solve problems• Multiple concepts required to solve

problems• Critical thinking and problem solving are

more important than just computation skills

SI Leaders Do Not...

• Spoonfeed• Re-teach or re-lecture• Give answers• Dominate the session• Criticize the lecturer

Target Classes for SI

• Historically difficult for students• 30 percent D, F or withdrawal rate• Required class for many students• “Gatekeeper” or prerequisite class

SI used in a Variety of Settings

• Undergraduate level• Graduate level• Professional schools

[e.g., Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, Dentistry,Nursing]

• Secondary schools• Proprietary test preparation programs

[e.g., MCAT, USMLE]

Key Persons Involved with the SI Program

• SI leader• Faculty

member• SI supervisor• Students

SI Leader Qualifications

• Approved by class instructor

• Trained in proactive strategies

• Model “good student” behaviors

• Conduct three to five sessions each week

UMKC SI LeadersFall 1997

SI Implementation Costs

• Training • Supervision• SI leader salary• Textbooks• Photocopying

SI Characteristics

• SI is a structured program• SI is flexible• SI is field based• SI is focuses on student empowerment

Key Elements of SI

• Select high risk courses• Identify campus resources• Select SI leaders• Monitor and supervise• Collect data and evaluate

Benefits of SI Program

• SI Leaders• Faculty Members• SI Participants

What Can SI Leaders Receive?

• Leadership skills• Knowledge of group work• Better understanding of

content• Improved learning skills• Better job opportunities• Better post-graduate

opportunitiesLyle Gibson, UMKC SI Leader

History 102

What Can Faculty Members Receive?

• Anonymous feedback regarding comprehension level of students (classroom assessment technique)

• Opportunity to revisit previous lecture material and modify future presentations

• More academically prepared students to learn new material and retain old

• Managed study time• Higher student satisfaction

Benefits of SI Program to Faculty Member

• Maintain efficiency of scale

• High satisfaction level of students

• Maintain high faculty evaluation even with large class size

Professor FalkWestern Michigan University

These differences are statistically significant, despite ethnicity and prior academic achievement.

SI Research ClaimsValidated by the U.S. Department of Education

• SI participants earn higher mean final course grades

• SI participants receive a lower rate of D, F or course withdrawals

• SI participants persist (reenroll and graduate) at higher rates

Types of SI Data Studies

• National SI Data (270 institutions; 4,945 SI courses; 505,738 students)

• UMKC SI Data• Data from Individual SI Studies at Other

Colleges

Adaptations of SI

Peer CollaborativeTraditional D.E.Metacognitive LearningTraditional TutoringStudent RetentionResearch/Field Based

Licensure Exam PrepLearning EnrichmentClassroom AssessmentFaculty Development

TelecoursesKeimig’s HierarchyMediated LearningSeven PrinciplesEmerging Technologies

Faculty RenewalDistance LearningBridge ProgramsCommunity Education

Higher Degree of Mainstreaming Developmental Education

SI VSI Critical Unitsof Instruction

Adaptations of SI

• Licensure examination preparation• Computer-based supplemental activities• Learning enrichment• VSI• Faculty development• Critical units of instruction

Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

Tinto, Leaving College, 1993

Long-Term ObjectiveOf Institutional Action

• Concern for education of students, their social and intellectual growth.

• When that goal is achieved, enhanced student retention will naturally follow.

Additional Resources to Review about SI and Related-Issues

• SI homepage www.umkc.edu/cad/

• SInet discussion group• NADE homepage www.umkc.edu/nade/

• Professional Associations and Publications– ASCD Cooperative Learning Network– Collaboration in Undergraduate Education– Cooperative Learning & College Teaching Newsletter– Cooperative Learning Magazine– Nat Center Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, & Assessment

SI Homepage

NADE Homepage

Final Thoughts

• Whatever the name for your program, become a more comprehensive learning center in service.

• “Mainstream” your program within the institution

• Put “First Things First” and begin today.