Academic Interventions that Support Student Achievement

and Persistence:A Faculty Perspective

David R. Arendale, Ph.D.General College, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

August 2005http://mccfl.arendale.org

Best Practices (Definition)

• Comprised of policies, principles, standards, guidelines, and procedures that contribute to the highest, most resource-effective performance of a discipline. – T. Finneran, CIBER, Inc.

CLA Best Practices AreConsistent with the Following

• Current student retention theories

• Professional standards

• Contemporary learning theories for a more diverse student population

• Survive rigorous evaluation

• Successful replication at variety of institutions

• Recognition of practice by national awards programs (e.g., Noel-Levitz, CRLA, NADE)

Tinto’s Themes of Attrition• Difficult adjustment

• Difficulty level high day-to-day

• Incongruence

• Social isolation

• Financial need

• Negative social group

Vincent Tinto, Leaving College, 1993.

A Staying Environment...• Academic (Curriculum, Instruction)

– Progress toward educational career goal– Academic success– Program options clear– Advising and support services available

• Social/Psychological (Peers, Environment)– Feeling of belonging– Social Integration– Personal involvement– Positive identity– High self-esteem

American College Testing Program

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

Sources of Standards• Professional associations

– CRLA Tutoring Training Certification– NADE Guides for DE and Learning Assistance– NADE Certification for DE Components

• U.S. Department of Education (e.g. Principles of Scientific Research, Clearinghouse for What Works in Education)

• Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS)

• Exxon National Study of DE Practices• National Study of Postsecondary Student

Support Service Programs (TRIO)• Six national CLA programs

Overview of Course-basedLearning Assistance Programs

Goals of the CLA Program

• Improve student academic performance

• Increase persistence and graduation rates

• Improve cognitive, metacognitive, and affective domain skills

• Serve as opportunity for personal and professional growth

Common CLA Session Activities

• Meet weekly throughout academic term

• Integrate what to learn with how to learn it

• Allow students to make connections among prior knowledge, text, and lecture

• Frequent opportunities for feedback

• Modeled behaviors to adopt

• Supportive environment to achieve higher

What issues does CLA address?

• Potential student dropouts do not always display symptoms or weaknesses

• Learning environment needs to be enriched for all students (Universal Instructional Design)

• Mismatch between the level of instruction and the level of student preparation

• Managing study time with a supportive learning and social community

Common Venues for CLA

• Historically-difficult course for all or groups of students

• Rates of 30% or more of D or F final course grades and withdrawals

• High rates of reenrollment in the course• Gatekeeper or prerequisite course• Courses at undergraduate, graduate, and

professional school level• Test preparation programs (e.g., MCAT, USMLE)

Key CLA Partners

• CLA program administrator

• CLA professional staff

• CLA facilitator

• CLA sponsoring Instructor

• CLA participating students

Common Outcomes of CLA

• Participating students– Higher success in challenging courses– Higher persistence rates

• CLA facilitators– Personal and professional growth

• Institution– Higher revenue due to retained students

• CLA sponsoring instructors

Potential Benefits of CLA forSponsoring Instructors

• Better prepared students for class• Higher levels of student class interactions• Managed study time of students• Adopt some CLA activities for use in class• Higher student evaluations of class• If requested, anonymous feedback

– Identifies general student learning needs– Opportunity to revisit previous or alter future class

activities and curriculum– Professional development

Course-based LearningAssistance Programs

• Accelerated Learning Groups (University of Southern California)

• Emerging Scholars Program (University of California-Berkley)

• Peer-led Team Learning (City Univ. NY)

• Structured Learning Assistance (Ferris State University)

• Supplemental Instruction (University of Missouri-Kansas City)

• Video-based Supplemental Instruction (University of Missouri-Kansas City)

Best Practices in CLA

1. Organizational and administrative practices

2. Essential program components

3. Critical learning practices

4. Important personnel practices

5. Rigorous evaluation procedures

6. Necessary institutional practices

1. Organizational and Administrative Practices

• Centrally administrated and organized

• Attached to a specific course with high rates of unsuccessful enrollments

• CLA program follows guidelines established by national organizations

• CLA program has been certified

• Clear written mission, goals, and objectives

• Collaborates and coordinates with other campus units

CLA Program Collaborates withOther Campus Units

• Enrollment management program

• First Year Experience program

• Developmental education program

• New student orientation

• Personal counseling program

• Academic departments

• Admission office

• Education department

• Office of research

2. Essential CLAProgram Components

• Scheduled sessions held throughout the term• Coordination of the course and CLA session

activities• Assessment and evaluation activities• Involvement of course instructor• A supportive learning and social community• Mandatory attendance in CLA sessions• Mandatory assessment affective/cognitive skills• Available support services to make referrals

(advising, counseling, DE courses, disability services)

3. Critical Learning Practices by the CLA Facilitators

• High expectations for all to achieve• Varied instruction for diverse learners• Frequent assessment and feedback• Facilitating skills used by CLA staff• Employ active and cooperative learning• Develop capacity for other courses• Model behaviors for learners to practice

during CLA sessions and adopt for use• Integrate what to learn with how to learn it• Link prior knowledge, textbook, and lectures

4. Important Personnel Practices• CLA facilitators reflect diversity of student body• Provide intensive training for all facilitators prior to

the academic term• Continuous professional development for CLA

facilitators (training, group meetings, visitations)

• Facilitator already successful in target course• Facilitators attend class lectures and talk with

instructor frequently outside of class.• CLA professional staff observe and supervise

CLA facilitators periodically during the term• CLA professional staff involved with professional

associations and CLA organizations

5. Rigorous Evaluation Procedures

• Systematic program evaluation– Regularly conducted– Variety of measures– Rigorous evaluation protocols

(quantitative/qualitative)

• Evaluation results lead to changes in CLA program practice

• Widely disseminate evaluation reports to stakeholders

Evaluation Measures• Formative evaluation measures:

– Student and faculty satisfaction ratings– Number of students served– Grades in CLA courses

• Summative evaluation measures:– Grades in subsequent non-CLA courses– Comparisons of student groups regarding

persistence• DE students completed DE program of study• DE students did not complete program• Non-DE students

6. Necessary Institutional Practices

• Strong institutional support– Top administrators can articulate mission of program– CLA program cited in important planning documents

• Campus-wide advisory board for CLA– Encourages “buy-in” by wider community– Informs the CLA unit

• Financially supports CLA unit– Helps solicit outside grant funds to expand service– “Hard money” institutional funding for critical functions

• Stable room scheduling in appropriate settings• Student retention and success viewed as a

campus-wide responsibility

Integrating CLA Activities within the Course

Making Explicit Connections

• Prior knowledge

• Previous class session

• Current class session

• Next class session

• Textbook

• Supplemental readings

Model Thinking

• State thought process to reach conclusions

• Share original solution solving notes

Focus on the “Big Picture”

• Identify the main purpose of big idea– Course– Class session– Textbook chapter

• Connect course to contemporary life

Make Explicit Instructor Values

• Refer to course syllabus throughout the academic term

• Use textbook frequently in the class

• Refer to supplemental readings

Employ Active Learning

• Implement planned peer cooperative learning activities

• Employ simulations to engage students

Support Metacognitive Skill Development

• Employ classroom assessment techniques

• Provide mock exam before first major exam

• Before first major exam administer a moderate quiz with low grade impact

• Return major exams within one week

Embed Best Practice of DE within the Course

• Employ graphic organizers

• Practice with test preparation and test-taking strategies on mock exams

• Debrief major exams

• Share strategies for textbook reading

• Incorporate “how to learn” along with “what to learn”

Support Multi-Cultural Education

• Employ variety of assessment methods

• Reflect diversity in selection of curriculum materials

• Ensure relevance to society

• Assess the campus environment (i.e., MAP-IT).

For More InformationDavid R. Arendale, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, College of Education and Human Development

262 Appleby Hall, 128 Pleasant Street SEUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities,

Minneapolis, MN 55455(612) 625-2928, E-mail: arendale@umn.edu

http://arendale.org