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SEM, Student Engagement and the Canadian Experience

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Susan Gottheil, Mount Royal UniversityClayton Smith, University of Windsor

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Topics SEM & Student Engagement: The Link

Student Engagement Research: Lessons Learned

Using Survey Data

The Canadian Experience: Is it Different?

Resources

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What is SEM?

Strategic enrollment management (SEM) is a concept and process that enables the fulfillment of institutional mission and students’ educational goals.

-Bontrager, 2004

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SEM is Achieved by… Establishing clear goals

Promoting student academic success by improving access, transition, retention, and graduation

Creating a data-rich environment to inform decisions & evaluate strategies

Establishing student-centred services

Strengthening communications & collaboration across the campus

-Bontrager, 2004

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SEM

Early focus: Increase declining enrolments by focusing on top of enrolment funnel (i.e., recruitment & admissions)

Now: Retention is as important as recruitment

But … Figuring out how to impact retention is complex

• Search for ways to understand student behaviour, identify gaps, set benchmarks

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Student Engagement

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Institutional Reputation…

At first focused on inputs:• Student characteristics (prior academic

performance mostly); the more selective, the better

• Institutional resources (quality of faculty, campus infrastructure, books in the library)

This formed the basis for rankings (e.g., Maclean’s, US News & World Report)

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But …

The nature and quality of first year students’ experiences in the classroom, with faculty, and with peers are better predictors of desired educational outcomes associated with college attendance than precollege characteristics.

-Gerken & Volkwien, 2000

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…The Rest of the Story i.e., what happens during the student’s campus

experience is as, or more, critical than student inputs

Institutions began to survey students on their satisfaction with programs & services (e.g., CUSC, Noel Levitz’s SSI) & external bodies followed (provincial governments, Maclean’s, Globe & Mail)

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What is Student Engagement? Research of past 20 years has led to concept of student

engagement (coined by Kuh) as a way of assessing educational outcomes & quality of teaching & learning

Embraces 3 key student success processes• Active involvement: time & energy invested in learning

experience inside and outside classroom

• Social integration: interaction, collaboration & interpersonal relationships between students & peers, faculty, staff & administrators

• Personal reflection: think deeply on learning experiences

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Key Research Findings

How an institution deploys its resources and organizes the curriculum, other learning opportunities and support services leads to positive experiences and desired outcomes such as persistence, satisfaction, learning and graduation (Kuh, 2001; Pascarella/Terenzini, 2005)

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Key Research Findings (Cont.) Student engagement varies more within any

given school or institutional type than between schools or institutional types (Pascarella/Terenzini, 2005)

• Though smaller schools generally engage students more effectively, colleges and universities of similar size can vary widely (NSSE, 2005)

• Student engagement is unrelated to selectivity (Kuh/Pascarella, 2004; NSSE, 2003)

• Some non-residential schools & community colleges have exemplary student engagement practices

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Key Research Findings (Cont.)

Some students – such as first generation students, males, transfer students and those who live off-campus – are generally less engaged than others

Some single mission schools confer engagement advantages to their students (Kinzie et al, 2007)

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And Key for Our Discussion …

The single best predictor of student satisfaction with college is the degree to which students perceive the college environment to be supportive of their academic and social needs (Astin, 1993; Pascarella/Terenzini, 2005)

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Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice

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NSSE benchmarks• Academic Challenge

• Active & Collaborative Learning

• Student-Faculty Interaction

• Supportive Campus Environment

• Enriching Educational Experiences

Similar “best practices” outlined by Gardiner et al., Astin, Chickering/Gamson, Tinto

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SEM & Student Engagement Goals Inter-twine

Students who are:

better connected

increasingly involved on campus

deeply invested in learning & growth

…are more likely to persist & graduate

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Using NSSE (& Other) Data Kuh notes that enough research has been

done – we know what we need to do• The problem is in large-scale execution

Many campuses beginning to use data from NSSE, CUSC & other surveys to plan & improve students’ experiences

• Collaborate & communicate results

• Use multiple sources for triangulation

• Use data to learn more about students

• Use data for assessment

• Enhance the first-year experience

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Develop a Shared Vision Involve faculty, student affairs educators,

institutional researchers as well as SEM practitioners

IR responsible for administration of data• Can help make sense of data & identify

important themes

Organize retreats (e.g., uWindsor) or debriefings (institution-wide or faculty-based) to discuss best course of action

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Use Multiple Data Sources Confirm findings are consistent across

multiple surveys & assessment methods

Link results from NSSE, CUSC to other student data such as GPA, residential status, etc.

• Helps determine if engagement varies across groups

• Helps identify gaps in student support structures

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Learn More About Students Gain a broad perspective on undergraduate

population

Monitor engagement of specific groups of students

• Entire subpopulations of students may be retention risks (transfer students, athletes, Aboriginal students)

Learn about needs of individual students

Who is vulnerable to departure?

• Who is not making transition to PSE well?

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Set & Then Assess Goals Identify strengths & weaknesses

Form objectives (e.g., global citizenship, diversity awareness, living-learning communities, FYE programs)

Assess progress towards goals

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Enhance First-Year Experience First-year critical for persistence

Examine curriculum, academic expectations, residence life, orientation

Enhance faculty contact

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Student Engagement Practices Must:

Move away from an “a la carte” approach to meeting student needs

Be part of an intentional institution-wide strategy

Include & engage faculty

Assess & scrutinize effectiveness

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Connecting It Back to SEM What is the SEM practitioner’s role in

student engagement activities?

Can NSSE & other surveys be used to set SEM goals?

Where & how should one begin?

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CANADIAN STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

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Some Key Questions

1. Is the level of student engagement different in Canada vs. the U.S.?

2. Is there a different approach to enhancing student engagement in Canada?

3. If so, why?

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Differences in NSSE Results FACT: Canadian universities do not generally

score as high on NSSE as their U.S. peers

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So, lets tunnel down through the data to see what we can find…So, lets tunnel down through the data to see what we can find…

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A Comparative Look at Student Engagement in the US & Canada (Kandiko, 2009) Differ in term of the frequency with which they

engage in active and collaborative learning and student-faculty interaction. Why?

• The Canadian classroom experience involves less active participation by students and less individual contact with faculty members

• The large size of most Canadian universities and higher student-faculty ratios makes collaborative learning experiences and faculty contact more challenging

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A Comparative Look (Cont.)

Students in Canada participate less in three of the best practices in undergraduate education: active learning, peer collaboration, and student-faculty interaction. Three possible explanations:

1. As faculty spend more time doing research, there is less time available for students

2. Full-time non-tenure and part-time faculty are often overloaded with classes and unable to devote time and effort towards fully engaging students

3. increasing student-faculty ratios leave fewer faculty assigned to larger cohorts of students.

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A Comparative Look (Cont.)

Student engagement in Canada and the U.S. was found to differ by academic major.

• Students in professional fields, such as finance, management and pre-law had similar responses in both countries. The narrowest gaps occurred in the business and professional fields.

• In contrast, there was a marked difference between Canadian and U.S. students in arts and humanities, life sciences and social sciences. Canadian students in those majors reported considerably less engagement overall compared to their U.S. peers.

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Intra- and Inter-Institutional Differences

There are significant differences in NSSE results between institutions & within institutions

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Of course, this is common to both the US & Canadian experiences with student engagement.

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Are Canadian Institutions Really All That Different?

Institutional character (size, location, student-faculty ratios, research focus)

Academic practices (e.g., TA’s, admission policies/practices)

Student attitudinal, behavioural & academic characteristics

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Or Is It Just that Canada & the US Are Different? Perhaps. Could it be that American models for student

engagement and student learning are not as helpful in understanding the Canadian student experience?

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The court is till out on that one!

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A Few Student Engagement Stand-Outs in Canada

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The University of Windsor’s Outstanding Scholars Program

http://www.uwindsor.ca/outstandingscholars/

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Overview Purpose:

• To increase high achieving student enrollment in selected low enrollment programs

• To enhance quality of teaching assistants

An annual base renewable scholarship

A paid (200 hours per year) academic appointment in their home department

Strong relationships with faculty members

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The Outstanding Scholars Award

HS GPA 4-Yr Scholarship

3-Yrs of Academic Appointments

Total

80-84.9 $4,000 $6,000 $10,000

85-89.9 $6,000 $6,000 $12,000

90-94.9 $8,000 $6,000 $14,000

95+ $10,000 $6,000 $16,000

…and most other awards can be held concurrentlywith an Outstanding Scholars award!

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Renew Ability Requirements Achieve a minimum 10.0 cumulative and 10.5 major

(out of 13) GPA

Attend monthly meetings with the program coordinator during the first year

Complete a 2-day pre-academic appointment training program at the beginning of the 2nd year

Hold an academic appointment during years 2-4

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Success@Seneca

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Awarded 2009 Outstanding Retention Award by the Educational Policy institute

http://www.senecac.on.ca/student/success/

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Foundations for Success Project Offers case-managed support services & financial

incentives to students at 3 Ontario colleges (Seneca, Mohawk & Confederation)

• Assesses students after admission but before begin, identifying those that would benefit from academic tutoring, peer mentorship & career counselling

• Highest impact when matched with (small) financial bursary

• Has led to 6.4% increase in student retention

• Project specifically benefited low-income students, ESL students, students entering with low (under 65%) high school grades, & women

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Lethbridge College: First Nations, Métis and Inuit Transition Program

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http://www.lethbridgecollege.ab.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1049&Itemid=907

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Program: Provides 12 students with a $12,000 scholarship to aid

with finances

Provides 3 steps to aid in transition• Course on introduction to college life (August)

• Additional course in 1st term on skills and attitudes needed for college success

• Class on leadership skills (January)

Spiritual support from elders; help from mentors and advisors

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And Some Other Strategies… Aboriginal student access/retention

Academic civility

Academic programs/courses – specialized

Academic support – writing

Access – special populations

Bridging programs

Building connections between curricular and extracurricular experiences

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And Some Other Strategies… Career development

Coaching (case managed access to student services, coaching first-year students on probation)

Co-curricular record

Community outreach

Cross-departmental collaboration

Cultural sensitivity

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And Some Other Strategies… Emotional Intelligence interventions

Faculty development

Financial aid

Graduate student teaching development workshops

Integration of enrolment management & student services

Learning & information commons

Peer mentor programs

Planning (staff/faculty retreats and symposia)

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And Some Other Strategies… Recognition for staff & faculty

Residence (academic, bridging and transition programs)

Service learning

Supplemental instruction

Teaching (clickers, critical thinking, early feedback, hybrid courses, idea incubator, technology in large classes)

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Discussion, Discussion,

Comments & QuestionsComments & Questions

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Contact Us @Contact Us @

Susan GottheilSusan Gottheil sgottheil@mtroyal.ca

Clayton SmithClayton Smith csmith@uwindsor.ca

Canadian SEM Website: Canadian SEM Website: www.uwindsor.ca/sem•Student Engagement BibliographyStudent Engagement Bibliography•Student Engagement Programs in CanadaStudent Engagement Programs in Canada