Holistic
Approaches
to Student
Success:
Practical
Strategies
Lindsay Wayt
Emira Ibrahimpašić
Ms. Kelli King
National Conference
on Students in
Transition
October 19-21, 2013
Atlanta, Georgia
Goals of Higher Education
• “American higher education was distinctive
from the beginning in that it was based on
the belief that the student’s character as
well as scholarship must be developed”
(Komives & Woodard, 2003, p. 1).
• “…President Obama challenged every American
to commit to at least one year of higher
education or post-secondary training. The
President has also set a goal for the
country: that by 2020, America would once
again have the highest proportion of college
graduates in the world” (The White House,
2013).
W.H. Thompson Scholars in
the Context of Higher
Education
Goals
Our
Goals: The “big
picture” of what and
who
What – Requirements for
Recipients of
the Susan T. Buffett
Scholarship
REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL SCHOLARS:
•Maintain a 2.0 GPA
•Earn at least 18 credit hours or 27 quarter hours each award year
•Take an active role in monitoring academic progress with their assigned W.H. Thompson
Program Coordinator
1st Year W.H. Thompson Requirements
Fall Semester
3 WHT Courses
One of which must be the W.H.
Thompson First Year Experience
Seminar
1 event
Academic or Life Skills event
2 mentor/mentee group activities
3 mentor/mentee individual meetings
First-Year Scholar Orientation
Mid-semester grade check
Spring Semester
2 W.H. Thompson Courses
2 events
Academic, Life Skills, or Social
events (at least one must be
Academic or Life Skills)
3 mentor/mentee group activities
3 mentor/mentee individual meetings
Mid-semester grade check
2nd Year W.H. Thompson Requirements
Fall Semester
1 W.H. Thompson
Course
2 events
Any combination of Academic, Life
Skills, or Social events
Sophomore Scholar Welcome Back
One-on-One meeting with a W.H.
Thompson staff member
Mid-semester grade check
Spring Semester
2 events
Any combination of Academic, Life
Skills, or Social events
Mid-semester grade check
Who – Recipients of
the Susan T. Buffett
Scholarship
2013
Demographic Information
# of Students
Race
Asian
African American
Hispanic
Two or More Races
American Indian/Alaska
Native
Native Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander
Unknown
White Non-Hispanic
Gender
Male
Female
First Generation
First Generation
Unknown
Non-1st Generation
#
280
23
23
34
3
1
%
8.0%
8.0%
12.%
1.0%
1.5%
#
249
%
19
15
40
12
1
0
0%
7
188
171
109
115
62
103
2.5%
61%
39%
41%
22%
37%
2012
2011
201
0
2009
2008
%
7.96%
6.47%
20.90%
7.46%
1.49%
#
%
#
%
#
%
7.6%
6.0%
16.1%
4.8%
0.4%
#
201
16
13
42
15
3
242
12
33
14
11
0
4.96%
13.64%
5.79%
4.55%
0.00%
149
13
17
15
2
0
8.72%
11.41%
10.07%
1.34%
0.00%
69
4
9
3
1
0
5.80%
13.04%
4.35%
1.45%
0.00%
0
0.0%
0
0.00%
0
0.00%
0
0.00%
0
0.00%
1
159
0.4%
63.9%
98
150
134
13
101
39.4%
60.2%
53.8%
5.2%
40.6%
3
109
63
138
140
61
1.49%
54.23%
31.34%
68.66%
69.65%
30.35%
2
170
103
139
127
28
87
0.83%
70.25%
42.56%
57.44%
52.48%
11.57%
35.95%
4
98
60
89
73
76
2.68%
65.77%
40.27%
59.73%
48.99%
51.01%
5
47
34
35
46
7
16
7.25%
68.12%
49.28%
50.72%
66.67%
10.14%
23.19%
Holistic Approaches to
Student Success: Practical
Strategies
•
Best Practices Within the Program at Large
– Life Skills Programming
– Academic Engagement
• Student-Faculty Relationships
• Study Environment
• Tutoring
– Residential Component (Living-Learning
Community)
– Social Programming
– Mentoring
– Intensive Advising
– Financial Support
Academic and Life Skills
Programming
Chickering’s Vectors
W.H. Thompson Programs
1) Developing Competence
2) Managing Emotions
3) Moving Through Autonomy
Toward Interdependence
4) Developing Mature
Interpersonal
Relationships
5) Establishing Identity
6) Developing Purpose
7) Developing Integrity
1) Rock Wall Climb
Note-Taking
Workshop
2) Surviving the
Transition to
College
4) Sexpectations
6) Teach for America
Peace
Corps
(Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn, 2010,
pp. 67-69)
Academic and Life Skills
Programming
Life Skills Programming
Life
Skills
Events
2012
Cohort
Life
Skills
Events
2011
Cohort
Fall
Semester
#
%
Spring
Semester
#
%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 Fall
events
Semester
9
221
18
#
1
3.6%
88.8%
7.2%
%
0.4%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3Spring
events
Semester
0
151
77
#
5
0.0%
64.8%
33.0%
%
2.1%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
64
70
40
17
1
35.4%
38.7%
22.1%
9.4%
0.6%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
81
71
24
5
44.8%
39.2%
13.3%
2.8%
Data from 2012-2013
Academic Year
My favorite event of the
year was getting to have
breakfast with the
Chancellor.
- Caitlin (Sophomore)
Academic Programming
Academic
Events
2012 Cohort
Academic
Events
2011
Cohort
Fall
Semester
(N=249)
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
#
%
Spring
Semester
#
%
2
218
24
4
1
0.8%
87.6%
9.6%
1.6%
0.4%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
0
161
67
5
0.0%
69.1%
28.8%
2.1%
Fall
Semester
(N=181)
#
%
Spring
Semester
(N=181)
#
%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
79
79
23
8
1
43.6%
43.6%
12.7%
4.4%
0.6%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
64
71
41
4
1
35.4%
39.2%
22.7%
2.2%
0.6%
Data from 2012-2013 Academic Year
Social Programming
Social
Events
2012 Cohort
Social
Events
2011 Cohort
Fall
Semester
#
%
Spring
Semester
#
%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
5 events
4
161
62
16
4
2
1.6%
64.7%
24.9%
6.4%
1.6%
0.8%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
5 events
6 events
0
77
100
42
11
2
1
0.0%
33.0%
42.9%
18.0%
4.7%
0.9%
0.4%
Fall
Semester
#
%
Spring
Semester
#
%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
40
59
63
23
7
22.1%
32.6%
34.8%
12.7%
3.9%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
65
56
36
20
4
35.9%
30.9%
19.9%
11.0%
2.2%
Data from 2012-2013 Academic Year
Every Late Night Breakfast is my favorite because it gives us all a reason to get together one last time
before the end of the semester and we get to see friends we don’t see. -Zoey (Sophomore)
I really enjoyed attending the socials
because I was able to meet other WHT
students and create a bond like no
other. -Cameron (Freshman)
Programming in General
Total #
of Events
(excludin
g
mandatory
events)
2012
Cohort
Total #
of Events
(excludin
g
mandatory
events)
2011
Cohort
Fall
Semester
#
%
Spring
Semester
#
%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
5 events
6 events
7 events
8 events
9 events
Fall
0
3
5
133
68
28
8
3
1
0
#
0.0%
1.2%
2.0%
53.4%
27.3%
11.2%
3.2%
1.2%
0.4%
0.0%
%
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
5 events
6 events
7 events
8 events
9Spring
events
0
0
0
4
121
65
33
7
2
1
#
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
1.7%
51.9%
27.9%
14.2%
3.0%
0.9%
0.4%
%
Semester
0 events
1 event
2 events
3 events
4 events
5 events
6 events
Semester
8
7
13
107
37
17
3
4.4%
3.9%
7.2%
59.1%
20.4%
9.4%
1.7%
0 events
15
1 event
3
2 events
9
3 events
122
4 events
26
5 events
3
Data
from 2012-2013
6 events
3
8.3%
1.7%
5.0%
67.4%
14.4%
1.7%
Academic
1.7%Year
Academic Engagement:
Student-Faculty
Relationships
• Vincent Tinto (1975)
– Attempted to “formulate a theoretical
model that explains the processes of
interaction between the individual and
the institution that lead differing
individuals to drop out from
institutions of higher education…” (p.
90)
– Interactionalist Theory
– One of the key interactions: StudentFaculty
– Student-Faculty interaction is key to
student success (p. 107)
Academic Engagement:
Student-Faculty
Relationships
“I just enjoy seeing
familiar faces in
classes that are
through WHT, it
gives me an
automatic partner
because you already
have a connection
through WHT.” –
Sophomore
“…last week's Study Cafe office
hours went very well. During the
first night, I had student meetings
back to back for more than two
hours! Moreover, they seemed more
comfortable than they normally do in
my office. I definitely plan to do
this again!”
- Dr. Steve Swartzer, Instructor for Philosophy
106: Philosophy and Current Issues
Academic Engagement:
First-Year Experience
Course
Class Schedule—William H. Thompson First Year Experience Seminar
Date
Topic
Due
William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community
Week 1
101
Week 2
Time Management
Study Skills: Preparing to Study, Reading, and
Week 3
Attending Class
Study Skills: Maintaining, Test Prep, Test
Week 4
Time Management Log
Taking
Instructor Visit
Week 5
Building A Support Network
Report
Week 6
Goal Setting
Mid-Semester Grade
Week 7
Grades/Community Identity
Check
Assignments: W.H. Thompson Scholars Learning Spring Course
Event Attendance
Week 8
Scheduling
Report
Time Management Log: The Time Management log requires scholars to track and log how they
spend their time over the course of one week. Scholars bring the log to class on the due
date and use the information to develop an organized and comprehensive approach to the
semester.
Instructor Visit Report: The Instructor Visit Report requires scholars to meet with one of
their instructors in the semester and write a reflection on the meeting.
Mid-Semester Grade Check: The Mid-Semester Grade Check requires scholars to collect grade
reports from their instructors. * This is required of all scholars during their first and
second years.
Event Attendance Report: The Event Attendance Report requires to attend one William H.
Thompson event of their choice and write a reflection on it.
Academic Engagement:
Study Environment
• Vincent Tinto (1975)
– Interaction
– Again
• Alexander Astin (1999)
– Involvement
– “Students learn by being involved” (p. 36).
• George Kuh
– Engagment
– “Student engagement is generally considered
to be among the better predictors of
learning and personal development” (p. 2)
• Carini, Kuh, and Klein (2006)
Academic Engagement:
Study Environment
I always attend the Study
Café, and it is very
helpful. I get most of my
studies done, and the
mentors that are there are
very helpful and kind.
-Freshman
I love the Study Café. This
is a place where I am able
to come downstairs and
study while also enjoying
some coffee (to keep me up)
and snacks (to also keep me
up).
-Freshman
Academic Engagement:
Tutoring
He did a great job with helping me
understand. I liked how he related some of
the math problems to real life situations.
This helped me understand the information
better.
Academic
Engagement:Tutoring
Academic Engagement:
Study Environment and
Tutoring
• 2013 Fall Semester Studying and
Tutor
Use Date
– Study Café, September 3 – October 9
• 782 sign-ins to study
• 1,459 hrs 51 mins
– Tutor Lab, September 3 – October 9
• 194 sign-ins to work with a tutor
Residential Component:
Living-Learning Community
• “Living on campus substantially increases
the student’s chances of persisting and of
aspiring to graduate or professional
degree” (Astin, 1999, p. 524).
• Remember: Interaction, Involvement,
Engagement
• Zhao and Kuh (2004) examined learning
communities (not all residential)
• Zhao and Kuh (2004) found most learning
communities “incorporate active and
collaborative learning activities and
promote involvement in complementary
academic and social activities that extend
beyond the classroom” (p. 116)
Residential Component:
Living-Learning Community
“A student’s most important teacher is often another
student” (Chickering & Reisser, 1993, p. 392)
Mentoring
• “Successful minority students identified peer support as an
important factor in their academic achievement; they noted,
however, that such support groups were most likely to develop
among students from college-educated families. In addition,
first-generation minority students expressed a need to ‘scale
down’ the physical dimensions of the college experience, ‘to
find places to study, meet friends, or seek support ... spaces
that provided some measure of ‘comfortability’” (Hsiao, 1992).
• “The literature on first-generation college students paints a
picture of these students lacking in both personal skills and
social supports that could contribute to positive academic
outcomes in college” (Dennis, Phiney, & Chuateco, 2005, 223).
• “The implementation of both formal and informal mentoring
programs has the potential to provide higher education
institutions the opportunity to promote and enhance their
diversity and inclusion initiatives. Over the past two
decades, research on the role of mentoring to increase
minority retention and satisfaction, both in corporate and
academic settings, has grown” (Nickels & Kowalski-Braun, 2012,
190).
Mentoring
I have an incredible mentor
(Blaise Lanoha), I remember
our first one-on-one, and
he and I immediately opened
up. At that moment we
reached peak communication
and also formed a
friendship.
-Freshman Scholar
Intensive Advising
• “Just as expectations matter for student
success, so does support” (Tinto, 2012, p.
22).
– Academic, Social, Financial
• “Some students may arrive at college
knowing exactly what they need to do to
accomplish their goals. Most, however,
need guidance to figure out which courses
to take and in what sequence, how to add
or drop courses and apply for financial
aid, and what resources are available to
help them adjust to campus life” (Brock,
2010, p. 119).
Intensive Advising
Learning that the WHT staff
is always there and truly
cares about me and wants me
to be successful. It’s
empowering!
-Freshman Scholar
Intensive Advising:
Academic Warning Program
• Mid-Semester Academic Warning
– “Through this process I have learned that I must do study hours,
no matter what it is. I know that I need to discipline myself and
suffer so that my grades don’t [struggle later]. I will continue
to make a study schedule for each semester to keep my grades up
and not have the stress about my GPA. I feel a lot more
comfortable around my advisor now and I know that I can go in and
talk to her, or set up an appointment to talk to her. Being on
mid-semester academic probation has definitely been a needed
learning process, but it's also one I don't plan on going through
again” (Freshman Scholar Reflecting on Mid-Semester Warning
Program)
• Academic Warning
– “I can say that at first my motivation level was low. I felt down
on myself and with the added pressure from my advisor I didn't
think I could make it this semester. Once I got past the initial
meeting and a plan was laid out I felt like there was some light
at the end of the tunnel. This experience was definitely helpful
in my academic success. I now see how to study effectively. I
have the skills and motivation to push forward in my journey”
(Junior Scholar Reflecting on Academic Warning Program)
Financial Support
• In his book Completing College: Rethinking
Institutional Action, Tinto (2012) explains
the importance of financial support to
student success. He highlights that this
form of support is especially important for
students of low-income backgrounds (pp. 2931).
• The Susan Thompson Buffett Scholarship
– Yes, financial support for tuition and
materials
– And also
• UNL’s CAPS (Counseling and
Psychological Services) sessions
• Testing for learning disabilities
Another Look at the Big
Picture
REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL SCHOLARS:
•Maintain a 2.0 GPA
•Earn at least 18 credit hours or 27 quarter hours each award year
•Take an active role in monitoring academic progress with their assigned W.H. Thompson
Program Coordinator
1st Year W.H. Thompson Requirements
Fall Semester
3 W.H. Thompson Courses
One of which must be the W.H.
Thompson First Year Experience
Seminar
1 event
Academic or Life Skills event
2 mentor/mentee group activities
3 mentor/mentee individual meetings
First-Year Scholar Orientation
Mid-semester grade ndcheck
2
Spring Semester
2 W.H. Thompson Courses
2 events
Academic, Life Skills, or Social
events (at least one must be
Academic or Life Skills)
3 mentor/mentee group activities
3 mentor/mentee individual meetings
Mid-semester grade check
Year W.H. Thompson Requirements
Fall Semester
1 W.H. Thompson Course
2 events
Any combination of Academic, Life
Skills, or Social events
Sophomore Scholar Welcome Back
One-on-One meeting with a W.H.
Thompson staff member
Mid-semester grade check
Spring Semester
2 events
Any combination of Academic, Life
Skills, or Social events
Mid-semester grade check
Data of Program Progress
Retention of 2nd Year (Cohort 2011) at end of Fall 2012
Retained w/in UNL and active in Learning Community
Original Cohort (n=241) Fall
2012
192/241 (79.7%)
Retained w/in NU (includes transfer students
206/241 (85.5%)
retained on scholarship)
Retention Data for Students Removed from Learning Community
Retained w/in UNL (includes removed students who remained at UNL)
203/241 (84.23%)
Retained w/in NU (includes removed from scholarship but enrolled at
UNL and removed from scholarship but enrolled in NU system)
217/241 (90.04%)
Data from 2012-2013 Academic Year
Retained w/in UNL
Retained w/in NU
Retention of 2nd Year (2010 Cohort)
at end of Spring 2011
Original Cohort
Active Cohort
(n=282)
(n=269)
227/282 (80.5%)
254/269 (94.4%)
237/282 (84.0%)
258/269 (95.9%)
Retention Data for Students Removed from Learning Community
Retained w/in UNL
236/282 (83.7%)
259/269 (96.3%)
Retained w/in NU
246/282 (87.2%)
263/269 (97.8%)
Retention of 1st Year (2011 Cohort)
at end of Spring 2012
Original Cohort
Active Cohort
(n=241)
(n=241)
217/241 (90.0%)
217/241 (90.0%)
222/241 (92.1%)
222/241 (92.1%)
228/241 (94.6%)
233/241 (96.7%)
228/241 (94.6%)
233/241 (96.7%)
Data from 2011-2012 Academic Year
Is a holistic approach
possible?
“Supportive academic department offices, advising services, programs
or courses that allow for more personal interaction with faculty, or
institutionally established, minority-focused networking groups can
all serve to reduce the physical dimensions of the students' college
experiences” (Richardson & Skinner, 1992).
The Bigger Picture:
Higher Education in America
• “Historically, institutions have placed most
of their attention on individual students
while neglecting the importance of campus
conditions in promoting their learning and
educational attainment” (Schroeder, 2013, p.
43).
• “…many institutions still struggle to engage
faculty and administrators in building
campuswide retention efforts, to find the
organizational levers that translate the
abstrations and complexities of retention
theory into scalable and durable initiatives,
and to demonstrate the effectiveness of those
initiatives in terms of outcomes in general
and degree completion in particular” (Spittle,
2013, p. 27).
The Bigger Picture:
Higher Education in America
• “To be sure Edgerton [long-time president of the
American Association of Higher Education] impels
institutions to focus on the quality of the
student experience broadly defined to include inand out-of-class experiences and the potential
synergy that can be created between the two. This
is a particularly important assertion because most
institutions have little control over the academic
and other characteristics of the entering student
cohort. They can, however, significantly influence
the nature and quality of students’ educational
encounters from entry to exit in a variety of
settings. Even more so, institutions have the
ability to influence and administer quality
institutional processes and policies that affect
students’ experiences as they move through the
institution” (Schroeder, 2013, p. 43).
References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Astin, A. W. (1985). Involvement: The cornerstone of excellence.
Change, 17(4), 34-39.
Astin, A.W. (1999). Student involvement: A developmental theory for
higher education, Journal of College Student Development, 40(5), 518529.
Braxton, J.M. (2003). Student success. In Komives, S.R., Woodard, D.B.,
& Associates (Eds.), Student services: A handbook for the profession
(317-335). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Brock, T. (2010, Spring). “Young Adults and Higher Education: Barriers
and Breakthroughs to Success.” Future of Children, 20(1), 109-132.
Carini, R.M., Kuh, G.D, & Klein, S.P. (2006). Student engagement and
student learning: Testing linkages. Research in Higher Education,
47(1), 1-32.
Chickering, A.W. & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and Identity (2nd Ed.).
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Dennis, J., Phinney, J. & Chuateco, L. (2005). “The Role of Motivation,
Parental Support, and Peer Support in the Academic Success of Ethnic
Minority First-Generation Students.” Journal of College Student
Development, 46 (3), 223-236.
Evans, Nancy J., Forney, Deanna, S., Guido, Florence M., Patton, Lori
D., & Renn, Kristen A. (2010). Student development in college: Theory,
research, and practice (2nd Ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons,
Inc.
References
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hsiao, K. (1992). First-Generation College Students. Eric Digest.
Komives, S.R., Woodard, D.B., & Associates. (2003). Student
Services: A handbook for the profession (4th Ed.). San Francisco,
CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Nickels, A. & Kowalski-Braun, M. (2012). “Examining NIARA: How a
Student-Designated Program for Women of Color Is Impacting
Mentors.” Advances in Developing Human Resources, 14 (2), 188204.
Schroeder, C.C. (2013, Spring). “Reframing Retention Strategy: A
Focus on Progress.” New Directions for Higher Education, 161, 3947.
Spittle, B. (2013, Spring). “Reframing Retention Strategy: A Focus
on Progress.” New Directions for Higher Education, 161, 27-37.
Tinto, V. (2012). Completing College: Rethinking Institutional
Action. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical
synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research,
45(1), 89-125.
The White House. (2013). [Official Web Site of the White House and
President Barak Obama]. Retrieved October 13, 2013 from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/higher-education.
Presenters:
Lindsay Wayt, Senior Assistant Program Coordinator | [email protected]
Emira Ibrahimpašić, Associate Program Coordinator | [email protected]
Ms. Kelli King, Program Coordinator | [email protected]
www.unl.edu/wht
©2007 The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. All rights
reserved.