Minutes – FoE Organization Dimension

October 7, 2008 – 7:30 a.m. Piazza @ Reddecker

Members Able to Attend: Dianna Briggs, John Fritch, Cherin Lee, Jim O’Loughlin, Jesse Swan, Kristy Leen, Autumn Scott, Lori VanHoreweghe, Mike Weiglein, Angie Swartz, Lyn Redington, Lyn Countryman

What are the critical university-wide issues that affect the success of first year students?

? Are we trying to make the university into what “we” experienced or what the students want? Answer: Probably somewhere in between the two.

  • Variable experiences for incoming freshman
  • Advising varies
  • Central advising for “undeclared” and departments will large numbers of incoming freshman
  • Advising within departments
  • “word of mouth” or peer advising – ‘Rate Your Professor.com’
  • Multiple section Liberal Arts Core (LAC) vary from section to section.
  • Possible solutions
  • LAC committee provide specific expectations for each class of the foundational courses
  • Should Student Outcomes Assessment permeate the LAC?
  • Should we have a pre/post test for incoming freshman?
  • Data to Examine
  • NESE data
  • Syllibi of LAC multiple section LAC courses
  • # of faculty teaching multiple section LAC courses
  • student outcomes for multiple section LAC courses
  • Communication to the student from the university
  • Too much information – information overload &/or information is difficult to find
  • Contributing factor
  • UNI website is difficult to search as the search engine looks for documents written about the search topic and to find information on the search topic one must use the “alphabet”
  • Possible solutions
  • Revamp the website and utilize freshman and sophomore to provide the “reality check” of what students need.
  • Synthesize the information for students
  • Have faculty pick out 1-2 things they can highlight for students via email to attend on university (i.e. If you could attend any university event this week these are two I would attend.0
  • Smaller class sizes
  • DATA needed
  • How do class sizes impact students?
  • What is the % of students that stay past the first semester? Year? Attain a degree?

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FOE Organization Dimension Minutes10/7/08

  • Students arriving with “college credit”
  • Can’t get into sophomore level classes.
  • Lack the maturity of an “advanced student.”
  • Data needed
  • How much credit are students bringing to the university.
  • How was this credit attained? (high school class carrying community college credit, community college class or 4 year HE institution class)
  • How many of the students can’t get into the classes they need?
  • How do the grades of “transfer” students compare with those of freshman that don’t transfer courses into the university.

Angie explained from the national conference she attended on the first year experience there were several ideas that were tried and failed due to the lack of consideration of these dual credit students ( i.e. freshman cohort & first year experience course.) This is because these students don’t see themselves as first year students and don’t think they need a course in the first year experience.

  • Communication between students is …
  • Constant, varied and usually involves technology.
  • Superficial
  • Connecting from a “safe” distance
  • As a consequence of this
  • It is a challenge to connect to students in a personal way when they remain “disconnected” (i.e. exercising listening to MP3 players or talking of their phones right out of class)
  • Students are lonely
  • Students view of success is different today. They view the end as the goal instead, as Kristy said, “College is the journey and not the end.”

Define “success” from what you think is the students’ point of view and then define it how you wish students would view “success.”

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FOE Organization Dimension Minutes10/7/08

Mike

Student’s view of success is being able to meets the ‘bare minimum’ expectations while at the same wanting to know “what’s in it for them?” Because of this, they have to be given very specific directions and they lack initiative. They don’t look to see what needs to be done, instead they wait to be told what needs to be done.

Kristy

Students’ view of success is that completion is good enough. They see success at the university as graduating and getting a job.

I want them to view success as being able to solve problems on their own (with the skills and knowledge they have acquired) without asking the manager how to solve it.

John

Students’ view of success is doing o.k. in classes with minimal debt.

My view of success is that students would understand the unique perspective of their chosen discipline and be active problem solvers in their discipline.

Cherin

There are two groups of students: 1) VoTech Approach to College – Success = complete college in order to get the job; 2) Success = College is where I learn what I need to know to go on professionally in my field.

I agree with John in that I want students to view success as understanding the ‘paradigm’ of their discipline. I want them to be able to think critically, engage in a rich depth of thinking about their discipline, problem-solve and to be broadly prepared.

Dianna

Success is viewed as being able to graduate in four years and many of the education students view success as being able to perform at the level required for the teacher work sample. Many want to make a difference with students.

I want students to leave the university prepared to continue to be life long learners.

Autumn

Students’ view of success is to graduate in four years or less and get a good job. They equate good job with more money and more money with happiness.

I want the students to leave this institution with the cognitive development, the social development and the behavior development to active citizens.

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FOE Organization Dimension Minutes10/7/08

Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 7:30 a.m., Piazza Meeting Room @ Reddeker

Goals:

  • Look on the website at the DATA provide there.
  • Based upon that evidence and the issues we documented on students and the university in the past two meetings, brainstorm a list of additional data we might find useful to answer the focus of the ORGANIZATION DIMENSION. (Remember, focus on what we can control.)
  • Look at the Performance Indicators for our dimension

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FOE Organization Dimension Minutes10/7/08