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Answering  Life’s  Big  Questions:  Reflections  at  Trinity  University

Now  in  its  third  year,  Reflections  is  a  voluntary,  non-­‐‑graded,  co-­‐‑curricular  program  that  prompts  first-­‐‑year  students  at  Trinity  University  to  reflect  on  their  past  experiences,  present  circumstances,  and  future  goals  to  foster  self-­‐‑discovery  and  exploration.  Through  critical  dialogue  and  guided  exercises  in  a  small  group  context,  first-­‐‑year  students  begin  to  draw  clearer  connections  between  their  values,  choices,  academic  goals,  and  lifetime  vocation.   Each  Reflections  cohort  of  10-­‐‑17  first-­‐‑years  meets  for  three,  90-­‐‑minute  sessions  at  the  start  of  the  spring  semester  (January  and  February)—sessions  are  guided  by  a  trained  facilitation  team  comprised  of  a  faculty  member,  staff  member,  and  a  sophomore  peer.  The  program  is  modeled  on  “Reflecting  on  Your  Life”  and  “Reflections”  at  Harvard  and  Stanford  Universities,  respectively. Initial  assessment  results  suggest  that  the  program  has  succeeded  in  helping  students  gain  insight  into  their  personal  goals  and  values,  enhancing  introspective  behaviors,  and  enrolling  students  from  historically  underrepresented  groups.  Facilitator  training  has  improved  faculty  and  staff  members’  confidence  and  ability  to  discuss  vocation  and  life  goals  with  students  in  a  variety  of  contexts.

ABSTRACT  

PROGRAM  OBJECTIVES  

PARTICIPANT  PROFILE  

 STUDENT  OUTCOMES  (Based  on  2014  Cohort)  

Brooks,  K.  (2009).  You  Majored  in  What?  Mapping  Your  Path  from  Chaos  to  Career.  New  York:  Viking. Clydesdale,  T.    (2014).  “Holy  Grit:  the  effects  of  purpose  exploration  programming  on  undergraduate  engagement  and  life  trajectories.”  Liberal  Education,  Vol.  100,  Issue  1  (Winter).  pp.  14-­‐‑19. Great  Jobs,  Great  Lives.  (2014)  Gallup-­‐‑Purdue  Index. Reflections  is  supported  by  a  Faculty  Advancement  Grant  from  the  Associated  Colleges  of  the  South;  a  program  grant  from  the  Council  of  Independent  Colleges’  Network  for  Vocation  in  Undergraduate  Education  (NetVUE),  and  Trinity  University.  Additional  thanks  to  Adina  Glickman  (Stanford  University),  and  Thomas  Dingman  and  Katherine  Steele  (Harvard  University)  for  sharing  program  materials. Contact:  Lisa  Jasinski,  Special  Projects  Coordinator,  Academic  Affairs  lisa.jasinski@trinity.edu        (210)  999-­‐‑7816

“Creating  a  time  and  space  for  first-­‐‑year  students  at  Trinity  University  to  think  about  life’s  big  questions,  articulate  

personal  goals,  and  develop  strategies  to  achieve  them.”

Lisa  Jasinski,  M.A.,  Special  Projects  Coordinator,  Trinity  University,  San  Antonio,  TX

PARTICIPANT  DEMOGRAPHICS  (2013  –  2015) Compared  to  the  Overall  Trinity  Undergraduate  Population

N  /  %    of  Reflections  

Participants✚ %  of  Trinity  

Undergraduates°

Male N  =  17  (18%) 47.5%

Female N  =  75  (78%) 52.5%

Transgender N  =  2  (2%) N/A

No  Answer  Given N  =  2  (2%) N/A

Black  /  African  American N  =  5  (5%) 3.9%

Asian  (Includes  Pacific  Islander) N  =  12  (11.5%) 5.8%

Hispanic  /  Latino N  =  19  (18%) 18.1%

White  /  Anglo N  =  62  (60%) 56.1%

Native  American N  =  0 .2%

More  than  One  Race N  =  6  (6%) 4.7%

Unknown N/A 3.7%

First-­‐‑Generation  College  Students N  =  19  (19%) 11-­‐‑14%

International  Students N  =  7  (7%) 7.6%

Received  Merit-­‐‑Based  Financial  Aid N  =  84  (85%) 89%

Received  Need-­‐‑Based  Financial  Aid  (e.g.,  scholarships  and  loans) N  =  44  (44%) Pell  Eligible  –  16%

✚  Students  may  enter  more  than  one  answer  per  category °  Based  on  the  2014-­‐‑2015  Trinity  University  Fact  Book  using  Fall  2014  enrollment  data  as  a  base  line.

ASSESSMENT  PLAN    

ATTRIBUTION    

FACILITIATION  STRATEGIES    

Each  Reflections  participant  completes  a  pre-­‐‑  and  post-­‐‑assessment  including  Likert  scale  questions,  open-­‐‑ended  narrative  responses,  and  demographic  information.  One  year  later,  Reflections  participants  are  invited  to  respond  to  an  anonymous  electronic  survey  and  focus  group  interviews  to  discuss  the  long-­‐‑term  impact. A  multi-­‐‑year  comparative  assessment  (2016)  is  scheduled  to  determine  the  effect  of  Reflections  on  academic  performance,  student  engagement  (e.g.,  study  abroad,  undergraduate  research),  retention,  and  graduation  rates.

WHAT  STUDENTS  ARE  WALKING  AWAY  WITH…. •  “I  gained  important  insights  into  myself”  (4.16  /  5.0)

•  “I  gained  perspective  on  how  to  use  my  time  at  Trinity”  (4.0  /  5.0)

•  “I  have  improved  my  relationships  with  others”  (3.71  /  5.0)

•  100%  of  participants’  level  of  introspection  increased  or  stayed  the  same  during  Reflections  (71%  increased)

CHANGES  IN  LIFESTYLE  /  BEHAVIOR Students  self-­‐‑reported  the  following  changes  as  a  result  of  participating  in  Reflections:  Thinking  about  the  future,  optimism,  “being  more  conscious  and  productive,”  joining  a  club,  crossing  things  off  my  bucket  list,  taking  time  to  relax,  going  to  Zumba,  analyzing  my  friendships,  choosing  an  an  academic  major.   •  “I  decided  to  join  (a  service  organization)  because  volunteering  &  being  involved  on  campus  are  on  my  

bucket  list.  I  realized  that  I  would  regret  not  trying  this  opportunity.”

•  “I'ʹve  made  an  effort  to  meet  new  people  and  put  myself  out  of  my  comfort  zone,  which  will  be  useful  in  real  world  scenarios.”

•  “I'ʹve  become  more  aware  of  my  commitment  in  relationships.  For  some  people  I  could  tell  I  wasn'ʹt  very  invested,  so  I  made  an  effort  to  open  up  and  be  more  understanding.”

•  “I  have  stopped  hanging  out  with  people  that  were  not  good  influences  and  paid  more  avention  to  doing  what  I  wanted  to  do  rather  than  trying  to  please  others.”

ANTICIPATED  LIFE  CHANGES  AND  BEHAVIOR Students  self-­‐‑reported  that  they  expected  to  make  the  following  future  changes  as  a  result  of  participating  in  Reflections:  Becoming  more  thoughtful,  writing  in  a  journal  more  often,  considering  a  Master’s  degree,  geving  involved  to  increase  my  happiness,  increased  confidence,  cultivating  closer  relationships  with  others,  following  through  on  my  bucket  list.

KEY  FINDINGS  Norm  Se[ing  –  Establishing  ground  rules  such  as  confidentiality,  talk-­‐‑time  equity,  and  mutual  respect  distinguishes  interactions  in  Reflections  from  other  campus  sevings  is  critical.  As  one  2014  student  described,  “I  felt  more  comfortable  and  vulnerable  and  appreciated  than  discussions  in  other  sevings.” Peer  Effect  –  85%  of  Reflections  participants  in  the  2014  cohort  agreed  or  strongly  agreed  with  the  statement:  “my  peers  played  a  significant  role  in  my  learning.”  As  one  student  wrote  in  the  final  assessment,  “I  want  to  figure  out  what  to  do  with  my  life,  so  I  think  pondering  by  myself  will  be  helpful.  I  also  think  bouncing  ideas  off  of  other  people  will  benefit  me  as  well.”  Informally,  students  seem  to  find  comfort  in  learning  that  “they  aren’t  the  only  one”  experiencing  challenges  or  anxieties. Student  Willingness  and  Readiness  –    At  Trinity,  student  participation  in  Reflections  is  voluntary  –  it  is  not  compulsory  nor  does  it  carry  academic  credit  because  we  feel  that  “a  student’s  state  of  readiness  or  openness  to  change  sets  the  stage  for  his  or  her  response  to  and  growth  from  disorientation“  (Johansson  &  Felton,  2014).  In  a  follow-­‐‑up  study  conducted  one  year  after  the  program,  89%  participants  replied  that  “my  own  openness  to  learning”  played  a  “significant”  role  in  my  growth  and  development.  Program  leaders  continue  to  revisit  issues  like  program  scope,  scale,  incentives,  and  sustainability.   Benefits  to  Faculty  and  Staff  Facilitators  –  Beyond  the  gains  to  students,  a  longitudinal  study  of  88  campuses  with  purpose  and  vocation  exploration  programming  found  that  86%  of  faculty  participants  and  90%  of  staff  participants  agreed  or  strongly  agreed  that  their  involvement  “positively  impacted  my  own  work  [at  this  school}.”  85%  of  faculty  and  93%  of  staff  said:  it  “deepened  my  appreciation  for  the  mission  [of  this  school]”  (Clydesdale,  2014). After  a  day-­‐‑long  facilitator  training  session  (2014),  41  Trinity  faculty  and  staff  colleagues  reported  the  following:  95%  stated  that  they  agreed  or  strongly  agreed  with  the  statement,  “I  am  more  likely  to  initiate  conversations  with  students  about  their  life  purposes  and  goals.”  76%  of  participants  reported  an  increase  in  their  “comfort-­‐‑level”  to  have  such  conversations  and  74%  reported  an  increase  in  their  “ability  to  facilitate  such  conversations.”  To  date,  53  colleagues  have  been  trained  as  facilitators. Applicability  for  Other  Student  Populations  –  In  Summer  2014,  two  seasoned  Reflections  facilitators  modified  the  existing  curriculum  to  address  the  specific  vocational,  academic,  personal,  and  developmental  needs  of  Undergraduate  Research  Students  (a  mix  of  sophomores  and  juniors).  For  example,  we  added  post-­‐‑graduate/vocationally-­‐‑focused  exercises,  such  as  the  “Possible  Lives”  map  inspired  by  You  Majored  in  What?  (Brooks,  2009)  and  talked  about  grad  school.  We  have  considered  expanding  the  program  for  internships  and  study  abroad. A  group  of  faculty  and  staff  members  is  currently  developing  a  strain  of  vocational-­‐‑identification  programs  for  undergraduate  Humanities  majors  inspired  in  part  by  the  findings  of  the  Gallup-­‐‑Purdue  Index  (2014)  Great  Jobs,  Great  Lives  study.

SAMPLE  PROMPTS  &  ACTIVITIES  The  Reflections  curriculum  contains  a  “menu”  of  instructions/scripts  of  individual,  pair,  small  and  large  group  activities.  Facilitators  select  among  the  provided  options  and/or  add  their  own  to  meet  goals.  In  order  to  accommodate  a  variety  of  personalities,  preferences,  and  learning  styles,  facilitators  are  encouraged  to  use  a  variety  of  approaches  and  vary  the  tone  to  create  a  lively  and  engaging  environment  that  departs  from  the  traditional  structure  and  formality  of  an  academic  classroom. While  the  specific  activities  and  prompts  vary  across  cohorts,  students  generally  report  that  they  favor  activities  that  enable  them  to  identify  personal  values.  Students  also  enjoy  the  “Bucket  List”  activity  in  which  they  name  and  prioritize  things  that  they  want  to  do/achieve  in  college.  Our  students  respond  best  to  activities  with  concrete  objectives  and  instructions  (and  less  well  to  abstract  philosophizing).  Team-­‐‑building  exercises  to  foster  community  and  trust. Participants  report  that  their  least  favorite  activities  involve  “narrowing  things  down”  and  “anything  that  felt  rushed.”  

Trinity  University  has  sponsored  Reflections  over  three  years:  2013  (10  students,  1  cohort);  2014  (35  students,  4  cohorts);  and  2015  (54  students*,  4  cohorts).

IN  WHAT  AREA  OF  YOUR  LIFE  DID  REFLECTIONS  HAVE  THE  GREATEST  IMPACT?

 

Academic  (i.e.,  improving  my  performance  in  classes  

or  intellectual  skills,  selecting  a  major)

24%

Personal  (i.e.,  bever  understanding  myself,  my  

strengths,  my  values) 24%

Social  (i.e.,  making  bever  or  deeper  friendships,  geving  involved  on  

campus) 17%

Time  Management  (i.e.,  developing  a  weekly  schedule,  consciously  

using  time) 14%

Vocational  (i.e.,  exploring  career  options,  potential  professional  interests)

20%

Other 1%

Students’  Reasons  for  Participating  (Select  All)1

Primary  Motivation  (Select  One)

34%  Personal 26%  Vocational 18%  Academic

 

1  -­‐‑  Reflects  responses  from  2014  and  2015  participants  only. Compared  to  the  campus  

population,  students  of  color  and  first-­‐‑generation  college  students  are  overrepresented  in  Reflections. Male  students  are  underrepresented. The  pre-­‐‑assessment  reveals  that  nearly  2/3  of  Reflections  participants  agree  or  strongly  agree  that  they  engage  in  introspective  activities  (e.g.,  reflective  writing,  talking  to  trusted  friends  and  adults  about  my  goals,  soul  searching,  seeking  the  advice  of  others).

Academic,  2

Personal,  23

Social,  7

Time  Management,  1

Vocational,  3

None,  1 Other,  1

Facilitator  training  emphasizes  the  ways  in  facilitation  varies  from  other  interactions,  including  teaching,  conversations  between  peers,  formal  and  informal  advising,  and  management.  To  encourage  growth  and  professional  development,  facilitators  are  encouraged  to  complete  a  self-­‐‑assessment  and  select  (at  least)  one  of  the  following  skills  to  improve  during  the  program. Authenticity  –  Facilitators  bring  a  sense  of  sincerity,  truthfulness,  and  genuineness  to  their  work  –  they  don’t  go  through  the  motions  or  tell  people  what  they  think  they  want  to  hear.     Planning  –  Facilitators  give  advanced  thought  to  their  goals  and  think  about  how  to  move  from  one  part  of  an  agenda  to  the  next,  how  long  an  activity  will  take,  and  how  to  explain  their  objectives  to  others.  When  things  don’t  go  as  planned,  facilitators  are  prepared  to  improvise  or  course  correct.   Active  Listening  –  Facilitators  engage  in  high-­‐‑energy  active  listening  –  they  quiet  the  inner  chaXer  within  their  own  minds  to  give  their  full  aXention  to  the  speaker  and  strive  to  make  a  speaker  feel  heard.     Silence  –  Thinkers  often  need  “processing  time.”  By  not  speaking,  facilitators  give  both  individuals  and  the  group  as  a  whole  adequate,  protected  time  to  let  the  best  thinking  happen.   Naming  Themes  –  As  others  are  speak,  facilitators  identify  common  themes  from  discussions  –  drawing  out  unseen  parallels  and  connections  that  surface.   Reading  the  Room  –  Facilitators  are  aXentive  to  the  group  dynamic.  They  notice  when  things  are  moving  too  quickly  or  too  slowly;  sense  when  things  are  tense  or  when  the  group  needs  a  push  to  step  up;  or  suggest  a  break  when  they  sense  people  need  one.   Debriefing  –  After  leading  an  exercise,  facilitators  pause  for  feedback  and  actively  solicit  feedback  from  others  about  how  it  went.  Facilitators  welcome  feedback  in  other  ways  too,  such  as  wriXen  anonymous  comments.  When  working  with  others,  facilitators  make  time  to  share  impressions  and  check-­‐‑in.   Be  a  Learner  –  Facilitators  don’t  know  everything,  and  they  aren’t  here  to  instruct.  They  try  new  things.  They  let  themselves  be  surprised.  When  they  don’t  know  how  to  respond,  they  trust  the  wisdom  of  the  group.