Job Talk:Student Success in the Residence Halls

Gina LoSchiavo

April 13, 2012

Overview0Audience: Residence Life staff and campus partners0Why this issue?0Benefits of living on campus0Benefits of faculty involvement0Suggestions0Questions?

What is student success?

0 “Retention and graduation are best described as partial indicators of student success…the college degree is meaningful but only after it represents forms of learning that are both valued by society and empowering to the individual” (Kuh, 2009).

Why this issue?

0Many colleges and universities require students to live on campus during their first year of school.

0 “Living on campus (versus commuting to college) is perhaps the single most consistent within-college determinant of impact” (Pascarella & Terenzini, p. 611)

Benefits for students

0Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) state that students living on campus report;0 Increased independence0 More persistent in college0 More likely to obtain a Bachelor’s degree 0 More involved in their major0 Achieve academically

Why faulty involvement?

0 Pascarella & Terenzini (2005) indicate that faculty-student interactions in residence halls, community centers, and in the dining facilities provide a bridge between formal academic programs and out of classroom learning and development activities for students.

0 “Research has shown that on a campus where the average faculty member only somewhat believes that participation in learning communities is important only 3% become involved in this activity. In contrast, when they feel it is very important. 55% of first years participate” (Kuh, 2009).

Best Practices

0Living Learning Communities0 “Being an educated person means being able to see

connections that allow one to make sense of the world and act within creative ways…listening, reading, solving puzzles truth seeking, seeing through other people’s eyes, leading working in a community-is finally about connecting” (Cronon, 1999).

0Faculty-in-Residence0 UCLA0 The University of Oklahoma0 Georgetown

Final Thoughts

0 “Most institutions can increase student engagement and success by more consistently using what theresearch shows are promising policies and effective educational activities and practices” (Kuh, 2009, p.22).

0Starting small0 “Faculty Fellows”0 Requiring faculty to be part of the Resident Assistant

programming model0 Inviting faculty to events

Questions?

0Feel free to contact me at gnloschiavo@gmail.com

Works CitedCronon, W. (2001). “Only Connect…”. In Whipps, J. (Ed.).

Education: Power and Choices (pp. 76–83). Acton, MA: Copley Custom Publishing

Kuh, G. (2009). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Terenzini, P. T., Pascarella, E. T., and Blimling, G. S. (1996). Students’ Out-Of-Class Experiences and Their Influence on Learning and Cognitive Development: A Literature Review. Journal of College Student Development, 37(2): 149-162.