measuring what matters; noncognitive skills - webinar hosted by nutn
TRANSCRIPT
Measuring What Matters
The Role of Non-Cognitive Factors in Student Success
NUTN Webinar – February,
Dr. Mac Adkins, President, SmarterServices
Provided by
Question 1?
• How do you determine who can be enrolled at your school?– Standardized test scores– Prior grade point averages– Admissions exams
Top Admissions Factors
• The National Association for College Admission Counseling rated these factors.
• CONSIDERABLY IMPORTANT– College prep course grades– Strength of high school curriculum– Standardized test scores– Overall GPA
• MODERATELY IMPORTANT– Admissions essay– Letters of recommendation– Demonstrated interest– Class rank– Extracurricular commitment
Question 2Why Do Students Drop Out?
A study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ranked these reasons:
1. Conflict with work schedule
2. Affordability of tuition
3. Lack of support from family – financial and practical support
4. Lack of belief that a college degree is valuable
5. Lack of discipline – too much socializing, not enough studying
http://www.publicagenda.org/pages/with-their-whole-lives-ahead-of-them
Do You See the Disconnect?
Is Your School Measuring
What Matters?
To Find Out What Matters Let’s Ask:
Employers
Colleges
Faculty
National Research Council
US Department of Education
Mothers
Skills that Employer’s
Want
National Association of Colleges and Employers
Survey of Employers
http://www.unl.edu/svcaa/documents/how_employers_see_candidates.pdf
Outcomes Schools WantElements of Mission Statements From 35 Universities
Michigan State University, 2004
1. Knowledge, learning, mastery of general principles2. Continuous learning, intellectual interest, curiosity3. Artistic cultural appreciation 4. Appreciation for diversity5. Leadership6. Interpersonal skills7. Social responsibility, citizenship and involvement8. Physical and psychosocial health9. Career preparation10.Adaptability and life skills11.Perseverance12.Ethics and integrity
Traits Online Faculty Want
WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies, 2013
2012 National Research Council
COGNITIVEProblem solvingCritical thinkingSystems thinkingStudy skillsAdaptabilityCreativityMeta-cognitive skills
INTERPERSONALCommunicationSocial IntelligenceTeamworkLeadershipCultural sensitivityTolerance for diversity
INTRAPERSONALAnxietySelf-efficacySelf-conceptAttributionsWork ethicPersistenceOrganizationTime managementIntegrityLife-long learning
US Department of Education
“The test score accountability movement and conventional educational approaches tend to focus on intellectual aspects of success, such as content knowledge. However, this is not sufficient. If students are to achieve their full potential, they must have opportunities to engage and develop a much richer set of skills. There is a growing movement to explore the potential of the “noncognitive” factors — attributes, dispositions, social skills, attitudes, and intrapersonal resources, independent of intellectual ability—that high-achieving individuals draw upon to accomplish success.”
Parents Teach It
Are You Beginning To See The Picture?
• Non-cognitive skills matter– Determine student retention– Determine employer satisfaction– Determine online course success– Federal agencies recognize their importance– They are the mission of many schools– Parents value them
“Years of schooling predicts labor market outcomes — cognitive skills account for only 20%; therefore 80% of the “years of schooling” benefit is due to noncognitive skills” (Bowles, Gintis, & Osborne, 2001)
http://www.umass.edu/preferen/gintis/jelpap.pdf
Types of Data Used To Predict Learner Success
APTITUDE ATTITUDE SITUATION
What Are Non-Cognitive Skills?
Can Non-Cognitive Skills Be Taught?
You can’t change a tiger’s stripes, but you can teach that tiger to hunt in a different environment.
Recommended Uses of Non-Cognitive Skills Measures
1. Optic – A lens through which students can view their strengths and opportunities for improvement
2. Student Service – A tool to guide students toward available resources for support
3. Placement – Developmental / remedial course placement
4. Talking Points – A collection of statements which academic advisors can use to advise their students
5. Early Alert – A list of students who are likely to be benefitted by the instructor reaching out to them early in the course.
6. Predictive Analytic - A set of data which can be analyzed at the individual and aggregate level to project student performance
Methods of Measurement
• Instructor ratings – Time and task intensive for the faculty• Observer records – Expensive and time consuming• Letters of recommendation – Rarely objective• Interviews – Time consuming to conduct and code• Socioeconomic data – Beneficial mostly at the aggregate level due
to exceptions and bias• Self assessment – Yes, there are limitations, but it is the preferred
method.
Construct Comparison Matrix
ACT Engage
ETS Success Navigator
Wonderlic Admissions Risk Profile
SmarterMeasure
Individual Attributes
X X X X
Life Factors X
Learning Styles X
Technical Skills X X
Reading Skills X
Keyboarding Skills X
Custom Questions X
SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator
• A 124-item online skills test and attributes inventory that measures a student’s level of readiness for studying online
• Used by over 500 Colleges and Universities• Since 2002 taken by over 2,600,000 students
What Does The Assessment Measure?INTERNAL
INDIVIDUAL ATTRIBUTES
MotivationProcrastination
Time ManagementHelp Seeking
Locus of Control
LEARNING STYLES
VisualVerbalSocial
SolitaryPhysical
AuralLogical
EXTERNAL
LIFE FACTORS
Availability of TimeDedicated Place
ReasonSupport from Family
SKILLS
TECHNICAL
Technology UsageLife Application
Tech VocabularyComputing Access
TYPING
RateAccuracy
ON-SCREEN READING
RateRecall
Adjusting Readiness Ranges
Adjusting the cut points can make the reporting a more accurate predictor of success.
How Do Schools Use It?
• Orientation Course• Enrollment Process• Information Webinar• Public Website• Class Participation• Facebook• 68% of client schools administer the
assessment to all students, not just eLearning students
Thermometer Analogy
• More important than taking your child’s temperature is taking appropriate action based on their temperature.
• More important than measuring student readiness is taking appropriate action based on the scores.
Predictive
Correlation
Comparison
Descriptive
Student Service
Progression of SmarterMeasure Data Utilization
Research Ideas on the Research Page of the Website
Results of Middlesex ResearchFailure rates reduced by as much as 10%
The Findings
• Statistically Significant RelationshipsAcademic Achievement
Engagement Retention
Individual Attributes
X X X
Technical Knowledge
X X X
Learning Styles
X X
Life Factors X X
Technical Competency
X
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
• Required as admissions assessment
• Integral part of their QEP• Computed correlations
with grades and SmarterMeasure sub-scales of over 4000 students.
• P
Grades
Attributes
Technical
Learning Styles
Life Factors
Findings• Statistically significant correlations:
Scores Grades
- Dedicated place, support from employers and family, access to study resources, and academic skills (Life Factors)
- Tech vocabulary (Technical Knowledge)
- Procrastination (Individual Attributes)
Academic Success Rates
Skills Resources Time0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
High Score
Low Score
Less than 10% of students with low scores experienced academic success.
Five Schools
What is the relationship between measures of online student readiness and measures
of online student satisfaction?
Methodology
Data from 1,611 students who completed both the SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator and the Priority Survey for Online Learners were analyzed.
Incoming vs Outgoing
Findings• There were statistically significant
relationships between factors of readiness and satisfaction.
SmarterMeasure.com
How important do you consider non-cognitive skills?
How is your school measuring and using non-cognitive factors?
