1. Measuring What Matters The Role of Non-Cognitive Factors in Student Success NUTN Webinar February, Dr. Mac Adkins, President, SmarterServices Provided by

2. Question 1? How do you determine who can be enrolled at your school? Standardized test scores Prior grade point averages Admissions exams 3. 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 4. Question 2 Why 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 5. To Find Out What Matters Lets Ask: Employers Colleges Faculty National Research Council US Department of Education Mothers 6. Skills that Employers Want National Association of Colleges and Employers Survey of Employershttp://www.unl.edu/svcaa/documents/how_e mployers_see_candidates.pdf 7. Outcomes Schools Want Elements of Mission Statements From 35 Universities 1. Knowledge, learning, mastery of general principles 2. Continuous learning, intellectual interest, curiosity 3. Artistic cultural appreciation 4. Appreciation for diversity 5. Leadership 6. Interpersonal skills 7. Social responsibility, citizenship and involvement 8. Physical and psychosocial health 9. Career preparation 10.Adaptability and life skills 11.Perseverance 12.Ethics and integrityMichigan State University, 2004 8. Traits Online Faculty WantWICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies, 2013 9. 2012 National Research Council COGNITIVE Problem solving Critical thinking Systems thinking Study skills Adaptability Creativity Meta-cognitive skills INTERPERSONAL Communication Social Intelligence Teamwork Leadership Cultural sensitivity Tolerance for diversityINTRAPERSONAL Anxiety Self-efficacy Self-concept Attributions Work ethic Persistence Organization Time management Integrity Life-long learning 10. 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 abilitythat high-achieving individuals draw upon to accomplish success. 11. Parents Teach It 12. 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 13. 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 14. Types of Data Used To Predict Learner SuccessAPTITUDEATTITUDESITUATION 15. What Are Non-Cognitive Skills? 16. Can Non-Cognitive Skills Be Taught? You cant change a tigers stripes, but you can teach that tiger to hunt in a different environment. 17. 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 18. 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. 19. Construct Comparison Matrix ACT EngageIndividual AttributesETS Success NavigatorWonderlic Admissions Risk ProfileSmarterMeasureXXXXLife FactorsXLearning StylesXTechnical SkillsXXReading SkillsXKeyboarding SkillsXCustom QuestionsX 20. SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator A 124-item online skills test and attributes inventory that measures a students level of readiness for studying online Used by over 500 Colleges and Universities Since 2002 taken by over 2,600,000 students 21. What Does The Assessment Measure? INTERNALEXTERNALSKILLSINDIVIDUAL ATTRIBUTESLIFE FACTORSTECHNICALAvailability of Time Dedicated Place Reason Support from FamilyTechnology Usage Life Application Tech Vocabulary Computing AccessMotivation Procrastination Time Management Help Seeking Locus of Control LEARNING STYLES Visual Verbal Social Solitary Physical Aural LogicalTYPING Rate Accuracy ON-SCREEN READINGRate Recall 22. Adjusting Readiness Ranges Adjusting the cut points can make the reporting a more accurate predictor of success. 23. 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 24. Thermometer Analogy More important than taking your childs temperature is taking appropriate action based on their temperature. More important than measuring student readiness is taking appropriate action based on the scores. 25. Progression of SmarterMeasure Data Utilization Predictive CorrelationComparison Descriptive Student Service 26. Research Ideas on the Research Page of the Website 27. Results of Middlesex Research Failure rates reduced by as much as 10% 28. The Findings Statistically Significant Relationships Academic AchievementEngagementRetentionIndividual AttributesXXXTechnical KnowledgeXXXXXLearning Styles Life Factors Technical CompetencyXX X 29. J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Required as admissions assessment Integral part of their QEP Computed correlations with grades and Life Factors SmarterMeasure sub-scales of over 4000 students. PAttributesGradesLearning StylesTechnical 30. Findings Statistically significant correlations: - Dedicated place, support from employers and family, access to study resources, and academic skills (Life Factors) - Tech vocabulary (Technical Knowledge) - Procrastination (Individual Attributes) ScoresGrades 31. Academic Success Rates 70 60 50 40High Score Low Score30 20 10 0 SkillsResourcesTimeLess than 10% of students with low scores experienced academic success. 32. Five Schools What is the relationship between measures of online student readiness and measures of online student satisfaction? 33. Methodology Incoming vs Outgoing Data from 1,611 students who completed both the SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator and the Priority Survey for Online Learners were analyzed. 34. Findings There were statistically significant relationships between factors of readiness and satisfaction. 35. SmarterMeasure.com 36. How important do you consider non-cognitive skills? How is your school measuring and using non-cognitive factors? 37. For More Info SmarterServices.com (877) 499-SMARTER info@SmarterServices.com