Synopses & Reviews
In today's complex and challenging higher education environmenta burgeoning college-bound population, escalating costs, lagging state support, intense scrutiny from state and federal agenciescolleges and universities must be able to put policies and practices in place that promote student success.
Student Success in College describes policies, programs, and practices that a diverse set of institutions have used to enhance student achievement. This book clearly shows the benefits to student learning and educational effectiveness that can be realized when these conditions are present. Based on the Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) project from the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University, this book provides concrete examples from twenty institutions that other colleges and universities can learn from and adapt to help create a success-oriented campus culture and learning environment.
A comprehensive resource, Student Success in College
- Identifies what strong-performing colleges and universities do to promote student success
- Describes the relationships between student engagement, persistence, satisfaction, learning, and personal development
- Outlines six overarching features common to all twenty DEEP institutions
- Contains myriad ideas for improving educational practice
- Synthesizes the principles that guide the work of faculty and staff of these effective institutions
- Recommends practices for enhancing student success
Student Success in College shows what an educationally effective college or university looks like at the turn of the twenty-first century and offers practical strategies for improving the quality of undergraduate education across a wide range of postsecondary settings.
Review
"Student Success in College merits serious attention by both the communities of practice and scholarship in Higher Education." (Journal of Higher Education, Mar-April/2008)
Review
"Kuh and his colleagues thoroughly describe the conditions for student success in college and how institutions can create those conditions. Far more than just a rich collection of ‘what works,’ this groundbreaking book provides a set of principles to guide administrators, faculty members, and policymakers in creating a culture and conditions that promote student success on any campus."
--Ernest T. Pascarella, Mary Louise Petersen Professor of Higher Education, University of Iowa, and Patrick T. Terenzini, distinguished professor, The Pennsylvania State University
"One of the most important and timely books ever written about what makes an engaged--and successful--student in today's colleges and universities. This book will undoubtedly join the ranks of groundbreaking prior works by Tinto, Astin, and Pascarella and Terenzini as an essential guide for higher education leaders, policymakers, and practitioners."
--Jamie P. Merisotis, president, Institute for Higher Education Policy, Washington, D.C.
"Kuh and his colleagues have turned a probing spotlight on the ‘how’ of pervasive educational change. Student Success in College should become a basic text for everyone concerned with the quality of undergraduate learning in the college years."
--Carol Geary Schneider, president, Association of American Colleges and Universities
"An invaluable work for campus retreats, self studies, assessment work, and any critical examination of your institution’s approach to the undergraduate experience."
--John N. Gardner, executive director, Policy Center on the First Year of College
"A model for how qualitative research ought to be done."
--Peter T. Ewell, vice president, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)
"This very important work provides a roadmap for documenting effective educational practice and integrates real examples of how to foster high levels of learning, personal growth, and satisfaction for students while recognizing the importance of diversity."
--Alexander Gonzalez, president, California State University, Sacramento
Synopsis
Revised and updated,
Student Success in College describes the policies, programs, and practices that twenty diverse institutions have used to enhance student attainment. Based on the Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) project from the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University, this book is filled with concrete examples that can serve as an inspiration for colleges and universities who want to create their own success-oriented learning environments.
This new edition contains a new Preface and Epilogue, with updates on the impact the recommended policies and practices have had over five years on the twenty colleges originally researched.
Student Success in College
Identifies what strong-performing colleges and universities do to promote student success, including recent updates from the field
Describes the relationships among student engagement, persistence, satisfaction, learning, and personal development
Outlines six features common to all twenty DEEP institutions
Synthesizes the principles that guide the work of faculty and staff of these effective institutions
Contains myriad ideas for improving educational practice
Recommends strategies for enhancing student success
Student Success in College offers a clear view of what an educationally effective college or university looks like in a complex and challenging higher education environment and includes practical strategies for improving the quality of undergraduate education across a wide range of postsecondary settings.
Synopsis
Student Success in College describes policies, programs, and practices that a diverse set of institutions have used to enhance student achievement. This book clearly shows the benefits of student learning and educational effectiveness that can be realized when these conditions are present. Based on the Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) project from the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University, this book provides concrete examples from twenty institutions that other colleges and universities can learn from and adapt to help create a success-oriented campus culture and learning environment.
About the Author
George D. Kuh is Chancellor's Professor of Higher Education and director, Center for Post-secondary Research at Indiana University. He directs the College Student Experiences Questionnaire Research Program, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), and the NSSE Institute for Effective Educational Practice.
Jillian Kinzie is associate director of the NSSE Institute for Effective Educational Practice and project manager of the Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) Initiative.
John H. Schuh is distinguished professor of educational leadership at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Elizabeth J. Whitt is professor in the College of Education, and director of Student Success Initiatives in the Office of the Provost, at the University of Iowa.
Table of Contents
Preface ixPart ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Student Engagement: A Key to Student Success 7
Why Effective Educational Practice Matters 8
Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) 10
Keep in Mind 18
No Single Blueprint for Student Success 20
Part TWO: PROPERTIES AND CONDITIONS COMMON TO EDUCATIONALLY EFFECTIVE COLLEGES 23
2. ‘‘Living’’ Mission and ‘‘Lived’’ Educational Philosophy 25
Mission 25
Operating Philosophy 27
Meet the DEEP Schools 28
Making Space for Difference 59
Mission Clarity: ‘‘Tell Me Again—What Are We About?’’ 59
Summary 61
What’s Noteworthy about a Living Mission and Lived Educational Philosophy 62
3. An Unshakeable Focus on Student Learning 65
Valuing Undergraduates and Their Learning 66
Experimenting with Engaging Pedagogies 69
Demonstrating a Cool Passion for Talent Development 77
Making Time for Students 80
Feedback: Improving Performance, Connecting Students and
Faculty 84
Summary 88
What’s Noteworthy about Focusing on Student Learning 88
4. Environments Adapted for Educational Enrichment 91
Using the Setting for Teaching and Learning 93
Creating Human-Scale Learning Environments 106
What’s Noteworthy about Adapting Environments for Educational Advantage 108
5. Clear Pathways to Student Success 109
Acculturation 111
What New Students Need to Know 113
Affirming Diversity 116
Alignment 123
What’s Noteworthy about Creating Clear Pathways to Student Success 131
6. An Improvement-Oriented Ethos 133
Realizing the Vision: The University of Texas at El Paso 134
Making Student Success a Priority: Fayetteville State University 136
Investing in Undergraduate Education: The University of Michigan 138
Fostering Institutional Renewal: University of Maine at Farmington 140
Championing Learning Communities: Wofford College 142
Creating a Campuswide Intellectual Community: Ursinus College 145
Positive Restlessness 146
Curriculum Development 150
Data-Informed Decision Making 152
Summary 155
What’s Noteworthy About Innovating and Improving 156
7. Shared Responsibility for Educational Quality and Student Success 157
Leadership 158
Faculty and Staff Diversity 163
Student Affairs: A Key Partner in Promoting Student Success 164
Fostering Student Agency 167
The Power of One 170
What’s Noteworthy about Sharing Responsibility for Educational Quality 171
Part THREE: EFFECTIVE PRACTICES USED AT DEEP COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 173
8. Academic Challenge 177
High Expectations for Student Performance 178
Extensive Writing, Reading, and Class Preparation 182
Rigorous Culminating Experience for Seniors 188
Celebrations of Scholarship 190
Summary 191
9. Active and Collaborative Learning 193
Learning to Learn Actively 194
Learning from Peers 195
Learning in Communities 198
Serving and Learning in the Local Community 200
Responding to Diverse Learning Styles 204
Summary 206
10. Student-Faculty Interaction 207
Accessible and Responsive Faculty 208
Academic Advising 213
Undergraduate Research 214
Electronic Technologies 216
Summary 217
11. Enriching Educational Experiences 219
Infusion of Diversity Experiences 220
International and Study Abroad 226
Electronic Technologies 230
Civic Engagement 233
Internships and Experiential Learning 236
Cocurricular Leadership 238
Summary 239
12. Supportive Campus Environment 241
Transition Programs 242
Advising Networks 245
Peer Support 248
Multiple Safety Nets 251
Special Support Programs 252
Residential Environments 257
Summary 260
Part FOUR: SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 263
13. Principles for Promoting Student Success 265
Tried and True 266
Sleepers 275
Fresh Ideas 284
Perennial Challenges 287
Summary 294
14. Recommendations 295
Organizing for Student Success 297
Conclusion 316
Epilogue 319
Advancing the Student Success Agenda 322
Drifting Off Course 330
Sustaining Effective Educational Practice 334
Campus Culture and Sustaining High Performance 341
Final Word 342
References 345
Appendices 353
Appendix A: Research Methods 353
Appendix B: Project DEEP Research Team 363
Appendix C: National Survey of Student Engagement 373
Index 375