#studentexperiences

Chapter 6: YES, YES, YES! All of the things in this article are calling out to me and I full heartedly agree.  I think there is a strong positive connection to retention rates and the rate at which an institution invests time and money into assessment, program development, and the faculty.  I think investing in assessment is critical.  If we are not able to accurately assess the functionality and effectiveness of our programs and services, what are we even doing?  It is absolutely critical to have a continual process of assessment.  For example, Ball State uses MAP-Works to assess the first-year students and their experiences.  Though we follow up the next year for sophomores, this is where it stops.  Ensuring that there is an ongoing assessment piece to ensure that the actions of the university administration are improving the student experience, and furthermore student retention.  

Additionally, program development investment is also an essential piece that I agree with.  For too many times, programs are started but then never continued because the person who started it has left the institution or money is not given to continue the program.  However, if we take into account this assessment piece, programs that are found to have value should continue to be funded through the institution, regardless if the “brainchild” has left.  I think an important piece to remember about program development and Tinto touches on this, is that it is important to create buy-in from the institution so that the program does continue to get developed and continue to have an increased impact on the student experience.

However, I think the most important piece of investment that an institution can have is that on faculty development.  Since the success and excellence of a student can be tied directly to their academic performance inside the classroom, it is essential that as an institution, we provide our faculty with the development they need.  However, many institutions do have faculty development so how do we create that investment for the faculty?  There needs to be incentive for the faculty to take part in the development activities outside of for their own good. Tinto notes that there needs to incentives - like salary increases, promotions, and tenure considerations.  It is important to recognize that faculty need to have reduce teaching or work loads when given the task or opportunity to implement a new class or academic initiative.

I believe that if we take into consideration each of these pieces and intentionally work toward increasing our institution’s investment in them, we will see an increase in the student experience, student retention, and the campus culture overall.

Chapter 7: I want to address some of the calls to action that Tinto gives institutions at the end of this chapter

1. Institutions should establish a cross-functional team of faculty, support staff, and administrators whose task it is to oversee institutional planning and action for student success.

I absolutely love the above call to action because it calls for collaborative effort across the institution.  So many times, our divisions and functional areas are siloed into the types of programs and services that we believe will lead to the best student experience.  However, I think with a cross-functional team - it will ensure that the institution all has the same definition and plan for implementing and ensuring the best student experience for all.

2. Institutions should ensure that all first-year students have the experience of learning in community with others.

I think this relates directly to this idea of living-learning communities for first-year students.  However, this takes a concerted effort for multiple offices across campus but would ensure that first-year students are learning with one another. I believe that all first-year students should have to live on campus for their first-year.  The development experiences that one has in a residence hall are ones that you are not able to get anywhere else.  I recognize that some students are not able to afford living on campus, but I think that is a conversation that needs to be had about how to allow all first-year students to live on campus without lowering the standard of living.

3. Institutions should provide advising to all new students and to hose who change majors.

All I am going to say about this is: LOWER THE CASE LOAD OF ACADEMIC ADVISORS.  Students need more 1:1 conversations and experiences with an advisor to ensure their academic success.  Institutions with high case loads lose their customer service impact and students are just numbers.  There needs to be an intentional effort to ensure positive experiences for the student.