Greg SmithKari Fernholz

University of Wisconsin-Madisonwww.figs.wisc.edu

AgendaIssues Facing Students of Color on a

Majority White Campus

Essential Learning Outcomes and FIGs

Assessment Results: Student Achievement

What Students Have to Say

Questions/Discussion

The Experience of Minority Students on a Majority White Campus

Social Estrangement and Alienation

Inadequate Academic Integration

Sense of Powerlessness, Lack of Self-Efficacy

One Solution: Learning Communities

A learning communityIs a curricular structure that provides students

with opportunities to integrate learning through intense intellectual and social coherence and engagement

Provides curricular and environmental experiences that enhance students’ ability to connect socially and academically with the university

Creates intentional and substantive interaction with peers and faculty

First-Year Interest Groups OutcomesResults of National ResearchHigher retention

ratesHigher grade point

averagesHigher levels of

academic integration and institutional commitment

More informal interaction with faculty outside of class

Higher levels of interaction with peers

Higher levels of integration of course information

Greater gains in communication skills

High student satisfaction, esp. out-of-state students and students of color

Mission of UW-Madison FIGsAssist students as they make the

transition from high school to the university classroom; create social-academic connections among peers, between students and faculty

Support general education goals

Support efforts to promote diversity education

Provide integrative learning experiences

Structure of UW-Madison FIGs:Each FIG enrolls 20 students in 3 linked

courses (9-12 credits).

Each FIG is designed and led by a faculty member who teaches the “synthesizing course.”

The instructor of the “synthesizing course” integrates material from the collateral courses.

Faculty collaboration is encouraged but not required.

Collaborative arrangements may occur in a variety of ways.

20 students

20 students

20 students

Nature and Culture: How Humans Interact with the Natural

Environment

English 169: Intro to Modern

American Literature

Environmental Studies 113:

The Humanistic Perspective

Botany 260: Introductory Ecology

~240 total

students

~120 total

students

Nature and Culture

FIG

Essential Learning Outcomes and First-Year Interest GroupsKnowledge of Human Cultures and the

Physical and Natural World

Intellectual and Practical Skills

Personal and Social Responsibility

Integrative and Applied Learning

Fall 2012 Freshman CohortACT Top 10% of

high school class

% of Males/Females

% ofTargeted MinorityStudents

% of First Generation Students

Non-FIGs Cohort

28.3 56% M=48%F=52%

8.9% 16.5%

FIGsCohort 27 52% M=35%

F=65%21% 20.5%

Fall GPA Comparisons: FIGs and Non FIGs

Fall 2012 Grade Distribution: Minority Students, FIGs and Non-FIGs

What Students Value about

IntegrativeLearning

Environment

Peer CohortFaculty Mentor

Time after time, over years of surveys and focus groups, the things students say they value most about FIGs fit into three main categories…

Survey of Minority Students Enrolled in FIGs:How did your FIG experience help your

transition to UW-Madison?

“The FIG experience was a highly valuable experience in regards to helping me form a community at UW-Madison, because of the fact that our FIG was a community in itself. The twenty students in my FIG were all committed to the same goals as I, and throughout the semester we organized multiple review sessions that helped our overall success throughout the semester.”

“My FIG experience helped me create a community at UW-Madison by introducing me to new people, and helping me look at things from other perspectives. The people I worked with in the FIG gave me a greater sense of not being alone when it came to confusion on some of the course work. I was able to form study groups and work with some of these students outside of class, as well as work together on some class projects. Overall, the FIG helped me to expand my presence on the UW campus, and left me with a few new friends.”

Valuing Diversity in FIGs

“In my FIG, 50% are students of color, 50 % are white. But in my [non-FIG] math class, I’m the only non-white kid. And the other 20 are white kids who came from suburban schools… I’m the person on the side because I don’t know anyone else. It’s kind of awkward in that class. My FIG offers a kind of comfortable area, where in all the other classes, I don’t really feel a sense of belonging or a sense of comfort. I tend to participate more in my FIG classes than other classes, and that is what I like about FIGs.”

“The students in my FIG are a blend of ethnicities and cultures, further enhancing my education.”

Did the integration of class material contribute to your overall learning?

“It was great to have a string of classes that all related to one another. It was really easy to gather ideas learned in one class and see how they applied and were related to another class. I saw that my participation stayed at a high level, as I was able to contribute to discussions easily in a class of no more than twenty. The small class size also made forming study groups easy.”

“The integration of class material allowed me to become more in-depth in my learning and analytical. I was able to apply what I learned in one class to another class….so I assimilated the information of what I learned into the other classes. The integration of class material helped me to understand and comprehend my materials better.”

“Seeing how material can cross subjects made me realize that it could apply not only in the classroom, but in life and other areas as well. This really helped me academically because it made me WANT to learn the material because I knew there was a purpose for it.”

What was the most important thing you learned about yourself because of your FIG? “I learned that I learn better when class sizes are small.

About myself, I learned that college courses don’t have to be so impersonal. You can always establish a close bond with a classmate, professor, or TA. ”

“The most important thing that I learned about myself was my ability to overcome obstacles and the people that I have in my life. My friends who were in the FIG with me were there for me to help me through whatever situations I was going through, as well as I was there for them. This strengthened me as a person, a friend, and a scholar. My perseverance through my classes made me more confident in my abilities, which carried over to other classes and other aspects of my life.”

Questions/Discussion