STUDENT ENGAGEMENTPRACTICES. TECHNIQUES. TOOLS

The primary focus of the event came from this challenge statement: Students do not feel connected to the college,

classes, curriculum or each other and this lack of community causes a decline in enrollment, retention,

motivation and engagement.

THE CHALLENGE

KCTCS New Horizons Conference

WHY STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Student engagement is a critical factor in student learning success, retention, and completion. Community College case studies that establish and practice high impact engagement strategies report overall improvement in student retention, success, and graduation rates.

“The Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE), a product and service of the Center for Community College Student Engagement, (CCSSE) helps community colleges discover why some entering students persist and succeed and others do not. The study found that student engagement increases when they participate in more than one high-impact practice. The more structured group-learning experiences students were involved in, the higher their benchmark scores on both the SENSE and CCSSE surveys.

PRACTICES

BARRIERS TO STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Any factors that may contribute to lack of student engagemento Financial Stresso Lack of Campus/Course interaction in Social Media o Social – Lack of interaction, social contexto No or lack of reliable internet service

Determine the specific population of students serving to include? Goal Setting/Expectation assignments

Description of student work/career experienceDescription of Life experience/ bio, family, interestDescription of Professional and academic goals

What are some effective strategies to minimizing barriers?

PRACTICES

STRATEGIES TO MINIMIZE BARRIERSo Active Learning Methods versus Passive Methods

Passive Methods: Lecture, reading, audio, video, observingActive Methods: Discussion, student to faculty/student interaction,

presentations, group projects, problem solving activities, service-learning group projectsResearch has indicated that video-based feedback is more conversational and engaging with the students. Students see it as more collaborative and supportive, convenient.

PRACTICES

EFFECTIVE TEACHING & LEARNING PEDAGOGY

Create online social presence through synchronous conference and video feedback, profiles

Extended learning beyond the classroom through social learning activities• Social Media Learning Activities (SMLAs)• Social Networking Sites• Social Studying Sites

Provide online learning materials and online academic support resources• Open Education Resources (OER)

TECHNIQUES & TOOLS

TECHNIQUES

COMMUNITY CREATION

Online Learning Community

Online Student Success Guidehttp://octc.kctcs.libguides.com/octconlinesuccess -

Global Navigation and My Blackboard System

TECHNIQUES & TOOLS

SOCIAL MEDIA LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Social Networking Sites(Pinterest, Google)

Multimedia (Digital Storytelling)(GoAnimate, News Channel , VoiceThread)

Online Discussion Forums(Microblogging, Blogging, Text Message Services)

ONLINE TEAMWORK

Ten Proven Strategies for Building High-Performance Teams Get to know each other first Make sure that you understand your role(s) and the team’s goal(s) Respect the ideas and feelings of other team members Manage conflict effectively Continue to build relations with other team members Think and act like a team Decenter and recenter – sharing individual points of view and a common goal Avoid groupthink Be flexible Periodically assess the team’s performance

TECHNIQUES

ONLINE GROUP WORK Successful Strategies for Traditional and Distance Learning Group/Team Work Keep in mind to value and share your beliefs, knowledge, and skills Share and clarify your group’s mission and goals Openly discuss the challenges of virtual teaming and communication Be aware of the value of communication with other locations and invite feedback Identify and discuss cultural, organizational, and or geographic differences Take advantage of any opportunities to meet face to face. This will personalize and reinforce

relationships Seek and share knowledge. Do not hoard it. Hoarding delays results and works against

synergy Three Reasons Group Work is Essential to E-Learning Environment Students work on collaborative skills Innovation and Growth –Creating and developing ideas Social and Active Learning – Deeper learning occurs when you are engage with

peers/classmates

TECHNIQUES

INDICATORS OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENTo Academic challenge – deeper level thinking and reasoning/higher-order learning

• Fostering relationships between faculty/staff and students• Campus environment (study abroad opportunities, service-learning and research with

faculty, internships)o Deep Learning Approacheso Connected learning, higher-order thinking, integrative and reflective learning• Integrative learning: integrating ideas from various sources, diverse perspective, discussing

ideas outside of class• Reflective learning: examining one’s own thinking and the perspectives of others, applying

content to course materials and beyond the classroom

TECHNIQUES

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media’s Hard Core Facts

94.8% Percentage of institutions with a presence on Facebook

76% Percentage of college freshmen who cited connecting to family as a reason for using social media

39% Percentage of all college freshmen who cited completing homework or projects as a reason for using social media

ReferencesBucher, R. (2010). Diversity Consciousness: Opening Our Minds to People, Cultures, and Opportunities. Columbus, OH: Prentice HallAlmanac of Higher Education 2013: Highlights. (2014, December 12). The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Almanac-2013Technology/140801/Center for Community College Student Engagement. (2013). A Matter of Degrees: EngagingPractices, Engaging Students (High-Impact Practices for Community College Student Engagement). Austin, TX: The University of Texas at Austin, Community College Leadership Program.

Penny Riley, Owensboro Community & Technical CollegeTitle III Community Builder Specialist

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