Author: greta@academicimpressions.com

An Approach to Learning Games for Lower-Division Courses

The past year has seen a growing trend in Web-based learning games that are custom-built to address a specific learning need and in this way improve students’ academic performance. Examples include Roger Travis’ “practomime” exercises for his classics students at the University of Connecticut and this month’s Chemical Mahjong Tournament at Stetson University. We interviewed William (Tandy) Grubbs, a professor in Stetson University’s department of chemistry and the co-creator of Mahjong Chem, to find out what other institutions can learn from the approach he took to developing a learning game for a lower-division undergraduate course. AI:  Tandy, in creating this learning game, what were your goals? What specific learning challenges are you hoping the game will address? Grubbs: I’ve had a long interest in creating open access, Web-based materials that will promote learning. A couple of years ago, I decided to focus on the development of materials that would promote learning at the introductory chemistry level. The AT&T Foundation generously supported this project with a $50K grant to Stetson University (awarded in early 2009). I know that there has been growing interest in using “gaming” to improve STEM learning; Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign includes a national effort to design […]

Tips for Outreach to Area High Schools

Colleges frequently pursue partnerships with local high schools to improve college preparation and build a stronger pipeline for first-generation students, but these are often focused just on providing brief sessions either at the high school or on the college campus. Really effective partnerships involve more than just a quick one-and-done workshop. We contacted Mary Ontiveros, vice president for diversity at Colorado State University, to share lessons learned from the success of CSU’s Alliance Partnership Program and specific tips for colleges and universities looking to work in tandem with area high schools. More than Just Your Agenda: It’s About Addressing the Schools’ Needs “Don’t go in with a plan. Go in to listen. Find out what’s causing the problem, what barriers are keeping more first-generation students from attending college. Is it money? Is it lack of resources at the high school to provide sufficient counselors? Is it difficulty in getting parents involved? Is it concern over the rigor of the school’s classes and the level of college preparation? Does the school need multicultural training for their staff and instructors to help them better relate to a certain demographic? Find out what that school’s needs are. Then formulate your plan in response.” Mary […]

Addressing the Academic Leadership Crisis

In a recent editorial entitled “The Imminent Crisis in College Leadership,” Richard Ekman, the president of the Council of Independent Colleges, suggested a growing risk is that more institutions may soon be led by presidents who have less of an understanding of the academic mission, and he called for greater investments in professional development and succession planning for academic leaders at all levels (from the department chair to the provost). While Ekman’s editorial was primarily focused on how academic leaders perceive the presidency (in the wake of recent research indicating how few provosts aspire to be presidents), his editorial also hints at several key practices that are needed, more broadly, for fostering in an institution’s academic leaders not only the inclination but also the skills to become effective leaders. Among his suggestions: “Faculty members with the potential to serve effectively as department chairs or assistant deans need encouragement to view such roles as opportunities for professional growth and support.” “Presidents should take seriously their role as mentors of talented young administrators and faculty members.” We turned to Pat Sanaghan, president of the Sanaghan Group, for suggestions about specific steps institutional leaders can take toward those objectives. The President as Mentor Sanaghan […]

Outsourcing Financial Aid Operations

Financial aid offices at colleges that are experiencing rising enrollment as well as increased percentages of the student population seeking financial aid find themselves facing: High inbound call volume (especially at peak times) Longer lines as students unable to get through by phone visit the office in person A bottleneck in staff time and resources with the verification process, as the US Department of Education is selecting more financial aid reports to be verified This strain comes at a time of tight budgets, when most financial aid directors are not able to add staff or other resources. Once these bottlenecks begin to result in deterioration of service, this situation makes outsourcing your call center or your verification process an attractive option. But it is critical to outsource to the right contractor and with the right oversight in place. We turned to Dewey Knight, associate director of financial aid at the University of Mississippi, for his advice on due diligence in outsourcing financial aid operations. Making the Decision to Outsource “I am a big believer in outsourcing financial aid functions when that contributes to a better experience for students and parents,” Knight advises. “But you have to do it right.” In […]

Academic Libraries: Defining (and Communicating) Your Value

Amid calls for accountability, a new report from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) offers recommendations for academic libraries on how to define their value to the institution and how to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing environment. Among the recommendations: defining outcomes, putting assessment management systems in place, and defining and strengthening the library’s contribution to student success. In light of the report, we turned to Paul Gandel, professor of information studies at Syracuse University, and Gene Spencer, principal of Gene Spencer Consulting, for additional advice on how academic libraries can define and communicate their value. Being Seen as the Solution “People have to see you as a solution they need. No amount of awareness or promotion is going to make you relevant. Your vision for how the library can contribute to the institutional mission is what makes you relevant.” Paul Gandel, Syracuse U The ACRL report lists multiple ways in which libraries can measure and define their value, including: Library impact on students’ academic success, persistence, and retention Library impact on student job success Library impact on student learning Library impact on faculty research productivity Library impact on increasing grant revenue through assistance with faculty […]

Holding a Tuition Freedom Day

More institutions are seeking to grow their donor pipeline by reaching out to potential donors early — in fact, while they are still students at the institution. We have seen a series of tactics at different colleges for cultivating a culture of gratitude and giving among students who will in a few short years become young alumni and potential contributors to the annual fund. Tactics include: Passing out piggy banks at Emory University and inviting freshmen to contribute spare change Speaking to the importance of philanthropy and asking for $1 donations at new student convocations (this practice has been adopted at California University of Pennsylvania and Texas Christian University) Encouraging the student body to set its own goal for fundraising during a campaign (the University of Cincinnati has launched a “One Billion Pennies” drive coinciding with the school’s campaign) Note that it does take a sustained effort throughout the student’s matriculation at your institution to develop a thriving culture of student philanthropy. Tactics such as a “One Billion Pennies” campaign or an ask during new student convocation will be most effective when they are a part of a larger strategy for encouraging students to become young alumni donors. One activity […]

Addressing Housing Overflows Proactively

by Greta Bell

At those residential institutions that are seeing enrollment growth, providing adequate student housing has rarely been more challenging. Sudden, unexpected housing overflows at residential institutions can prove both expensive and complex to manage. We turned to Lorinda Krhut, director of student housing and residence life at the University of Mississippi, for her advice on how institutions can put in place more proactive measures that will help make the process of managing housing overflows more efficient and less costly in future years. Moving Beyond Just Coping with a Housing Crisis Institutions that don’t guarantee housing for entering students have more flexibility during a surge in demand, but unexpected spikes in student housing raise difficult challenges for institutions that have a freshmen residency requirement and a limited number of beds. Solutions various institutions have tried when managing an enrollment surge include: A lottery system for returning students Contracting with off-campus apartments and living spaces, then moving upperclassmen to those facilities while charging them the same cost they would have paid for on-campus housing Krhut notes, however, that these solutions are not ideal. It’s better to have contingency plans in place before a housing crisis hits. There are two key strategies for achieving […]

Making Your Campaign Successful

by Greta Bell

Meeting campaign goals in this economy remains a challenge, and recent news emphasizes how few institutions are exceeding campaign goals this year (a very different story than in 2007-08). Many institutions are just barely meeting their goals: Pace University recently celebrated the close of a seven-year capital campaign with a $100 million goal; the amount raised: $101.1 million Carleton College closed a $300 million campaign last month; the amount raised: $300.4 million The Cygnus Donor Survey (pdf link) released this summer also speaks to the continuing reticence of major donors. In this philanthropic climate, how can institutional development officers plan an effective campaign? We turned to Jim Langley, founder and president of Langley Innovations, and past vice president of advancement at Georgetown University, for his advice on campaign strategies during the recession. Fundraising by Objective While it is common to invite funding to meet dollar goals for particular categories of institutional needs (e.g., financial aid, endowing faculty, programmatic initiatives), Langley suggests that in this philanthropic climate, it is essential to fundraise by objective, not by category: An example of funding a category: setting a dollar amount to raise for financial aid An example of funding a strategic objective: identifying an enrollment target, the number […]

Teaching Academic Honesty in the Classroom

by Daniel Fusch

Incidents such as Centenary College’s decision in 2010 to discontinue a program in China due to the high incidence of cheating among the program’s students raise the question of how to clearly communicate (and police) academic honesty, not only among international students but also among domestic students. Given that many cases of inappropriate academic behavior arise from a fundamental misunderstanding of what constitutes academic work (rather than from an intention to cheat), relying on Turnitin and similar services to “catch” plagiarists is not by itself enough to address the issue. We asked Tony Bates, president and CEO of Tony Bates Associates Ltd. and a key researcher on teaching and learning in the digital age, to offer a fresh perspective on how colleges can encourage the academic success of their students by addressing expectations around academic honesty more proactively. Diagnosing the Issue Bates suggests that the key issue is not getting students to adhere to rules, but getting them to develop the learning skills needed to succeed in an increasingly collaborative learning environment. Students need to be assessed not only on course content but also on critical learning skills, including: How well they reference sources How well they acknowledge the work […]

Incentivizing Faculty Retirement

Recent news has highlighted how the economy is making aging faculty more reluctant to retire and slowing colleges’ ability to hire new faculty. And this week saw a New York Times feature interviewing diverse faculty about the issue. Mary Coussons-Read, a professor of psychology at the University of Colorado Denver, summarizes some forward-thinking approaches institutions have tried to offering faculty retirement incentives. When Buyouts Cost Too Much There are institutions that have tried faculty buyouts — for instance, offering a financial lump sum for faculty who retire at the end of the year — but this can prove quite expensive. Offering an array of options for phased retirement allows you to both manage the expense and negotiate a plan that better fits the needs of your individual faculty. “You want to offer an arrangement that allows your faculty to plan for retirement,” Coussons-Read notes, “and that helps your institution plan ahead for reallocating anticipated salary savings toward new hiring or other investment.” If your faculty are signing three- or five-year retirement agreements, then retirement becomes predictable. “Many faculty face both financial and psychological barriers to retirement, and you need to determine what barriers a particular individual faces and use that knowledge as […]