Some Good News on Engagement
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The just-released
National Survey of Student Engagement
celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. In a look back, it has pulled out a few key trends suggesting that colleges have improved some measures of engagement. The survey was designed to better understand how undergraduates experience college, on the idea that it could help institutions improve student success.
For one, the percentage of first-year students who say they have discussed career plans and other topics outside of class with their professors increased 10 percentage points from 2004 to 2019.
“This suggests that by and large, faculty who teach first-year students have devoted more effort to having meaningful conversations with students outside of the classroom - a form of engagement that helps to socialize new students, promotes their persistence, and facilitates their ongoing development,” the survey notes. “It also suggests that institutions have intentionally structured orientations, career services, and support units to connect students to the resources they most need.”
A related study, in which 57 colleges used an academic advising module promoted by the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, found a clear correlation between the perceived quality of academic advising and a first-year student’s likelihood of returning to the college the following year. In short, the quality of advising seemed to matter more than the quantity. The survey found that first-year students who said they received high-quality advising also had twice as much interaction with professors and were more likely to say they planned to return the next year, compared with students who described their advising as low quality.
The survey, commonly known as NSSE, also found an increase in another measure of engagement. The proportion of first-year students who say they spent more than 15 hours a week on academic preparation grew from 34 percent in 2004 to 45 percent in 2017 (the figure has stayed relatively flat since then). That’s important, the survey’s authors note, because previous NSSE analysis found a correlation between time on preparation and retention and graduation rates.
Other highlights from the survey:
- The proportion of seniors and first-year students who said that there was substantial emphasis on “diverse interactions” went up 10 percentage points from 2004 to 2019. For seniors it rose from 43 percent in 2004 to 55 percent in 2019.
- The percentage of students who said they received support for managing their nonacademic responsibilities, like work or family, has also grown over time, from 23 percent in 2004 to 33 percent more recently (that figure has leveled off in recent years).
The findings got me wondering: What sorts of things do you discuss with students you advise, formally or informally? Clearly, more professors are talking about noncourse-related work. If that’s your experience, how do you handle those conversations? Drop me a line at
beth.mcmurtrie@chronicle.com
, and your thoughts may appear in a future newsletter.
– by
Beth McMurtie, Teaching Newsletter: The Chronicle of Higher Education.
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Celebration of Student Scholarship
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15
th
Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
3rd floor of Adron Doran University Center
All undergraduate and graduate students working with faculty on any type of scholarly endeavor within their discipline (research, creative productions, regional engagement, etc.) are encouraged to present their work. High quality scholarly products from courses (e.g., capstone projects, independent research, research courses, etc.) are also welcome.
All Undergraduate Research Fellows are required to present their work.
The format will feature student oral and poster presentations, followed by an end-of-the-day reception at which students and faculty mentors will be recognized and awards presented for student presentations of exceptional merit.
Schedule:
- 7:45am - 8:30am - Registration/Continental Breakfast/Set-Up
- 8:30am - 10:15am - Oral Presentations
- 10:15am - 10:30am - Break
- 10:30am - 11:45am - Oral Presentations
- 11:45am - 12:00pm - Break
- 12:00pm - 1:15pm - Oral Presentations
- 1:15pm - 3:00pm - Poster Presentations
- 3:00pm - 4:00pm - Reception
- 4:00pm - 4:15pm - Gallaher Memorial Music Performance
- 4:15pm - 5:00pm - Awards
Abstracts will be submitted this year only through an electronic Abstract Submission form. The form can be located at
https://coss-submissions.onlinescoringsystem.com/abstracts/new
.
Once on the website, students will need to click on the
Submit an Abstract
button at the bottom of the page. Students will need to complete each section of the submission form. (Please note when submitting an abstract there is a limit of no more than 200 characters for the title. The body of the abstract is limited to 2,500 characters). Once complete, the student will be prompted to submit the abstract to their faculty mentor for approval. The mentor will receive an email notification that there is an abstract awaiting approval. The mentor will approve and submit the abstract through the Electronic Abstract Submission form website to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Only the mentor can make changes to the abstract and resubmit the abstract by the deadline date.
The deadline for this final submission of abstracts is Monday, March 16, 2020, by 8:00 AM.
Document Services (Allie Young 14) will print student PowerPoint posters free of charge
if submitted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, April 17, 2020.
You will receive further instructions regarding this.
No exceptions or extensions can be made to the deadlines above for abstract submissions, or for poster submissions for printing
.
For more Information contact:
Stephanie Evans
Coordinator of Programs and Initiatives
Research and Sponsored Programs
Morehead State University
Ginger Hall 901
Morehead, Kentucky 40351
Phone: 606.783.9399
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Judging Celebration of Student Scholarship
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Judges Needed for
15
th
Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
3rd floor of ADUC
Judges needed for these sessions:
- 8:30am - 10:15am - Oral Presentations
- 10:30am - 11:45am - Oral Presentations
- 12:00pm - 1:15pm - Oral Presentations
- 1:15pm - 3:00pm - Poster Presentations
If you can accept the invitation to judge, please email Michael Henson (
m.henson@moreheadstate.edu) as soon as possible with the session(s) for which you are available. Please include your contact information.
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Here are opportunities for students (and maybe you) on campus:
MSU Event
:
- Career Fair - TODAY, Wednesday, March 4, 10am-1pm, ADUC Ballroom. Connect with employers and graduate schools to find jobs and internships, or have a professional headshot taken. Currently there are 70+ organizations attending and more register every day. See who wants to hire our students on the free Career Fair Plus app - https://app.careerfairplus.com/mhead_ky/fair/2360.
- High Impact Practice - Study Abroad - TODAY, Wednesday, March 4, 11:30-12:30pm, Library Training Room - Camden-Carroll 100. Join Aaron Hirsh in exploring how to add a study abroad component to courses. We will review basic requirements and the process for program approval. All terms and class types will be discussed including online options. All MSU Educators are welcome to attend and share ideas on locations that they would consider developing. Time will be provided for collaboration as we look to match different courses with destinations.
- MSU Star Theater - Saturday, March 7 & March 14, 11am & 1pm, Space Science Center. Every Saturday from September thru June, the Star Theater at MSU’s Space Science Center invites the public to see a full dome planetarium show or laser show
- Internship Basics Workshop - Tuesday, March 10, 3:30pm-4:30pm, Camden-Carroll Library, Room 201. Learn the basics of internships and co-ops: Why should you get one? Where do you begin searching? How do you receive academic credit for your work? Attend this workshop to learn all of this and more.
- Exploring Appropriate Outcomes, Measures and Targets for Assessing Administrative & Educational Support Units - Tuesday, March 24, 2pm-4pm, ADUC Room 325. This session will focus on formulating appropriate outcomes, measures and targets for effective assessment plans including: defining outcomes, choosing appropriate outcomes, defining measures, direct vs indirect measures, appropriate measures for different types of outcomes, setting appropriate targets, and completing action plans for continuous improvement.
- Education Career Fair - Tuesday, March 24, 3:30pm-6pm, Kroger Field, Lexington. Network with dozens of K-12 school districts from the region at this event. This is the perfect opportunity to find teaching and administrative jobs in the education field.
- Gather & Share - Tuesday, March 24, 3:45pm-4:45pm, ADUC Room 310. Join FCTL in exploring "Failure & Grading - Is Failure part of the learning process”. Come ready to “chat it up” with your colleagues on this relevant and important topic. Refreshments will be served.
- Writing Effective Outcomes, Choosing Measures and Setting Targets for Academic Programs - Friday, March 24, 2pm-4pm, ADUC Room 325. This training will focus on writing concise and appropriate learning outcomes, choosing appropriate measures, and setting appropriate targets for academic programs. The training will delineate the differences in goals and outcomes, specifically define what student learning outcomes are and provide examples of good outcomes for academic programs. Also, the training will explore appropriate measures to utilize based on the outcome to be assessed. Setting appropriate targets and how to articulate targets will also be discussed.
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What I Love About Teaching Campaign
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Hello Educators,
We are looking for your response to the question "What do you love about teaching?"
While enjoying the summer, take a few moments to share your response by clicking the link below:
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19th Annual
Posters-at-the-Capitol
March 5th, Frankfort
Closed
Posters-at-the-Capitol
, an event hosted collaboratively by Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University, is intended to help members of Kentucky’s legislature and the Governor better understand the importance of involving undergraduates in research, scholarly, and creative work. It provides undergraduates with the opportunity to engage in scholarship, research, and creative work that is important to their educational experience and professional development. We encourage faculty to have their students participate in
Posters-at-the-Capitol to help those in Kentucky who fund higher education understand why these experiences are so important.
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Innovative Teaching & Learning Conference:
Lighting the Way to Deeper Learning
March 31, 2020
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Teaching & Learning Innovation, UT Knoxville’s home for faculty and educational development, is pleased to present its Innovative Teaching & Learning Conference 2020.
This conference highlights the importance of good teaching in higher education settings by featuring the innovative teaching practices that occur in college classrooms across the state of Tennessee.
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The 2020 Pedagogicon
May 15th, EKU
The conference theme, “
Students as Partners in Teaching and Learning,” encourages us to examine and promote students-as-partners strategies for teaching and learning that encourage deep, transferable academic experiences.
Do you have an exceptional strategy to share? Do you have a new theory or practice that might enhance teaching and learning, faculty development, educational practices, or student engagement at your institution and beyond? Presenters are encouraged to engage their audience, so preference will be given to those submissions that specify how this engagement will be provided. The conference will host an opening session on transparency in learning and teaching.
Threads might include but are not limited to:
- Use of technology to enhance students-as-partners in teaching and learning
- Creative instructional techniques that engage students in partnership experiences
- Faculty development initiatives, programs, and processes that promote students-as-partners in teaching and learning
- New ways to use Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) to enhance student partnerships in teaching and learning
- Strategies for incorporating diversity, culturally responsive pedagogy, and/or inclusive excellence into students-as-partners teaching and learning models and designs
- High-Impact Educational Practices that enhance students as partners in teaching and learning
- Student perspectives on partnerships in teaching and learning.
If you would like to attend, FCTL may be able to provide you transportation.
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Imagining the Future of Learning Conference
June 9-10th
Bellarmine University Campus, Louisville
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The IFL Conference is a two-day, hands-on, learning environment where educational leaders, pre-service teachers, and student leaders from Bellarmine University, the Archdiocese of Louisville, Oldham County School, and Christian Academy School System in Kentucky and Southern Indiana explore trends in the world of education and technology integration and innovation.
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Magna (Online) Webinars
24/7 Professional Development for Faculty
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Featured Webinars:
What Are the Three Worst Mistakes to Make in the Classroom?
There is a trio of potential higher education teaching pitfalls. One involves how you teach, another what you teach, and, finally, whom you teach. This webinar explores ideas to avoid the problems while creating a positive, productive learning environment.
What Are the Communication 'Musts' in an Online Class?
Learn five essential strategies for enhancing communication in your online courses including:
- instructor introductions;
- "hallway" conversations;
- voice announcements;
- quarterly check-ins; and,
- genuine connections.
Accessing Webinars:
These licensed Magna resources are available through a password-protected website. For access, faculty need to:
- Log into MSU’s employee portal;
- Look under the My Classes (Blackboard) section for the Magna Training Site;
- If Magna isn't showing up in your list of courses, please send a request to be added to msuonline@moreheadstate.edu.
- When you click on the Magna Training Site, the Blackboard shell will open. Please note, you will be asked to submit a "Terms of Use" agreement before viewing any webinars.
Benefits of Magna Webinars:
I understand that you have a lot on your plate, so let me give you a few reasons why you should consider trying a Magna webinar:
- Each webinar takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.
- All webinars are available on your schedule since they are online and easily accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Webinars include supplemental materials such as bibliographies and handouts.
- Certificates of completion are available for professional portfolios and Faculty 180.
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Ambassadors for Excellence in Teaching
Morehead State University
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