Look Who's Coming to College--Robert Reason

Ellysa's note: I am recording notes from the Penn State Student Centered conference today.

My adjectives to describe first-year student:
--wary
--open to suggestion
--blank slate

My adjectives for the graduating senior:
seasoned
measured
motivated

National Demographic Trends in Higher Ed.:
More racial diversity (more Latino students nationally)
More traditional students (on-campus residents; full-time)

Penn State Demographic Data:
Fewer women (common among land-grants)
More full-time
More financial aid
Fewer "minority" students
Number of low-income students decreasing
79% White (UP) (compared with 70% nationally)
At UP, only 5% of students are non-traditional

National Trends for Incoming Students
--More participation in community service (mandated in many high schools)
--Decrease in interaction across ethnic groups--segregation in high schools drive this
--Achieving 'A' averages in high school at a record high; along with reported boredom
--Decreased high school drinking (surprising)
--Our students come to us with survival strategies that work in high school, which don't work in college.
--Multi-tasking is heavy; students know how to advocate for themselves very well (arguing for higher grades)

Pope, D.C. (2001). "Doing school": How we are creating a generation of stressed out, materialistic and miseducated students.

Students' Educational Expectations:
--Enhanced personal (student) support
--Integrated information technology (24/7 access, embedded in classes; etc...)
--Provide an opportunity for intellectual, technological and spiritual growth

Pascarella and Terenzini--Campus Student Engagement (Their book, How College Affects Students, is terrific.)
The total level of a student's campus engagement (academic, interpersonal and co-curricular) impacts students' overall level of success.

(A side note: Loanne and I wrote a chapter based off much of this research, on the library's involvement and role in co-curricular education, in The Role of the Library in the First College Year.)

There are positive correlations between parental involvement and student outcomes.

Reflection matters--embed reflection into the learning process. Learning portfolios, diaries...

Implications for Penn State:
Size impedes engagement. Reduce the 'psychological' size of Penn State.
Increase opportunities to "engage with difference." (move students out of their cocoons and engage)
Capitalize on out-of-class (co-curricular) experiences
Integrate and intertwine students' academic and non-academic activities.
Faculty should integrate more co-curricular activities into class
Encourage participation in campus life
Create on-campus employment opportunities