Wednesday, October 16, 2024

2023-2024 UFP Roundtable Session 2

Welcome to our second virtual gathering, where we highlight impactful initiatives from the University Fellows Program (UFP). In this series, primary investigators present concise updates (10-15 minutes each) on their projects, sharing key findings and insights. Each session includes time for Q&A and discussion, offering an in-depth look at the progress and outcomes of these innovative initiatives.

Featured Initiatives:

  • Teresa Handy: Each One, Reach One
  • Julie Adkins: The Writing Toolkit Supporting Academic Writing of Graduate Students
  • Teresa Handy: GEN 101 OER Project

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

2023-2024 UFP Roundtable Session 5

We will hear from three impactful initiatives in our fifth and final virtual gathering. Christy McMahon will present "You've Got Mail! Messages and Live Connections Enriched with Encouragement, Empowerment, and Humor – The Missing Link to Student Retention and Success?" Jessi Upshaw will discuss "The Impact of Narrative-Based Professional Development on Student Success and the Development of a Culture of Care" as part of her ED Talk: Ideas Worth Exploring. Lastly, Stephanie Stubbs will present "Joining the Journey: Supporting Doctoral Student Persistence and Degree Completion Through Purposeful, Motivational Interventions." Each primary investigator will offer a 10-15 minute presentation summarizing their progress, challenges encountered, and critical breakthroughs in their project.

Friday, October 4, 2024

2023-2024 UFP Roundtable Session 4

 2023-2024 UFP Roundtable Session 4

In our fourth virtual gathering, we highlight the work of primary investigators and co-collaborators in the University Fellows Program. In this session, you'll hear a brief yet informative update from Karen Ivy, whose project, "Decoding Artificial Intelligence for Building Self-Efficacy and Leadership Self-Efficacy: Learning from Experts, Examples, and Experience," explores the role of adapting AI in developing critical leadership skills. Discover key insights, findings, and the potential impact of this innovative project.

2023-2024 UFP Roundtable Session 3

In our third virtual gathering, we bring updates from three impactful initiatives to enhance student success and retention. Holly Lopez presents the second phase of her ECE Retention Project, while Newton Miller shares findings from two of his research projects: "Do Affinity Groups Impact Retention Rates of Men of Color?" and "Leveraging the 'Eight to be Great' to Teach Student-Sustained Academic Achievement." Each Primary investigator provides a 10-15 minute overview of their progress, followed by a discussion of the challenges and breakthroughs of their work.

Friday, August 16, 2024

Reflections on Increasing Student Retention by Demonstrating Care in the Online Classroom

Bill Davis, Program Chair, Department of Organizational Studies, UAGC

Sarah Korpi, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director, University of Wisconsin 

It is the end of the academic year. A time of celebration for graduates and a time of reflection for university employees. In the moments that follow the somewhat chaotic conclusion to courses  and a commencement for new graduates, we take time to pause and think about how our instruction in the past course went. As we celebrate the successes of the past year and our most recent graduates, let us also take the time to consider some of the deltas – the moments when we noticed that something wasn’t going as well as we had hoped or planned. These deltas can provide helpful insight into how we can adjust our courses or our approach for the next cohort of learners as we engage in the important work of iterative and ongoing improvement.

 

Professor Bill Davis
In our Spring 2023 Chronicle article, “Increasing Student Retention by Demonstrating Care in the Online Classroom,” we shared that there is a myriad of reasons students may disengage from the online class. These reasons are often deeply personal and individual. It would be impossible for us as instructors to anticipate and mitigate these reasons during the design of a course. However, you CAN positively impact student retention in your classroom, and you can do so by utilizing skills you have been building your entire life: caring for others and taking an interest in the lives of those around you. This increases perceptions of awareness, importance, and dependence.   

 

Also in our 2023 article, we discussed the mattering theory and how impactful feeling noticed by, important to, and cared for by others could be (Rosenberg, 1985; Rosenberg & McCullough, 1981). In the classroom, we explained, when we increase student perceptions of awareness, importance, and dependence, we will likely form the types of connections with learners that result in them reaching out to us when things get difficult. We recommended several strategies for increasing student perceptions of awareness (greeting learners as they enter, publishing general weekly updates, emailing learners to encourage them to share something about their week with the class); importance (asking students how they are doing, requesting that students share a challenge and a success in a message board, thanking students for their contributions); and dependence (telling students we are looking forward to seeing them at the next live learning session or seeing their next discussion post, emailing to tell students that they were missed when they are absent, calling out how we as instructors benefit from our students insights).

Professor Sarah Korpi

An additional strategy that we have been working on this year is building high levels of psychological safety in the classroom. Psychological safety is an individual's perception of the workplace or other environment as safe for taking interpersonal risks, such as speaking up, expressing ideas, or asking questions without fear of negative consequences to self-image, status, or career (Kahn, 1990). The concept of psychological safety came out of the organizational science field more than a half-century ago (Schein & Bennis, 1965) and has flourished more recently as a topic of study in organizations. Scholars have identified organizational benefits such as increased performance (Baer & Frese, 2003; Schaubroeck et al., 2011) and engagement (Rich et al., 2010; Christian et al., 2011). Since classrooms are groups of people working toward a common goal and understanding (meeting the learning outcomes) under the direction of a leader (the instructor), it follows that the benefits of increased psychological safety in organizations and workplaces can also extend to our classrooms. Below, we outline some of the ways that we enhanced student retention and fostered a caring environment in our classrooms this past academic year.

In our roles at each of our institutions (Bill as faculty and Program Chair at UAGC and Sarah as Director of DEI and Learning Engineering at University of Wisconsin), we encouraged associate faculty members and instructional staff to adopt practices that increase student perceptions of mattering and classroom psychological safety. These practices are in line with UAGC Culture of Care pillars.

Practice #1: Our goal is to facilitate meaningful connections with the content, ensuring that knowledge transfer occurs. To achieve this, we incorporate learning tools, strategically using videos in discussion forums and utilizing interactive storyboards on websites to enhance knowledge transfer. When faced with challenging situations, we embrace the role of leader coaches, proactively reaching out to students, providing mentoring, and offering coaching support. By leading with empathy and acting with compassion, we have observed better responses from students and increased their active participation. Additionally, by understanding students' experiences, goals, and learning styles, we have established stronger connections.

The results from implementing this practice are as follows:

Result [1]: We have observed increased student engagement and positive feedback about the various learning tools place in the course (videos, infographics, storyboards). Students have commented content is relative and helps students bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Result [2]: Taking initiative to reach out to students and inviting them to zoom meetings, or reaching out via email or phone has results in positive interactions and dialogue with students. Students are open and express their appreciation for our outreach and it builds their confidence.

Result [3]: When students struggle and we observe opportunities for increase outreach students have expressed their appreciation to us and meaningful outcomes have occurred. More discussion forum participation and students have expressed their appreciation to us. It has led to increase mentoring and coaching and student success.  

Result [4]: By reading the students responses in the post your introduction forum and other forums, we understand their journey and goals. As outcomes, we have been able to build further rapport and trust and understand each individual student’s needs and learning styles more closely and students tell us they appreciate our interest, and this makes them more comfortable and increases their self-efficacy.

 

Practice 2: Data analysis also plays a crucial role in our ongoing efforts to enhance student success throughout the course. We constantly leverage data, dashboards, and look for areas to improve the student experience. For example, looking at student postings, time in course, and dashboard and signalz data we can understand student performance and the influence and impact within course in regard to learning.  

The results from implementing this practice are as follows:

Result [1]: Reviewing each student’s weekly posts and providing substantive feedback has allowed us to be proactive and respond in real time. Students have shared that they appreciate our feedback, and they are open to more feedback from us and our suggestions that further learning. 

Result [2]: Dashboard are helpful and noticing voids in dashboards have helped us focus in on where there are opportunities to coach or offer suggestions for improvement. Students have expressed how they appreciate our support, encouragement, and communications. This has led to more engagement in the course.

Result [3]: By reviewing the times spent in the course we have been able to reach out and connect with students who may need to dedicate more time to the weekly tasks and provide suggestions for improvement. This opened dialogue with students about time management and incorporated the student’s advisor if they needed additional resources. 

Practice #3: The benefit of increased perceptions of psychological safety in the classroom is an increased willingness to make mistakes and take risks. Of course, we know as educators that making mistakes is a necessary part of learning. Taking risks might look like students reaching out for help or guidance.

The results from implementing this practice are as follows:

Result [1]: By being positive, modeling consistency and engaging students in the forums, through Siganlz, email, of phone calls, we are showing we care and want them to have the best learning experience possible. We have seen students exude more confidence and express their appreciation to us for providing an effective learning environment, which has led to an increased initiative in the course and improved their self-efficacy.

Result [2]: Many students will reach out and request one-on-one meetings with us. Some have returned and asked for career advice or rec letters. It all positive when we lead by example. 

Result [3]: We have seen improved grade point averages and student motivation in the course.

Result [4]: Increased participation with their peers in the course. Students learning from each other.

By consistently demonstrating that we are committed educators who genuinely care about their growth, we establish a foundation of trust and support, this increases student’s feelings of psychological safety in our courses. Overall, we are proud of the progress we have made in implementing the strategies outlined in this article. By consistently applying these principles and actively engaging with our students, we are creating an environment that fosters their success and well-being. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on these efforts and any additional strategies you may have implemented. Together, we can continue to make a positive impact on student retention and success. 

 

References 

 

Baer, M., & Frese, M. (2003). Innovation is not enough: Climates for initiative and psychological safety, process innovations, and firm performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 24(1), 45-68.

 

Cha, M. (2016). The mediation effect of mattering and self-esteem in the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and depression: Based on the social disconnection model. Personality and Individual Differences, 88, 148–159. 

 

Christian, M. S., Garza, A. S., & Slaughter, J. E. (2011). Work engagement: A quantitative review and test of its relations with task and contextual performance. Personnel Psychology, 64(1), 89-136.

 

Eliot, T. S. (1934). After strange Gods: A primer of modern heresy. London: Faber and Faber Limited. 

 

Frazier, M. L., Fainshmidt, S., Klinger, R. L., Pezeshkan, A., & Vracheva, V. (2017). Psychological safety: A meta‐analytic review and extension. Personnel Psychology, 70(1), 113-165.

 

James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 

Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692-724.

Korpi, S., & Davis, B. (2023). Increasing student retention by demonstrating care in the online classroom. The UAGC Chronicle, Spring, 28-31.

 

Maslow, A. H. (1968). Toward a psychology of being (2nd ed.). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. 

 

Rich, B. L., Lepine, J. A., & Crawford, E. R. (2010). Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 53(3), 617-635.

 

Rosenberg, M. (1985). Self-concept and psychological well-being in adolescence. In R. L. Leahy (Ed.), The development of self (pp. 205–246). Toronto: Academic Press. 

 

Rosenberg, M., & McCullough, B. (1981). Mattering: Inferred significance and mental health among adolescents. Research in Community and Mental Health, 2, 163–182. 

 

Schaubroeck, J., Lam, S. S., & Peng, A. C. (2011). Cognition-based and affect-based trust as mediators of leader behavior influences on team performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(4), 863.

 

Schein, E., & Bennis, W. G. (1965). Personal and organizational change through group methods: The laboratory approach. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

 

Strayhorn, T.L. (2018). College students' sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315297293

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

MBA Professor James Moore Interviews Student William Boren About Start-Up AI Bot Worx

The Coffee Shop Lecture at the UAGC Forbes School of Business and Technology® MBA Club provides opportunities for students, faculty, and industry leaders to share their knowledge with our students. Dr. James Moore interviewed entrepreneur MBA student William Boren, who launched his start-up, AI Bot Worx.