Enhancing the Honors Freshman Experience

Amanda Kuhnley and Raleigh Maupin

Meet our SME!

Dr. Maureen Shanahan• Associate Director of Honors Program• Associate Professor in Art History• J.D. from Loyola Law School • Ph.D. in Art History from University

of Michigan

Outline/Objectives

Outline• Icebreaker• Performance Problem – What is happening?• Literature Review – What should be happening?• Performance Gap• Data Collection• Data Analysis• Performance Improvement Plan

Objectives• Identify the performance gap within the Honors freshmen experience• Explain the methodology of data collection and analysis• Describe the recommendations (PIP) made by student analysts

Icebreaker

Worst Day Ever!

In groups of two or three, your task is to create a “worst day ever” scenario as if you were JMU undergraduate freshmen on your first day of class.

Be prepared to share your day!

Performance Problem

Performance Problem(Pre-identified by JMU Honors program) JMU Honors freshmen are not fully integrating into the Honors community

Performance Gap(Identified by literature review and data analysis)

JMU’s 1787 Orientation is not sufficient for the orientation needs of Honors

freshmen

Adequate integration of JMU Honors freshmen.

Inadequate integration of JMU Honors freshmen.

Literature Review

Freshman Orientation Designs and Outcomes• 85% of all post-secondary institutions employ some form of a first-year

seminar (Tobolowsky & Associates, 2008)

• Varying orientation/seminar formats (Mack, 2010)

• Seminars have numerous benefits for freshmen and university (Tobolowsky & Associates, 2008)

Peer Mentors• Profound, positive impact on freshman transition (Tobolowsky & Associates, 2008;

Martin, Swartz-Kulstad, & Madison, 1999; Hertel, 2002; Yazedjian, Purswell, Sevin, & Toews, 2007)

• Growing trend (Gardner, 1996; Barefoot, 1997)

• Only 7.7% institutions use peer leaders as primary instructors (National Resource Center, 2006)

– Exception: University of Florida (Klein, 2005)

Literature Review

The Freshman Transition• Rates of wellbeing at their lowest since 1985 (Pryor, Hurtado, DeAngelo, Palucki,

Blake, & Tran, 2010)

• Higher stress levels (Pryor et al., 2010)

Learning Theories• Situated Cognition (Driscoll, 2005)

• Adult Learning Theory (Halx, 2010; Driscoll, 2005)

• Social Development (Johnson 2009; JMU Orientation Office, 2012; Driscoll, 2005)

Data Collection

Survey • Made in Qualtrics• JMU student email – consent• Current Honors freshmen • Open for one week• 13 questions (1 open-ended)

Informal Interviews• With Dr. Maureen Shanahan• Personal knowledge

Data Analysis

Survey Responses• 43 completed surveys• Purpose: to measure perceptions of Honors freshmen with respect to the

orientation process

• Discrepancy between knowing and using campus resources• Desire for more interaction with fellow Honors students• Best advice for future Honors students

Data Analysis

Data Analysis

Best Advice• Know the responsibilities and requirements of being an Honors student• Know the resources and opportunities available to Honors students• Socialize and/or live with other Honors students• Reach out to professors and staff of the Honors program

Recommendations (PIP)

Performance Gap – JMU’s 1787 Orientation is not sufficient for the orientation needs of Honors freshmen

Solution – orientation seminar for Honors freshmen

Needs Assessment – study leading to the design and development of the Honors orientation seminar

Performance Improvement Plan – recommendations based

on needs assessment• Seminar Design

– Evaluation (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4)

• Job Tasks and Description of Peer Mentors• Minimum Requirements of Peer Mentor Planning Course• Seminar Curriculum • Suggested Timeline

Seminar Design

• Required course for all incoming Honors freshmen• Offered for course credit• Multiple sections provided at varying times• Seminar Coordinator

– Oversees all development and implementation of seminar course, oversees peer mentors and mediates all conflicts between peers, freshmen, and Honors staff

• Two peer mentors lead each section– At least one must be working on Senior Thesis

• Maximum of 15 freshmen per section – Approximately 200 freshmen, 14 sections, 28 peer mentors

• Seven sessions proposed in this report– Possible future sessions also included

Evaluation

Level 1 – Reaction • Qualtrics survey after each session

– Incentive (Bookstore, Madison Grill gift card)

Level 2 – Learning • Survey of Expectations (beginning and end) – included in report

– Self-assessment– Self regulation

Level 3 – Behavior • Additional Survey of Behavioral Change (3-6 months later)

– Academic and social behavios

Level 4 – Results • Critical review when freshman graduate from university

– Retention rates, orientation improvement, overall benefit of seminar– Data collection through observation, interviews, surveys, focus groups, statistics

Peer Mentors

Job Tasks• Participating in a planning course in the spring for the fall seminar course• Assisting in the creation of seminar materials including but not limited to

PowerPoints, scavenger hunt materials, and Level 1 evaluation surveys for each session

• Creating and monitoring an Honors orientation seminar Facebook group• Planning icebreakers for each session• Leading seminar sessions• Planning and coordinating outside assignments

Job DescriptionPeer mentors are successful Honors students who have an outstanding academic record and are involved in campus life. Peer mentors plan and implement the course content while also establishing an overall community of practice among the Honors students. Most importantly, peer mentors serve as the bridge between the Honors freshmen and the rest of the Honors program, facilitate class discussions, serve as a guide to campus resources, and serve as role models for academic and social behaviors.

Seminar Curriculum

The orientation seminar is a requirement for all Honors freshmen. This seminar is specifically designed for Honors students by Honors students. Each seminar is led by two peer mentors and contains approximately 15 students. The main goals of the Honors orientation seminar are

• To facilitate both social and academic connections among approximately 180-200 first year Honors students

• To introduce campus resources that promote the achievement of academic and social goals as well as professional preparedness

• To integrate the individual goals of the students and the academic requirements of the Honors program

• To establish a model of peer mentorship among Honors freshmen and Honors upperclassmen

• To foster decision-making and problem-solving skills that transgresses the Honors orientation seminar through experiential learning and peer collaboration

Timeline

Fall 2012• Finalize curriculum• Hold information

meetings regarding peer mentor positions

• Create peer mentor application

• Post peer mentor application on Honors Program website

• Interview potential peer mentor candidates

• Select peer mentors

Spring 2013• Train peer mentors (1.5

hour sessions weekly)

Summer 2013• Pre-register all first-year

Honors students into seminar sessions

• Peer mentor reunion and review of Fall 2013 course plan

Fall 2013• Seminar begins first week

of classes• Peer mentors administer

pre-survey to freshmen• Peer mentors consult with

program coordinator with issues/questions

• Peer mentors meet with coordinator monthly to recap

• Peer mentors administer post-survey to freshmen

• Peer mentors provide summative feedback

Conclusion?

Trying to prevent the “worst day ever”…

by turning something sour into something sweet!

Thank you!

References

• Barefoot, B. O. (1997). National survey of first-year seminar programs [Unpublished summary]. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

• Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction. New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.• Gardner, J. N. (1996). Power to peer. Keystone Newsletter. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing

Company.• Grant-Vallone, E., Reid, K., Umali, C., & Pohlert, E. (2003-2004). An analysis of the effects of self-

esteem, social support, and participation in student support services on students’ adjustment and commitment to college. Journal of College Student Retention, 5(3), 255-274.

• Halx, M. D. (2010). Re-conceptualizing college and university teaching through the lens of adult education: regarding undergraduates as adults. Teaching in higher education. 15(5).

• Hamid, S. L., VanHook, J. (2001). First-year seminar peer leaders, programs, and profiles. In S. L. Hamid (Ed.), Peer leadership: A primer on program essentials (Monograph No. 32) (pp. 75-95). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

• Hertel, J. B. (2002). College student generational status: Similarities, differences, and factors in college adjustment. Psychological Record, 52, 3-18.

• James Madison University Institutional Research.  (2012). 2011-2012 Common Data Set. [Data file].  Retrieved from http://www.jmu.edu/instresrch/cds/2011/cds2011.shtml

• JMU Orientation Office. (2012). Work for orientation. Retrieved from http://www.jmu.edu/orientation/workfororientation/

• Johnson, M. L. (2009). The role of peer leaders in an honors freshman experience course. Honors in Practice, 5, 189-196.

References• Kirkpatrick, J. (2007). The hidden power of Kirkpatrick’s four levels. Training and Development, 61 (8), 34-37.

• Klein, J.  (2005).  Honors freshman seminar. [Unpublished document].• Mack, C. E. (2010). A brief overview of the orientation, transition, and retention field. In J. A. Ward-Roof (Ed.),

Designing Successful Transitions: A Guide for Orienting Students to College (Monograph No. 13, 3rd ed., pp. 3-10). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

• Martin, W. E., Jr., Swartz-Kulstad, J. L., & Madison, M. (1999). Psychosocial factors that predict the college adjustment of first-year undergraduate students: Implications for college counselors. Journal of College Counseling, 2, 121-133.

• National Resource Center: First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. (2006). Preliminary summary of results from the 2006 national survey on first-year seminars. Retrieved from http://sc.edu/fye/research/surveyfindings/surveys/survey06.html

• Northwoods Consulting. (2008). Performance analysis & needs assessment: principles, practices & resources. Retrieved from http://www.northwoodshrd.com/performance%20analysis%20and%20needs%20assessment%20tool.pdf

• Pryor, J.H., Hurtado, S., DeAngelo, L., Palucki, Blake, L., & Tran, S. (2010). The American freshman: National norms fall 2010. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.

• Rothwell, W. (2009). Beyond training and development (2nd Ed). AMACO.• Tobolowsky, B. F., & Associates. (2008). 2006 national survey of first-year seminars: Continuing innovations in the

collegiate curriculum (Monograph No. 51). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition.

• US News.  (2012). Freshman retention rate: National universities. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/freshmen-least-most-likely-return

• Yazedjian, Purswell, Sevin, & Toews. (2007). Adjusting to the first year of college: Students’ perceptions of the importance of parental, peer, and institutional support. National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 19(2), 30-46.