Archive for April, 2010
I’m finally catching up on the latest data from the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (released in late 2009) and, as always, it has some fascinating information. Some of the new data (pdf) confirms what we as AAC&U staff members have been seeing and hearing from colleges and universities all across the country. Faculty members really are beginning to embrace a set of more engaged learning practices—at least rhetorically. As readers of this blog will already know, AAC&U published a report in 2008 by George D. Kuh called High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter. It summarizes research that shows how a set of teaching and learning practices—such as learning communities, service learning courses, capstone projects, well-crafted internships, etc.—really do increase student success. In addition, these practices are at least correlated with higher retention rates, higher GPAs, greater levels of student satisfaction, and increased likelihood of students engaging in other academically valuable activities. A new study AAC&U will be releasing soon, The Impact of Engaged Educational Practices, extends this overview of research and documents even more studies demonstrating the positive effect of these practices on both these factors and on actual student learning outcomes.
The new FSSE data confirms that a large percentage of faculty members seem to understand the value of high-impact practices. For instance, 85 percent of faculty members think that it is important or very important for students on their own campuses to do senior capstone projects; 84 percent think it is important for students to do internships; 56 percent think it is important for students to do undergraduate research. This data is also consistent with other research AAC&U has sponsored. A survey of AAC&U member chief academic officers, (pdf) for instance, showed that 78 percent of AAC&U members are placing more emphasis on undergraduate research; 68 percent are placing more emphasis on internships; and 52 percent are placing more emphasis on learning communities.
Much has already been written about the unlikely success of the Butler Bulldogs in the NCAA tournament. For such a small school from a minor conference, making it to the finals of the NCAA tournament is, indeed, an unlikely and remarkable phenomenon—and a tribute to the hard work of the Butler coach and his players. It is also worth noting, however, that both Duke and Butler provide academically rigorous programs for all their students, including for their athletes. They both can boast about their 90-percent-plus graduation rates as well.
Butler’s leaders have been working hard in recent weeks to help everyone see that the Butler phenomenon is as much an educational phenomenon as it is an athletic one. See, for instance, the wonderful profile of Butler’s president in the New York Times, with its headline focus on educational excellence. (Full disclosure: both Butler and Duke are members of AAC&U, and Butler’s president, Bobby Fong, is on AAC&U’s board of directors).
