FINAL FYE 2007 Does College Orientation Matter

Shaping Student Expectations: Does College Orientation Matter? : Shaping Student Expectations: Does College Orientation Matter? Julie M. Williams Indiana University FYE Conference, February 2007, Dallas Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement


Warrant for Study : Warrant for Study New Student Orientation Programs Should: Help students adjust academically; introduce students to academic requirements, facilities and classroom expectations. Help students with personal adjustment to college; introduce students to social organizations, campus support services, and the types of personal growth/developmental changes they might encounter. Help families understand the ways in which their student will change as a result of college Help the institution learn more about its student body and their needs. (Perigo & Upcraft, 1989)


Warrant for Study : Warrant for Study Why Do Expectations Matter? Expectations affect the actual experiences of college students by: Serving as a filter through which students evaluate and select various types of educational opportunities. Predisposing students to seek specific learning activities. Student expectations and subsequent experience are not always congruent. Ex: First-generation or low-income students may have less tacit knowledge of what college is like. May influence students’ overall performance in college and satisfaction with their experience.


Questions of Interest : Questions of Interest Does the effect of college orientation on students’ expectations differ across institutions? If so, are these “between-institution” differences explainable by the characteristics of the orientation programs or institutions that the students attend? Does the effect of college orientation on students’ expectations differ across students? If so, are these “between-student” differences explainable by the characteristics of the students who attend? How does the match between student and faculty expectations about time spent studying differ by the students’ backgrounds?


Data Sources : Data Sources Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement Faculty Survey of Student Engagement Annual survey of first-year students at baccalaureate degree-granting institutions 2005-2006 pilot administration at 70 institutions Administered prior to start of classes, usually at orientation or welcome week Annual survey of upper- and lower-division faculty 2006 administration at 131 institutions Administered during the spring semester


Study Sample : Study Sample Student Sample Part 1: 19,615 entering first-year students Part 2: 26,620 entering first-year students 59% female, 41% male 77% white, 23% of color 64% have at least one parent with a bachelor’s degree Institutional Sample 60 baccalaureate degree-granting institutions Includes 1 Canadian University 60% private, 40% public Undergraduate student body <400 to >35,000 Range on Barron’s from non-competitive to most competitive


Findings : Findings Part One: Influence of Orientation on Expectations


Influence of Orientation : Influence of Orientation BCSSE asks of entering college students: To what extent have the following influenced your expectations about your experience at this college? Family members Friends/students in high school Friends/students already attending this college High school guidance counselors High school teachers/administrators College recruiters/admissions counselors College website/materials Campus visits College orientation External publications (e.g., guidebooks) Responses range from ‘Not at all’ to ‘A lot’


Question of Interest #1 : Question of Interest #1 Does the effect of college orientation on students’ expectations differ across institutions? If so: Are these “between-institution” differences explainable by the following characteristics of the institutions’ orientation programs: Timing of Orientation: Welcome week vs. Other Length of Orientation: Single vs. Multiple Day Mandatory vs. Voluntary Nature of Orientation Are these “between-institution” differences explainable by the following characteristics of the institutions: Residential Character Size


Findings : Findings The influence of orientation on college expectations does not differ much across institutions Only 5% of the total variation in the influence of orientation was between institutions – the rest was between students. None of the following three characteristics of orientation programs explained this variation between institutions: Timing of Orientation: Welcome week vs. Other Length of Orientation: Single vs. Multiple Day Mandatory vs. Voluntary Nature of Orientation


Test Your Knowledge: #1 : Test Your Knowledge: #1 The more residential the institution, the more influence orientation has on college expectations. True False


Slide12 : Influence of Orientation on Expectations By Residential Setting


Test Your Knowledge: #2 : Test Your Knowledge: #2 The larger the institution, the more influence orientation has on college expectations. True False


Slide14 : Influence of Orientation on Expectations By Institution Size


Question of Interest #2 : Question of Interest #2 Does the effect of college orientation on students’ expectations differ across students? If so, are these “between-student” differences explainable by the characteristics of the students who attend? Examples: Do males find orientation to be more influential than females? Is orientation more influential for private high school students than for public high school students? Have some ideas? Its time to test your knowledge…


Influence of Orientation : Influence of Orientation Imagine two hypothetical college-bound students… Who are similar in all of the following ways but one: Gender Race High School Leadership Parents’ Education High School Type Degree Aspirations College Residential Character High School Grades College Size


Test Your Knowledge: #1 : Test Your Knowledge: #1 Orientation is more influential for males than for females. True False


Slide18 : Influence of Orientation on Expectations By Gender


Test Your Knowledge: #2 : Test Your Knowledge: #2 Asian Americans find orientation more influential than White students in shaping their expectations. True False


Slide20 : Influence of Orientation on Expectations By Race


Test Your Knowledge: #3 : Test Your Knowledge: #3 Orientation is more influential for students who aspire to earn a Master’s degree than for students who aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree. True False


Slide22 : Influence of Orientation on Expectations By Degree Aspirations


Test Your Knowledge: #4 : Test Your Knowledge: #4 Students with better high school GPAs find orientation to be more influential in shaping their college expectations. True False


Slide24 : Influence of Orientation on Expectations By High School GPA


Test Your Knowledge: #5 : Test Your Knowledge: #5 Students who are more involved in high school leadership activities find orientation to be more influential in shaping their college expectations. True False


Slide26 : Influence of Orientation on Expectations By High School Leadership Involvement


Test Your Knowledge: #6 : Test Your Knowledge: #6 Orientation is more influential for graduates of public high schools than for graduates of private high schools. True False


Slide28 : Influence of Orientation on Expectations By High School Type


Summary of Findings : Summary of Findings Orientation is an Important Source of Information that Shapes Student Expectations Differences in the influence of orientation appear most pronounced by: Gender Race High School Leadership Involvement High School Type


Influence of Orientation : Influence of Orientation A Hypothetical: Imagine Two Students Case 1 White male who attended a private high school and was moderately active in leadership activities Case 2 African American female who attended a public high school and was very active in leadership activities


Slide31 : Influence of Orientation on Expectations A Hypothetical


Influence of Orientation : Influence of Orientation Why does orientation as a source of information matter? Answer: Because the accuracy of student expectations can inform a student’s ability to effectively integrate into the campus learning experience Example: Comparing student expectations with faculty expectations about the time per week that students spend studying


Findings : Findings Part Two: Matching Faculty Expectations


Time Spent Studying : Time Spent Studying BCSSE asks of entering college students: During the coming school year, about how many hours do you think you will spend in a typical 7-day week preparing for your class (studying, reading, writing, doing homework or lab work, analyzing data, rehearsing, and other academic activities)? FSSE asks of lower division faculty and instructors: In a typical 7-day week, about how many hours do you expect your students to spend preparing for your class (studying, reading, writing, doing homework or lab work, analyzing data, rehearsing, and other academic activities) Student responses were compared to adjusted average lower division faculty responses by college Carnegie Classification


Question of Interest #3 : Question of Interest #3 How does the match between student and faculty expectations about time spent studying differ by the students’ backgrounds? Examples: Are students who primarily rely on the college/university as a primary source of information more likely than other students to match faculty expectations? Are students who attend more selective colleges less likely than other students to match faculty expectations? Have some ideas? Its time again to test your knowledge…


Primary Source of Expectations : Primary Source of Expectations BCSSE asks of entering college students: To what extent have the following influenced your expectations about your experience at this college? Family members Friends/students in high school Friends/students already attending this college High school guidance counselors High school teachers/administrators College recruiters/admissions counselors College website/materials Campus visits College orientation External publications (e.g., guidebooks) Responses range from ‘Not at all’ to ‘A lot’ Family/Friends High School College


Primary Source of Expectations : Primary Source of Expectations Using cluster analysis, we identified four student types Those students who primarily relied on: Family and Friends 42% High School 10% College 22% All Sources Equally 26%


Matching Faculty Expectations : Matching Faculty Expectations Imagine two hypothetical college-bound students… Who are similar in all of the following ways but one: Source of Information High School Grades Gender High School Leadership Race High School Type Parents’ Education College Selectivity Degree Aspirations


Test Your Knowledge: #9 : Test Your Knowledge: #9 Students who primarily relied on which source of information had the greatest likelihood of matching faculty expectations about time spent studying? Family/Friends High School College All Sources


Slide40 : Matching Faculty Expectations By Information Source


Test Your Knowledge: #10 : Test Your Knowledge: #10 Females are less likely than males to match faculty expectations about time spent studying? True False


Slide42 : Matching Faculty Expectations By Gender


Test Your Knowledge: #11 : Test Your Knowledge: #11 Asian Americans were more likely than other students to match faculty expectations about time spent studying? True False


Slide44 : Matching Faculty Expectations By Race


Test Your Knowledge: #12 : Test Your Knowledge: #12 Students with higher educational expectations have the same likelihood of matching faculty expectations about time spent studying. True False


Slide46 : Matching Faculty Expectations By Degree Aspirations


Test Your Knowledge: #13 : Test Your Knowledge: #13 Students with higher high school GPAs are more likely to match faculty expectations about time spent studying. True False


Slide48 : Primary Source of Expectations By High School GPA


Test Your Knowledge: #14 : Test Your Knowledge: #14 Students who are more active in leadership activities in high school are less likely to match faculty expectations about time spent studying. True False


Slide50 : Matching Faculty Expectations By High School Leadership


Test Your Knowledge: #15 : Test Your Knowledge: #15 Students who attend more selective colleges are more likely to match faculty expectations about time spent studying? True False


Slide52 : Matching Faculty Expectations By Selectivity of College Attended


Summary of Findings : Summary of Findings Family/friends were by far the most often cited source of college expectations, yet students who relied primarily on this source were least likely to match faculty expectations. Students who relied on all sources equally had the greatest likelihood of matching faculty expectations.


Summary of Findings : Summary of Findings Regardless of information sources that were used, differences in entering students’ ability to match their expectations with the expectations of their faculty differed substantially by: Race Educational expectations High school leadership Selectivity of the college attended


Implications : Implications “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” Albert Einstein


Implications : Implications How should we characterize orientation programs? Readily available measures “don’t count” Need better measures of qualitative differences in orientation programs to understand differences in their effectiveness Residential character and size are institutional characteristics that matter– what are these proxies for?


Implications for Practice : Implications for Practice Realities of New Student Orientation Programs Are an extension of a campus’ culture and traditions Culture can work for or against your programming efforts or attempts to change Can require substantial budget outlays Dilemma is high visible expenditures, with frequently less tangible or measurable $ outcomes Student body continues to diversify on most campuses Non-traditional age students, delayed entry students, online degree programs, all expand the types of information orientation programs may need to include.


Implications for Practice : Implications for Practice #1: Heavy Role of Family/Friends Focus on availability of quality and comprehensive information for all Do information sessions include “ what to expect” conversations? Academics? Extra-curriculars? Is information provided at different levels of specificity? Do we help all families (FG, low income, various races) develop accurate expectations of college? Do we help students ask questions during campus visits that lead to accurate expectations?


Implications for Practice : Implications for Practice #2: More Info Sources = Better Information Review information sources available to students Timely Accurate from reliable sources Easy to understand In what format are resources offered? Materials during orientation only Website Mailings to homes Local paper How can students get information about college from you without meeting in person in your office or on campus?


Implications for Practice : Implications for Practice #3: Who Can Help Us in These Efforts? Are faculty involved in your programs and presenting a consistent message? Does your admissions info lead into and match your orientation info? Network with colleagues Ask/offer to help develop new college info sessions and ideas for getting to know student needs. External sources of data on entering students (CIRP, BCSSE, SAT/ACT profiles)


Take-Home Message : Take-Home Message We can better understand our students and more effectively help them transition to and be successful in college We can shape student expectations, which increases student persistence and college success Collaborating with others and using student data and other info sources can help us to assist all students more effectively by confirming or challenging our perceptions


Contact Information : Contact Information Email: Julie Williams williaj4@indiana.edu Presentation materials from this session are available on the NSSE website: www.nsse.iub.edu NSSE efforts have been supported by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, The Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning, The Lumina Foundation, and the Center for Inquiry into the Liberal Arts at Wabash College.


Participating Institutions : Participating Institutions Bethel University Brigham Young University-Hawaii Brigham Young University Case Western Reserve University Clayton College and State University Denison University Drake University Edgewood College Elon University Fort Lewis College Goucher College Hanover College Harvey Mudd College Henderson State University Heritage University Holy Family University Illinois Wesleyan University Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana University-East Indiana University-South Bend John Carroll University Loyola University Chicago Lynchburg College Mcneese State University Morningside College Mount Saint Mary's University New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Northwest Christian College Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science Pennsylvania State University-Berks Queen's University Radford University Rider University Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Saint Ambrose University Saint Xavier University Siena College Southern Connecticut State University Southwestern Assemblies of God University Southwestern College Syracuse University The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey The University of Tennessee-Martin Thiel College Trinity Western University University of British Columbia University of Guelph University of Maine at Farmington University of Missouri-Kansas City University of San Francisco University of South Dakota University of South Florida St. Petersburg University of St Francis University of Toronto University of Windsor University of Wisconsin-La Crosse University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point University of Wisconsin-Stout Ursinus College Utah State University Virginia Commonwealth University Viterbo University Voorhees College Wabash College Washington & Jefferson College Washington State University Western Illinois University Western Kentucky University Western New Mexico University Worcester Polytechnic Institute