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Project Leaders
Professor Paul Trowler, Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University
Vicki Trowler, Senior Research Associate, Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University
Project’s administrative home
Lancaster University
Aims
This project runs from 1 March 2011 to 31 August 2011. It consolidates and extends the findings of our recent (summer 2010) HEA-funded project on student engagement (SE). We will test, further develop, refine and disseminate to higher education leaders the nascent leadership model indicated by our conclusions. This will assist leaders to employ practices which enhance SE in higher education institutions.
Our first project delivered a 20 thousand word literature review on SE, summarised any robust evidence available, offered case studies and built an interactive website (using Sakai) for discussion and dissemination of our deliverables. Though not the primary focus, two brief ‘Frameworks for Action’ were offered to policy-makers and change agents. The PI and researcher gave keynotes and workshops at three HEA/NUS conferences.
This new research focuses on developing conceptual and practical tools for leaders, building on that work. At this critical time for UK higher education, institutional leaders as well as the NUS (which partnered the HEA in the project of which our previous research formed a part) wish to facilitate engagement of progressive kinds within their HEIs: engagement which fosters student learning, improves retention and enhances institutional branding.
Objectives
Context and motivation
Following the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Browne report and in a depressed economic climate, the higher education environment is challenging and turbulent. With the proposed increases in student fees and the attendant accelerated marketisation of higher education, the currency and relevance of student engagement in higher education is accelerating. Evolving from earlier work on “student involvement” (Astin, 1984), “quality of effort” (Pace 1980, 1984) and “”time-on-task” (Merwin1969), student engagement has been shown through decades of findings to improve desirable outcomes in a range of pertinent areas. Whether an institution’s primary concern is economic (student persistence and “throughput” – Astin 1975, 1984, 1993; Bean 2005; Berger & Milem 1999; Braxton, Milem & Sullivan 2000; Bridges, Cambridge, Kuh & Leegwater 2005; Milem & Berger 1997; Pascarella & Terenzini 2005; Peltier, Laden & Matranga 1999: Pike et al. 1997; Stage & Hossler 2000; Swail, Redd & Perna 2003; Tinto 1993, 2000, 2005), marketing (student satisfaction – Kuh & Vesper 1997; Kuh et al. 2005; Kuh et al. 2007) or widening participation (social justice – Carini, Kuh & Klein 2006; Cruce, Wolniak Seifert & Pascarella 2006; Kuh 2009 (b); Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie & Gonyea 2008; NSSE 2007; Pascarella & Terenzini 2005) or a drive to improve the teaching and learning experience (Anaya 1996; Astin 1993; Baxter Magolda 1992; Endo & Harpel 1982; Gellin 2003; Kuh 1993, 1995, 2003; Kuh, Hu & Vesper 1997; Pascarella, Duby, Terenzini & Iverson 1983; Pascarella et al. 1996; Pascarella, Seifert & Blaich 2009; Pascarella & Terenzini 2005; Pike 1999, 2000; Pike & Killian 2001; Pike, Kuh & Gonyea 2003; Shulman 2002; Terenzini, Pascarella & Blimling 1996), a large body of evidence supports claims that SE improves such outcomes.
Understandings of the term 'student engagement' vary widely. Our working definition (Trowler 2010), abstracted from a range of literature, is:
Student engagement is concerned with the interaction between the time, effort and other relevant resources invested by both students and their institutions intended to optimise the student experience and enhance the learning outcomes and development of students and the performance, and reputation of the institution.
The conceptualisation of student engagement we have distilled from the literature involves three key foci, which can be represented by way of a three-dimensional graph with each focus being represented along one axis.
The lead researcher Professor Paul Trowler is uniquely qualified to head this research. He is well known for his work on leadership and change in higher education (see www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/trowler/cv.htm), including the Open University Press book Departmental Leadership in Higher Education (2001). Vicki Trowler’s research experience on the HEA Student Engagement project has provided her with the conceptual GPS to navigate this complex terrain. She has herself held student, staff, and institutional leadership roles in challenging conditions, and is thus familiar with the range of issues and perspectives facing leaders in higher education. (see vickitrowler.weebly.com)
Proposed methodology
Intended outcomes and outputs
The project will provide 6 short-term products and longer term legacies:
Benefits to project partners and the wider higher education community
This work will:
Milestones
Deliverables (end of month)
1 March 2011
Project begins.
April 2011 - June 2011
Data collection and analysis
July 2011 - August 2011
Data analysis continues
Finalisation of deliverables Final versions delivered:
Post-project conference and workshop papers prepared.
Articles written.
Plans for dissemination
The project will be disseminated through the following routes:
A consultation group will be established for the project. They will offer advice and will assist in testing and refining outputs. The following individuals/organisations have already expressed their interest in this: Alison Robinson, Executive Director of the AUA; The NUS’ Student Engagement Officer (or sub); Professor Amanda Chetwynd, PVC, Lancaster University. Two or three others will supplement this group, most likely from the case study institutions.
References
Anaya, G. 1999, "College Impact on Student Learning: Comparing the Use of Self-Reported Gains, Standardized Test Scores and College Grades.", Research in Higher Education, vol. 40, pp. 499-527.
Astin, A.W. 1993, What Matters in College? Four Critical Years Revisited. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Astin, A.W. 1984, "Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education.", Journal of College Student Development, vol. 25, pp. 297-308.
Astin, A.W. 1975, Preventing Students From Dropping Out. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Baxter Magolda, M.B. 1992, "Cocurricular Influences on College Students' Intellectual Development.", Journal of College Student Development, vol. 33, pp. 203-213.
Bean, J.P. 2005, "Nine Themes of College Student Retention." in College Student Retention: Formula for Student Success, ed. A. Seidman, ACE & Praeger, Washington DC, pp. 215-244.
Berger, J.B. & Milem, J.F. 1999, "The role of student involvement and perceptions of integration in a causal model of student persistence", Research in Higher Education, vol. 40, pp. 641-664.
Braxton, J.M., Milem, J.F. & Sullivan, A.S. 2000, "The Influence of Active Learning on the College Student Departure Process: Towards a Revision of Tinto's Theory.", Journal of Higher Education, vol. 71, pp. 569-590.
Bridges, B.K., Cambridge, B., Kuh, G.D. & Leegwater, L.H. 2005, "Student Engagement at Minority Serving Institutions: Emerging Lessons from the BEAMS Project." in What Works: Achieving Success in Minority Retention. New Directions for Institutional Research., ed. G.H. Gaither, 125th edn, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, pp. 25-43.
Carini, R.M., Kuh, G.D. & Klein, S.P. 2006, "Student Engagement and Student Learning: Testing the Linkages", Research in Higher Education, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 1-24.
Cruce, T., Wolniak, G.C., Seifert, T.A. & Pascarella, E.T. 2006, "Impacts of Good Practices on Cognitive Development, Learning Orientations, and Graduate Degree Plans during the First Year of College.", Journal of College Student Development, vol. 47, pp. 365-383.
Endo, J.J. & Harpel, R.L. 1982, "The Effect of Student-Faculty Interaction on Students' Educational Outcomes.", Research in Higher Education, vol. 16, pp. 115-137.
Gellin, A. 2003, "The Effect of Undergraduate Student Involvement on Critical Thinking: A Meta-Analysis of the Literature, 1991-2000", Journal of College Student Development, vol. 44, pp. 746-762.
Kuh, G.D. 2009, "Afterword" in Student Engagement in Higher Education, eds. S.R. Harper & S.J. Quaye, Routledge, New York & Oxon, pp. 313-318.
Kuh, G.D. 2003, "What We're Learning about Student Engagement from NSSE: Benchmarks for Effective Educational Practices.", Change, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 24-32.
Kuh, G.D. 1995, "The other curriculum: Out-of-class experiences associated with student learning and personal development.", Journal of Higher Education, vol. 66, pp. 123-155.
Kuh, G.D. 1993, "In their Own Words: What Students Learn Outside the Classroom.", American Educational Research Journal, vol. 30, pp. 277-304.
Kuh, G.D., Cruce, T.M., Shoup, R., Kinzie, J. & Gonyea, R.M. 2008, "Unmasking the Effects of Student Engagement on First-Year College Grades and Persistence.", Journal of Higher Education, vol. 79, no. 5, pp. 540-563; pp. 24.
Kuh, G.D., Hu, S. & Vesper, N. 2000, ""They Shall Be Known By What They Do": An Activities-Based Typology of College Students.", Journal of College Student Development, vol. 41, pp. 228-244.
Kuh, G.D., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J.A., Bridges, B.K. & Hayek, J.C. 2007, "Piecing together the student success puzzle: Research, propositions, and recommendations", ASHE Higher Education Report, vol. 32, no. 5.
Kuh, G.D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J.H. & Whitt, E.J. 2005, "Never Let It Rest: Lessons about Student Success from High-Performing Colleges and Universities.", Change The Magazine of Higher Learning, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 44-pp. 8.
Kuh, G.D. & Vesper, N. 1997, "A comparison of student experiences with good practices in undergraduate education between 1990 and 1994", Review of Higher Educaion, vol. 21, pp. 43-61.
Merwin, J.C. 1969, "Historical View of Changing Concepts of Evaluation" in Educational Evaluation: New Roles, New Methods., ed. R.L. Tyler, 68th Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part II edn, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Milem, J.F. & Berger, J.B. 1997, "A Modified Model of College Student Persistence: Exploring the Relationship between Astin's Theory of Involvement and Tinto's Theory of Student Departure.", Journal of College Student Development, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 387-400.
National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) 2007, Experiences that Matter: Enhancing Student Learning and Success., Indiana Center for Postsecondary Research, Bloomington.
Pace, C.R. 1984, Measuring the Quality of College Student Experiences. An Account of the Development and Use of the College Student Experience Questionnaire, Higher Education Research Institute, Los Angeles.
Pace, C.R. 1980, "Measuring the Quality of Student Effort.", Current Issues in Higher Education, vol. 2, pp. 10-16.
Pascarella, E.T., Duby, P.D., Terenzini, P.T. & Iverson, B.K. 1983, "Student-Faculty Relationships and Freshman Year Intellectual Growth in an Nonresidential Setting.", Journal of College Student Development, vol. 24, pp. 395-402.
Pascarella, E.T., Edison, M., Nora, A., Hagedorn, L.S. & Terenzini, P.T. 1996, "Influence of Students' Openness to Diversity and Challenge in the First Year of College", Journal of Higher Education, vol. 67, pp. 174-195.
Pascarella, E.T., Seifert, T.A. & Blaich, C. 2010, "How Effective Are the NSSE Benchmarks in Predicting Important Educational Outcomes?", Change The Magazine of Higher Learning, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 16-22; pp. 7.
Pascarella, E.T. & Terenzini, P.T. 2005, How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research (Vol. 2), Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Peltier, G.L., Laden, R. & Matranga, M. 1999, "Student Persistence in College: A Review of Research", Journal of College Student Retention, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 357-375.
Pike, G.R. 2000, "The Influence of Fraternity or Sorority Membership on Students' College Experiences and Cognitive Development", Research in Higher Education, vol. 41, pp. 117-139.
Pike, G.R. 1999, "The Effects of Residential Learning Communities and Traditional Residential Living Arrangements on Educational Gains during the First Year of College.", Journal of College Student Development, vol. 40, pp. 269-284.
Pike, G.R. & Killian, T.S. 2001, "Reported Gains in Student Learning Do Academic Disciplines Make a Difference?", Research in Higher Education, vol. 42, pp. 429-454.
Pike, G.R., Kuh, G.D. & Gonyea, R.M. 2003, "The Relationship Between Institutional Mission and Students' Involvement and Educational Outcomes.", Research in Higher Education, vol. 44, pp. 243-263.
Pike, G.D., Schroeder, C.C. & Berry, T.R. 1997, "Enhancing the Educational Impact of Residence Halls: The Relationship between Residential Learning Communities and First Year College Experiences and Persistence.", Journal of College Student Development, vol. 38, pp. 609-621.
Shulman, L.S. 2002, "Making Differences: A Table of Learning.", Change, vol. 34, pp. 24-32.
Stage, F.K. & Hossler, D. 2000, "Where is the Student? Linking Student Behaviours, College Choice, and College Persistence." in Reworking the Student Departure Puzzle, ed. J.M. Braxton, Vanderbilt University Press, Nashville Tennessee, pp. 170-195.
Swail, W.S., Redd, K.E. & Perna, L.W. 2003, Retaining Minority Students in Higher Education A Framework for Success, ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report (Vol 30 No ) edn, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Terenzini, P.T., Pascarella, E.T. & Blimling, G.S. 1996, "Students' Out-of-Class Experiences and Their Influence on Learning and Cognitive Development: A Literature Review.", Journal of College Student Development, vol. 37, pp. 149-162.
Tinto, V. 2005, "Moving from Theory to Action." in College Student Retention: Formula for Student Success, ed. A. Seidman, ACE & Praeger, Washington DC, pp. 317-333.
Tinto, V. 2000, "Taking Retention Seriously: Rethinking the First Year of College.", NACADA Journal, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 5-10.
Tinto, V. 1993, Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition, 2nd edn, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Trowler, V. 2010, Student Engagement Literature Review, Higher Education Academy, York.
Foci of Engagement:
Axis 1: Individual Student Learning
This axis represents a continuum along which individual works can be located according to their concern, or perspective, on the individual student learning dimension of student engagement. The overwhelming majority of literature surveyed was expressly concerned with this focus. Along this axis, a paper which had no patent concern with individual student learning would be located at 0, with way points along this axis including the following:
Axis 2: Structure and Process
The second axis focuses on issues of structure and process, including student representation, students’ role within governance, student feedback processes, and other such matters. Location along this axis at the 0 point would denote that the work had no patent concern with the collective structural or processal role of student engagement, while way points along this axis would include
"Representation as consultation", such as tokenistic student membership of committees or panels to obviate the need for formal consultation with students
Axis 3: Identity
The third axis focuses on issues of identity. This can range from concerns about how to generate a sense of belonging for individual students, to concerns about how to engage specific groups of students – particularly those deemed “marginal” – with midpoints including issues concerning the role of representation in conferring identity. Examples of way points along this axis include:
This project examines each of these foci, considers their implications for leadership practices of each of them and develops conceptual and practical tools for leaders as student engagement-oriented change agents.
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