SEM Summit ‘09 INCREASING ACCESSIBILTY: LESSONS LEARNED IN RETAINING SPECIAL POPULATION STUDENTS...
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Transcript of SEM Summit ‘09 INCREASING ACCESSIBILTY: LESSONS LEARNED IN RETAINING SPECIAL POPULATION STUDENTS...
SEM Summit ‘09SEM Summit ‘09SEM Summit ‘09SEM Summit ‘09
INCREASING ACCESSIBILTY: INCREASING ACCESSIBILTY: LESSONS LEARNED IN LESSONS LEARNED IN
RETAINING SPECIAL RETAINING SPECIAL POPULATION STUDENTSPOPULATION STUDENTS
IN CANADAIN CANADA
Susan Gottheil, Mount Royal CollegeClayton Smith, University of Windsor
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Why This Topic? In Canada, changing demographics & increased
competition, as well as social values based on equity, have sharpened efforts to increase PSE participation rates of youth from under-represented/ under-served groups
Provincial governments are funding a variety of targeted initiatives
Holistic retention programs & planning are not well-developed at most institutions
Access to and success in PSE has become an important public issue2
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The Political & Social ContextThe Political & Social Context
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Low-Income/First Generation Students
One-half of students from low-income families don’t continue past high school vs. one-quarter from high-income families (Baldwin & Parkin, 2007)
81% of 18 to 24 year olds whose parents have a university education participate in PSE, compared to 53% for young people whose parents didn’t go past high school (CMSF)
Both groups are disproportionately minorities, from rural areas, have less than optimal high school preparation or test scores
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First Generation Students (cont’d)
NSSE (2008): About half not involved in extra curricular activities
College Board: Less likely than peers to earn degrees, even when differences in high-school preparation taken into account
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Aboriginal Canadians
1.3 million or 3.3% of the Canadian population• 62% North American Indian, 30% Métis, 5% Inuit
• In 2001, 14% of population in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, majority in Northwest Territories and Yukon
• 1,123 communities and close to a dozen language families
More than 70% living off reserves (54% in cities)
Much younger than Canadian population as a whole • 1/3 under the age of 14
Fastest growing segment of Canadian population
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Aboriginal Canadians (cont’d)
Only 61% possess a high school diploma versus 78% of non-Aboriginal population
By age 20, non-Aboriginal youth 3X more likely than Aboriginal youth to be in PSE (Baldwin & Parkin, 2007)
Dropout and attrition 33-56% higher (depending upon age of student) than among general student population (Parkin & Baldwin, 2009)
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Barriers to Access
Financial• Tuition, fees & cost of living
• Debt aversion
Academic• Low high school grades, wrong course prerequisites, high
dropout rate
• Lack of preparation (hard & soft skills); quality of local high schools
• Gaps in training and certification
Geographic• Distance, costs of travel
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Barriers to Access (cont’d)
Language & literacy
Family & community: Lack of role models• Note: Some ethnic groups have considerably higher
educational aspirations for their children than others
Enforced cultural assimilation and legacy of residential school system for Aboriginal students
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Barriers to Access (cont’d) Aspirational
• Lack of interest/motivation
• PSE not considered necessary (for job, life)
• Lack of information about PSE benefits
Self-esteem and self-confidence
Institutional• Programs don’t respond to needs, interests
• Unknown environment
• Admission criteria and complexity of admission procedures
• Lack of information
• Counseling structure
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Attrition Factors
Academic preparation and performance• Contributes to lack of engagement, motivation
• Questioning of abilities, confidence
Financial support
Family and work responsibilities
Language proficiency
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Attrition Factors (cont’d)
Low level of educational aspiration/motivation
Well-being• Isolation
• Stress
• Lack of understanding of culture, racist attitudes on campus
Social/Family/Community support
Engagement
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Conclusion
Web of barriers to access & success interact with & compound one another
• Unmet financial need• Inadequate academic preparation, motivation &
direction• Insufficient information, guidance &
encouragement
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Lessons Learned: Increasing Retention within the SEM Framework
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Lesson #1 Access and success should not be targeted in
isolation: the barriers/obstacles are the same• Placing too much emphasis on access can be
problematic if it results in too little focus on student success
• Similarly, focusing primarily on policies which support persistence could result in failure to meet access goals
Remember the comprehensive SEM framework• Essential tool to meet institutional goals
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Lesson #2 Special population students have different needs
from traditional students – the funnel & student life cycle experience is different for different students
Each group has unique needs
Retention strategies need to be customized to meet the needs of each special population group
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Lesson #3 There’s a need for both specialized/targeted programs
& integration of under-represented groups into regular programming
• The latter requires outreach, cultural sensitivity & awareness of specific historical, economic & social barriers faced by special populations
We need to create connectivity between our FYE programs & campus programs/services targeted to specific groups – e.g., holistic first-year experience programs
• Importance of entire campus community working together to support under-served populations & make them feel part of our communities
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Lesson #4
Need longer term resource commitment/strategies to have impact on both access and retention/student success
Need to work with communities, provide role models & mentorship opportunities, ensure adequate information
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Lesson #5 Assessment is key but … data is often difficult to
come by• Targeted communities sometimes are reluctant to self-
identify
- Makes it hard to set goals
• Difficult to assess what barriers may be and whether targeted programs and initiatives are successful
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Student Retention: Best Student Retention: Best Practice StrategiesPractice Strategies
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Academic Programs Establish specialized academic programs/
courses
• Trent University: 1st Native Studies program in North America (1969)
• Lakehead University: honours program in Aboriginal Education
• University of Manitoba: Aboriginal Business program• University of British Columbia: program in Aboriginal
Forestry & Fisheries• Confederation College: applied degree in Indigenous
Leadership & Community Development• University of Winnipeg: Indigenous Police Preparation
Diploma
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Academic Programs (cont’d) Offer courses in communities
• Dual credit programming (Red River College with Peguis and Fisher River First Nations)
Reserve seats in programs• Ensures a cohort• Provides peer support
Establish access programs• Assists students who would not otherwise qualify for
university with entrance into professional programs like engineering, nursing, social work, medicine
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Academic Preparation Create summer camps, bridging & transition
programs to help students overcome the academic, financial & motivational barriers to their success
• Fisher River First Nation (Manitoba) implemented a 9-month transition program for all students who want band to fund PSE
- Aim is to reduce drop-out rate
- Course focuses on life skills, academic upgrading & career counseling
- Students spend time in Winnipeg to prepare for transition to urban living
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Bridging & Transition Programs
• Lethbridge College: First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Transition Program
- Provides 12 students with a $12,000 scholarship to aid with finances
- Provides 3 steps to aid in transition• Course on introduction to college life (August)
• Additional course in 1st term on skills and attitudes needed for college success
• Class on leadership skills (January)
- Spiritual support from elders; help from mentors and advisors
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Bridging & Transition Programs (cont’d)
• Centennial College offers first generation students summer workshops on time management and financial planning
- Connects students with learning resource centre, tutoring, financial counseling and centre for students with disabilities
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Community Partnerships School boards, churches, First Nations
“LE,NONET” program (Salish for “success after many hardships”) at University of Victoria
• Preparation seminar
• Peer mentoring
• Research apprenticeships
• Bursaries
• Community internships
• Cultural training for staff and faculty
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Community Partnerships (cont’d) Westview Partnership: between York University and
22 public schools to encourage First Generation students to attend PSE
The Leadership Experience for Academic Directors (LEAD) program: joint effort of University of Windsor and Windsor-Essex Catholic School Board, connects at-risk students entering secondary school with 2 university student mentors
U of T’s junior track team partnered with Toronto Community Housing to provide “scholarships” to housing project youth to practice on campus
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Community Partnerships (cont’d)
Pathways to Education project started in Toronto’s Regent Park, now in 6 Canadian communities
• Tackles low ambition and low marks
• Provides mentors and tutors from Grade 9 on and $4,000 bursary on high school graduation (“learning accounts”)
- Dropout rates fell from 23%-58% in different sites
- Teen pregnancies and crime rate plummeted
- College and university enrolment almost doubled• 80% of graduates from Pathway’s original site in Regent’s
Park have gone on to PSE (2009)
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Community Outreach
Build family/community support for attending PSE
• Work with church communities in low-income areas• Place articles about programs, success stories in
community & ethnic-based publications• Create targeted web microsites
- e.g., Carleton U for Aboriginal students
Offer a family orientation program
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Financial Aid Low-income students think they can’t afford
tuition & rule themselves out before graduating from high school
• Educate prospective students and their families on costs/benefits of PSE
• Simplify financial aid & make it more transparent• Create financial aid workshops for families of middle
& high school students to build expectations for attending PSE
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Financial Aid (cont’d)
On-campus work-study programs• Shift institutional student aid to those with the
greatest financial need (need-based bursaries vs. merit scholarships)
• Targeted aid/scholarships
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Student & Academic Support Programs
Create learning communities for peer support
Foundations for Success project (funded by CMSF) offers case-managed support services & financial incentives to students at 3 Ontario colleges (Seneca, Mohawk & Confederation)
• Assesses students after admission but before begin, identifying those that would benefit from academic tutoring, mentorship & career counselling
The First Generation Program at Brock University provides both academic and personal support, which includes 1:1 help with school-related issues
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Supportive Campus Environment
Foster a welcoming campus climate to increase comfort, skills & connections among special population students & make campuses more receptive to traditionally underrepresented groups
• Establish lounges, centres, student space
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Discussion, Discussion,
Comments & QuestionsComments & Questions
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