Paying for college:
• Rob Winningham, Interim Provost, 503-838-8297, winninr@wou.edu • Experiential Learning Strategic Action Team members: o Adry Clark, Service Learning & Career Development, 503-838-8648, clarka@wou.edu o David Foster, Psychological Sciences, 503-838-8805, fosterd@wou.edu o Ava Howard, Biology, 503-838-8702, howarda@wou.edu o Lars Soderlund, English, 503-838-8325, soderlundl@wou.edu o Maureen Dolan, Sociology, 503-838-8292, dolanm@wou.edu o Kathryn Plummer, Service Learning & Career Development, 503-838-8041, plummerk@wou.edu o Ermie Buncal, International Education and Development, 503-838-8508, buncale@wou.edu • Erin Baumgartner, Interim Associate Provost, Academic Programs/Professor, Biology, 503-838-8348 | baumgare@wou.edu • Becka Morgan, Computer Science, Chair, Integrative Learning PLC, 503-838-8964, morganb@wou.edu • Gregory Zobel, Education & Leadership, Executive Director, Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences, (PURE), 503-838-8728, zobelg@wou.edu • Rob Findtner, Admissions, 503-838-8601, findtnr@wou.edu • Tina Fuchs, Associate Dean Student Affairs Division, Dean of Students, Housing, 503-838-8220, fuchst@wou.edu
We are proposing initiatives that support President Fuller’s goals for increased enrollment and retention, and will make transformative educational experiences more affordable to students. High Impact Practices (HIP) and Experiential Learning (EL) are highly correlated with retention according to NSSE, and evidence shows prospective students are attracted to universities that offer hands-on learning. At the same time, the cost of participation in EL can be prohibitive to students and for programs to be effective, they require capacity and institutional support. EL is defined as learning from experience or learning by doing. Learners are immersed in an experience and then encouraged to reflect about the experience to develop new skills, new attitudes, or new ways of thinking. Service learning, internships, research, independent study, creative projects and study abroad are examples. Offering effective EL requires capacity building and thoughtful design. WOU is currently at the beginning stages of forming an accessible experiential learning program, but lack of capacity, institutional and financial barriers to students, and lack of staffing prohibits progress. The Strategic Plan’s Values section commits WOU to “Connecting students with communities through engagement in service, experiential learning, creative problem-solving opportunities and co-curricular collaborations.” We propose investing in initiatives that build on current programs, such as PURE and Alternative Break, develops faculty and staff capacity to design an experiential learning environment at WOU, and minimize barriers to student participation. In summer of 2018, Interim Provost, Rob Winningham, approved requests to fund bringing EL experts on campus, who would help provide a framework for designing an EL environment at WOU. He also agreed to fund subsequent showcases and workshops. These efforts need to be complemented by sending faculty and staff for more in depth training and for building incentives for EL pilot programs. Finally, WOU needs to start to build infrastructure to support EL efforts more systemically. Proposed one-time initiatives for funding - total $18,000: 1. Send a small group of faculty and staff to an Experiential Learning Leadership Institute in Utah in June, 2019 (registration and travel $8,000) 2. Create pilot EL programs for Fall, 2019 ($10,000 for seed grants in 2019-20 AY budget) To make EL at WOU more affordable and increase access to EL, we propose the following annual funding - total $40,000: 1. Increase access to community engagement by providing $10,000 annually to run three regional Alternative Spring Breaks 2. Increase access to external internships: Provide $10,000 annually to augment Internship Fund, which provides competitive grants for internship 3. Increase access to undergraduate research – Provide $20,000 annually for research related travel, for Sophomores and Juniors to increase their engagement and investment in working with WOU faculty. In order to facilitate EL efforts we request ongoing investment in labor and operation cost - $73,000 a. $8,000 for student labor to support Academic Excellence Showcase operations as well as expanding PURE’s outreach to students through the year. Student work is more affordable than the 80-120 hours of labor current professional staff and librarians invest in helping make AES happen. b. $2,000 administrative and outreach costs c. $63,000 for 1.0 fte Experiential Learning Program coordinator Total request $131,000.00
While the greatest impact will be student success, this requests most directly addresses priory III. Community Engagement. This proposal seeks funding to lay a foundation for accomplishing the following initiatives: 1. Enhance access to and support for experiential learning and cocurricular activities. 1.1 Adopt experiential learning guidelines and align high-impact practices with these guidelines. 1.2 Articulate internship or service learning opportunities for all academic programs. 1.3 Develop experiential and co-curricular activities that provide appropriate accommodations for faculty, staff and students. 2. Increase institutional engagement with local, regional and global communities. 2.1 Increase support for student engagement in community service. 2.2 Provide professional development for faculty and staff to promote engagement in community service. WOU’s mission is clear in its commitment to personalized and transformative learning; experiential learning epitomizes this mission. Experiential Learning also takes advantage of one of WOU’s key advantages: low student-faculty ratios. All pillars in the strategic plan support the creation of an EL program, but outside of Community Engagement, the most prominent are o Student Success (1.1 – 1.3, 3.1 – 3.3, 4.4) o Academic Excellence (1.2, 2.2, 2.4, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1-5.4)
WOU Students will be the primary beneficiaries of our initiative. EL/HIP is highly correlated with retention (NSSE) and graduation, and our students will be enriched by the transformative experiences they will gain. WOU as an institution, will benefit from increase in enrollment as prospective students will be attracted to the hands-on opportunities, such as undergraduate research, internships, and service. Students on Alternative Breaks or internships are often prominently featured in outreach materials, in order to showcase WOU as a school with exciting opportunities to grow and excel. Students participating in AES develop their professional knowledge, communication, and presentation skills. They also hone their scholarship. A strong EL program will make WOU stand out from other universities in Oregon and position it well, particularly with our target first generation population, that might be attracted to applied experience that prepares them for careers and civic life post graduation. Faculty and staff will also benefit from building their capacity for rewarding, innovative and interdisciplinary teaching and student development methods. The local and Oregon community will benefit from a well prepared workforce and engaged citizenry of our interns, volunteers and graduates.
To support the strategic plan, the President’s priorities of affordability, enrollment and retention, and the General Education Program’s goal of Integrated learning, the following measurable outcomes guide this work:
Outcome 1, Affordability
Outcome 1.1 Upwards of 75 students will participate in high impact learning experiences
Assessment
• AB –Up to thirty students will participate for free or reduced cost
• Internship grant would allow 3-5 students to participate in meaningful and high-profile internships in sectors that typically only offer unpaid internships, such as art, science, entertainment and government/legislative
• Upwards of 40 students supported to participate in research related travel and experiences
Outcome 1.2 As a result of Integrating EL into required courses EL is affordable
Assessment
The number of stipends awarded and courses developed will be recorded. Demographic data will be gathered on students in EL aligned courses prior to stimulating course development and after. The goal is to see a higher proportion of students in all demographics, but especially underrepresented groups accessing EL.
Based on survey of faculty in 2017, EL integrated into courses is rare at WOU. The survey will be repeated to determine if there has been a shift.
Outcome 1.3 Systemic approach enrolls more students in currently available EL
Assessment
Departments and programs will track participation rate between current and future practice.
Outcome 2, Increased Enrollment
EL will attract first gen increasing enrollment.
Assessment
Might be hard to assess now, students and parents can be surveyed to gauge interest
Outcome 3, Increased Retention
EL highly correlated with retention, as students find experience meaningful and develop greater sense of belonging at the institution.
Assessment
Analyzing demographics of participants
Outcome 4, Faculty Capacity Will Increase
Outcome 4.1 Faculty will have EL expertise, training in best practice and support, resulting in increased offerings of courses that incorporate EL.
Assessment
Departments and programs, as well as Curriculum Council, will track
Outcome 4.2 Faculty gain EL capacity through training on and off campus
Assessment
Follow up surveys compared to faculty surveys from 2017 and 2018 to see shift
Outcome 4.3 Faculty have access to institutional support via EL Coordinator/part-time faculty, and student employees
Assessment
Follow up surveys compared to faculty surveys from 2017 and 2018 to see shift
Outcome 4.4 FYS and GenEd courses will incorporate best practice EL pedagogy
Assessment
Courses will be assessed against developed guidelines and metrics, including checklists and rubrics
Outcome 4.5 Integrative Learning courses are aligned with EL best practice
Assessment
Courses will be assessed against developed guidelines and metrics, including checklists and rubrics.
Outcome 4.6 Faculty reports greater satisfaction with more impactful pedagogy of EL
Assessment
Faculty EL follow up survey
Outcome 5, WOU has a definition for Experiential Learning
WOU currently does not have an official definition for EL, making conversations and goal setting problematic.
Assessment
WOU creates a definition of EL officially recognized by President and a published statement would qualify as accomplishment of outcome.
Outcome 6, Socially Just EL Practices
Current EL practices at WOU disadvantage students who lack social and financial capital.
Assessment
Practices are assessed for accessibility, affordability, transparency of process
Outcome 7, Experiential Learning Coordinator will implement Task Force plan and initiatives
Assessment
Taskforce will outline specific plans, initiatives and outcomes that are tracked and monitored
The proposed timeline is informed by suggested steps from EEA faculty Patrick Clarke and Todd Petersen, who visited WOU and provided consultation and training in November, 2018. Exploratory phase - Winter 2017 - Fall 2019 Starting in Winter 2017 - Ad Hoc committee on EL, consisting of reps from SLCD, PURE, International Programs, and interested faculty, met several times to discuss collaboration to advance EL on campus. Spring 2017 - EL Budget Proposal was submitted with request similar to this one. Winter 2018 - Surveys conducted of Div Chairs on current practices and EL offerings, student access, and rate of participation working definitions. Results revealed lack of common understanding of EL, and indicated need for training on EL and support in form of time and financial resources. Spring 2018 - Survey of WOU faculty was conducted on practices, interests, capacity and need. When asked what support faculty needed to effectively apply EL pedagogy, the top results were Logistics, Community Connections, and Planning. Faculty were also asked in what areas they would most like training, and the results indicated Community Connection Building, EL Pedagogy, and Reflection Design as top priorities. Nov 2018 - Faculty from the NSEE’s Academy visited to provide consultation and information on a model of EL. Faculty and staff had opportunities to explore program and assignment design. Take-away: WOU is in a good position to undertake an institutional EL program as it is already part of the Strategic Plan. The focus on Social Justice and upward mobility is meaningful to faculty and staff, and aligns well with EL’s correlation with career readiness and retention. Integrative Learning GLO positions EL effectively in GenEd and FYS programs. Winter and Spring 2019 - EL WOU CiP intern hired to assist with exploration of EL practices at other institutions is underway by EL WOU CiP intern, under supervision of Director of SLCD. Input Phase Spring 2019 - Showcase will provide info on practices at WOU, presents different models at other institutions, brief presentations by faculty and students on experience with EL, and gathering of thoughts by attendees Spring 2019 - Survey of graduating students on career readiness and gap Spring 2019 - Focus groups of graduating students on career readiness and gap, to learn about their needs and concerns Fall 2020, and Spring 20121- Post-conference showcases will allow faculty and staff to learn from conf attendees about models, pedagogy and experiences, and provide input into possible program design at WOU. Training and capacity building Fac/staff will attend conferences and workshops offered by the NSEE (fall 2019 and 2020) and ELLI Winter and Spring 2020 and 2021. Fall 2020, and Spring 2021- Post-conference showcases will allow faculty and staff to learn from conference attendees about models, pedagogy and experiences. Faculty and staff will conduct pilot programs for possible interdivisional collaboration, related to community connections, resources, and consultation; access and affordability efforts related to desired demographics; and experimental pedagogy. Formulate a task force or institutional structure tasked with establishing an EL program This step is contingent on outcomes from training, input and experimental efforts. It is likely that EL will reside with the General Education Program, as incorporating EL into GenEd makes it most likely that every WOU student will participate in at least one EL activity. Task force is given authority to write a White Paper on creating an EL program at WOU. Task force hires EL Coordinator to implement plan and accomplish goals - see above for draft of coordinator roles. Once a program is established, ideally within three years, it will continue to require fortitude and strong administrative backing.
The EL Strategic Action Team has discussed a variety of possible scenarios for accomplishing the EL initiatives of the Strategic Plan. While our ideal is listed above the following options will some of the initiative to move forward. Focus on holistic approach Option 1 $83,000, $40,000 EL Student Affordability $18,000 Faculty Capacity building (one time) $8,000 Student Employment for implementing initiatives and current programs $2,000 Administrative and outreach costs $15,000 .20 faculty fte (replaces EL Coordinator) Option 2 $68,000 Option 1, excluding .25 faculty fte. Process will be managed by EL SAT, then task force. Focus on faculty training/capacity building Option 3 $25,000.00 a year for the next three years. Funds trainings, program development stipends, and a .25 faculty fte to coordinate development of academic EL program(s). Funds are overseen by Director of General Education program. This option does not address affordability for students and is focused solely on Academic Affairs. Option 4 $10,000 seed money to be overseen by the GenEd Committee to foster and support study of EL on campus. Focus on Affordability Option 5 To make EL at WOU more affordable and increase access to EL, we propose the following annual funding - total $40,000: 1. Increase access to community engagement by providing $10,000 annually to run three regional Alternative Spring Breaks 2. Increase access to external internships: Provide $10,000 annually to augment Internship Fund, which provides competitive grants for internship 3. Increase access to undergraduate research – Provide $20,000 annually for research related travel, for Sophomores and Juniors to increase their engagement and investment in working with WOU faculty. Focus on Faculty and Program Support Option 6 In order to facilitate EL efforts we request ongoing investment in labor and operation cost - $58,000-73,000 a. $8,000 for student labor to support Academic Excellence Showcase operations as well as expanding PURE’s outreach to students through the year. Student work is more affordable than the 80-120 hours of labor current professional staff and librarians invest in helping make AES happen. b. $2,000 administrative and outreach costs c. $63,000 for .66 fte Experiential Learning Program coordinator or $15,000 part time faculty fte. Other Sources of Funding Service Learning & Career Development staff has on numerous occasions pitched to WOU Foundation Board and Gift Officers to generate funding for EL efforts, to make Alternative Break and internships more affordable to students. That effort has not been successful, thus far. This approach will still be pursued, but it is not a reliable source of funding.
Not Applicable
Creating an EL program at WOU is something that will take fortitude to overcome several challenges. The greatest challenges are the following: Institutional resistance to holistic and systemic approaches and changes. The adverse impact is temporary, especially if enough time and effort is spent on gathering input and giving voice. A program that is division and program agnostic would be a new approach at WOU. We have a successful example of a systemic approach in the the General Education Program. While that program, is strictly an Academic Affairs program, the model now exists to engage in this level of change and provides the opportunity to expand it beyond Academic Affairs. Initial workload on faculty and staff to learn about EL and design assignments, programs and assessments Some of this might be mitigated with training, stipends and course release. Perspectives might change after benefits of job satisfaction and strong outcomes are evident. Students perceiving EL as extra load. Students may lack awareness of EL as beneficial to their learning and career readiness, and therefore resist this effort. All depends on framing of concept and availability of resources to assist. Over the next year, every stakeholder will be consulted using multiple methods, such as focus groups, surveys, showcases, and division and senate meetings. For this program to be successful in the long run, it needs to reflect WOU’s unique culture, needs and resources.
Affordability for Students Current EL practices are inequitable and favor students with social and cultural capital. Providing scholarships, stipends and financial assistance to access educational experiences provides equity and socially just approaches to education, and is consistent with the equity lens of WOU’s strategic plan. With further training, capacity building and campus input, the ELSAT will explore ways to make EL accessible and affordable, including possibly integrate EL into GenEd courses. Training to develop capacity to deliver quality EL Training is necessary for designing and delivering EL. Surveys of faculty reveal lack of knowledge about EL as a pedagogy and practice. To create guidelines and a working definition of EL, expertise is required. To build a community of inclusive excellence build on best practice, faculty and staff need to build capacity. Staffing - Implementation Making EL available for every student at WOU, will take extensive effort, expertise and time. Faculty may not have the time required or skills like logistics to arrange for external experiences. A designated staff member and student employment will be required. Potential roles for Experiential Learning Coordinator, to be developed further after significant community input and program design: Provide administrative assistance, logistics and community connections to faculty utilizing EL Assist in creating EL guidelines and resources Provide training and support for faculty and staff interested in starting or enhancing EL courses and programs. Work with programs to align existing EL and HIP initiatives with EL definition and guidelines Initiate and oversee faculty/staff learning communities to continue professional development and further exploration related to EL and HIP Develop a framework for assessment of EL and HIP based on Kolb's experiential learning style theory and NSEE Eight EL Principles. Aggregate assessment data and provide a report to administration. Develop advising materials for advisors to use in guiding students towards EL/HIP participation Possibly develop a proposal for faculty curriculum committee pertaining to a course “designator” for EL courses (similar to D, W, or Q), which reflect standards developed. Interface with administration and the collective bargaining team to review and connect to incentivized models for faculty to develop and run EL courses such as the current by-arrangement course credit banking. Expand successful programs associated with funding/scholarships for students engaged in EL at WOU. Develop a partnership framework on and off campus.
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