how can libraries help

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how can libraries help?
Retaining Distance Students from diverse
groups in higher education
Thomas Abbott, Dean of Libraries and Distance
Learning, University of Maine at Augusta
Merodie Hancock, Vice President/Executive
Director, Off-Campus Programs, Central Michigan
University Kathleen Walsh, Interim Provost and
formerly Dean of the Library, National-Louis
University

• Engagement, Diversity the Role of the Library

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A Matter of Retention

• Planned, organized and active engagement of
  students in the college environment and culture
  results in greater retention, higher student
  success as well as improved faculty satisfaction.

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Diversity Comes in Many Forms

• Maine 3 minority population
• University Systems 7 campuses 6 minority
  students
• University of Maine at Augustas profile
• Non-residential 2 major campuses and 10
  Centers statewide
• Average age 34
• 74 women
• 57 all students are first generation
• 72 qualify for federal financial aid
• 95 work at least one job
• 40 take at least one course at a distance

4
Students First
In UMAs 45 years of existence, weve built
programs and services around the needs of our
students where you should begin to
design for student success and retention.
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Libraries and Librarians

• can do more to actively engage students in the
  library and across campus

• Understand why student retention is important
• Expand the librarys scope of influence on campus
• Influence curriculum
• Add to the campus social and intellectual
  environment
• Meet students where they are especially
  technologically
• Add value to teaching experience for faculty
• Support undergraduate student research beyond the
  usual

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One Administrators Perspective

• Enrollment Management

• What is it?
• Recruitment and retention of the desired student
  body
• Into the desired programs
• Why do we care?
• Mission first
• Economics fortunately support the mission
• How do we do it?
• Population dependent
• Work in progress

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Understanding the Environment - Challenges

• Student Perspective

• Faculty Perspective

• Out of the groove
• No natural support groups
• Not aware of resources
• Faculty access and responsiveness
• Nervousness

• Student diversity and preparedness
• Workload
• Student interaction
• Integrity
• Intellectual Property
• Acceptability

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Understanding the Environment - Opportunities

• Student Perspective

• Faculty Perspective

• Flexibility
• Choice/Access
• Anonymity
• Student Diversity/Breadth
• Increased engagement
• Record of all inputs for later review

• Flexibility
• Higher class run rates
• Real-time access to resources
• New territory
• Greater student perspectives

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Librarians and EM

• Establish Relevance for Teaching and Learning

• Understand the online /distance environment
• Become innovators and learning technology experts
• Address the IP issues, laws and current practices
• Identify models of desirable student interaction
• Go above and beyond to make effective teaching
  and learning easy
• Enhance research levels and support

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Librarians and EM

• Establish Relevance with Institutional
  Effectiveness

• Become a part of data driven decisions
• The only sustainable decision construct
• Need to create ways to get data in future
• Limited resources and increasing focus on
  measurable outcomes will make it critical for
  libraries to continuously create their cases
  within this dynamic environment
• Create the library case study in the
  digital/virtual age

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Librarians and EM

• Establish Relevance Across the University

• Cant be a silo, Admin wants partnerships
• Writing Center, Faculty Development,
  Instructional Technologies, IR, program planning,
  etc
• Think proactive (e.g. push out services and
  support to students vs. pull where they reach
  out to you when they feel the need)
• Create and promote the value-add scenario
• In the end, its an economic decision (e.g.
  linkage of student success to investment made)

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Librarians and EM

• Establish Relevance Across the University

• Cant be a silo, admin wants partnerships
• Think proactive (e.g. push out services and
  support to students AND faculty vs. pull where
  they reach out to you when they feel the need)
• Create and promote the value-add scenarios
• In the end, its an economic decision make
  librarians an integral part of the future in
  online learning

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Some thoughts fromNational-Louis University
Library

• Even as colleges are talking more about
  retention, rates are dropping. and that means
• The institution loses revenue
• Enrollment has to work
• much harder
• just to maintain steady state
• The institution
• cant deliver on its mission
• as well as it might

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Prevailing retention models

• Vincent Tinto
• From first experience, establish learning
  communities
• High expectations
• Strong advising
• Academic, social, personal support directly
  connected to overall experience
• Frequent contact
• Active, collaborative learning

• George D. Kuh
• Intervene early, follow up at transition points
• Multiple support networks (communicate
  frequently)
• Early warning systems
• Safety nets
• Active connection
• Engage students in through deep learning (per
  NSSE DEEP Learning Study)

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NLU quick sketch Founded in Chicago,1886
by kindergarten pioneer Elizabeth
Harrison Social justice mission Distributed /
originated field cohort models 1970s Median
student age 38 Headcount 12,500 / FTE
4,500 Undergrad 25 / grad 75
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NLU 2009 beyond

• Increasingly diverse
• Increasingly urban
• 1st-gen college students
• Community responsive
• Niche programs
• Distributed digital

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NLU data point year-to-year retention

• Undergrad retention 2002-2007 improving (up 8)
• strategic decision to end under-enrolled
  programs this increase in retention accompanies
  a decline in enrollment
• Grad retention 2002-2007 consistent within range
  of 2
• grad ed programs courses are historically NLUs
  core, but overall grad retention is suppressed
  by MAT certification completers
• After 3 years, only 6 of students who stop out
  for more than a year return.

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NLU data pointsfocus group market research
indicators

• Library is rarely or never mentioned in students
  comments or market research results
• Service quality including library services is
  not a major factor in students decision to stay
  or leave
• Noel-Levitz Adult Student Priorities Survey 2006
  2008
• NLU departing student exit interviews 2006
  present
• AQIP Examiner Feedback Report 2007
• Lipman-Hearne survey of prospective students 2004
  2006
• Peryam Kroll market research survey 2004 2006

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Does NLU Library in facthave any direct effect
on student retention?

• NLU data dont support that conclusion.

• Instead, NLU data indicate clearly that students
  stop / drop out because
• runs out
• Life circumstances interfere
• They dont need any more courses
• Theyre in academic trouble

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For NLU Library,the picture looks discouraging
EXCEPT

• NLUs annual Graduating Student Survey ranks the
  Library far above any other student service in
  terms of student satisfaction
• 80 ranked Library 1 in years 2003 2007
• In other words, the Library is doing something
  that students value very much even if it does
  not directly affect their decision to stay or
  leave.
• And in 2009, NLU Library began offering credit
  courses toward lifelong digital information
  fluency.

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• So where is the Librarys opportunity to affect
  retention?

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Maybe thats the wrong question to ask.

• Maybe we need to refocus around the librarys
  essential mission lifelong, independent
  learning.
• If we did see improvement in retention as a
  result of value added by the library, what would
  it look like? Would we know it if we saw it?
• (And beware the tendency to conflate library
  services with student services)

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Maybe one opportunity would look likethe
Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21)
initiative
13 states have signed on to date. Lifelong indepen
dent learning is a core component.
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Next steps, or,moving the ball down the field

• At your institution
• Be at the table so library people can influence
  top-level institutional goals planning
• Trendspot
• Partner, internally externally
• Assess continuously measure results act on
  data
• Translate being digital into value for students
• Across the profession
• Case studies might help define library
  contributions???