This section contains information and reports on projects conducted in collaboration with other campus units or departments.

Preliminary Results of the

Supplemental Instruction Evaluation

Though tutorial programs have been popular on most campuses for over thirty years, these services have not, for the most part, been assessment-based.  Student assessment data from academic programs were used to develop a learning enhancement strategy, namely Supplemental Instruction (SI).  This collaborative effort among academic departments and the Academic Assistance Program of the Collegiate Support and Counseling Center is entering its second semester with encouraging results.   In addition to the traditional tutorial method of concept reinforcement, the SI program's primary focus is to teach students how to learn  domain-specific knowledge.

SI targets traditionally difficult courses--those with 30% or higher  D, F, and W rates.  SI Leaders, who have completed the course and are recommended by the instructor,  attend all classes and meet with students several times each week. 

During the 2003 fall semester, Supplemental Instruction was piloted in two baccalaureate  courses  selected from the Departments of Chemistry and Business Administration, and one course from the Community and Technical College.

The preliminary results of the SI intervention from Accounting I (BA 215) indicate that student participants (those who attended five or more SI sessions) were more actively engaged in learning than those of the non-participants.  The average final grade of  SI participants was 3.5, as compared to non-participants with an average final grade of 1.5.  The data from other courses are not yet available.

For more information about this  project contact Mr. Tom McClure at mcclure@wvstateu.edu.

Evaluation Results of the Math Tune-Up Intervention

In order to increase the success rates for students enrolled in developmental math classes, freshmen attending New Student Orientation during the summer of 2004 were offered a four-day (12-hour) mathematics refresher course. Students whose math placement scores indicated eligibility for Math 011 were invited to attend the classes at no charge. Developmental math faculty taught three sections of the class and covered some of the traditional trouble spots: fractions, order of operations, elementary algebra, and word problems. One goal was to give students who needed some review an opportunity to test out of Math 011 and into the next highest class (Math 012/013). Failing that, we also hoped that those who remained in Math 011 would at least begin the semester better prepared to successfully complete the course.

Twenty-six students attended at least three of the four days of instruction. The average test and gain scores are shown below (five students who were initially placed in Math 012 were also enrolled).

Pre- and Post-Test Scores     (N=24*)

*Two students did not have either pre- or post-test scores.

Of the nineteen students initially placed in Math 011, sixteen (84%) were eligible for Math 012 after the review. Twelve of these students enrolled in Math 012; two enrolled in Math 013. None of the students initially eligible for Math 012 improved their scores enough to enroll in Math 100 (the Tune-Up was geared to Math 011 students). All five of these students enrolled in Math 012. The grade distributions for these groups are listed in the following table.

Student Enrollment in Math 012/013            (N=19)

Fifty-seven percent of the students who tested into Math 012/013 successfully completed the class (earned A, B, or C). During the 2002 fall semester 45% of all students enrolled in Math 012 successfully completed the course. Only 40% of the students who pre- and post-tested into Math 012 were successful. The gain scores for these students were also not as dramatic as those initially placed in Math 011.

Another goal of the program was to give students who did not test up into Math 012 a better chance to do well in Math 011. The following table lists the grade distribution for these students.

Student Enrollment in Math 011       (N=3)

Two of the three students successfully completed Math 011. During the fall 2002 semester just about the same proportion of all students (68%) enrolled in Math 011 was successful.

Preliminary Findings and Recommendations:

Though the sample is too small for statistically significant findings, it does appear that the review course was helpful to those students who tested up from Math 011 into Math 012 or 013. Their success rates in these classes were better than the success rates for all students enrolled in the same classes during the 2002 fall semester. The twelve-hour math review was an adequate substitute for an entire semester of Math 011. Success rates for those who remained in Math 011 were similar to those of students enrolled in the same class in 2002. That they might have done worse, without the review, than the average student is only a possibility.

These findings also give credence to the assumption that many students who place in Math 011 can, with a brief review of selected topics, move on to complete Math 012 successfully. Preliminary results indicate that the math review class should be offered again to gather additional data.

The grade distribution for those five students initially eligible for Math 012, but, who nevertheless enrolled in the Tune-up course, was remarkably bi-modal; an A and a B, versus two Fs and a D. Though it’s difficult to make an unequivocal recommendation, there is some inclination at this point to discourage Math 012-eligible students from enrolling. Follow-up interviews at the end of the semester might help identify some of the reasons for the performance variables among these students.

There are many obvious risk factors for students enrolled in developmental math classes: inadequate math backgrounds, lack of persistence, unclear academic goals, boredom, unrealistic expectations, and so on. We also assume that inaccurate placements can contribute to the high failure rates of students enrolled in these classes. The Accuplacer specifies a range rather than a precise cut-off score for class placement. This allows students with indeterminate placements to make their own decisions based on other variables—length of time since their last math class, expected employment or family responsibilities, etc. Since most are disappointed, and many resentful, at being placed in developmental classes, they may not be disposed to give these factors sufficient consideration. Students tend to begrudge the unwanted delay developmental classes represent and are quick to minimize the damage by choosing the highest level course permissible. If we expect students to realistically weigh these subjective factors, consultation with an instructor or counselor will likely be required.

For more information about this  project contact Mr. Tom McClure at mcclure@wvstateu.edu.

Student Athlete Needs Assessment

(NCAA-CHAMPS Life Skills Program)

The CHAMPS Life Skills Program is a comprehensive program designed to serve the needs of student athletes. This report summarizes the assessed needs of these students. During the 2003 spring semester fifty-five student athletes completed a NCAA survey to assess their level of need for education or programming in each of twenty different areas addressed by the survey.  The top five educational programming needs were as follows:

1. Depression and Grief—sometimes feel overwhelmed with grief; don’t know how they will deal with the end of athletic careers; don’t know where to seek help with depression and grief.
 

2. Academic Advising—little contact with academic advisor; no clear idea of curricular requirements for a degree; poor academic advising.
 

3. Diversity—don’t understand tolerance vs. acceptance; think prejudice is a proper response to those who are prejudiced toward them; don’t understand their role in helping others to overcome prejudice.
 

4. Self-Esteem—feel like failures after losing an athletic contest; long recovery periods are required after setbacks.
 

5. Orientation and Placement—fundamental academic skills were not adequately evaluated; don’t know what to expect as a student athlete; don’t know how to access athletic department services (trainers, tutors, equipment, and support services).
 

Though these results do not necessarily mean that students will be more likely to attend programs in these areas, they do suggest that students recognize their own lack of knowledge or are dissatisfied with services. Some of these areas, like Advising and Orientation/Placement, may be difficult to address directly, since these services are provided by other departments on campus. On the other hand, student athletes’ dissatisfaction may be partially due to their own failure to take advantage of the services that do exist. Though diversity programs and counseling, for example, are available, student athletes may not know much about them. These services need to be promoted among student athletes.

Alcohol and addictive behavior, eating disorders, manners and etiquette, and sexual responsibility were ranked at the bottom of the list. Though this would indicate less need for these types of programs, it could also indicate that students overestimate their knowledge of these issues. In any case, the differences in their perceptions of need for each of the twenty components were very small. Even differences between males and females and among different classifications of students, were minor. It’s certainly helpful to have programs for which student athletes have expressed an interest, but just about any of these topics offer good educational opportunities.
 

For more information about this survey project contact Mr. Tom McClure at mcclure@wvstateu.edu.

Campus-Wide Substance Abuse Survey

(Biennial Review)

The West Virginia Task Force on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse obtained a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund an alcohol and drug survey done yearly on college campuses nationwide.  WVSU and fourteen other institutions of higher education in West Virginia participated in the survey.  Twenty-seven classes were randomly chosen and surveys were administered to nearly 400 WVSU enrolled students during the 2004 spring semester.  Selected WVSU survey results are tabulated on the following pages along with statewide and national data.  WVSU CORE survey results from 1990 and 1999 are also available.  These data were not, however, based on random samples, nor were a sufficient number of students surveyed to permit accurate comparisons. 

v  WVSU students report drinking less alcohol and less often than do students statewide or nationally. 

v  WVSU students report less marijuana use than do students statewide or nationally.