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A PURPOSEFUL & INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO ENGAGING SOPHOMORES
Dan Stypa & Jenna Schwartz
Session Outline
Review of the Literature & Theory Review data collected from 2 universities Designing your own Sophomore Year
Experience Implications for Practice Different approaches to address
sophomore needs
We want to hear from YOU!
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The “Sophomore Slump”
Feeling as though they are forgotten, sophomores begin to experience the sophomore slump, a period when students “…[experience] a small number of special programs, few contacts with major professors, few positions of campus leadership, and little attention”
(Pattengale & Schreiner, 2000)
Sophomores report feeling a lack of… satisfaction with faculty interactions commitment to academic major satisfaction with academic advising leadership opportunities support from student affairs professionals
(Finning-Kwoka, et al., 2007)
Supporting Research
Key aspects of the sophomore year that are important to promote persistence
Faculty engagement Involvement Supportive relationships Intentional programming
(Gohn et al., 2001 and Pattengale & Schreiner, 2000)
Given the proper support and challenge, campus environments can be created to positively influence outcomes such as learning and persistence
Theoretical Framework
Astin’s (1993) College Impact Model Simple explanation for a complex phenomenon (the effect of
experiences on college student outcomes) Retention and Persistence (outcomes) is a function of the
Expectations (inputs) and Experiences (environment) The relationship between the inputs and the environment has an
influence on the outcome Given the proper support and challenge, environments can
be created to positively influence outcomes such as learning & persistence.
Astin’s theory grounded this research and supports assertions about the role of positive relationships between the expectations and experiences of sophomores on persistence.
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Institution 1
Large, research I university of 25,000 in the Southeast
Sent electronically to all 1,200 residential sophomores
Assessed four key areas: Students’ relationships with faculty Commitment to major Perceptions of university services Self-identified issues that sophomores experienced
These areas were assessed based on prior research to determine its applicability to its sophomores
Institution 1
Survey results (N=190) suggest the importance and need for formal programs & services for sophomores 36%: Did not believe faculty was
committed to sophomore success 53%: Found it difficult to make a
connection between courses and academic major
73%: Struggle managing time during their sophomore year
Institution 2
Large, research I university of 48,000 in the South
10 questions Sent to students sophomore and above
Used Google forms Sent via email
Reminder emails 62 out of 250 responded
Classification
8%
29%
26%
27%
10%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Fourth Year
Fourth Year +
Year
in s
ch
oo
l
Number of participants
How was your overall satisfaction with your Sophomore year?
19%
45%
32%
4%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
ExceedsExpectations
MeetsExpectations
Neutral
Did Not MeetExpectations
Sati
sfa
cti
on
Percent
57%
56%
55%
47%
31%
26%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Getting Involved
Academics
Career Exploration
Meeting New People
Finding out who you are
Feeling Connected to USF
Percent
An
swer
Ch
oic
es
Which of the following programing topics would have been the most helpful to you in your Sophomore year?
Institution 2
In scheduling future programs, what topics are of most interest to you?
66%
63%
61%
50%
47%
45%
41%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Internships
Networking
Study Abroad
Campus Activities
Meeting New People
Academics
Career Exploration
An
sw
er
Ch
oic
es
Percent
What type of programs might you attend?
79%
79%
55%
50%
40%
37%
2%
2%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Movies
Hands On Activities
Sports
Discussions
On-Going Projects
Lectures
Community Service
None
An
sw
er
Ch
oic
es
Percent
What would be the best way to advertise our events to you?
79%
77%
77%
65%
15%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Flyers
Big Signs
Personal Letter
An
sw
er
Ch
oic
es
Percent
Institution 2
One focus group with 7 students 4 Sophomores 2 Juniors 1 Senior
4 women and 3 men
Institution 2
What was your freshman year like? Unaware and uninvolved Involved and social
What was your sophomore year like? Social, stability, involved, academic
improvement Social and academic decline More personal responsibility Confidence
Institution 2
What are some issues that sophomores face? Career choices, purpose, identity development Financial and personal responsibility Academic decline
What issues did you face that you did not expect? Uncertainty Abandoned Lacking ability
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Design your own SYE/Sophomore LLC
In your plan, consider these factors: Programmatic Initiatives
Faculty, campus resources/office, active vs. passive
Intentionality vs. Informal social programming Curricular options/SYE course options
Creating buy-in both by students and the institution Advertising, Marketing, Publicizing Connection to campus strategic planning
Budget/Funding Partnerships, collaborations, not “reinventing
the wheel”
Sharing what you learned What programmatic elements did you
include in your SYE/LLC? Why/how would sophomores benefit
from your new SYE/LLC? How does your SYE/LLC tie into your
institution type/mission?
Why does this matter for sophomores?
Emphasis on First Year Experience Just because they’re done with their 1st year doesn’t mean they are
necessarily acclimated to the campus and expectations associated with the sophomore year
Sophomore Slump Influencing persistence & retention Impact on academic preparedness and success
Student engagement and involvement Getting sophomores involved and active on campus Keep them living on-campus & invested in their residential
experience Second Year as the Stepping Stone to Success
Getting students to think bigger picture Reflection to help guide their future pursuits (career, personal,
etc.)
“Learn MORE. Achieve MORE. sophoMORE.” at Institution 1
Primary Goal: Through education, connect sophomores to
the existing resources at the university Methods of Reaching Sophomores:
Targeted mailings Sophomore website Interactive sophoMORE workshops Engaging “Welcome Week” programs Sophomore Academic Success Workshops
Sophomore LLC at Institution 2 Living and Learning Communities (LLCs) Housing and Residential Education Maximum capacity of residential spaces
in 2010-2011 Looking to next year…
Creating a Campus Culture
Ensuring that many campus constituencies are included in planning & implementing: Student Success Center Career Center Study Abroad Housing/Residence Life Office of the Provost Graduate Student in Student Affairs program Academic Advising
Limitations of data collection One focus group at one institution More survey responses from both
institutions Incentives, more reminders, paper copies
Avoid all non-sophomore responses in surveys
View responses based on demographic group/classification to look for trends
Limited sample size due to access issues
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Reflection & Processing
How can you apply this information back at your institution?
Any general questions?
Resources
Astin, A. W. (1993). What Matters in College? Four Critical Years Revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Finning-Kwoka, S.M., Clayton, J., & Newman, J. (2007, November). Evidenced-based sophomore year experience program development. Presented at the 14th Annual National Conference on Students in Transition.
Gohn, L., Swartz, J., & Donnelly, S. (2001). A case study of second year student persistence. Journal of College Student Retention, 2, 271-294.
Pattengale, J. & Schreiner, L. A. (2000). What is the sophomore slump and why should we care? In L. A. Schreiner & J. Pattengale (Eds.), Visible
solutions for invisible students: Helping sophomores succeed (Monograph No. 31) (pp. vviii). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
