Faculty-Student Interactions Outside of the

Classroom

Jessica PenseComplex Director

University of Oregon

Introduction

Who am I?Why am I interested in faculty-

student interactions?What is going on with faculty at the

University of Oregon?

Agenda

Why is faculty-student interaction so important?

What is hindering the interaction?Programs at the UOUO ResearchStrategiesIdea Sharing

Importance for Students

Learning and personal development increases: Interest in pursuing a career Cognitive skills

problem solving ability to evaluate

Grades Degree completion Satisfaction with college

(Golde & Pribbenow, 2000)

Importance for Faculty

Academic Preparation of students Get to know students Can help with teaching

Seeing the student as more than just a note taker

What are common themes…what are the students struggling with?

Less is known about how faculty benefit

(Golde & Pribbenow, 2000)

What Hinders Interaction for Students? First year students may spend more time focusing on

building social relationships before academic relationships

Size of institution and class They knew interacting with faculty would benefit

them, but said they didn’t need help May not see value unless it is for the subject matter

Didn’t think they could go for anything other than subject matter

It may be unclear what faculty can provide and how to initiate contact

Perceptions of faculty Faculty = distance, anxiety, intimidation New friends = comfort, security

(Vianden, 2006)

What Hinders Interaction for Faculty?Faculty are strongly tied to their

discipline and may feel disconnected from the university (Barefoot, Gardner, & Upcraft, 2005)

Faculty who are called upon often can be prone to burn out (Golde & Pribbenow, 2000)

Not rewarded (tenure) (Golde & Pribbenow, 2000)

Cultural barrier (Golde & Pribbenow, 2000)

Programs at the UO Involving Faculty Walton Advisory Board & Hamilton Think

Tank (WAB/HTT) Faculty in residence Supernova Assistant Director for Academic Initiatives Take a faculty to lunch program Academic Advising in the residence halls Dean’s list dinner Academic Initiatives Quality Circle Residential Freshmen Interest Groups (FIG)

Research at the UO

Focuses on faculty teaching in the Living Learning Center that are not associated with a Freshman Interest Group (FIG)

Consists of one 30-45 minute interview Location decided by faculty Tape recorded

Why Research Faculty?

Residential facilities are being built all over the country with the focus of supporting the academic mission of their institutions by including: Classrooms Academic meeting space Study space Social gathering space

The combining of student’s residential life with academic life is essential for student learning and success.

To gain a faculty perspective on interactions within a residential community and how that may differ from an academic community.

Faculty perspective will offer student affairs professionals’ insight into how to: Nurture relationships with faculty Provide space where faculty and students can engage in informal

interactions

Research Objectives

To gain an understanding of faculty perception of interacting with students outside of the classroom.

To learn more about faculty perceptions that will be used in training student affairs professionals on creating and maintaining faculty partnerships within the residence halls.

To share knowledge with faculty and student affairs that will aid in fostering successful living learning environments that promotes student learning and success.

Interview Questions

Please tell me what you thought when you knew/found out that you were going to be teaching in the Living Learning Center.

Please tell me what living and learning means to you.

Please share with me the impact that faculty student interaction outside of the classroom has on student learning and success.

Please describe (to me) you level of face to face interaction with your students outside of the classroom.

Interview Questions Continued

Please describe the ideal interaction a faculty member would like to have with a student outside of class.

Is the interaction you just described realistic? If so, what helps to facilitate it on this campus? If not, what hinders it from taking place?

If you were able to participate in programmatic interventions (programs, discussions, dinners, advising, academic assistance) with students in residence halls, how could we make sure that these would be most meaningful to you?

Interview Questions Continued

If you are unable to participate in such a program please explain.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences with students outside of the classroom that we did not cover here today?

Research

4 participants (continues through June 2008)

Various fields of studyVarious backgrounds

Tenured Tenure and non tenure track Adjunct One visiting international

Research Results

What is living and learning Merge outside with academics Seamless learning What you learn affects how you live “A neat idea” “A cool idea…but I don’t know why” Learning in “their” space makes it more

comfortable for students The idea of a Living and Learning Center makes

sense, but is confusing (what does it mean for the students and faculty?)

Results Continued

Impact of interaction on student learning and success Strong impact Beneficial to students and whole class Can be personal and meaningful Hard to get to know students Important to succeed in class They become relaxed and seek faculty out more Helps to break down the fear of meeting with

faculty Can get students excited about what they are

learning in class

Results Continued

Level of face to face interaction Varies Blackboard and email are main

communication 2-4 scheduled office hours per week Makes themselves available/encourages

office hours…if they need help International faculty

Started a intramural soccer team Has BBQ’s with students

Results Continued

Ideal interaction Student un-intimidated by faculty Respect boundaries on both sides Students come prepared with questions,

and willing to learn, not just have faculty do the work

Students are curious and inquire about class/major

All interactions must be professional Have fun with them…but not too much All answered that their ideal was realistic

Results Continued

Participating in programs Frustration when no one shows up Residence halls need to be able to guarantee good

attendance Housing needs to help make the presentations/programs

more interactive Need to know objectives and purpose behind programming Needs to be organized Expectations need to be clear Scheduling is tricky Fear of students not wanting to talk or eat with them Would participate- share cultural values Semi-fun is good

Results Continued

Other information not covered in questions It is challenging to get the students that actually

need help into their offices Has thought about offering to take students to

lunch or other incentives Faculty is trying to be equal with all students,

hard to do with 150 Frustration with students lack of professionalism

with emails, are they too comfortable living where they learn? Are they taking college seriously?

Changes how they look at the student

Research Findings

The culture of student affairs is much different than faculty culture

Talking with the students about personal issues/life may be challenging and uncomfortable

Faculty complained about unprofessional student communication

Faculty are interested in getting involved, but they may not see the benefit

How to Engage Faculty

Help them understand freshmen as blank slates that can be molded into the learners they want them to be Active learning Critical thinking Integrating knowledge Valuing diverse

perspectives Managing time, difficult

reading, new technology

Define learning outcomes with regard to: Core communication

skills Critical thinking Literacy Values Ethics These can be important

framework for engaging faculty with first year students(Barefoot, Gardner, & Upcraft, 2005)

Ideas for Working With Faculty

Have clear defined objectives Why is the program important? How does it impact students? How will it benefit faculty?

Have discussions with students and faculty Approachability myths stereotypes professionalism

Engage learning communities in the importance of interacting with faculty

Your Experiences

Challenges?Success stories?

Special Thanks

Thank you to the following people for encouraging my passion and providing the support for this research: Dr. Jörg Vianden Dr. Kevin Hatfield John Hollan Sandy Schoonover Mike Eyster

References

Barefoot, Garner, & Upcraft (Eds). Challenging and Supporting the First Year Student. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass. (2005).

Golde, C. & Pribbenow, D. (2000). Understanding Faculty Involvement in Residential Communities. Journal of College Student Development, 41(1), 27-40.

Vianden, J. (2006). “I don’t need any help:” What first year college men say about interacting with faculty outside of the classroom. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.