Learning Communities,First-Year Experience,Service Learning-value?

College Search & Selection
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<p>On page 13 of the 2006 US News Best Colleges, a couple of current fads are mentioned: learning communities and freshmen seminars (aka first-year experience). On page 50 and 51 of the same issue there are lists of colleges that make students do these things. Also on page 51 there is a list of colleges that have required "service learning" programs.</p>

<p>Learning communities: small groups of freshmen take a couple courses together</p>

<p>First year experience/freshmen seminar: in-depth, semester-long freshmen orientation</p>

<p>Service learning: freshmen are required to perform community service</p>

<p>Learning communities and first-year experience are discussed in the context of student retention. There is a quote from a conselor that the freshman-to-sophomore return rate should be above 65% or something is wrong.</p>

<p>First, I think retention is almost entirely dependent on how well-prepared students are for college (as indicated by SAT scores, HS rank, and so on). I would be surprised if a college could change its retention by more than 5% no matter how hard it tried. A retention rate of 65% might be pretty good at a college where the average SAT is low. Why can't college administrators see this? They seem so out-of-touch with the realities of education.</p>

<p>Second, I think the best way to help students is to improve the curriculum and effectiveness of instruction. Programs like Learning Communities and First-year Experience are a waste of resources. The time and money would be better spent revamping curriculum, improving classroom experience, or hiring an excellent professor. I wouldn't be surprised if the above-named programs are actually turn-offs for students.</p>

<p>Am I wrong about this? Anyone had experience with programs like these? Is there evidence that they work?</p>

<p>Higher ed seems to have a constant parade of these ineffective fad programs that detract from the basic educational process. I say give administrators a piece of chalk and send them back to the classroom where they can do some good (if they are good teachers). Stop wasting parents' hard-earned tuition money on ineffective pet programs.</p>

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<p>From my understanding, retention rate is representative of the percentage of freshmens that return the next year...that includes transfers and drop outs.</p>

<p>Also, reasons are not as clear cut as you think. Speaking for black retention rates specifically, the main reasons cited are:</p>

<p>-how students relate to and are treated by others on campus</p>

<p>-decreasing financial aid between freshmen and sophmore year</p>

<p>-the reality that the school and atmosphere they were presented and sold on is different from how it really is</p>

<p>-lack of peer support and intergration into the community</p>

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<p>Now let's note that financialaid is not the slution, many surveys have show that for students of color with both adequate/inadequate financial aid, their is little difference in graduation rate.</p>

<p>I know that investment in more professors and scholars is not going to help me stay at school if I'm not going to have them in a freshmen introduction course, those classes will remain the same, the change wont be that noticable till upperclassmen years.</p>

<p>The curriculum also is rarely the issues, the reason why less than 50% of blacks at UMASS Amherst graduate wont change with a new curriculum. In a survey JBHE cited the main reason that came repeately was that the lack of support by peers, administration and intergration into the community.</p>

<p>Now how would you solve that...besides lock the student body in auditoriums for a week and hoping they bond? For minority student, especially in communities where there are few of them like Bates, there needs to be more than a week orientation to make sure the incoming students feel connected and are intergrated into the campus.</p>

<p>Now some programs have worked amazingly, within the past 6 years, Grinell, through it's first-year program, has increased the rate of black graduation rate from 69% to 82%, that's an 80% difference, Oberlin's has gone up from 56% to 76%, that 20% thanks mainly to the newly installed freshmen seminar program. Also note that flagship schools with freshmen programs like University of Virginia & University of North Carolina have the highest graduation rates, UVA and UNC are top with 86% and 69%.</p>

<p>Note that the schools that struggle most are those in that are in less diverse, extreme climate settings, like Colby (73%...-2% decine), Bates (69%), and Bowdoin (79%...down 7% from 98), however, schools like Oberlin and Macalester have proven that how you intiate the students in the community makes all the difference in the world. Macalester's black graduation rate has jumped from 62% to 84% since 1998, and that's not magic, that's effort.</p>

<p>Take this information as you want it, but the many studies, particularly these from the JBHE have shown they do make an impact.</p>

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<p>Cre8tiv1-
Thank you for your interesting reply. I am glad to hear that some colleges have increased the success rate for African Americans. It is a shame when colleges fail to develop talent. Have the improvements been attributed specifically to Learning Communities, First-year Experience, or Service Learning programs?</p>

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<p>I can't speak for all schools, but I know at least for the ones mentioned, it has been a rseult of freshmen initiation programs after realizing financial aid really didn't make a difference.</p>