Researching Student and Faculty College Readiness Views—A Holistic Approach

Presentation Date: 

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Location: 

National Association of Developmental Education (Orlando, FL)

Presentation Slides: 

This session shares current research on college readiness, with supporting quantitative data from a national assessment on first-year expectations (Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP)) and qualitative data from a UT-Austin survey of faculty and student perceptions of college readiness. Data will be used to strengthen the argument for a broader definition of college readiness to include cognitive strategies beyond content knowledge. Presenters will share data that outline first-year student college expectations and attitudes of their level of college preparedness. This data shows the discrepancy between high school and college student expectations and preparedness. Qualitative data also reveals the student experience including their struggle with learning key cognitive strategies and building academic behaviors during their transition to campus. Faculty focus group results also highlight faculty expectations of their student’s key cognitive skills and strategies and how they differ from student’s expectation and readiness. This session will also use Conley’s (2007) Facets of College Readiness to encourage participants to identify any gaps between high school competencies and preparedness for college on their own campuses, based on a revised definition of readiness. Presenters discuss the role of campus resources or student support programs as gap compensations. The influences of academic knowledge, skills, and academic behaviors on students are also discussed, as well as ways administrators can strengthen these facets of college readiness within and outside the classroom. Attendees are encouraged to identify “college knowledge” and consider alternative means for measuring key cognitive strategies, content knowledge, academic behaviors and contextual skills on their campus.