Student Work Groups - Foundational Literature

Affordable Learning & Financial Support

Affordable learning makes full university engagement accessible to students from all backgrounds and promotes social mobility. Dependable financial support includes programs, initiatives, and activities that provide monetary resources to students to support their educational goals. Financial insecurity and anxiety have been linked to decreased academic success and mental health and wellbeing, particularly among low-income, historically underrepresented, and/or first-generation college students.

Institutions of higher education are increasingly implementing interventions to make postsecondary education more accessible and affordable for all students. Interventions range from various forms of financial aid to open educational resources that reduce costs of learning. These interventions frequently target low-income students, as they are particularly sensitive to the costs of higher education (Heller, 1997) and often need to work to support themselves while attending college or university (Scott-Clayton, 2012). In their study of a major northeastern university, Linsenmeier, Rosen, and Rouse (2006) assessed the impact of financial aid packages on the enrollment of low-income minority students. After the university shifted from offering loans to favoring grants, they identified a significant positive impact on the likelihood of enrollment. Looking ahead to persistence and graduation rates, Angrist and colleagues (2016) found that recipients of privately-funded scholarships were 13% more likely to be enrolled in college. These effects were larger for groups with historically low college attendance, including non-white students, first-generation collegegoers, and students with low high school GPAs. Other studies have found that when grant-heavy financial aid is supplemented with nonfinancial support, students are more likely to meet credit accumulation benchmarks and earn higher GPAs (Clotfelter, Hemelt, & Ladd, 2018). Universities have made additional efforts beyond financial aid to decrease costs for students pursuing degrees, including shifting to open educational resources (OER). In a large-scale study of 21,822 students, Colvard, Watson, and Park (2018) assessed outcomes for students who were enrolled in OER courses. Their findings indicate that open educational resources are not just a cost-saving measure, but students in classrooms using OER also had higher grades and were less likely to drop, fail, or withdraw from courses. The magnitude of these impacts increased for Pell grant recipients, part-time students, and populations historically underserved by higher education.

Inclusive Instruction & Engagement

Inclusive instruction and engagement is broadly defined as pedagogies and initiatives focused on experiential learning and active participation on campus. Experiential learning provides students the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world settings. Engagement refers to the degree to which students are active participants in their own learning.

More than 30 years ago, scholars began to recognize that traditional forms of teaching were not associated with the most positive student outcomes (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). Since then, professors and college campuses have increasingly shifted away from traditional lecture-based instruction and employed a range of tactics to get students more engaged in the classroom, including decreased class sizes, interactive presentation styles, group work, and others. According to several studies and meta-analyses of undergraduate STEM courses, students generally have stronger academic outcomes when active forms of instruction are used compared with traditional passive approaches, as measured through exam scores and pass rates (Freeman et al., 2014; Lugosi & Uribe, 2020; Ruiz-Primo et al., 2011; Springer, Stanne, & Donovan, 1999). In an attempt to discern the effect of active learning on underrepresented students, Theobald and colleagues (2020) conducted a meta-analysis on student examination scores and pass rates across 41 studies including 53,844 students. They found that, on average, active learning reduced achievement gaps in examination scores by 33% and narrowed gaps in pass rates by 45% among low-income and underrepresented minority students. One specific tactic–peer-facilitated workshops–particularly benefits women. Preszler (2009) found that these workshops resulted in higher grade improvements and increased retention among female students. Beyond grades, active learning approaches have been linked to other positive benefits for students, including increased sense of belonging (Ballen et al., 2017; Perez, Acuña, & Reason, 2021), better problem-solving techniques (Haak et al., 2011), and enhanced teamwork capabilities (Morrell et al., 2021).

Mental Health & Well-Being

Mental health and well-being is foundational to student success. Initiatives and resources that focus on mental health, stress management, and wellness are all included under the umbrella of mental health and well-being. Programs and activities under this theme are aimed at providing a community of support, ensuring that diverse experiences are heard and validated.

Colleges and universities are increasingly prioritizing the mental health of their students through services such as counseling, mindfulness and wellness activities, and volunteer work. This is especially important as mental health concerns are highly prevalent among college students, particularly among students from marginalized communities (Cuellar & Roberts, 1997; Eisenberg et al., 2007; Hunt & Eisenberg, 2010). In their meta-analysis of 103 mental health interventions in higher education, Conley, Durlak, and Kirsch (2015) concluded that skill-training programs with supervised practice had significant positive impacts across a range of outcomes including depression, anxiety, stress, general psychological distress, social-emotional skills, self-perceptions, and academic adjustment. Winzer and colleagues (2018) further confirmed that mental health interventions in higher education sustain beyond the short term, showing measurable impact for approximately 7-12 months post-intervention. In recent years, colleges have increased their use of mobile health interventions for students, which Johnson and Kalkbrenner (2017) conclude to be an effective way of increasing college student awareness of wellness-related information. In addition to mental health, wellbeing programs are emerging to help students build resilience, prevent mental illness, and develop the cognitive, social, and emotional skills to meaningfully connect with their peers. In their study of 469 undergraduate students, Young and others (2020) found that a positive psychology wellbeing intervention resulted in improvements in wellbeing, positive affect, negative affect, and several clinical wellbeing categories. The intervention also seemed to buffer against semester stress. More broadly, wellbeing interventions have been linked to a suite of benefits, including improved grades (Davidson, Feldman, & Margalit, 2012), self-efficacy (Stallman, 2011), and reduced levels of depression, anxiety, and higher community cohesion (Slavin, Schindler, & Chibnall, 2014).

Mentoring, Coaching, & Advising

Mentoring, coaching, and advising includes initiatives aimed at strengthening relationships between students and faculty, staff, and peers. Research suggests that positive, inclusive, and supportive interactions between students, faculty, staff, and peers positively influence student success, including student academic aspirations, GPA, timely completion, level of integration, satisfaction, and successful transitions to graduate and professional school and career.

As college and university campus demographics increasingly include more students from diverse groups, it is important to consider multifaceted student identities and interests when providing support services to help students succeed (Flores & Heppner, 2002; Niles & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2005). One particularly effective intervention is career counseling, which has been shown to have significant influence on student career decision-making self-efficacy, and sense of control over the career decision making process (Foltz & Luzzo, 1998; Maples & Luzzo, 2005; Means et al., 2016). In fact, the more students meet with advisors, the greater their outcomes. In Swecker, Fifolt, and Searby's (2013) study of first-generation students, they found that for every meeting a student had with an academic advisor, the odds that the student would be retained increased by 13%. In addition, faculty-student engagement in classes and through research experiences can have determinative impacts on student success. Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) demonstrated that the amount and quality of student–faculty interaction positively impacts various student outcomes, including subject matter competence; cognitive skills and intellectual growth; attitudes and values; educational attainment; and career choice and development. For minority students, the influence of mentorship can be especially pronounced. Santos and Reigaras (2004) tested the effects of ethnic homogeneity on faculty-student mentoring relationships and found a positive relationship between ethnic homogeneity and student adjustment to college and academic performance. Engagement with research activities also benefit students from minority backgrounds. Kim and Sax (2009) found that undergraduate research experiences were significantly and positively associated with college GPA, and that this relationship was particularly strong among African American students. Moreover, the beneficial effects of participation in research projects cascade beyond the undergraduate level. Gilmore and others (2015) demonstrated how research experience at the undergraduate level enhances student research skill performance in graduate school, as measured through time to degree, autonomy, collaboration, and motivation.

Sense of Belonging

Sense of belonging is defined as the feeling of membership, acceptance, and validation. Extensive literature indicates that college students are more successful when they feel a sense of belonging on campus. Sense of belonging is promoted through activities and programs that foster inclusion, empowerment, and increased motivation.

Feeling a sense of belonging in college classes and in the broader campus community positively impacts student academic progress, motivation, and mental health. When students feel like they belong on campus, they persist more in pursuing their degrees (Hausmann, Schofield, & Woods, 2007). For example, through a nationally representative survey of first-year college students that tracked students through their first three years of college, Gopalan and Brady (2020) found that higher levels of belonging increased student likelihood of persisting into a second year by 1.9% and a third year by 2.1%. Students with a high sense of belonging are not just more likely to continue on at a university, but they also tend to perform better academically. Swanson, Melguizo, and Martorell (2021) assessed the influence of belonging on student GPA using longitudinal survey data and administrative records over the course of a student’s first three years on campus. They found that higher levels of belonging were positively associated with 0.12, 0.08, and 0.08 point increases in GPA at the end of a student’s first, second, and third years on campus, respectively. The impact of a sense of belonging on grades is especially pronounced among students of color (Murphy & Zirkel, 2015). Walton and Cohen (2011) found that a one-hour session designed to bolster African American college students’ sense of belonging increased these students’ GPAs over the following three years, halving the Black-White achievement gap over this period. When students feel a sense of belonging in a particular class, they also report higher levels of motivation in accomplishing their academic goals, participating in class discussions, and perceiving class material as important and useful (Freeman, Anderman, & Jensen, 2007). Beyond the classroom, when students feel welcomed on campus, they experience lower rates of mental health problems (Gopalan & Brady, 2020; Moeller, Seehuus, & Peisch, 2020).

Student-Ready Campus

A student-ready campus is student-centered and one whose processes and resources students can navigate easily regardless of prior experience or exposure to university life. The student-ready campus is purposeful, accountable, and responsive. It delivers ease of access to services and resources ensuring equity, inclusion, and success across all aspects of the student experience.

Students from marginalized communities greatly rely on and benefit from support programs offered by universities (Kuh 2016). To assess student readiness, scholars have examined the impacts of summer bridge and outreach programs, as they are key for student success in helping them to academically and socially prepare for the rigors of college. Castleman, Owen, and Page (2015) found that summer outreach programs improved timely postsecondary matriculation among Hispanic males. In another intervention, Castleman and Page (2013, 2015) found that proactive outreach by university counselors and peer mentors–and even text message reminders about pre-matriculation tasks–to students during the summer before college helps to prevent “summer melt”, the trend for high school graduates failing to enroll in college for the fall. The text message intervention was especially effective among students who have less access to college-planning support. Focusing on a college transition program for low-income students, Kezar, Hypolite, and Kitchen (2020) found that students who participated in the program had enhanced career self-efficacy after meeting with program staff advisors who dispelled myths about majors and career-related experiences. Once students make it to campus, universities offer a host of orientation and first-year courses to help them acclimate. Southern Illinois University’s University 101 course, which provides students with information about social and academic programs, in addition to tips about student-faculty interactions, was shown to increase the GPAs of participants (Clark & Cundiff, 2011). Keup (2005) focused on the effects of first-year seminars, service-learning, and learning communities among first-year students at UCLA and reported that participants were more academically engaged, and interacted more with peers and the campus community than students who did not participate in the curricular programs.

References

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