Research on Action-Based Immersive Learning Experiences

  Extent at U-Mi What We Know from Nat'l Data/
What We Need to Know		 Sample Studies at U-M
Service Learning (SL)
  • Provost estimates 3500 students participate in SL.
  • Opportunities for SL include over 65 course-based initiatives, as well as many other extracurricular service opportunities organized by the Ginsberg Center for Community Service Learning. Ginsberg estimates that 10,227 students engaged in academic service learning last year, with an additional 14,766 engaging in any form of community service, for a total of 901,413 community service hours. ii
  • Senior Survey data indicate that since entering college:
    • 10% of seniors report “frequently” working on community service as part of a class
    • 43% indicate they “occasionally” did so
  • On a 2009 U-M alumni survey, a significant majority (73%) of graduates reported participating in some kind of community service or outreach while an undergraduate. An even higher percentage (80%) indicated that they have continued, or initiated, involvement in community service after graduation. iii
  • Students engaged in SL have higher grades, persistence rates, gains in reading and writing skills, appreciation for and engagement with diversity, and rates of civic engagement. 
  • Presence of a reflective component (e.g., classroom discussions, writing) is key to prompting learning gains from community –based experiences.
  • There is little research on learning gains of underrepresented students participating in SL, but some studies suggest that low-income and first-generation students are less likely to participate. iv
Study Abroad (SA)
  • Provost estimates 1800 students participate in SA.
  • In 2009-10, 1,513 undergraduates engaged in SA for credit, with 2+ weeks over the summer being the most frequent program type. An additional 633 undergraduates engaged in co-curricular education abroad (e.g., internships or research experiences).viii
  • There is good documentation of personal growth and sense of global competence as key outcomes of SA experiences; more limited documentation of how knowledge and skills are acquired through experience.
  • Most program evaluations show better graduation rates and academic performance upon return from SA, but many studies do not control for self-selection bias or do long-term follow-ups.  Two key exceptions:
    • UGA study (GLOSSARI) did control for college GPA, SAT, prior college GPA and hours enrolled prior to SA experience and found that research university students who engaged in SA have GPA gains (particularly pronounced for at-risk students) and 16% higher odds of graduating in four years.x
    • UMinn SAGE study assesses long-term impact of study abroad (50 yrs. of alumni from 22 institutions). SA most likely to have strong reported impact on participants’ lives, compared to eleven other college experiences (e.g., coursework, friendships, U.S. internships).xi
  • Destination and depth of SA experience, plus pre-trip preparation, make a difference.
    • From SAGE, SA reported to have no statistically significant impact on decisions to pursue an advanced degree, although it did make contribution to pursuing an internationally-oriented advanced degree or career (and more reported impact for those who travelled to country more culturally/economically different than U.S. and had a more in-depth experience, e.g., inclusion of internship/work/research/service learning and more than 6 weeks spent in SA).
    • UGA study finds that intermediate duration programs (4-8 or 8-12 wks.) are associated with higher 4-, 5-, and 6-year graduation rates, compared to shorter or longer programs.
    • Short-term SA experiences can demonstrate increases in intercultural competence, but prior preparation (e.g., intercultural courses) is key.xii
  • Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates (GIEU) data suggest that students gain global awareness as a result of participation, such as statistically significant higher post-trip levels of agreement with the statement, “I often think about what I have in common with other people in the world.” Controlling for student background characteristics (gender, race, family income, and major), prior collegiate experiences with diversity, and pre-travel survey responses, results show that nearly all types of experiences at the field site were positive predictors of developing an integrated global perspective.
    • Regression analyses suggest that features of GIEU that have greatest impact are reflective journals, presence of service learning activities, and close interactions with faculty and local constituencies (e.g., living with local family or participating in cultural and religious activities).xiii  
  • The U-M School of Art & Design requires an international experience of all graduates.  Assessment of this requirement is ongoing and involves measurement of students’ intercultural competence through the Global Perspectives Inventory, reflection on international issues through analysis of artist statements, and focus groups with faculty and staff.
Undergraduate Research
  • Provost estimates 2500 students participate in undergraduate research.
  • About 1100 students participate in UROP.xiv
  • Senior Survey data indicate that since entering college:
    • 29% of seniors report “frequently” working on independent study projects (and 43% “occasionally” did so)
    • 24% report that they participated in an undergraduate research program
    • 38% indicate that they completed a culminating experience for the degree (e.g., capstone project, senior thesis)
  • Undergraduate research has a positive influence on persistence, degree completion, and likelihood of enrolling in postgraduate education, for both non-underrepresented and underrepresented minorities. Participants in undergraduate research also report higher gains in intellectual curiosity and skills such as communication and time management, compared to students without research experience.
  • There is little research on program features that impact student learning and limited findings about the type of individual faculty mentoring that students find most helpful. Additionally, more research is needed with direct measurement of learning outcomes (i.e., not self-report) and in many cases, controlling for selection bias.xv
  • Studies of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) found there were significant positive effects on degree completion, particularly for African-American students and sophomores, in reference to a matched comparison group.xvi
    • Alumni surveys suggest that students who participate in undergraduate research (UROP or other research) are significantly more likely to pursue post-graduate education than a “control group” (i.e., students who did not engage in undergraduate research). 
 
Entrepreneurial Activities
  • Provost estimates 4,000 students participate in entrepreneurial activities.
  • The Center for Entrepreneurship offers a Program in Entrepreneurship, which lists over 40 course-based initiatives. It includes two options for a practicum requirement. The Zell Lurie Institute highlights over 75 courses in the Business School with an entrepreneurial focus.xvii
  • There is limited research, but in one study about Penn State’s Entrepreneurship minor, researchers found increases in self-reported creativity, leadership and entrepreneurial self-efficacy, but no statistically significant differences with a comparison group. Study does suggest that:
    • There is a need to measure outcomes with direct measures (e.g., analysis of business plans)
    • Inclusion of a “venture fund,” fabrication facilities, and multiple opportunities for “high-pressure presentations and tough questioning by entrepreneurs” is helpful for students’ product development processes.xviii
  • Lisa Lattuca (Education) and Cynthia Finelli (CRLT in Engineering) are researching the impact of components of the CoE curriculum and co-curriculum on students’ creative thinking and entrepreneurial mindset.
Performance and Design Activities
  • Provost estimates 1,400 students participate in performance and design activities.
  • In Engineering --which requires a design-based introductory course (ENG 100) and capstone-- there were 1,282 graduates in 2010-11. The School of Music, Theatre & Dance, which heavily integrates performance-based activities in its undergraduate curriculum, graduated 176 students. Other units with a strong emphasis on design and arts creation include the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning (91 bachelor’s degrees) and the School of Art & Design (111).xix
Design
  • First-year “cornerstone” design courses in engineering found to improve graduation and retention rates, especially among women and underrepresented minorities.xx
  • Design courses can enhance students’ knowledge of problem-solving processes.xxi
  • Critical to provide students with opportunities to engage with “real” stakeholders/clients to cultivate a user-centered approach to design.xxii
  • Helpful to teach design with group- or team-based learning. 
Performance & The Arts
  • Although there is not much empirical research on student learning outcomes, conceptual links are made between performances and quantitative literacy, communication and literacy skills, problem-solving, teamwork and interpersonal effectiveness. Reflective journals (e.g., about a character’s struggle), as well as frequent and transparent assessment, are useful for prompting learning.xxiii
  • The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) is a large annual online survey of graduates from visual and performing arts programs. In most areas (e.g., dance, theater) about half of respondents report that they are currently working as professional artists. A majority of alumni indicated that their institutions contributed a great deal to development of use of “artistic technique” and effective writing, but a minority agreed that they gained needed financial and business skills. “Working effectively with others” was most frequently named as an important skill in respondents’ current professions.xxiv
Design
  • Shanna Daly (Engineering), Colleen Seifert (Psychology) and Rich Gonzalez (Psychology) are researching different ways to prompt students’ creative thinking, e.g., design heuristic cards.
  • Kathleen Sienko and Shanna Daly (Engineering) are studying the impact of a pre-immersive preparatory experience on the outcomes of design-based learning.
Performance
  • Caroline Helton (Music, Theatre & Dance) did focus groups with students about what they learned from a recital repertoire of African-American art songs and spirituals.xxv
  • For a 2011 CRLT Investigating Student Learning Grant, John Ellis (Music, Theatre & Dance) studied the impact of various testing conditions (e.g., use of technology, relaxation exercises) on student sight-reading performance in college class piano.xxvi
Clinical Placements
  • Provost estimates 750 students participate in clinical placements.
  • In Fall 2011, undergraduate enrollment in programs with a required clinical component totaled 789+: 640 in School of Nursing, 109 in School of Dentistry, and 40 in College of Pharmacy. Some programs in Kinesiology (with a total undergraduate enrollment of 877) also require clinical experiences.xxvii
  • Key factors in structuring clinical experiences for health sciences students include setting clear expectations for both the preceptors and the students, creating an efficient feedback mechanism to track student progress, and providing ongoing support for preceptors.  
  • Ongoing, oral, formative feedback should be provided to students as they interact throughout the placement, but creating a mechanism for preceptors to provide written feedback -- both formative and summative, visible to both the program and the student -- is also necessary.
  • Preceptors need to be aware of the curricula students have experienced prior to the current placement and what the program's goals are for that placement. 
  • Students and preceptors need to know the minimum required number of one-on-one patient interactions, procedures, or interventions, as well as how much autonomy the student should have at the beginning and by the end of the clinical placement.xxviii
  • Nancy Mason (Pharmacy) has done studies of Pharmacy students’ clinical rotations, e.g., how students report that the rotation met learning objectives. 
  • For a 2012 CRLT Investigating Student Learning (ISL) Grant, Helen Morgan and Karen McLean (Medicine) are researching how to use a flipped classroom to prepare students for their Obgyn clerkships.
  • For a 2010 CRLT ISL Grant, Mary Blazek (Medicine) and Laura Struble (Nursing) examined the outcomes of a cross-disciplinary geriatric psychiatry rotation for medical students.xxix
Internships
  • Senior Survey data indicate that since entering college, 53% of seniors report having participated in an internship program.
  • Time spent in internships significantly related to self-reported problem-solving skills (“procedural knowledge”), but not theoretical/conceptual knowledge. Not clear if there is a relationship between internships and GPA, but some research suggests that internships enhance graduates’ ability to get jobs. 
  • Although most internship programs require minimum GPA and coursework, these may be less important predictors of success than student attitudes toward the internship and career. Mentorship and clarity of expectations are critical. 
  • Written reflection (e.g., keeping a journal, asking students to explain problem-solving process) are useful for prompting learning.xxx
  • Although not termed an “internship,” the School of Education Teacher Education Initiative (TEI) is researching how best to prepare teachers for practice, e.g., student teaching experiences.xxxi
  • U-M’s Public Service Internship Program and Michigan International Internship and  Service Program (The Career Center) collect program evaluation data, such as analysis of blog postings and pre-/post-surveys.
  • Sport Management (Kinesiology) has conducted student and alumni surveys about reported learning from internships.

 

Other Common Vehicles for High-Impact Learning Experiences

Living-Learning Communities &  Common Intellectual Experiences
  • U-M has nine residential and two non-residential learning communities. The residential communities are Health Science Scholars Program, Lloyd Hall Scholars Program, Michigan Community Scholars Program, Michigan Research Community, Women in Science and Engineering, Honors Program, Residential College, Global Scholars Program, and Max Kade German Residence Program. The non-residential communities are Comprehensive Studies Program and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program.  
  • In 2011-12, nearly 2,000 students lived in residential living-learning environments, most of whom were first- and second-year students.xxxii
  • For students in living-learning communities: higher grades, better persistence rates, gains in reading and writing skills, appreciation for and engagement with diversity, and higher rates of civic engagement.
    • Gains in grades, persistence, and perceptions of belonging also documented for underrepresented students.
  • More research needed on how different living-learning community structures lead to different outcomes.xxxiii
  • Research about U-M living-learning communities finds that they promote more positive college outcomes (such as higher U-M GPA) and experiences, even controlling for SAT score.xxxiv
  • Updated research on U-M living-learning community outcomes, in reference to a comparison group, is currently being conducted under a CRLT Whitaker Grant.
First- and Second- Year Seminars
  • Annually, there are approximately 150 first-year seminars, with an average size of 15-18 students each.
  • In Winter 2012, LSA offered 26 (non-internship-based) courses as part of its Sophomore Initiative, “a set of courses and activities whose goal is to help sophomores map the College curriculum and explore the terrain of the liberal arts.”
  • In Winter 2011, six courses were targeted to sophomores as part of the “Michigan International Seminar for Undergraduates” (UC 254).
  • First-year seminars have existed since around the turn of the century (and exist on a large majority of campuses), while sophomore courses are a relatively new initiative.
  • First-year seminars have a positive influence on persistence and engagement with faculty/peers, but there is less conclusive evidence about impact on GPA and on underrepresented students. In a large (30K+ students) study of first-year seminar students, self-report data indicated that “orientation to college” seminars provided better learning outcomes (e.g., improvement of study strategies, time management, engagement), compared to discipline-based seminars.xxxv
  • In a 2008 nationwide survey of student affairs officers, most common sophomore initiatives at public universities were those targeted to career planning, leadership development, and academic advising. (Few had course-based initiatives.)xxxvi
    • There is little research on learning outcomes of such initiatives. However, there was a small-to-moderate association between presence of a sophomore initiative and persistence to the junior year. 
  

Sources

  1. Senior self-reports are from the College Senior Survey (CSS). CSS data were provided by Malinda Matney of the U-M Division of Student Affairs, and they reflect 2011 responses (445 out of 8482 seniors).  Provost estimates are from May 14, 2012, presentation at the Michigan-China University Leadership Forum and May 16, 2012, presentation at the Division of Student Affairs Conference. 
  2. Ginsberg estimates are from application for U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. For link to courses, see: http://ginsberg.umich.edu/students/undergraduate-service-learning-courses.
  3. The Michigan experience: Perspectives from recent alumni cohorts, The University of Michigan 2009 alumni survey. Available: http://www.accreditation.umich.edu/reports/2009_alumni_survey.php.
  4. Brownell, J. E., & Swaner, L. E. (2010). Five high-impact practices: Research on learning outcomes, completion and quality. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges and Universities; and Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E. (1999). Where’s the learning in service learning? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  5. Available: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/grants/ISLwinners2010.php
  6. Available: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/grants/ISLwinners2009.php
  7. Davis, C. G., & Finelli, C. J. (2007). Diversity and retention in engineering. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 111: 63-71.
  8. Division of Student Affairs, 2011 Statistical Report: International Students, Scholars, Faculty, Staff, and Education Abroad, p. 33. Available: http://internationalcenter.umich.edu/.
  9. Center for Global Education, http://globaledresearch.com/study-abroad-impact.asp
  10. Sutton, R. C., & Rubin, D. L.  (2004). The GLOSSARI Project: Initial findings from a system-wide research initiative on study abroad learning outcomes. Frontiers, 10: 65-82; and Sutton, R. C., & Rubin, D. L. (2010, June). Documenting the academic impact of study abroad: Final report of the GLOSSARI project. Presentation at the Annual Conference of the Association of International Educators. Kansas City, Missouri.
  11. Paige, R.M., Fry, G.W., Stallman, E. M., Josic, J., & Jon, J. (2012). Study abroad for global engagement: The long-term impact of mobility experiences. Intercultural Education, 20: S29-S44.
  12. Chieffo, L., & Griffiths, L. (2009). Here to stay: Increasing acceptance of short-term study abroad programs. In R. Lewin (Ed.), The Handbook of practice and research on study abroad (pp. 365-380). New York: Routledge; and Lombardi, M. (2011). A study on students’ intercultural learning through short-term study abroad programs. PhD dissertation. Northeastern University.
  13. Miller, A.T., & Fernández, E. (2007). New learning and teaching from where you’ve been: The Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 111: 55-62; and http://www.gieu.umich.edu/about/articles.html
  14. http://www.lsa.umich.edu/urop/
  15. Brownell, J. E., & Swaner, L. E. (2010). Five high-impact practices: Research on learning outcomes, completion and quality. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges and Universities.
  16. Davis, C. G., & Finelli, C. J. (2007). Diversity and retention in engineering. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 111: 63-71.
  17. For link to courses, see: http://cfe.umich.edu/courses and http://www.zli.bus.umich.edu/courses_faculty/.
  18. Bilen, G., Kisenwether, E. C., Rzasa, S. E., & Wise, J. C. (2005). Developing and assessing students’ entrepreneurial skills and mindset. Journal of Engineering Education: 233-243.
  19. U-M Office of Budget & Planning. (2010). Degrees Conferred – Summaries. Available: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/obpinfo/degrees_conferred.
  20. Dym, C. L., Agogino, A. M., Eris, O., Frey, D. D., & Leifer, L. J. (2005). Engineering design thinking, teaching, and learning. Journal of Engineering Education: 103-120.
  21. McKenna, A. F. (2007). An investigation of adaptive expertise and transfer of design process knowledge. ASME, 129(7): 73-734.
  22. Zoltowski, C. B., Oakes, W. C., & Cardella, M. E. (2012, May). ASEE Connections. Available: http://www.asee.org/papers-and-publications/blogs-and-newsletters/connections/2012May.html
  23. Kindelan, N. (2010). Demystifying experiential learning in the performing arts. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 124: 31-37.; and Parkes, K.A. (2010). Performance assessment: Lessons from performers. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 22(1): 98-106.
  24. Strategic National Arts Alumni Project, Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. Available: http://snaap.indiana.edu/.
  25. Helton, C., & Stephens, E. (2007). Singing down the barriers: Encouraging students of all racial backgrounds to perform music by African American composers. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 111: 73-79.
  26. Available: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/grants/ISLwinners2011.php
  27. U-M Office of Budget & Planning (2011), Headcount enrollment. Available: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/obpinfo/enrollment_and_fte.
  28. Burns, C., Beauchesne, M., Ryan-Krause, P., & Sawin, K. (2006). Mastering the preceptor role: Challenges of clinical teaching. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 172-183; and Niemer, R., Draft CRLT Occasional Paper, Clinical Teaching (forthcoming).
  29. http://www.crlt.umich.edu/grants/ISLwinners2010.php
  30. Knouse, S. B., & Fontenot, G. (2008). Benefits of the business college internship: A research review. Journal of Employment Counseling, 45(2): 61-66; and Knouse, S. B., Tanner, J. R., & Harris, E. W. (1999). The relation of college internships, college performance, and subsequent job opportunity. Journal of Employment Counseling, 36(1): 35-43; and Yin, A. C. (2010). Learning on the job: Cooperative education, internships and engineering problem-solving skills. PhD dissertation. The Pennsylvania State University.
  31. http://sitemaker.umich.edu/tei/home
  32. Data provided by Michael Zabriskie, Director of Housing Information Office.
  33. Brownell, J. E., & Swaner, L. E. (2010). Five high-impact practices: Research on learning outcomes, completion and quality. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges and Universities.
  34. For summary of this research, see CRLT Occasional Paper No.15:  http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/occasional.php
  35. Brownell, J. E., & Swaner, L. E. (2010). Five high-impact practices: Research on learning outcomes, completion and quality. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges and Universities.
  36. Keup, J. R., Gahagan, J., & Goodwin, R. N. (2010). 2008 National survey of sophomore-year initiatives: Curricular and cocurricular structures supporting the success of second-year college students. Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.
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