Abstract:

The purpose of this presentation and paper is to provide an analysis of the leadership and change strategies that facilitated implementation of the Student Engagement Project and development of the four-year developmental Student Engagement Model at Ramapo College. This analysis builds upon the areas of focus generated by a previous analysis of the implementation of the project (Barnett and Whitford, 2013).

The focus of the Student Engagement Project was student success and a higher prioritization of students’ interests within the institutional culture. Goals of the program included an increase in student retention and graduation rates with an emphasis on academic achievement and student satisfaction. Assessment of the project is both formative and summative and included multiple sources of data including student participation rates, results of the National Survey of Student Engagement, retention data, and student satisfaction surveys.

A second goal of the Student Engagement Project was to develop a model for student engagement that could be sustained beyond the four-year implementation phase. The goals and outcomes within the Student Engagement Model were to define a developmental progression of student engagement in the academic, social, personal, and campus/community aspects of their four-year undergraduate experience. In order to undertake formative evaluation, the outcomes needed to be assessable and easily linked (face validity) to the student experiences. Formative assessment required that the goals relate to normed instruments such as the National Survey of Student Engagement, Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, and retention data.

Because successful implementation required the participation of multiple stakeholders, it is important to consider the leadership and change strategies that facilitated implementation of the Project and development of the Model. The leadership and processes associated with the implementation of the model will be analyzed according to the research-based Concerns Based Adoption model developed by Hall and Hord (2011). Recommendations applicable to other institutions will be made.

References:
[1] Barnett, B. & Whitford, E. (2013) Developing a Four-Year Model of Student Engagement: Collaboration between Academic and Student Affairs to Promote Student Success. 5th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies. IATED. Barcelona, Spain, pp, 1512-1517.
[2] Hall, G.E. & Hord, S.M. (2011) Implementing Change: Patterns, Principles, and Potholes.3rd ed. Boston: MA: Pearson.

Keywords:

Student engagement, leadership and change, program implementation.