Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 60

CONVERSATIONS
MB: At Oklahoma State our efforts are
definitely driven by retention. This is
the number one priority on our campus
when we discuss the investment of
resources and impact of programs and
services. When resources are limited, it
is imperative that we focus on investing
in programs and activities that promote
student engagement both in and out
of the classroom. We measure this by
examining first-to-second year retention,
completed credit hours, and grade point
average. Comparing participants in our
LLCs to the overall freshman cohort
gives us a good indication of whether
or not our programs are making a
difference in the area of retention. Of
course we are also interested in learning
outcomes. This is more difficult to
truly measure, but it is another critical
component in documenting student
success and validating the use of
resources.
SM: You're right, Matt. The learning
outcomes have to be well written and
written as measurable. If done so, these
outcomes are a great tool to determine
if you've achieved your goal. I think
we have to be careful as leaders and
administrators when we talk about
retention and success. How are these
terms defined? Is our real goal to simply
keep students, or do we want to see
them progress and develop? It's that
impact that we should be discussing.
Unfortunately, retention speaks to
dollars, which is a necessary evil in a
world of shrinking state support and the
need to meet performance standards.
TS: As you have progressed through
your career, how have your approaches
and attitudes about living-learning
communities changed?

SM: In an entry-level position, I wanted
to have successful programs with a
big audience. I wanted my students to
learn from a program and enjoy it. But
I don't think I realized how the smaller
elements - which at that time were my
entire world - really fit into the bigger
60

TALKING STICK

scheme of a department, division,
and university. The partnerships and
connections we can build outside our
own units are crucial to developing a
holistic program for our students.

TP: Earlier in my career I focused my
attention on one or two programs at a
time. I was not very strategic and did
not consider the totality of a year's worth
of programming on the experience of
a student. I subjectively gauged the
effectiveness of a program on attendance
and engagement. I was satisfied because
I knew in my gut I was doing good
work. In hindsight, I really did not know
anything.
Now I find myself being very
strategic in the education of our
residents, which has made me
increasingly more insistent on the use
of outcomes and critical of the actual
merit of some of the work that we do.
No matter the role or experience level, we
cannot simply believe we are doing good
work; we must demonstrate it.

MB: Living-learning communities have
been around for a while now, so they are
definitely part of the higher education
vocabulary. However, I still feel that
many of our colleagues do not really
have a solid grasp on how they can be
designed and facilitated. Many times we
just copy the programs we see at other
campuses, assuming they will also be
successful on our own. I feel there is
still a misconception that you can toss
students who have the same major or
interests together and you have an LLC.
While there are diverse and creative
ways to organize an LLC, it is important
that you have a plan that provides
structure for staffing, programming, and
assessment. You have to really determine
what will separate it from the other
communities in your residence hall and
find a way to deliver additional value to
the participants.

SM: I like Tyler's focus on strategy.
Working at a smaller institution,
collaboration across the entire student
affairs division is important to help
responsibly manage fiscal and human

resources. A good strategy helps us focus
on what works and create opportunities
throughout the student experience. That
means not just in the classroom or just
in the halls, but interwoven throughout
the collegiate experience. Think of
the synergy that could exist if LLC
programmatic aspects were included,
for example, in student employment on
campus or tied into financial aid.

TP: This may not be where Matt was
going when he said "designed," but
his comment made me consider the
actual construction or renovation of
a residence hall to support a learning
community philosophy. Working at MU
I have had the unique opportunity to
be on the design team for two building
renovations and one new construction.
The experiences opened my eyes to the
impact of building design on student
interaction and academic engagement,
something I never really considered early
in my career.
TS: What assessment tools and metrics
do you use to determine the performance
of a living-learning community?

MB: At Oklahoma State we have done
some surveying to collect data from
participants and non-participants to
compare them on levels of engagement.
While this information is helpful to
our staff, that amount of information
and detail can be difficult to digest and
present to the administration. I tend
to favor a few quality metrics that are
universal to senior administration and
academic affairs. Those are semester
and cumulative grade point average,
completed credit hours, and first-tosecond semester and first-to-second year
retention.

TP: When examining individual LCs, I
have found that the use of rubrics helps
maintain consistency from year to year
or when using multiple evaluators. In
my role, I use predicted GPAs (pGPA
- based on pre-college achievement
variables) to better compare students
of similar academic ability. It is often



Talking Stick - July/August 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - July/August 2015

Talking Stick - July/August 2015
Contents
Vision
Just In
Calendar
Your ACUHO-I
Transitions
Res Life
Facilities
Special Focus
It Takes a Village
Finding a Common Language
Conversations
First Takes
Around Student Affairs
New Members
Snapshot
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Intro
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - BB1
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - BB2
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Talking Stick - July/August 2015
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Cover2
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 1
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 2
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 3
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Contents
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 5
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 6
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 7
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Vision
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 9
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Just In
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 11
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 12
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 13
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 14
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 15
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 16
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 17
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Calendar
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 19
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Your ACUHO-I
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Transitions
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Res Life
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 23
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 24
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 25
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Facilities
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 27
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 28
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 29
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Special Focus
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 31
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 32
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 33
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 34
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 35
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 36
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 37
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 38
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 39
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 40
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 41
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - It Takes a Village
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 43
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 44
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 45
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 46
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 47
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 48
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 49
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Finding a Common Language
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 51
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 52
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 53
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 54
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 55
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 56
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 57
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Conversations
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 59
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 60
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 61
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - First Takes
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Around Student Affairs
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 64
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 65
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 66
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - New Members
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Snapshot
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Cover3
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Cover4
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