Browsing by Author "Schuh, J. H."

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Never let it rest: Lessons about student success from high performing colleges and universities
(Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 2005) Kuh, G. D.; Kinzie, J.; Schuh, J. H.; Whitt, E. J.
A time-honored approach to improving effectiveness is to learn what high-performing organizations within a given industry do and then to determine which of their practices are replicable in other settings. A team of 24 researchers coordinated by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Institute for Effective Educational Practice at the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research set out to do just that. The Documenting Effective Educational Practices (DEEP) project was a two-year study of 20 four-year colleges and universities that had both higher-than-predicted graduation rates and higher-than-predicted scores on the NSSE. Graduation is increasingly used in accountability and performance systems as an indicator of institutional effectiveness, and student engagement is important because research shows that it's linked to a host of desirable outcomes of college.
Promoting student success: Using financial and other resources to enhance student success
(Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, 2005) Jacobs, B. A.; Schuh, J. H.
Howard Bowen (1996) wryly observed decades ago that colleges and universities raise all the money they can, and then they spend it. His point was that institutions have more good ideas than they can fully fund. As a consequence, they are constantly making choices as to how to best use their finite resources. Where and how resources are allocated reflect institutional priorities ideally guided by a deliberate planning process that values and supports student success. The principles that follow for using financial and other resources to enhance student learning are based on an in-depth examination of 20 diverse four-year colleges and universities that have higher-than-predicted graduation rates and, as demonstrated through the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), effective policies and practices for engaging their students. These institutions illustrate that it is not necessarily the amount of resources an institution allocates that is important to student success but how financial resources, faculty and staff time, and facilities are linked to create powerful, affirming learning environments.
Promoting student success: What department chairs can do
(Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, 2005) Schuh, J. H.; Kuh, G. D.
Department chairs are in a position to help shape a culture where student learning is the central focus of faculty, staff, and students (Gmelch & Schuh, 2004). They hire, socialize, and evaluate faculty members' performance, guide curriculum development, and maintain the quality of academic programs. At the same time, department chairs typically assume the role without any specific preparation for the position; many have little or no experience as academic administrators. Yet, they are expected to lead their peers in establishing and implementing departmental goals and objectives. If improving educational effectiveness and enhancing student learning are priorities, what should the department chair emphasize? The suggestions offered here are based on an in-depth examination of 20 diverse four-year colleges and universities that have higher-than-predicted graduation rates and higher-than-predicted scores on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Taken together, these measures suggest that their policies, programs, practices, and campus climates challenge and support students of differing abilities and aspirations. How might these ideas be applied to your department?