The document summarizes the findings of a survey of 127 instructors on student success courses. It finds that while course management systems are commonly used, student success curriculums are evolving to include more topics like emotional intelligence and career preparation. Instructors struggle with getting students to see the relevance of topics and apply skills across disciplines. Emerging topics of interest include social/emotional intelligence, time management, and career exploration.

1. Brought to you by:

2. Key Findings
Students struggle to see the relevance of course
topics and to apply learned skills across disciplines. The
Student Success curriculum is slowly evolving to
accommodate diverse student and institution needs.
Emotional intelligence, career exploration and
preparation, and communication skill development are
emerging topics.
Course management systems are commonly used,
whereas homework management systems are not.
Interactivity, collaboration tools, self-reflective and self-
assessment, student case studies, and current videos are
desirable facets for digital and online resources.
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3. Background & Methodology
• Sponsored by Kendall Hunt in association with
The Grandview Group
• 127 Respondents (76% completed all questions)
– Members of Student Success Community (64)
– First-Year Experience (FYE) listserv subscribers (63)
• Incentive: chance to win $25 gift card
• Purpose: to evaluate state of curriculum and
gather suggestions for improving resources
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4. Course Curriculum
The Student Success Course curriculum is “slowly
evolving” (62%). According to participants:
– “Success has to be redefined for each class as each
class will have different needs.”
– The course is “less about study skills … and more
about life skills” and “personal productivity skills”
– Focus shifting from “note-taking and test-taking to
critical thinking and emotional intelligence”
– Emphasis is more on “positive attitudes, maturity, goal
setting, motivation, etc.”
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5. Key Topics
Topics which are “Definitely” assigned include:
– Time Management (85%)
– Goal Setting and Motivation (80%)
– Principles of College Success (63%)
– Learning Strategies (68%)
– Critical Thinking (63%)
– Career Exploration and Planning (56%)
– Educational Planning (52%)
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6. Emerging Topics & Themes
Other than emphasizing basic study skills, new texts should include info on:
– Social and Emotional Intelligence -- 39%
(Motivation, values, personal responsibility, character, consistency, resiliency,
non-cognitive factors, and life goals)
– Time/Self Management -- 26%
(Managing personal life factors, job, and education; avoiding procrastination,
work ethic)
– Career exploration leading to Educational planning / Major selection -- 24%
– Academic preparation and professionalism -- 22%
(plagiarism, digital integrity, student success and retention)
– Communication Skills -- 20%
(interpersonal, written communication, public speaking, civility, how to talk to a
professor, self-advocacy, relationship building, managing online profiles/social
media)
– Transition to University/College environment – 20%
(rules/etiquette of college, supportive resources [financial aid, writing center,
technology], extracurriculars, strategies for success for online courses, intro to
LMS/CMSs)
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7. Teaching Challenges
Instructors of
Student Success
courses share
similar teaching
challenges.
Scale:
1 – Not at all Applicable
to
5 – Extremely Applicable
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8. Course Delivery Challenges
Instructors report the following course delivery
challenges:
– Getting students to see relevancy of information -- 25%
– Dealing with student attitudes-- 24%
(e.g., low motivation, boredom, apathy, hesitancy, "I did this
already in high school," over-confidence)
– Accommodating differences in academic preparation,
computer skills, and learning styles -- 21%
– Engaging students in material -- 21%
(e.g., team work, exercises, project-based learning, modeling)
– Providing for diverse student populations -- 12%
(e.g., culture, age, special needs)
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9. Difficult Topics to Teach
Topics which some instructors find challenging to
present to students in an engaging way include:
– Time Management -- 15%
(e.g., organization , avoiding procrastination , balancing life
responsibilities with college)
– Study Skills -- 14%
(e.g., strategies, process, techniques, and providing practice opportunities)
– Critical Thinking and Analysis -- 8%
– Note Taking -- 8% (because its boring)
– Reading Strategies -- 7%
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10. Student Learning Challenges
Students generally
understand the
material, but
struggle to manage
time, see relevance
of, and apply info.
Scale:
1 – Not at all Applicable
to
5 – Extremely Applicable
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11. Difficult Topics for Students
The top five most difficult topics for students are:
1. Time management -- 46%
(prioritizing, balancing college with work and personal life)
2. Practical application -- 30%
(integration of material, seeing relevance to career and other courses)
3. Emotional intelligence -- 27%
(goal setting and planning, personal responsibility, professionalism, self-
discipline, motivation and perseverance, changing old habits, taking
responsibility for own learning)
4. Critical thinking -- 15%
5. Study skills -- 10% (adequate, healthy)
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12. Textbooks
About three quarters (72%) of participating
instructors indicate their current textbooks meet
their needs.
Strengths include:
– Coverage and range of topics
– Customization options
Items needing improvement include:
– Not enough hands-on, practical, engaging activities
– Need more materials for diverse student groups
– Writing styles that “speak down” to students
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13. Common Texts
User Satisfaction
Author Title (edition) Publisher Strengths
Level
Downing, Skip On Course (Study Cengage Meets Needs (100%) - Emphasis on soft
Skills) skills
- Journaling to
address behavior
and thinking
Cuseo et. al. Thriving in College & Kendall Hunt Meets Needs (86%) - Research based
Beyond (2e.) - Appealing to non-
traditional students
Staley, Constance Focus on College Wadsworth Cengage Meets Needs (75%) - Comprehensive
Success (2e. & 3e.) topic coverage
Gardner/Barefoot Your College Bedford Meets Needs (71%) - Instructor
Experience / St. Martins resources
Strategies for - Goal setting
Success (8-10e.) sections
- Brevity
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14. Evaluation and Adoption
Top two “Extremely Important” adoption factors:
– Accuracy and currency (64%)
– Examples and applications (59%)
Other common considerations include:
– Price
– Alignment with course objectives
– Quality of end of chapter exercises
– Relevancy to diverse student needs (e.g., age, culture)
– Availability and quality of instructor support
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15. Evaluation and Adoption
Topics that are examined more closely than
others during the text adoption process include:
– Time Management (87%)
– Goal Setting and Motivation (81%)
– Learning Strategies (75%)
– Critical Thinking (67%)
– Principles of College Success (66%)
– Educational Planning (65%)
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16. Differentiation of Texts
Half (51%) of respondents feel there are clearly
delineated differences between texts, including:
– Emphasis (Basic study skills vs. Emotional intelligence
vs. Career)
– Focus (Academic vs. Social)
– Depth and scope of topics (e.g., 2-year vs. 4-year)
– Design and layout (Glossy & colorful vs. Workbook)
– Writing style and voice
– Online and/or digital components
– Quality and price
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17. Custom Publishing
Two out of five (43%) instructors consider custom
publishing at least somewhat desirable.
Benefits include:
– Ability to align with course objectives
– Adaptation for student needs
– Inclusion of school-specific information
– Price (if lower)
Negatives include:
– Price (e.g., copyright clearance costs)
– Buy-back restrictions
– Time needed to develop
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18. Instructional Technology
Most (85%) use a CMS/LMS platform. The most
common include:
– Blackboard (50%)
– Moodle (18%)
– D2L (9%)
Most common online homework system
reported in use is MyLab (7/50%).
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19. Online Homework
• Most (82%) do not use a publisher provided
Online Homework Management System.
• Availability of a publisher provided online
homework system not a determining text
adoption factor for most (79%).
– Seen as redundant to CMS/LMS
– Uncertain whether students would use or benefit
– Unable to grade active learning activities
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20. Digital Products
Desirable attributes for digital products include:
• Interactive / Embedded applications
– Must be more than text online
– Games, quizzes, simulations, etc.
• Graphically enhanced with current videos
• Printable and downloadable (PDFs)
• Conducive to collaboration (wiki, forums, messaging,
chat, share drive, etc.)
• CMS compatible
• Low cost
• Accessible / ADA compliant
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21. Ideal Student Solutions
Ideal resources for the student success course
would include or feature the following:
– Interactivity (digital and/or online, edu-taining,
simulations)
– Online and in print versions
– Student resources (workbook, student website for
ongoing activities, reflexive exercises)
– Collaborative environment (student to student,
instructors, and campus; group work)
– Low cost
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22. Ideal Instructor Solutions
Ideal resources for the instructor would include or
feature the following:
– Online availability
– Instructor training
– Lesson enhancers (print and online)
• Videos
• Group projects / Interactive activities for the classroom
• Case studies and Simulation tools
• Problem-based learning activities
• PPTs
• Test banks
• Worksheets
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