Understanding our Students: Low Income and First ......Low Income and First Generation Students Among our enrolled, full-time freshmen for Fall 2015 … • 40% from below median income

DeAngela Burns-WallaceVice Provost for Undergraduate Studies

Data Provided by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning

Understanding our Students:

Low Income and First Generation Students

Among our enrolled, full-time freshmen for Fall 2015…

• 40% from below median income households– Defined nationwide as $80,500 for four-person household

• 6% at or below poverty line– Defined nationwide as $24,000 for four-person household

• 23% are Pell Grant recipients

• 14% are first-generation college students (self-report)

Snapshot of Low-Income and First-Gen Students at KU

Distribution of Low-Income and First-Gen Students Across Schools

Income and First-Gen Status as Predictors of Academic Achievement




Income and First-Gen Status as Predictors of Academic Achievement, by CLAS Major Area

• Navigating institution bureaucracies

• Understanding academic pathways and their relative preparation

• Feeling a sense of belonging/community

• Handling financial difficulties

• Dealing with mental health/wellness

• Supporting other family/personal circumstances

What research tells us….

Admitted/Enroll Declare a Major

Follow 4 year Plan for Major Graduate

From recruitment to graduation…

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Presentation Notes

Perception/expectation of how students are supposed to move through the institution….

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Reality…. For all students, for low income and first generation, some of the ladders are hidden

• Understanding their own progression– Through a course– Through a major towards a degree

• Establishing strong relationships with faculty

• Engaging with academic opportunities inside and outside of the classroom

• Utilizing academic resources available

Faculty Critical Role inNavigating the “Hidden Curriculum”

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Bureaucracies for higher ed Strategies for utilizing resources Understanding how to find them How to use office hours, blackboard and other technologies, SI and tutoring, help rooms as supplement not a defciit

• Engagement in High-Impact Practices (e.g., Undergraduate Research, Internships, etc.)

• Local Evidence: Emerging Scholars Program

Setting Low-Income and First-Gen Students up for Success – Outside the Classroom

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First Year work study eligible students placed in research assistantships – providing on campus and in field employment early, establishing mentor relationship, connection to the research and academic interest. 48 of 48 returned 2nd semester. 6 on probation but still engaged with mentor and research. Challenges some of our emphasis on upper class students with high GPA for research opportunities.

Teaching Transparently (Winkelmes et al., (2016)

Setting Low-Income and First-Gen Students up for Success – In the Classroom

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From the Transparency Project- 7 institutions, 35 faculty, 1800 students- faculty incorporated two “transparently designed” take-home assignments into their courses. Students reported increased academic confidence, sense of belonging, and employer-valued skills-effects were particularly strong for first-generation students and low-income students (also multiracial students and a broader group of “underserved” students)

Documents

Understanding our Students: Low Income and First ......Low Income and First Generation Students Among our enrolled, full-time freshmen for Fall 2015 … • 40% from below median income