Learner Success

 Food for Thought
  • Which of these strategies do you already incorporate into your teaching? 
  • Are there processes you’d like to explore further with your colleagues or through available research? 

Reflect on how your methods align with these principles and where you might make adjustments to better support your learners.

Rethinking Student Success: Strategies for Holistic Growth

Student success goes beyond academic achievement. Chang, London, and Foster (2019) emphasize a holistic approach that includes student-driven programming, fostering a sense of belonging, and implementing supportive structures like peer tutoring. Similarly, Cuseo (n.d.) identifies key outcomes and principles for student success, including retention, academic achievement, and holistic development. But how do we achieve these goals?

Here are Cuseo’s Key Processes for Promoting Learner Success:

  • Personal Validation: Make students feel welcomed and recognized as individuals.
  • Self-Efficacy: Help students believe their effort matters and contributes to success.
  • Sense of Purpose: Create meaningful connections between learning and personal goals.
  • Active Involvement: Encourage students to invest time and energy both in and out of the classroom.
  • Reflective Thinking: Promote both attention and reflection to help students consolidate learning into long-term memory.
  • Social Integration: Foster collaboration and dialogue to help students connect with peers and course content.
  • Self-Awareness: Teach students to self-regulate and engage in metacognitive strategies to optimize learning.

References:

   Chang, E., London, R. A., & Foster, S. S. (2019). . Innovative Higher Education 44 (6), 481-496.

   Cuseo, J. (n.d.). . National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.