october 2011 - purdue university · the university years are spent only partly in the classroom,...

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES &

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

October 2011

Contact:

Andy Zehner 256 Schleman Hall 494-6743 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Summary

Methodology

This report assesses the academic performance of students who are heavily involved in co-curricular activities. Air Force ROTC, Army ROTC, Bands & Orchestras, Navy ROTC and Purdue Musical Organizations are included. Presidential Scholars and Trustees Scholars are also included to allow comparison. The analysis looks at student performance across six semesters, Fall 2008 to Spring 2011. The dataset contains 7,392 records for engaged students and 182,666 records for all Purdue students. Students’ academic performance is measured in terms of semester GPA and credits earned in a semester.

Findings

Engaged students earn higher GPAs and more credit hours than Purdue students overall. o 36.8% of all students earn both 15 or more

credits and a 3.0 or higher semester GPA. o 51.8% of students in the five programs earn both

15 or more credits and a 3.0 or higher semester GPA.

Engaged students perform better even when SAT scores, academic major and other factors are controlled.

Engaged students’ average GPA exceeds the average GPA for all students at every SAT level.

Engaged students’ average GPA exceeds the average GPA for all students in every under-graduate grade classification and most colleges.

Commentary

Directors of the five programs explain the results by a combination of factors. Members in the programs tend to be excellent students. All members receive close supervision regarding their studies and academic goals. Academic performance is stressed as a prerequisite for participation in the program. Tutoring is arranged for members who need special help. Members are taught to manage their time well. Activity in other clubs and activities is discouraged for students who fall below expectations.

Recommendations

Recommendations are presented on page 24 of this report.

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15+ Credits 3.0+ GPA Both 15 and 3.0

Engaged students earn more credits & higher GPAs

Engaged Students All Purdue Students

1

Section 1: Introduction

The university years are spent only partly in the classroom, library and laboratory. Students also devote considerable time to co-curricular activities. Clubs, student organizations and other programs help to make college memorable and pleasurable. These outside-the-classroom activities are vital to the full, formative, college experience. And there is ample evidence that extra- or co-curricular activities bring benefits beyond enjoyment. One well-documented benefit is improved retention:

The . . . evidence consistently indicates that student involvement – both generally and in an array of academic and social areas or activities – is related in some fashion to intended or actual persistence into the next academic year.

1

This report provides some insights into the effects of engagement on other important student outcomes. We compare the academic performance of students who are heavily engaged in co-curricular activities with the general undergraduate student population of Purdue University. The analysis shows that the academic attainment of the heavily engaged students compares favorably to that of students in general. The time they devote to activities outside of class does not cause observable diminution in academic attainment. To the contrary, heavily engaged students excel in academic outcomes.

CO-CURRICULAR ENGAGEMENT AT PURDUE Some level of co-curricular activity or involvement is common among Purdue students. Three out of four Purdue students allocate at least some time each week to co-curricular activities. About one in four undergraduates spends more than 10

Chart 1

Participation in Co-Curricular Activities Hours per Week

Source: 2010 NSSE

1 How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research, Ernest T. Pascarelli and Patrick T. Terenzini, Jossey-Bass, 2005,

p. 426.

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hours a week on these activities.

2 But evidence from the 2010 National Survey of Student Engagement suggests that for

most students the time commitment is light. When students were asked how many hours a week they devote to out-of-class activities, the most common answer was 1-5 hours.

Among the 3,328 students responding to the question on the NSSE survey, only 24% reported spending more than 10 hours per week – similar to the number having no co-curricular involvement at all. Only 7.3% of students give more than 20 hours, and only 3.2% give more than 30 hours per week. Level of engagement varies from college to college, as shown in Table 2.

3

Students in veterinary technology, for example, are much less involved than health and human sciences majors.

Table 2 Participation in Co-Curricular Activities

Hours per Week

College 0

Hours 1-10

Hours 11-20 Hours

21 + Hours

College of Agriculture 19% 60% 15% 7%

College of Consumer & Family Sciences 19% 52% 19% 10%

College of Education 23% 52% 19% 6%

College of Engineering 19% 56% 19% 6%

College of Liberal Arts 30% 46% 15% 9%

College of Health & Human Sciences 14% 62% 15% 8%

College of Science 22% 55% 18% 5%

College of Technology 32% 47% 13% 9%

Krannert School of Management 19% 56% 17% 8%

Undergraduate Studies Program 28% 50% 16% 6%

Veterinary Technology 74% 23% 3% 0%

Total 23% 53% 17% 7%

Source: 2010 NSSE

This report focuses on the impact of intensive engagement on academic achievement. It is worth noting in passing, however, that engagement seems to go hand in hand with another important objective: student satisfaction. Chart 3 shows that the most involved students are happiest at Purdue.

The effect of activity on satisfaction is important but should not be overstated. The difference between the least and most engaged students is small. (Note the scale on the left-hand side of Chart 3, which varies only from 3.1 to 3.5 on a 1-4 scale.) Also, engagement does not necessarily cause satisfaction. It may instead be a result: students may join in activities because they are happy with their classes, their housing situation and other factors. Nevertheless, Purdue’s most satisfied students are also those who are most heavily engaged in co-curricular activities.

2 According to the 2010 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), 77% of Purdue freshmen and 75% of Purdue

seniors participate in co-curricular activities. Student involvement is marginally higher at Purdue than at other Big 10 schools, other AAU peers and other very high research universities. 3 Table 2 displays the NSSE taxonomy of colleges. It does not align with Purdue’s own list of colleges and schools.

3

Chart 3 Students’ Satisfaction with Their Entire Educational Experience

by Hours of Co-Curricular Activity

Source: NSSE

Section 2: Methodology

This assessment relies on institutional data from six academic semesters:

Fall 2008

Spring 2009

Fall 2009

Spring 2010

Fall 2010

Spring 2011

The study looks at the academic progress of students in five specific co-curricular programs at Purdue University. These five groups are typified by intensive levels of student involvement, including both frequent lengthy practice sessions and occasional absences from campus.

4 The five programs are:

4 The words “intensive” and “highly engaged” are used throughout this report to refer only to members of the five co-

curricular programs.

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Aerospace Studies / Air Force ROTC

Military Science / Army ROTC

Bands & Orchestras

Naval Science / Navy ROTC

Purdue Musical Organizations

These disparate programs share several important characteristics. They require a great deal of outside-of-class time from students. Bands and PMO require members to rehearse and perform. The military programs require cadets and midshipmen to participate in rigorous early-morning drill and training exercises as well as military studies classes. These obligations can take up to 20 hours a week for part or all of the academic year. PMO members’ time obligation is most intense leading up to the annual Purdue Christmas Show, but lighter at other times of the year. Sports-related band ensembles are busiest during football, basketball and volleyball seasons.

We do not contend that the five programs addressed in this study are the only intensive student activities at Purdue. Purdue Student Government representatives, inter-collegiate and club athletes, and members of the various student activities and organizations are also heavily engaged. We have focused on the five programs cited above for methodological convenience.

Membership in the selected programs was determined in most cases through course registrations. Army ROTC cadets were identified by course records in any military studies course. The sample of Army ROTC includes 727 student/semester records. Air Force ROTC cadets (sample = 896) were identified through registration in Air Force-related academic courses. Navy ROTC midshipmen (sample = 1015) were identified by registration in naval studies courses. Participation in Bands & Orchestras (sample = 3770) was determined through BAND courses. PMO membership was determined by a list provided by PMO, since there are no PMO-related academic courses. The sample contains 1,045 semester records for PMO members. The total number of semester records for engaged students is 7,392.

Two measures of academic achievement are used in this study: credits earned and GPA. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has made four-year graduation a priority objective for Purdue and Indiana’s other public universities.

5 Indeed,

state funding to these institutions is contingent upon improvement in the four-year graduation rate. This policy reflects the State of Indiana’s interest in raising the rate of college attainment among Hoosiers, and in streamlining the educational pipeline. Faced with this policy, Purdue University benefits when students progress rapidly. And by graduating in the shortest time possible, students minimize their educational costs. Nevertheless, the sense of urgency about finishing in four years is not shared by all students. Among Purdue students surveyed in the Cooperative Instructional Research Program (CIRP) in 2010, 45.3% of incoming freshmen indicated at least some chance they would need extra time to finish their degree.

6

In order to graduate in four years, students in most academic colleges must earn more than 15 credits each semester. Thus, we look at the percentage of students earning 15 or more credits in the heavily engaged group versus Purdue students overall.

The second measure of success is semester GPA. We set 3.0 or higher as the threshold of success for two reasons. First, some scholarships require students to maintain this level to remain eligible for aid. Second, a GPA of 3.0 or higher is a common threshold used by employers when sorting job applications from college graduates. About three out of four employers consider GPA when screening applications. Sixty-five percent of these disregard anything below a 3.0.

7

The study employs sample data from the overall Purdue student population. The sample contains 182,666 student records across the six semesters representing 51,170 individual students. An individual student may be represented up to six times,

5 Reaching Higher: Strategic Initiatives for Higher Education in Indiana, Indiana Commission for Higher Education, February

2010. 6 Details of the CIRP survey are available from Purdue’s Office of Institutional Research.

7 Job Outlook 2012, National Association of Colleges and Employers, p. 24.

5

if he or she was enrolled in all six of the semesters being studied. Summer sessions are not included because the five programs are not active during the summer term.

Section 3: Research Findings

RATES OF SUCCESS Academic success is defined, for purposes of this study, as earning 15 or more credits with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Purdue students overall achieve this double goal 37% of the time. An additional 37% meet one or the other criterion.

8 Twenty-six

percent of all Purdue students fall below both standards. Table 4 below illustrates how the large sample of student-semester outcomes in our sample is distributed. The dark-shaded cells represent students meeting both criteria. Light shading indicates students meeting one or the other standard.

9

Table 4 Semester GPA & Credits Earned

All Purdue Students

Semester GPA

Less than 2.0

2.0 - 2.9

3.0 or higher

Cre

dit

s Ea

rne

d 15 or more 1.6% 17.5% 36.8%

12.0- 14.9 2.4% 10.4% 14.4%

Fewer than 12

8.3% 4.6% 4.0%

Table 4 illustrates a relationship between course load and GPA. Students who earn more credits also tend to get better grades. Among students earning 15 or more credits, nearly twice as many get a 3.0 or higher GPA than earn less than 3.0. But among students earning less than 15 hours, nearly half get less than a 3.0 GPA.

The highly engaged students in the five programs achieve both success criteria more often than Purdue students overall. Table 5 shows that 51.8% of all heavily engaged students meet both criteria. Additionally, 32.3% of highly engaged students achieve one or the other criterion. Only 16.1% fail to achieve either.

8 These criteria pertain to this study only and are not official standards. Many individual students (e.g., part-time students)

have academic goals that do not align with these standards. 9 Note the percentage values in all cells of Tables 4 and 5 add to 100%.

6

Table 5 Semester GPA & Credits Earned

Highly Engaged Students

Semester GPA

Less than 2.0

2.0 - 2.9

3.0 or higher

Cre

dit

s Ea

rne

d 15 or more 1.1% 19.1% 51.8%

12.0- 14.9 1.5% 7.3% 10.5%

Fewer than 12

3.9% 3.4% 1.6%

Here are some noteworthy details from Tables 4 and 5 and the supporting data:

Students earning 15 or more credits per semester are also most likely to achieve the GPA target. Sixty-six percent of students earning 15 or more credits also earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher – compared to only 23% of students earning fewer than 12 credits.

Female students in the study satisfy the dual criteria 42% of the time. Male students do so in 33% of cases.

International students succeed at a 42% rate. Indiana resident students achieve double success 37% of the time; non-resident students 36%.

One would suppose that moderate course loads would be more consistent with high GPA. And logic tells us that at some level students would be overburdened and unable to satisfy all course requirements. But the evidence of our large sample suggests that few students exceed their limits. Many students have difficulty in achieving a good GPA, but only a small share struggle because they have taken too many courses.

STUDENTS ATTAIN 15+ CREDITS A SEMESTER HALF THE TIME Undergraduate students obtain 15 or more credits 56% of the time. This is a critical concern, because typical degree requirements demand that students earn more than 15 credits per semester in order to graduate in eight semesters. The following chart drawn from our data set shows the distribution of credits earned.

10

As Chart 6 shows, students earn 12 or more credits 83% of the time, 15 or more credits 56% of the time, but 18 or more credits only 18% of the time. Fifteen credits is the most common load, yet it is not at all prevalent: students earn exactly 15 credits only 20% of the time.

10

The left vertical axis of Chart 6 shows the count of students earning each number of semester credits. These counts are from a large six-semester sample and do not represent official totals for a particular year. The right-hand axis shows cumulative percentage of students earning at least the given number of credits.

7

Chart 6 Course Credits Earned per Semester

and Cumulative Total

ENGAGED STUDENTS ENTER PURDUE WITH HIGHER SAT SCORES Anyone who speaks often with program sponsors around the Purdue campus is likely to hear something like, “Our program has the finest students at Purdue.” This has been said with good reason of the five programs that are the focus of this study. Taken as a group, the members of Bands and Orchestras, PMO and the three military studies programs have higher academic qualifications than the general Purdue student population.

Chart 7 Comparison of Verbal SAT Scores

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Engaged

8

Evidence for this appears in the distributions of Verbal and Math SAT scores for members of the five programs and for the rest of the Purdue student population.

11 The average SAT Verbal score for the sample of 7,297 engaged students is 597 for

engaged students, compared with 555 for all Purdue students. In terms of Math SAT scores, the comparison is between 633 for engaged students and 601 for all Purdue students.

12

Chart 8 Comparison of Math SAT Scores

Charts 7 and 8 show a wide distribution of scores for both the engaged students and for all Purdue students. Both groups have at least some students entering Purdue with scores below 450 and others with scores above 750. The important detail is that the curve of the (green) lines representing engaged students is higher to the right, indicating more students with higher scores.

ENGAGED STUDENTS OUT-PERFORM OTHERS WITH SIMILAR SAT SCORES A student’s college performance is shaped by many factors.

13 One important student characteristic is innate proficiency.

Individuals who have performed better before entering college usually continue to excel after entering college. The SAT is not a perfect measure of students’ intelligence, but it does correlate to good college performance. Students who enter college with higher SAT scores tend to earn higher GPAs in their college career. This is confirmed in the upward slope of the lines in charts 9 and 10: higher SAT scores earned before entering college correspond to higher GPAs in college.

What is interesting for our current study is the differences in angle of slope between the two lines in each of the charts. All lines are upward sloping. But the (green) lines representing engaged students rises more steeply. The difference in these lines suggests that membership in the programs affects student performance.

11

ACT scores have been converted so as to be comparable on the SAT scale. Throughout this report any mention of SAT scores includes both SAT and adjusted ACT scores. 12

These values apply to the six-semester sample and do not represent official figures for current Purdue students. 13

Astin’s Input – Environment - Outcome (IEO) Model of Learning.

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Chart 9 Comparison of Semester GPAs by Verbal SAT Scores

Chart 10 Comparison of Semester GPAs by Math SAT Scores

Engaged students outperform the rest of Purdue with a collective semester GPA average of 3.12 compared to 2.91 for other students. But the advantage does not appear at all SAT levels. Engaged students’ GPAs are better among students with SAT scores above 450. The difference is small among students with SAT scores below 450.

ENGAGED STUDENTS EARN BETTER GRADES AT EVERY CLASSIFICATION Students’ GPAs tend to be higher for upperclassmen. This may results from students learning better how to do college work as they gain experience, or from attrition of the poorer students. For whatever combination or reasons, upperclassmen tend to earn higher grades than freshmen. On the other hand, upper-level courses sometimes tax students’ abilities to the fullest. Overall, aggregate GPAs for students in higher grades tend to be higher than those for freshmen.

Chart 11 illustrates the trend of higher grades in higher class levels. What is important for the present study is that highly-engaged students’ grades exceed those of all Purdue students at every class level.

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Chart 11 Average GPA by Class Level

Purdue and Highly Engaged Students

Chart 11 illustrates the change in semester GPA for each level of student. It is important to remember that attrition is at work. The number of sophomores and juniors at Purdue is always somewhat smaller than the number of freshmen. The number of students listed as seniors, on the other hand, is higher because of the number of fifth- and sixth-year seniors. Retention is even lower among members of the five programs. This is especially true for the ROTC programs. Students deemed unfit to be officers will be dismissed from the ROTC program or will lose their stipend. This ensures that students in the upper grades of these programs are fewer but more elite.

ENGAGED STUDENTS EARN MORE CREDITS The second measure of student success in this study is credits earned per semester. The engaged students earn an average of 15.9 credits per semester. Overall Purdue students in the sample (including part-time students) earn an average 13.9 credits.

Chart 12 Distribution of Credits Earned Purdue and Engaged Students

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Chart 12 compares the number of credits earned by engaged students and all Purdue students. For both groups, the largest share earns 15-17 credits. About 43% of both groups fall into this category. But a larger share of engaged students earn more than 17, while more of other Purdue students earn fewer than 15. All together, 44% of Purdue students complete fewer than 15 credits – but only 29% of engaged students. Alternatively, 71% of engaged students earn 15 or more credits, compared to only 56% of all Purdue students.

The differences in credits earned are determined to some extent by part-time students, who, by definition, earn fewer credits. But they are a small part of the entire student population. Even among full-time students, the engaged students are more likely to earn 18 or more.

HIGHLY ENGAGED STUDENTS ARE MORE HEAVILY ENROLLED IN STEM Academic performance is affected by the rigors of the students’ course of study. Students may progress more slowly and earn lower grades when their major is especially difficult or demanding. Thus, a group of students who are taking easier courses than other students might be expected to get better grades. In order to compare two groups of students as we are doing in this report, we must consider the differences in their academic study.

We do not presume here to say which programs are hard and which are easy. But the data show that students in the five programs are heavily enrolled in engineering programs and also in the broader STEM category.

14 Among all Purdue students

in the six-semester dataset, 23% are enrolled in some category of engineering. The comparable figure for highly engaged students is 33%. Likewise, STEM enrollment is 44% of all Purdue enrollment and 59% of students in the five programs.

15

A detailed display of enrollment by college is shown in Table 13. The table shows the aggregated GPA for students in each of these academic programs. In 34 of 37 programs listed, the highly engaged students exhibit a higher GPA than all Purdue students. In some cases, these differences are small, and in other cases the sample is too small to make conclusions. But the overall trend is sufficient to assert that the heavily engaged students perform very well throughout the university – including in its most rigorous academic programs.

The largest enrollment differences between Purdue and the five programs are in the College of Science, the Department of Aviation Technology, First-Year Engineering and the School of Aeronautical and Astronomical Engineering. In these colleges, the five programs are heavily represented. The five programs are under-represented in the College of Consumer and Family Sciences and the School of Management, and, to a lesser extent, the College of Agriculture and the College of Liberal Arts.

14

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math disciplines include the college of Agriculture and the College of Consumer and Family Sciences. 15

The Naval ROTC program has a national directive to enroll at least 65% of its scholarship students in technical fields. In order to meet the goal, Naval ROTC at Purdue begins with 85% of its freshmen recruits in technical majors.

12

Table 13 Comparison of GPA, by College

Purdue Students

Overall Heavily Engaged Students

count percent GPA count percent GPA

College of Agriculture 14,070 7.7% 2.81 407 5.5% 3.02

College of Consumer & Fam Sc 9,625 5.3% 3.11 168 2.3% 3.24

College of Education 4,927 2.7% 3.36 146 2.0% 3.44

College of Health & Human Sci 4,552 2.5% 3.02 125 1.7% 3.22

College of Liberal Arts 36,414 19.9% 2.84 1,379 18.7% 3.03

College of Science 17,142 9.4% 2.92 893 12.1% 3.13

Computer Integrated Manufctrng 252 0.1% 2.80 10 0.1% 2.85

Construction Engineering Mgmt 537 0.3% 2.78 8 0.1% 3.05

Dept of Aviation Technology 3,497 1.9% 3.05 576 7.8% 3.29

Dept of Bldg & Construct Mgmt 2,765 1.5% 3.04 33 0.4% 3.25

Dept of Computer & Inform Tech 2,430 1.3% 2.86 84 1.1% 3.18

Dept of Computer Graphics Tech 2,536 1.4% 2.91 80 1.1% 3.19

Dept of Elec & Comp Engr Tech 2,321 1.3% 2.65 64 0.9% 2.75

Dept of Industrial Technology 1,376 0.8% 2.83 45 0.6% 3.26

Dept of Mechanical Engr Tech 2,806 1.5% 2.69 101 1.4% 2.68

Dept of Orgnztl Ldrshp & Supv 3,142 1.7% 2.99 74 1.0% 3.17

First Year Engineering 12,612 6.9% 2.90 971 13.1% 3.09

Forestry 299 0.2% 2.60 15 0.2% 2.79

Pre-Pharmacy 3,381 1.9% 3.10 120 1.6% 3.45

School of Aero and Astro Engr 3,217 1.8% 2.86 334 4.5% 3.06

School of Agr and Bio Engr 802 0.4% 3.01 51 0.7% 3.29

School of Biomedical Engr 1,098 0.6% 3.17 50 0.7% 3.52

School of Chemical Engineering 2,997 1.6% 2.89 130 1.8% 3.06

School of Civil Engineering 3,625 2.0% 2.83 137 1.9% 3.08

School of Elec & Computer Engr 5,092 2.8% 2.76 155 2.1% 3.12

School of Health Sciences 2,724 1.5% 3.02 67 0.9% 3.14

School of Industrial Engr 2,428 1.3% 2.84 46 0.6% 3.22

School of Interdisciplnry Engr 435 0.2% 2.92 48 0.6% 3.10

School of Management 15,610 8.5% 3.01 315 4.3% 3.28

School of Materials Engr 801 0.4% 2.84 61 0.8% 3.23

School of Mechanical Engr 5,770 3.2% 2.80 270 3.7% 3.02

School of Nuclear Engineering 804 0.4% 3.01 107 1.4% 3.44

School of Nursing 2,637 1.4% 3.44 121 1.6% 3.33

School of Pharm & Pharmtcl Sci 133 0.1% 3.25 5 0.1% 3.20

Temporary 2,178 1.2% 2.46 2 0.0% 3.98

Undergraduate Studies Program 5,423 3.0% 2.60 189 2.6% 2.73

Veterinary Technology 2,168 1.2% 2.84 4 0.1% 2.97

FACTORS THAT ARE RELATED TO A HIGHER GPA Several factors affecting student performance have been presented in this report. Up to this point we have considered each factor separately. Yet we know that each student’s performance is affected by the factors in combination. Regression analysis allows us to measure how various combinations of factors influence an outcome – in this case students’ semester GPA.

13

Table 14 suggests how 15 variables are related to the outcome of semester GPA.16

The variables are arranged in descending order according to the strength of their correlation with GPA. The single most important variable is credits earned. Other variables contribute to a lesser extent, and the effect of some of the variables in Table 14 is trivial. The Beta coefficient next to each variable indicates the relative strength of each variable’s correlation with GPA.

Table 14 provides a wealth of information about student performance. Credits Earned has the strongest Beta value among the several factors. And this is not surprising because we know from other sources that students who are enrolled full time tend to get better grades. Table 11 in this report shows how GPAs increase for upper classmen, so it is not surprising to see negative values associated with Freshman and Sophomore and a strong positive value for Senior. The value for Scholar (.056) indicates the beneficial effect of being a Presidential Scholar or a Trustees Scholar.

17 Note that this effect is separate

from Scholars’ high SAT scores. The regression model shows the effect of each factor when other factors are controlled.

Table 14 Variables That Have Significant

Influence on Student GPA

Factor Standardized Beta

Coefficient

R2

Credits earned .517 .374

Female .118

Senior .111

Math score .100

Freshman -.093

STEM -.085

Verbal score .078

Scholar .056

Age .050

Out-of-state -.047

Liberal Arts -.045

Sophomore -.044

Highly engaged .021

URM -.020

International .020

The variable “Highly engaged” shows a Beta coefficient of .021. This is a positive effect from being involved in the five programs. This effect is separate from (and in addition to) having high SAT scores and being enrolled full time. The effect is small, but statistically significant at the .01 level. This effect suggests that involvement in the five programs contributes positively to students’ academic performance when other factors are controlled.

16

The value of the Beta coefficient indicates how strongly each factor influences (or at least correlates with) the outcome. Negative values (e.g., Freshman, STEM, out-of-state) indicate that students with that characteristic tend to get lower grades. Standardized Beta values provide an easy way of comparing the strength of several variables’ effect on (or correlation with) the outcome. The R

2 value is the measure of the overall model rather than of individual factors. An R

2

value of .374 means (roughly) that the combination of factors explain 37% of the variation in GPAs among all students in the sample. This table is drawn from a sample of 14,498 student records – 7,297 highly engaged students and a random sample of 7,697 other Purdue students. The subset was necessary to ensure that all variables in the model existed for every student record. All values shown have a t score of .01 or less. 17

These programs are discussed later in the report.

14

FACTORS RELATED TO MORE CREDITS EARNED The second important measure of student academic success as defined in this study is credits earned in a semester. In this section we find that a small number of variables is statistically correlated to credits earned. Table 15 lists the Beta and R

2

values for a series of models.

In this model, nine factors contribute to an R2 of .369 – a moderately strong model of factors correlating with more course

credits per semester. The factor for “Highly engaged” is important in this model with a Beta of .128. Students in the five intensive programs systematically earn more credits than those who are less engaged. The regression provides a stronger proof that participants in the five programs are earning more credits than their less-engaged peers.

Table 15 Variables That Have Significant

Influence on Credits Earned

Factor Standardized

Beta Coefficient

R2

Semester GPA .520 .369

Age -.177

Highly engaged .128

Scholar .110

Verbal score -.044

Female -.030

Junior .028

Fall semester .025

Hoosier resident -.025

The Age variable has a negative beta value. This is because many older students are enrolled part-time while the core of the student population aged 19-22 takes full course loads.

Students who are Presidential or Trustees Scholars tend to earn more credits that all students. But the effect of being a Scholar is smaller than that of being Highly Engaged.

15

Section 4: The Five Programs

The following pages present summary information and brief comments about each of the five programs. It has not been our goal to pit the programs against each other, but only to see how they as a group compare with the overall Purdue population in terms of semester GPA and credits earned. But there is some value in assessing each of the five programs individually. These details are summarized below. For each program, three tables provide summary evidence.

This study defines academic success as a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher and 15 or more course credits earned in a semester. Table 5 above shows that 37% of Purdue students achieve both these success criteria. The tables below provide similar percentages for each individual program, showing the percentage of program members who achieve both, only one, and neither criterion.

The second table presented below for each program shows the distribution of GPA and credits earned for Purdue and for members of the specific program. Rather than restating the average, we provide three points of comparison: the 20

th, 50

th

and 80th

percentiles. The 20th

percentile is the score below which the least-well performing 20% of the group falls. In other words, one in five members of the group does worse than this value. The 50

th percentile is the middle of the ranking: the

point at which an equal number of members do better and worse. The 80th

percentile is a mark of high achievement. Four out of five members (80%) fall below this mark, but one out of five exceeds it.

By comparing different groups at these three points we can observe how results are achieved. Air Force ROTC falls below Purdue at the 80

th percentile, but still performs better overall by having fewer low performers (as shown by Air Force’s

higher 20th

and 50th

percentile values).

The third table provided for each program compares GPA scores for specific colleges and academic departments. Only six are cited because the number of students in other colleges and schools were too small for a good sample. All the values shown below have sample size of N=20 or greater.

16

AIR FORCE ROTC

Meets Both

Success Criteria

Meets One

Success Criterion

Meets Neither Success

Criterion

Purdue 37% 37% 26%

Air Force 47% 36% 17%

Average GPA Average Credits Earned

Purdue Air Force ROTC Purdue Air Force ROTC

80th

3.67 3.59 17 18

50th

3.07 3.11 15 16

20th

2.33 2.50 12 14

Purdue Air Force ROTC

College of Agriculture 2.81 2.82

College of Liberal Arts 2.84 3.01

College of Science 2.92 2.89

First-Year Engineering 2.90 2.81

School of Management 3.01 3.24

Undergraduate Studies 2.60 2.85

Findings are based on a sample of 896 semester records for Air Force ROTC cadets. All were identified by their enrollment in one or more courses in Aerospace Studies.

The Air Force ROTC program is moderately selective at the outset. Between the sophomore and junior years, a rigorous selection process leads to a drastic reduction leaving only students who are serious officer candidates. These are eligible for ongoing scholarship support. The three-year sample we studied contained 282 freshmen but only 164 juniors. As the numbers diminish, the air force cadre becomes more elite.

The Air Force ROTC program achieves the dual measures of academic success defined for this study 47% of the time – a higher rate than the 37% for all Purdue students. Air Force ROTC exceeds the general student population in both credits earned and GPA. As illustrated above, AFROTC excels the general student population at the 80

th, 50

th and 20

th percentiles

for credits and at the 50th

and 20th

percentiles for GPA.

Aviation technology and first-year engineering are top programs for Air Force ROTC members. Thirty-three percent of all students in our Air Force sample were enrolled in the First-Year Engineering program, and 24% in aviation technology.

17

ARMY ROTC

Meets Both

Success Criteria

Meets One

Success Criterion


Criterion

Purdue 37% 37% 26%

Army 40% 36% 24%


Purdue Army ROTC Purdue Army ROTC

80th

3.67 3.54 17 18

50th

3.07 3.00 15 16

20th

2.33 2.37 12 13

Purdue Army ROTC







The data for Army ROTC is derived from student records for MSL (Military Science & Leadership) classes during the six semesters. There are 727 semester records.

Most Army ROTC cadets at Purdue are walk-on candidates. The Army ROTC program includes the highest number of Indiana resident students among the ROTC programs. Sixty-four percent of Army ROTC cadets are from Indiana, compared with 60% of Air force cadets and 45% of Navy midshipmen. We do not imply here that Indiana resident students are less qualified, but the higher rate of resident students does reflect the fact that Army ROTC cadets have more college choices. Seven Indiana university campuses have Army programs; only two offer Navy programs.

Army ROTC has a very high share of its cadets in the College of Liberal Arts (32% in our sample). Army also has more students in the Undergraduate Studies Program, Nursing, and several of the technology departments.

Army ROTC cadets achieve the double goal of 15 credits and a 3.0 GPA 40% of the time.

18

BANDS & ORCHESTRA

Meets Both

Success Criteria

Meets One

Success Criterion


Criterion

Purdue 37% 37% 26%

Bands & Orchestras

56% 30% 14%


Purdue Bands Purdue Bands

80th

3.67 3.81 17 18

50th

3.07 3.36 15 17

20th

2.33 2.73 12 14

Purdue Bands







The dataset contains 3,770 student/semester records for Band members. These were identified by course records for any BAND course during the six semesters.

Bands and Orchestras members exceed the academic performance of all Purdue students in every measure shown above. They get better grades and earn more course credits per semester. They perform better that all Purdue students at the 20

th,

50th

and 80th

percentiles at both measures. The excellence begins at the beginning – freshman band members earn a collective GPA of 3.13 compared to the overall Purdue Freshman GPA of 2.78.

19

NAVY ROTC

Meets Both

Success Criteria

Meets One

Success Criterion


Criterion

Purdue 37% 37% 26%

Navy 59% 31% 10%


Purdue Navy ROTC Purdue Navy ROTC

80th

3.67 3.68 17 19

50th

3.07 3.27 15 17

20th

2.33 2.75 12 14

Purdue Navy ROTC







Purdue’s Navy and Marine ROTC program is the most selective of the three military programs. Most of the midshipmen are on scholarship, and most are enrolled in a technical major. Only 45% of the members of this program are Indiana residents, compared with 64% of students in the Purdue sample. The smaller share of resident students reflects the competitive nature of the Navy ROTC program. The findings are based on 1,015 student records that were identified from course registrations for any Naval Studies (NS) course during the six semesters.

Navy ROTC shows the highest rate of double success among the five programs, with 59% of all midshipmen attaining at least 15 credits and a 3.0 or higher GPA.

Aviation Technology, First-Year Engineering, Nursing and Nuclear Engineering are preferred majors for Navy ROTC students. The College of Agriculture, the College of Consumer and Family Sciences and the College of Education have relatively few midshipmen.

20

PURDUE MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS

Meets Both

Success Criteria

Meets One

Success Criterion


Criterion

Purdue 37% 37% 26%

PMO 41% 35% 25%


Purdue PMO Purdue PMO

80th

3.67 3.69 17 17

50th

3.07 3.07 15 15

20th

2.33 2.40 12 12

Purdue PMO







This report is based on 1,045 student records. Members were identified by records provided by PMO. PMO has the highest share of Indiana resident members, with 69%. This is higher than any other of the five organizations discussed here, and higher than the 64% of Purdue students overall.

PMO members’ percentiles for credits earned are very similar to those of Purdue students overall. This achievement should not be underappreciated. PMO is a purely volunteer organization. Whereas students in the other programs earn course credit for their involvement, PMO members do not. PMO members meet outside of class time and receive no credit for their efforts.

Whereas PMO members’ GPA and credits are very similar to those of Purdue overall, PMO members exceed the two success criteria substantially more often than Purdue overall: 41% to 37%.

Twenty-three percent of PMO members are in the College of Liberal Arts. They are also focused on Agriculture, Education and Nursing. But PMO members are also concentrated in the College of Science (10.9% compared to 9.4% of all Purdue) and in First-Year Engineering (9.7% compared to 6.9%).

21

PURDUE SCHOLARS

Meets Both

Success Criteria

Meets One

Success Criterion


Criterion

Purdue 37% 37% 26%

Presidential 70% 24% 7%

Trustees 79% 17% 5%


Purdue Presidential Trustees Purdue Presidential Trustees

80th

3.67 3.94 4.00 17 21 23

50th

3.07 3.54 3.67 15 17 17

20th

2.33 2.99 3.17 12 15 15

Purdue Presidential

Scholars Trustees Scholars

College of Agriculture 2.81 3.46 3.63

College of Liberal Arts 2.84 3.65 3.81

College of Science 2.92 3.40 3.56

First-Year Engineering 2.90 3.23 3.42

School of Management 3.01 3.64 3.74

Undergraduate Studies 2.60 3.61 3.62

The scholars are students with exceptional academic qualifications.18

According to information from Purdue’s scholarship website eligible students must demonstrate “Exceptional academic achievement, and experience in leadership, service, and/or school or community activity.”

Participation in the Presidential and Trustees Scholar programs does not require co-curricular activity as the ROTCs, bands and PMO do. Those two programs are shown here as a basis for setting the bar for academic achievement. Data for the Scholars does not consider their levels of engagement. Some of these students focus primarily on their studies. Others are involved in co-curricular activities. A few Scholars are also members of the five programs in this report.

The details reported here are based on 2,865 student records for Presidential Scholars and 3,367 records for Trustee’s Scholars.

18

http://admissions.purdue.edu/costs/merit_scholarships.html

22

Section 4: Observations

Academic achievement is not diminished by intensive co-curricular activities – at least not in the five programs assessed here. Indeed, students in the five programs earn course credits faster than other students while earning grades as good or better. It would be reasonable to assume that all activities that distract from academics lessen academic achievement, but this is not so. Here we discuss some reasons why these co-curricular programs can lead to good academic results.

ENGAGED STUDENTS ARE ORGANIZED & DISCIPLINED One common thread among the programs is the conviction that all students have adequate time. With 168 hours in a week, a student can devote 45 hours to class and studies, get 56 hours of sleep and relaxation, spend 20 hours eating and dressing, and still have 47 hours of unallocated time. None of the five programs require even half of this. Students have enough time: they only need to manage it well.

“Time management is the main problem of almost all students who fail at college,” Says PMO Director Bill Griffel. To ensure that PMO members avoid the pitfall of wasted time, PMO plans a weekly schedule with every member. Griffel explains that every student gets a Mortar Board calendar at the beginning of each semester, and PMO lays out precisely what will be expected of members. That commitment is extensive, but Griffel says PMO never exceeds the plan. “I haven’t called an extra, emergency practice in three years,” he says.

This contention echoes what has been written elsewhere of other time-consuming out-of-class activities. “It may be that, for a substantial number of students who work during college, employment provides a context in which they acquire efficient organizational skills and work habits. As a result, they may be able to compensate for less study time by using available time more efficiently.”

19 (emphasis added.)

The Air Force ROTC program also closely monitors the academic status of every cadet – both in terms of the grades students receive in class and in how they are using their free time to prepare. “We have a culture of time management. Being on time is fundamental to the military,” says Lt. Col. Tom Frooninckx. “Our cadets see good time management modeled by me and all the other personnel. It is contagious.”

The Navy ROTC program not only ensures that adequate time is spent in studying, but that the time is spent in genuinely rigorous study. Midshipmen must spend a required number of hours in a designated area, where quiet study is enforced.

ENGAGED STUDENTS HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS Air Force cadets at Purdue have a reason for special motivation. The personal evaluation of an ROTC commander is very significant in a cadet’s future placement in the service. Each cadet knows that his or her future in the Air Force depends on meeting the expectation Lt. Col. Frooninckx sets in his classes and in out-of-class ROTC activities. “I don’t just hand out candy,” he says, “I give a lot of As, but the cadets have to work for their grades. And they do.”

The other branches of ROTC do not have the same direct link between the college instructor and the cadet’s career, but high expectations are there for all. Navy midshipmen are mostly on scholarship, and continued financial support is

19

How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research, Ernest T. Pascarelli and Patrick T. Terenzini, Jossey-Bass, 2005. p. 133.

23

contingent on the Navy’s high academic requirements. Similarly, most Army ROTC cadets are receiving some level of scholarship or stipend. In the case of the Bands and PMO, the expectation derives from the legacy of past achievements. Purdue’s Glee Club is a world-famous institution, and current members understand that they are part of an extraordinary tradition.

Band director Jay Gephart adds that musicians come to Purdue with a record of combining academic achievement and performance. “There shouldn’t be any question about whether students can be in band and still handle their classes,” he says. “Every one of our members was in a high school band and got good enough grades there to get accepted into Purdue.”

THE FIVE PROGRAMS PROVIDE TUTORING WHEN NEEDED Purdue Musical Organizations monitors the academic performance of its members from the start of each semester. Every student meets with PMO Assistant Directors Jon Ranard and Ted Arthur to set academic goals. A second, similar meeting occurs between younger PMO members and an older student mentor. The students’ goals are monitored throughout the semester. Students who begin to fall short of their goal are advised to seek tutoring or other help. First referrals are usually to available tutoring services within each academic school. But if a PMO member exhausts the pertinent academic resources, another PMO member in the same major will step in. Doctoral students are employed by Navy ROTC to provide special tutoring to midshipmen in calculus and physics. Captain Eugene Jones describes the Navy’s policy as, “No midshipman left behind.”

OUTSIDE ACTIVITY IS LIMITED This study begins with the assumption that the five programs require students to devote a great deal of time to non-academic activities. Yet one benefit of participation in those programs is that out-of-class activities are limited.

20 “It is a

myth,” says PMO Director Bill Griffel, “that we take up all of our members’ time. We don’t.”

Upperclassmen in the Army ROTC program are made increasingly responsible for their fellow cadets. Whereas a freshman is responsible only for his own grades and performance, the upperclassmen are made responsible for an entire squad. “If a cadet doesn’t plan and delegate, he’ll have more of a burden,” explains Lt. Col. Jerry Hubbard. “We sometimes have to intervene to help a cadet coordinate these efforts better. Working within a hierarchy is essential to the Army, but we’re here to teach our senior cadets how to make it work.”

Also, Army ROTC has a rule that any cadet who falls below academic thresholds be placed on a “No Clubs” list. That cadet is prohibited from participating in other outside activities until grades are improved in subsequent semesters.

In addition, there is an argument that the types of activity students experience in the five programs provide a more wholesome diversion from study than other students get from social networking or other unstructured amusements. “All students have a choice of how they’ll spend their time outside of class,” explains Gephart. “Our students are telling us by their choice to join our bands and ensembles that playing music provides an uplifting experience that they value.”

Physical health is conducive to overall success, and the ROTC programs enforce a level of training that is geared toward fitness. The Navy’s physical training routine involves three sessions a week including a 1.5 mile run and other cardiovascular exercise. “If every student at Purdue followed our PT guidelines,” insists Captain Eugene Jones, “they’d all be healthier and better for it.”

20

The writer recalls his own experience volunteering at a college radio station that was insatiable in its demand for students’ time. Students were called in for emergency air shifts at all hours and irrespective of class schedules. That sort of disregard for students’ academic needs never happens among Purdue’s ROTCs and musical organizations.

24

SOME REQUIRED COURSES MAY PROVIDE RELATIVELY EASY COURSE CREDITS Except for PMO, all the programs award grades and course credits for their own classes. Purdue does not offer a major in music, but band lessons and practices are scheduled and awarded grades. All ROTC members take a number of required military studies classes. The grades awarded for these classes are sometimes based on participation. If it is easier to earn a high grade for classes related to co-curricular programs than for academic courses overall, participants would receive a boost to their GPA.

Bands members’ grades are based mainly on participation, and course records show that most students receive an A in each Band class. But this doesn’t imply band members or ROTC students are getting “easy As.” Bands require a level of skill, practice, and responsiveness to instruction that is not less than is required for most other university electives. Similarly, the ROTC programs demand an academic effort that is on par with other academic electives.

ENGAGED STUDENTS ARE EXCELLENT STUDENTS TO BEGIN WITH

Students who choose to participate in the most intensive co-curricular activities are often excellent students. They are capable of handling the double burden of academic and co-curricular activities.

The five programs have a variety of recruiting methods. Navy ROTC is highly selective: about 90% of midshipmen are competitively selected for scholarships, and 85% are targeted to technical fields of study. The other ROTC programs have a larger number of walk-on cadets. At the other extreme is PMO, which does not review applicants’ scores or other qualifications before accepting them. “If they got accepted at Purdue,” says PMO Director Bill Griffel, “They’re pretty good students to begin with.”

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Organizations that require extensive student involvement (particularly PMO) should be granted course override privileges, to better enable participants to avoid conflicts between classes and practice and performance times.

2. All clubs and organizations should monitor the academic performance of their members and make continued participation contingent upon academic success.

3. Member-to-member tutoring and other academic support initiatives should be integral to most clubs and organizations.

4. Further study should be conducted into the effects of co-curricular activities among part-time students, and among students who enter Purdue with a Verbal or Math SAT score below 450.

5. Purdue’s Office of Admissions and others engaged in recruiting new students should make a greater effort to tell potential students how engagement is linked with academic success.

6. Purdue should share with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education the story of how co-curricular activities enhance the college experience but also extend the time needed to graduate beyond four years. The focus of this story should be ROTC programs that require additional course credits beyond what is required for a basic degree.

25

COMMENTS ABOUT METHODOLOGY This report doesn’t fully measure the value of the programs under study. We have only considered their impact on two specific measures of academic achievement. But there are three important categories of student outcomes:

1. Purely academic achievement measured in course grades, credit hours and degrees earned 2. Valuable life skills, such as leadership, time management and organization, etc. 3. Enrichment activities that lead to treasured memories, greater personal confidence, etc.

The five programs in this study contribute to all three types of outcomes. Perhaps their greatest contribution is to the second and third types.

Further, it is important to remember that a statistical report such as this one describes group characteristics. It does not provide much information about the most excellent individual performers in a group. The purpose of the ROTC programs is to identify and train candidates for the military officer corps. Their success is defined in terms of Purdue students who graduate and move on to military careers – not by the average scores of all participants.

This study does not address the important question of attrition. We had only three years of data, which is insufficient to track four-year graduation rates. A future longitudinal study of attrition and graduation would be a good idea. However, dropping out of a program isn’t always a sign that a student has failed at or been overwhelmed by the demands of the program. Jay Gephart, director of Bands and Orchestras, says that band members sometimes quit band because of course scheduling conflicts. Those students were maintaining academic success while participating in band, but they could not proceed with their degree requirements without attending courses that were only available during band practice times.

This report demonstrates that highly engaged students are successful. We conclude, based on the evidence of our extensive sample, that co-curricular involvement of up to 20 hours per week is consistent with a full course credit load and a high GPA. Our conclusions apply only to participants in the five programs included in the study. We expect that similar results would occur among student in other programs that emphasize planning, high expectation, tutoring help and supervision as strongly as the five programs we studied do. But we do not assume that all students who devote 20 hours a week to out-of-class activities will realize academic benefit from it. This report ought not to be interpreted to imply that all students – especially students with poor study skills and low academic qualifications – should engage in extensive outside activities.

october 2011 - purdue university · the university years are spent only partly in the classroom,...

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