1. Cognitive Schemas, Expertise Development, and Promoting Student Success Dr. Peter Collier, Portland State University 2011 PSU Student Affairs Professional Development Meeting

2. My Research

3. Issue that contributes to relatively poorer academic performance for ALL students : they may not have a clear understanding of how college works

4. Traditional Model of Ed achievement Understanding of Course Material Student’s Abilities Student’s Performances

5. Two Path Model Understanding of Professor’s Expectations Understanding of Course Material Student’s Abilities Student’s Performances Cultural Capital Academic Skills Actual Capacity Demonstrated Capacity Collier & Morgan, 2007

6. One way to promote college student success is to facilitate their negotiation of the upper path of the two-path model – i.e. increase their relative level of student expertise

7. Model of Student Problem-solving 1.Identify the problem / issue

8. Model of Student Problem-solving 1.Identify the problem / issue 2. Develop range of possible solutions

9. Model of Student Problem-solving 1.Identify the problem / issue 2. Develop range of possible solutions 3. Select preferred solution

10. Model of Student Problem-solving 1.Identify the problem / issue 2. Develop range of possible solutions 3. Select preferred solution 4. Act on choice & monitor outcomes

11. Experts are more likely to

12. quickly recognize issue

13. Experts are more likely to quickly recognize issue develop multiple workable solutions

14. Experts are more likely to quickly recognize issue develop multiple workable solutions generate high-success solutions

15. Experts are more likely to quickly recognize issue develop multiple workable solutions generate high-success solutions evaluate solution more realistically

16. Experts are more likely to quickly recognize issue develop multiple workable solutions generate high-success solutions evaluate solution more realistically chose a high-success solution

17. Experts are more likely to quickly recognize issue develop multiple workable solutions generate high-success solutions evaluate solution more realistically chose a high-success solution turn chosen solution into action that addresses issue

18. How does Student Expertise develop?

19. Schema Schema: organized cognitive knowledge structure of conceptually related elements that guide the processing of information

20. No schema

21. Schema

22. Why Should we care? 1.Schemas influence info processing Schematic individuals are: quicker in recognizing schema related information more certain when judging if new info relates to important schemas 2. Schemas develop as new info is incorporated

23. becoming a “college student” involves the development of 2 schemas role schema: organized knowledge about being a college student about being a college student self-in-role schema: organized knowledge about myself in regards to knowledge about myself in regards to being a college student being a college student

24. Role / self-in-role schemas develop by combining more rudimentary “event schemas” or scripts event schema /script: event schema /script: detailed “line of action” for completing specific schema-related tasks specific schema-related tasks

25. issue resource strategy Model of an Event schema Collier,2009

26. Expertise = well developed schema expert / schematic person is: quicker to recognize issue more likely to know set of workable strategies for addressing issue more likely to select a high-likelihood- of-success strategy more likely to know relevant resources for implementing strategy

27. How are role and self-in-role schemas built from “scripts?”

31. Process of adding additional scripts to role and self-in-role schemas continues role and self-in-role schemas continues until person realizes immediate goal – until person realizes immediate goal – for a student this might be successfully for a student this might be successfully completing 1 st year in school completing 1 st year in school

32. More complete schemas = greater # of scripts for addressing key issues I propose that having greater # of scripts for addressing specific college adjustment for addressing specific college adjustment issues may explain these students’ issues may explain these students’ superior 1 st year academic performance superior 1 st year academic performance From my research: participation in mentoring program facilitated the development of more complete schemas

33. Practical Suggestions (caveat)

34. Expertise Development Advising / Mentoring and promoting student success

35. Expertise development advising /mentoring involves “experts” sharing useful information about what to do in order to succeed at the university, insights into the culture of higher education, and tips on how to become “more expert” students.

36. This approach involves helping students succeed by making them aware of available campus support services and showing how those services can help with specific college adjustment issues.

37. In addition, this approach provides students with a variety of scripts for how to use specific campus resources appropriately as well as strategies for key campus interactions

38. Understanding of Professor’s Expectations Understanding of Course Material Student’s Abilities Student’s Performances Cultural Capital Academic Skills Actual Capacity Demonstrate d Capacity A Points of Impact B

39. 2 nd point from my research

40. Within the framework of the my intervention, it appears WHAT mentoring information is provided is more important than HOW that information is delivered On-line Mentoring Works.

41. This is important because of set of related issues: how to identify range of possible adjustment issues matching campus resources to issues indentifying strategies that work advisor/mentor availability when students need information

42. University Studies University.Connect System http://uconnect.unst.pdx.edu On-line resources exist

43. “Access without support is not opportunity” Dr. Vincent Tinto Syracuse University

44. Dr. Peter Collier Professor of Sociology, Portland State University cfpc@pdx.edu 503-725-3961