“BABEL”ING ABOUT STUDENT SUCCESS: IMPLICATIONS FOR WORKING WITH GEOSCIENCE STUDENTS AT TWO-YEAR COLLEGES

We all agree student success is an important and universally-supported goal, but rarely do we define what we mean by that phrase. Do our students define it the same way we do? Do policy holders? Do educational researchers? Do we as faculty even agree? Where do these varying definitions align, where do they misalign, and what are the implications of misalignment?

This past winter at a two-year college in the Pacific Northwest, 266 students participated in a college-wide survey in which they were asked to define student success in their own words. Preliminary results indicate that students frequently included grades or learning in their definition of success, but generally distinguish between the two, suggesting that students may not be connecting what they are learning with how they are performing. In addition, individual development and self-regulation were identified by many students as important for success, which aligns with education research indicating that self-regulation and goal articulation are important to student success. In contrast however, self-regulation and goal articulation receive very little attention at the institutional decision-making level. Consequently, institutional policies dictated by funding structures tend to focus more on quantifiable metrics such as grades, graduation, transfer success, and career paths. How can we address this seeming disconnect and what are the implications for transfer students in the geosciences?

Recent work by Wolfe (2017) indicates that field experiences, discussing geology as a major, and advisement are particularly crucial for transfer students. Research also indicates (Husman & Lens, 1999) that students who have a longer and more accurate understanding of future goals are more likely to achieve their goals. By leveraging the opportunities we have with students in our classrooms, offices, and out in the field, we can support students in attending to their immediate goals of success, in clarifying their long-term goals of success, and in learning how developing one’s ability to self-regulate ties into both types of goals. In so doing, we can align disparate conceptions of student success in pursuit of a more holistic notion that encompasses diverse perspectives and a fluid time frame.