Reflection

Reflection is the Key to Effective Educational Experience
Doug Knowlton
November 25, 2010

A couple of hours ago I woke at my lake place (my get away place for the Thanksgiving holiday) and began a review of the activities for my day. As I lay half awake and half asleep I began to think through the things that I have been engaged in during the past few days. This is a type of reflection because it wasn’t just recalling those events, it was a time for “thinking about” what those activities meant and how they impacted me. I began the process of integrating what I had thought and learned into an understanding of the world – the ultimate educational goal.
During the past week I had the opportunity to attend a conference sponsored by the Collaboration for Learning. This is a regional organization that supports faculty development at colleges and universities throughout the upper Midwest. The keynote speaker at this meeting was Dr. George Kuh, one of the most prominent authorities on higher education in the United States. He provided intriguing information and data about the kinds of activities that help students be successful at universities in the United States. This is a subject of major concern here at DSU and throughout the US as we continue to fall behind other countries with regard to the educational attainment of our citizens.
While I have been very familiar with Dr. Kuh’s work and his ideas, there was one new activity that I found to hold significant promise for Dakota State. The concept he presented centered on the higher success rate of students who engage in “high impact” activities while they are engaged in their education. This has traditionally meant being engaged in clubs, organizations, service activities, intercollegiate and intramural athletics. The new possibility that was presented was the opportunity to turn “work” activities of students into a “high impact” learning experience. The hypothesis presented is that this experience could facilitate learning at a higher level and at the same time promote more success (retention and graduation). A small pilot study was completed at the University of Iowa that found very significant positive impact on student’s perception of their work and the educational value when there was a “high impact” component of this work activity.
What could turn the everyday work activities of students – workstudy positions, on campus work, work at athletic events, and off-campus work into an activity that has the possibility of increasing their success? The process that has this tremendous potential is something we know with certainty increases a student’s learning. Reflection on the activity! A student who is encouraged and supported to think somewhat more deeply about what they are doing at work will use that experience more effectively. A supervisor who would have a brief but structured conversation about the work experience – “What have they learned about working with people? What organizational or time management practices have they engaged in? What specific skills have they developed?” could have an impact on the possibility the student would graduate! WOW – now there is a concept!
So as I lay warm half asleep, the motivation to take action and the integration of this concept started to take shape. Reflection- yes the simple process of thinking about and analyzing an experience is the key to making any activity one that educates and informs. So I am committed to beginning a conversation at DSU that could provide this exceptional and meaningful way to increase their reflective activity and thus their exceptional success. This is particularly relevant because recent studies have documented that DSU students spend more time “working” than students at any other campus in the SD system. Please let me know if you have thoughts or ideas that might facilitate our progress on such an initiative.