2016 Annual Conference

Student persistence was examined in this SoTL study situated in a student success course. Andragogy informs the philosophical grounding and classroom practice in this study. A welcoming and supportive classroom climate may impact a learner’s ability to persist. Data from this research will be shared in this session.

This session will inform college and university professionals, faculty, staff, and administrators as to the best practices in the freshman classroom toward the end result of greater persistence. The climate in the freshman classroom –through the use of andragogical processes and assumptions situates the college freshman at the center of the freshman seminar/student success course. It both inspires and invites the learner to be responsible for their learning. College and university personnel continue their efforts to increase persistence and move learners through institutions to full matriculation. Andragogy may inform classroom/ learning environment practices that lead to greater persistence.

College and university freshman are leaving institutions of higher education in large numbers prior to their sophomore year. Considering the current problems of persistence at colleges and universities--this session will provide data from research in one freshman classroom from the perspective of the learners themselves. Data sets will be shared demonstrating what the learners report they value about the classroom experience that keeps them persisting. The learner’s point of view was central to this study. The andragogically sound method of understanding persistence was to engage the learners themselves in the SoTL study. The process elements of andragogy are front and center in this discussion.