Helping Students Succeed (Part 3)

The final installment of a discussion of Jillian Kinzie’s Occasion Paper, “What Faculty Members Can Do” focuses on the final three areas of promoting student success. If you’ve missed the previous six, you might want to either scroll down to previous entries or read through Kinzie’s article.

The seventh idea is to “Weave diversity into the curriculum.” This includes providing diversity in out-of-class assignments. Kinzie states that students “who report more exposure to diverse perspectives in their classes are more likely to report higher levels of academic challenge, greater opportunities for active and collaborative learning, and a more supportive campus environment.” Although many of our students are not financial able to travel very far to observe other cultures, they can learn from their own classmates. Many of our students have traditions and cultural aspects that are unique.


The EdChange project titled “Critical Multicultural Pavilion: Awareness Activities,” provides activities and exercises that bring diversity discussions into the classroom. Two categories, icebreaker and introspective activities, provide various levels of discussion.

The eighth idea to improve student success is to “Make time for students.” We as faculty members are required to have office hours, but we often sit alone waiting for our students to come and chat with us. Kinzie suggests collecting e-mail addresses and letting students know about upcoming events. EPCC’s SmartStart or a class Facebook page can be used as a classroom communication page. Letting students know you are available and willing to meet or exchange e-mails with them can make the difference between a successful student and one who falls through the cracks.

The final idea that Kinzie proposes is to “Hold students accountable for taking their share of the responsibility for their learning.” One aspect of holding students accountable is discussed in the book Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors by Linda B. Nilson. An excerpt from the book shares four ways to hold students accountable for readings required in the class. Not surprisingly, these are homework, quizzes, in-class problem solving or written activities and giving oral performances or answers about the material. Once the student knows that the instructor will check to make sure they are meeting standards, they may be more willing to do the work.

Although we often think of student accountability solely in terms of grades and classroom performance, Kinzie also talks about student involvement in committees and the campus governance. Those who are involved are more likely to be successful.

Student success is important to not only the student but the college as well. Having our students successfully working in the community with the label of “EPCC Graduate” will make everyone proud.