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by George D. Kuh, Katie Branch
Douglas, Jon P. Lund and
Jackie Ramin-Gyurnek
Learning and personal development during the
undergraduate years occurs as a result of students
engaging in both academic and non-academic activities,
inside and outside the classroom (Astin, 1993; Pascarella
and Terenzini, 1991). To enhance student learning,
institutions must make classroom experiences more
productive and also encourage students to devote more of
their time outside the classroom to educationally
purposeful activities (Kuh, Schuh, Whitt and Associates,
1991).
WHAT DO OUT-OF-CLASS EXPERIENCES CONTRIBUTE TO
VALUED OUTCOMES OF COLLEGE?
This Report summarizes the research on the
contributions of out-of-class experiences to valued
outcomes of postsecondary education, including (a)
cognitive complexity (e.g., critical thinking,
intellectual flexibility, reflective judgment); (b)
knowledge acquisition and application; (c)
humanitarianism (e.g., interest in the welfare of
others); (d) interpersonal and intrapersonal competence
(e.g., self confidence, identity, ability to relate to
others); and (e) practical competence (e.g., decision
making, vocational preparation) (Kuh, 1993). In addition,
out-of-class experiences linked to persistence and
educational attainment also are discussed.
Students who expend more effort in a variety of
activities benefit the most intellectually and in the
personal development domain (Astin, 1993; Chickering and
Reisser, 1993; Pascarella and Terenzini, 1991). Some
experiences, however, are more likely than others to
foster desired outcomes. For example, living in an
academic-theme residence is associated with gains in
critical thinking, intellectual development, and
aesthetic appreciation; involvement in student government
has been linked to gains in student understanding and
appreciation of human differences.
WHAT CONDITIONS FOSTER STUDENT LEARNING OUTSIDE THE
CLASSROOM?
The following institutional conditions encourage
students to use their out-of-class experiences to
educational advantage:
- Clear, coherent, and consistently expressed
educational purposes;
- A guiding institutional philosophy that values
talent development as a primary goal of
undergraduate education;
- Complementary institutional policies and
practices congruent with students'
characteristics and needs;
- High, clear expectations for student performance;
- Use of effective teaching approaches;
- Systematic assessment of student performance and
institutional environments, policies, and
practices;
- Ample opportunities for student involvement in
meaningful out-of-class activities;
- Human scale settings characterized by ethics of
membership and care; and
- An ethos of learning that pervades all aspects of
the institution.
HOW CAN INSTITUTIONS ENHANCE STUDENT LEARNING?
Any institution can enhance student learning by using
its existing resources more effectively. The key tasks in
transcending the artificial boundaries between in-class
and out-of-class learning experiences are (a) to break
down the barriers between various units (e.g., academic
departments, administrative services, student affairs)
and (b) to create situations in which students examine
the connections between their studies and life outside
the classroom and to apply what they are learning. Key
steps are for institutions to address the importance of
out-of-class experiences explicitly in the institution's
mission, develop a common understanding of the desired
outcomes of undergraduate education and the combination
of institutional conditions and student experiences most
likely to produce these outcomes, assess regularly the
impact of out-of-class environments on students, and
shape student cultures in ways that foster responsible
behavior.
What Can Governing Boards and Presidents Do? Governing
boards positively influence student learning beyond the
classroom when they support such experiences financially,
base institutional policies on accurate data about the
quality of students' experiences, and hire a president
who values undergraduate education and understands and
appreciates the contributions of life outside the
classroom to institutional and student goals. The
president should periodically remind stakeholders about
the value of out-of-class experiences and make decisions
based on accurate information about students and their
learning.
WHAT CAN ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS
ADMINISTRATORS DO?
Senior institutional officers help create an ethos of
learning when they send consistent messages about the
complementarity of in-class and out-of-class experiences,
establish strong working relations with each other and
communication links with the faculty, translate what the
institution values into behavioral terms for student
performance outside the classroom, disseminate data about
students and their experiences, and ask students to think
about, and apply, what they are learning in class to life
outside the classroom, and vice versa.
WHAT CAN FACULTY MEMBERS DO?
Faculty influence out-of-class learning environments
by the nature and amount of academic work they assign. To
link the curriculum and academic goals more closely with
student life outside the classroom, faculty can structure
assignments that require students to illustrate how they
are using class material in other areas of their lives,
use active learning and other effective pedagogical
strategies, hold students to high expectations, and
indicate clearly what they must do to succeed
academically.
WHAT CAN STUDENTS DO?
Students take responsibility for their own learning
when they participate in out-of-class activities and
events that enrich the educational experience (e.g.,
orientation, guest lectures, internships), develop a
portfolio of out-of-class learning experiences and
associated benefits, and discuss with others their
academic progress and how what they are learning in
classes applies to other aspects of their life.
HOW CAN ARTIFICIAL BOUNDARIES BETWEEN CLASSROOMS
AND OUT-OF-CLASS EXPERIENCES BE TRANSCENDED?
The conditions that foster student learning outside
the classroom cannot be created by any one individual.
However, an institution can increase the likelihood that
students will experience college as a seamless web of
learning across classroom and out-of-class settings by
linking programs and activities across the academic and
out-of-class dimensions of students' lives and removing
obstacles to students' pursuit of their academic and
personal goals. For this to occur, faculty,
administrators, and others must challenge students and
each other to view learning as continuous and contagious
in the biology lab, library, academic advisors' office,
residence hall lounge, place of employment, student
union, community service, and playing fields.
SELECTED REFERENCES
Astin, A.W. (1993). What Matters in College: Four
Critical Years Revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Chickering, A.W., and L. Reisser. (1993). Education
and Identity. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kuh, G. (1993). "In Their Own Words: What
Students Learn Outside the Classroom." American
Educational Research Journal 30, 277-304.
Kuh, G., J. Schuh, E. Whitt and Associates. (1991). Involving
Colleges: Successful Approaches to Fostering Student
Learning and Development Outside the Classroom. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pascarella, E., and P. Terenzini. (1991). How
College Affects Students: Findings and Insights From
Twenty Years of Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
This ERIC digest is based on a full-length report in
the ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report series 94-8,
(Volume 23-8), Student Learning Outside the Classroom:
Transcending Artifical Boundaries by George D. Kuh,
Katie Branch Douglas, Jon P. Lund, and Jackie
Ramin-Gyurnek.
The eight issue series is available through
subscription for $120.00 per year ($140.00 outside the
U.S.). Subscriptions begin with Report 1 and conclude
with Report 8 of the current series year. Single copies,
at $24.00 each, can be ordered by writing to: ASHE-ERIC
Higher Education Reports, The George Washington
University, One Dupont Circle, Suite 630, Washington, DC
20036-1183, or by calling (800) 773-3742. Call for a copy
of the ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports Catalog or
visit or web site www.gwu.edu/~eriche.
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