Student Development and Services staffers presenting research

Congratulations to Veronica Afonso and Lindsey Voisin, Student Learning Coordinators in Nipissing’s Student Learning and Transitions department, and Dr. Casey Phillips, Assistant Vice-President, Students, on being accepted to share their two-year research study at the Canadian Writing Centres Association conferences in Saskatoon and the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services conference in Charlottetown this spring.
The study is titledUnderstanding Impact: Data-Driven Insight into Student Affect and the Effect of Academic Support Services. The staff members have been researching the impact of their particular support services on learning anxiety, confidence and motivation.  Results have demonstrated robust, positive and sustainable effects on these variables.  

Here is an abstract of their work:When we consider the students who walk through the doors of the Academic Skills Centre, we see dynamic, multi-faceted individuals who are experiencing challenge and change. They come from a variety of backgrounds and are reaching out for a variety of reasons. Most program evaluations rely on utilization rates, student participation, grade point averages, course grades, and/or retention. Rarely measured are alterations in student beliefs about their learning capabilities. While the Student-Life Cycle has been examined, the emotional responses of learning-support seeker have not been investigated in this manner. Our service-impact cycle can inform strategic outreach to learning-support seekers at points in the semester when our services can have the most impact post-secondary success and persistence.