DePaul University Launches Innovative Course to Boost Student Confidence and Engagement

DePaul University’s innovative Communication Fundamentals course enhances student engagement and life skills, fostering personal growth and academic success post-pandemic.

DePaul University has launched a streamlined program aimed at cultivating crucial life and learning skills that foster personal growth and success, both in the academic realm and beyond.

Essential elements of this initiative include active learning participation, self-care routines, effective organizational strategies, and resilience.

Program Development and Objectives

Recognizing a decline in student engagement during classes, a trio of faculty members from the communications division decided to create a specialized program focused on enhancing students’ communication and self-efficacy skills.

Since the program’s launch in 2022, DePaul has offered a two-credit communication course designed to assist students at the midway point of the academic term.

The course encourages self-reflection regarding their experiences and helps them establish goals for future accomplishments.

Over four consecutive terms, faculty members have noted significant strides in students’ self-assessments and an increased commitment to long-term success strategies.

The launch of this program followed the return of in-person classes post-pandemic.

Associate Professor Jay Baglia observed that many students continued to approach their education as if they were still attending one-sided online classes, leading to disengagement and learned helplessness due to lenient attendance policies and flexible deadlines.

Course Structure and Curriculum

Elissa Foster, a professor and faculty fellow at the DePaul Humanities Center, has pointed out an alarming trend: more students are arriving at university ill-prepared.

Research suggests that improving collaborative and participatory teaching methods can greatly enhance student engagement.

This insight motivated the faculty to create workshops that would equip students with practical skills applicable in both academic and personal contexts.

The Communication Fundamentals for College Success course debuted in fall 2022 as a two-credit program, conducted over five weeks with two sessions of 90 minutes each—totaling ten classes.

While the course resides in the College of Communication, it invites participation from all undergraduate students.

Co-developed and co-taught by Foster and Kendra Knight, an associate professor and assessment consultant in the same college, the course includes insights from guest speakers from the advising department and the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness, enriching the learning experience.

The curriculum encompasses vital competencies essential for effective communication, such as seeking help, utilizing university resources, engaging with peers and faculty, and mastering academic software.

Additionally, it covers broader skills like personal awareness, mindfulness, coping strategies, nurturing a growth mindset, and project management.

Challenges and Future Directions

Students enrolled in the course bring a rich diversity of perspectives.

Some are transfer students seeking guidance as they navigate university life, while others are high achievers aiming to enhance their educational experience.

Upperclassmen also partake, looking to acquire life skills beneficial for their internships and early careers, particularly in managing a healthy work-life balance.

Regular reflective assignments punctuate the course, culminating in a final project where students identify three strategies or tools they plan to implement in their lives post-course.

One challenge faced in rolling out this initiative was differentiating its objectives from those of DePaul’s Chicago Quarter, which serves as an introductory experience for first-year students.

To illustrate the transition to college life, Baglia likens it to preparing for an overseas trip: while orientations provide some guidance, the Communication for Success course acts as a continuous supportive resource through the semester.

Notably, the course takes place between the third and seventh weeks of the semester, strategically positioned after the add-drop period and leading up to midterms.

This timing appeals to students who may need additional credits to keep their full-time status, particularly if they’ve recently dropped another class.

While the course format involves a leap of faith from students—many signing up post-enrollment—Baglia is optimistic about offering it again in spring 2025.

However, as of January 10, enrollment is lagging, with only two students registered.

To assess the effectiveness of the course, Foster, Knight, and Baglia utilized a small grant to collect data on its impact.

Preliminary results indicate that students identified time management and fostering a growth mindset as key areas for further development.

Nearly half recognized the importance of self-care, and about 40% focused on enhancing classroom engagement.

Reflections from students reveal they’ve begun employing techniques like semester deadline mapping and digital calendar usage to bolster their organization.

Additionally, a shift in perspective has occurred; students are increasingly viewing challenges as chances for personal growth instead of immutable limitations on their abilities.

This successful intervention has inspired parallel initiatives within the university, with the College of Science and Health also planning a course aimed at developing life skills.

At this time, the course organizers do not have immediate plans to expand offerings but are exploring ways to collect more comprehensive post-course data.

They aim to compare participant progress with that of the overall student body, utilizing natural language processing techniques.

Source: Insidehighered