The Evidence to Date: Highlights from the BTtoP Retrieval Conference
By Ashley Finley, National Evaluator, Bringing Theory to Practice; Senior Director of Assessment and Research, AAC&U
This past June, fifty-five representatives from a wide range of BTtoP-funded campuses gathered in Washington, DC, to engage in discussions to literally “retrieve” what we know about the connections between engaged learning, civic engagement, and the psychosocial well-being of students, and what happens when institutions implement initiatives aimed at strengthening these relationships. The conference was developed to highlight both the breadth and depth of empirical evidence that has been gathered among BTtoP schools working across all levels of funding and at various points over the past seven years of BTtoP campus support. In advance of the conference, participants were asked to submit summaries of their knowledge to date, including empirical evidence based upon research and evaluation, lessons learned from implementation, and effective strategies for sustaining the work.
The conference was organized around a series of guiding questions to address the state of knowledge with regard to specific linkages among the BTtoP core dimensions of learning, civic development, and well-being. Invited panelists kicked off each session by presenting reflections on their own campus work, critical findings, and provocations for continued discussion in small groups led by facilitators to encourage participants to consider the evidence already gathered in particular areas. The conference concluded with a large group discussion focused on strategies for continuing campus work through sustainability efforts. Reviewed strategies involved making use of evidence, developing conversations on campus, and engaging multiple campus stakeholders in decision making and planning. The character and potential of these strategies will be explored in greater depth at the BTtoP Bridging Conference in January in Washington, DC.
An important highlight of the Retrieval Conference was the Monday evening keynote presentation, titled “Creating Flourishing Lives,” delivered by Corey Keyes, associate professor of sociology at Emory University. Over the last several years, Dr. Keyes’ research has been adopted by many BTtoP-funded campuses and as part of BTtoP’s national work through the use of the Keyes “flourishing scale.” The conference provided participants an opportunity to hear directly from Dr. Keyes about his national (and international) research on flourishing. In short, flourishing is a state of positive emotion in one’s life, positive daily functioning, and positive social relationships. The flourishing concept and its associated standardized scale provide a more complex and robust descriptor for what happens to students when they participate in not only engaged learning experiences but also experiences in which they can apply learning experiences with civic issues, contexts, and community members. Keyes’ presentation walked participants from the origins of the flourishing construct, rooted in the Aristotelian concept of eudemonia or “wellness,” to the application of this work to better understand contemporary constructions of mental “health.” Because mental health today is primarily defined in terms of mental illness, we lack sufficient indicators to fully capture more nuanced states of mental wellness in American society, and particularly on college campuses. Keyes’ presentation provided a foundation from which participants could better understand how flourishing helps define the psychosocial well-being of students and the connection of this concept to students’ learning and civic experiences.
As with all BTtoP gatherings, the greatest highlight was the convening of many passionate people in one space over a couple of days to share their wisdom and energy for improving student learning, deepening students’ civic engagement, and supporting students’ psychosocial well-being. The Retrieval Conference employed that collective knowledge and goodwill to understand that we are learning a good deal on our campuses from BTtoP-funded initiatives but that there remain many rich opportunities for learning more. Campus evidence summaries submitted by conference participants can be found on the Bringing Theory to Practice website. The generative spirit of the Retrieval Conference has also encouraged the development of the “Assessment Spotlight” as an ongoing part of the BTtoP newsletter. We encourage campuses to submit what they are learning from campus assessments so that we can continue to deepen the knowledge of our national learning community.
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