Article 17:
Employing LASSI in a Proactive, Preventive Model: Academic Enhancement at the University of Kentucky
by Jim Breslin,
University of Kentucky

At the University of Kentucky, Academic Enhancement is charged with positively impacting the academic experience of each student and aiding in student transitions. The LASSI has become a powerful tool that Academic Enhancement staff have employed in various ways to help students see that being a "good student" is something that is and can be learned. Specifically, the LASSI has been very effective when used in individual academic consultations, Study Smarter Seminars, and
customized seminars.

Individual Academic Consultations
As Academic Enhancement was created and began operating almost five years ago, it was apparent that a demand existed for students to have a one-on-one appointment with someone who could focus on their specific need regarding study
strategies, learning styles, etc. Not quite counseling and not quite advising, academic consulting has become one of Academic Enhancement's most popular programs while utilizing the LASSI as a foundation and initial focus when working with each student.

Often referred by faculty, advisors, or other student affairs staff, students self-schedule for an academic consultation and meet with graduate students who receive specialized training, including effective use of the LASSI. When students come for their first one-hour consultation, they take the paper LASSI. The academic consultant scores the LASSI with the student, providing instant feedback, then reviews the scores and
discusses how to interpret them.

Students consistently react well to this information, often relieved to be able to assess their skills in a concrete way. The next step is helping the student identify what they are doing well and what goals they want to set for the future. Academic consultants are trained in ways to discuss each of the ten scales on the LASSI and Academic Enhancement has created more than 100 handouts or tip sheets that are sorted by which scale they apply to. Once students set their goals (i.e., "I want to take
more effective notes in class"), the discussion focuses on ways to improve certain skills, often including the materials that were designed to complement a specific LASSI scale.

Finally, after a consultation ends, Academic Enhancement staff record each scale in an online system that builds a profile of each student who comes for consultations. In addition to the LASSI scores, academic consultants add notes, including the goals the student set, what strategies or techniques were discussed, and what specific measures the student chose to track their progress. When students choose to return for another
consultation, which is not required though they do so frequently, the consultant begins by revisiting the original LASSI scores, the student’s goals, and then discussing what the student has tried and what progress has been made.

These consultations have become increasingly popular over the past several semesters and Academic Enhancement typically provides more than 1000 consultations each academic year. Students consistently report that seeing their LASSI scores for the first time was like being able to put real terms to areas they believed they had been struggling with for some time.

Study Smarter Seminars
Study Smarter Seminars (SSS) are four-hour, non-credit bearing seminars that are offered several times each semester by Academic Enhancement. The LASSI is a centerpiece of the seminars and has been used both as part of the curriculum and a tool to refine the curriculum. While the University offers a first-year seminar course (UK 101), there is a continual demand for a one-time seminar that focuses on effective study strategies. The SSS was designed to meet this need and has registered more
than 400 students per year who self-select into the seminar.

Enrollment for each seminar is controlled and typically no more than 25 students are in any section, allowing for increased participation and group discussion. At the beginning of each seminar, students take a paper/pencil LASSI and self-score the
assessment. The instructor then facilitates a discussion based on the students’ scores, including common high and low points, why students think they received these scores, and what areas the students are interested in learning more about.

The remainder of the seminar focuses on a variety on interrelated topics which may include time management, note taking, critical reading, memory enhancement, exam preparation, or others. The instructor is able to tie in each topic to the scores students received on the LASSI, and one intended outcome is for students to be able to see that such skills are quantifiable and may be improved with practice.

After each seminar, students' LASSI scores are entered into a master database where aggregate reports are created. Academic Enhancement uses these reports as part of ongoing assessment of the Study Smarter Seminars by ensuring that the
concepts covered match the areas that students struggle with the most.

Customized Seminars
Similar in structure to the SSS, customized seminars are typically requested by an office, department, or program for a specific cohort of students. Interestingly, many such requests come from graduate and professional programs. It is worth noting that Academic Enhancement uses the same LASSI instrument for these students as it does for first-year undergraduates and has received overwhelmingly positive results.

Such departments report that student attrition has decreased for the programs when requiring that students attend a seminar (while not changing other aspects of their student orientation or support). Additionally, Academic Enhancement collects students' LASSI scores and builds an aggregate report after the seminar. This information is then passed to the requesting department. Some departments have had much success with presenting this report at faculty meetings and asking instructors to consider including continued discussions of certain strategies in their courses.

While the typical lowest common scores tend to be different for undergraduate and graduate students, Academic Enhancement has found that the assessment is a very reliable tool to use with either group.

Conclusion
In an environment where quantitative, normed data is often held in high regard, the LASSI has been an invaluable tool for making sense of where students need support. Moreover, it has been an excellent foundation for discussing learning strategies with a variety of students in both one-on-one and small group settings. Faculty and staff continue to take an interest in the uses of the LASSI, some even going so far as to incorporate specific strategies into their course curricula. Academic
Enhancement will continue to use the LASSI to assess and refine various programs in a student-focused and data-driven environment.

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