Collaboration: Motivate Lab & The college system of tennessee (TBR)

Project overview

The Tennessee Value Project focuses on one important learning mindset: value—the belief that there is a worthwhile reason for engaging in a task. In this project, we introduce activities that highlight the utility, or practical usefulness, of course content in community college math classrooms. Utility-value interventions are activities that help students identify connections between course content and their lives. These intervention activities are designed to help students draw real-life connections between what they are learning in class and their lives outside of school. By helping students recognize the practical value of what they are learning, we hope to inspire greater interest in coursework and motivation to learn, leading to better outcomes for incoming students.

Purpose of the Project

Our primary goal is to improve the engagement, academic achievement, retention, and progression of incoming students through introductory math courses. The project focuses on the intentional development of students' learning mindsets, which are an individuals' beliefs about learning that shape how they interpret difficulty. These learning mindsets are critical predictors of students' performance and decisions to stay in college.

A refined focus

Informed by societal messages, early life experiences, and educational history, students from traditionally underrepresented groups enter college with beliefs about whether they can succeed, find value in higher education, and belong in school. Often times, these beliefs can be misled, leading to negative academic outcomes for these invaluable students. However, research suggests that learning mindsets are malleable, and learning mindset interventions can reduce equity and opportunity gaps for students from traditionally underrepresented groups. The framework of this project is built to benefit all students at Tennessee community colleges, with a particular focus on students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.

Project Vision

In Spring 2021, the Tennessee Value Project will pilot utility-value interventions in introductory math classrooms at three community colleges: Chattanooga State Community College, Nashville State Community College, and Southwest Tennessee Community College. In the 2021-2022 academic year, we will expand these intervention activities to all 13 community colleges in Tennessee.

Interested in learning more about the Tennessee Value Project

If you’re interested in receiving more information on the project, utility-value interventions, or our collaboration with The College System of Tennessee (TBR), email Emma Huelskoetter, Coordinator of Campus Mindset Interventions.