Benefits of the FIGs Program

Short-Term Benefits

Immediately after the development of the program, surveys reported the following results:

• Higher Retention Rates- For the Freshman class entering Mizzou in Fall 2005, 86% of the students who participated in a FIG returned to Mizzou for their Sophomore year compared to 82% of the freshmen who did not participate in a FIG.
• Higher GPAs- Even after controlling for entering ability, grades for FIG students were significantly higher than those of other students. Students participating in the FIG program in Fall 2006 had a mean GPA of 2.96 compared to a mean GPA of 2.79 for non-FIG students at the end of their first year at MU.
• Satisfied Students- Over 70% of FIG participants said they would recommend the program to a friend and 72% said that the FIG program helped them adjust to the University of Missouri. Furthermore, parents expressed uniformly positive feelings about the program.
• Higher levels of academic integration and institutional commmittment.
• Higher levels of faculty-student interaction and interaction with peers; interactions that are more academically and intellectually focused.
• Higher levels of integration of information from in-class and out-of-class experiences.
• Higher levels of student learning, particularly in the areas of gains in communication skills and gains in general education.

Long-Term Benefits

A follow up study of the same students using the same measures demonstrated that the positive effects of FIGs persisted throughout the college career. In some areas other students caught up to their FIG-participant peers, but for some of the factors most important to student success, the gap between FIG students and other students increased over time.

• Higher GPAs- Even after freshman year, students who participated in the FIG program earned higher cumulative GPAs than other students.
• Greater gains in Academic Expericences and Campus Involvement- Scales measuring students' experiences in writing, their involvement in clubs and organizations and the quality of their experiences with faculty all indicated that FIG students continued to gain more than other students.
• Higher "selective" Retention Rates- 82 percent of the FIG students achieved at least 24 credit hours and a GPA of 2.00 or higher; only 74 percent of other students met this standard.
• Higher graduation rates- The 4 year graduation rates for freshmen entering MU in the Fall of 2003 was 49.8% for students who participated in a FIG compared to 40.4% for those who were not in a FIG. The 6 year graduation rates for freshmen entering MU in the Fall of 2001 was 72.0% for FIG students and 65.9% for those who were not in a FIG.

More Advantages

Greater Openness to Diversity- In 1999, the effects of on- and off-campus living arrangements on students' openness to diversity were examined. Results indicated that both learning communities and FIGs promoted positive interactions among diverse groups of students and thus fostered a greater openness to diversity among students who lived in learning communities and FIGs.
Pike, Gary. "The Differential Effects on On- and Off-Campus Living Arrangements on Students' Openness to Diversity," NAPSA Journal 39(2002): 283-299.

Lower levels of Binge Drinking- Recent research showed that although students in living-learning programs were drinking as often as their peers, they were binge drinking at significantly lower levels. Moreover, the research indicated that the level of vandalism and disruption to slee and study caused by students being intoxicated were much lower in the learning communities than in the other halls. This evidence suggests that such programs as learning communities and FIGs, which create academic links among peers, promote healthier and more mature drinking behaviors.
Shroeder, Charles. "Do Learning Communities Discourage Binge Drinking?" About Campus 7 (2002): 4-13.

Updated February 19, 2008
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