a matter of degrees

A Matter of

Degrees

Promising Practices

for Community

College Student

Success

2

I Have a Goal!

On the SENSE survey, entering students say…

79% want to obtain an associate degree.

73% want to transfer to a four-year institution.

59% want to complete a certificate program.

3

Students Speak

Bringing data alive through student voices…

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What did you hear?

About “front door” experiences?

About learning and teaching?

About support for students?

About what makes a difference for students?

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Not all orientations…or learning communities…or student success classes…or whatever the practice…

are created equal!

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Design Principles for Effective Practice

A strong start Clear, coherent pathways Integrated support High expectations and high

support Intensive student

engagement Design for scale Professional Development

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The College with the Most Innovations…

…doesn’t necessarily win!

This is NOT a checklist!

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The effectiveness of educational practice depends on…

Specific design of the practice Quality of implementation

Integration of the combination of practices the college intentionally employs…

at scale!

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Promising Practices for Community College Student Success

Planning for Success– Assessment and Placement– Orientation– Academic Goal Setting and Planning– Registration before Classes Begin

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Discussion Questions

What practices are in place at your college? What is mandatory? For whom? What have you brought to scale?

Registration before classes begin? Academic goal-setting and planning? Orientation? Assessment and placement?

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Promising Practices for Community College Student Success

Initiating Success– Accelerated or Fast-Track Developmental

Education– First-Year Experience– Student Success Course– Learning Community

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Discussion Questions

What practices are in place at your college? What is mandatory? For whom? What have you brought to scale?

Accelerated or fast-track dev ed Student success course? First-year experience? Learning communities?

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Promising Practices for Community College Student Success

Sustaining Success– Class Attendance– Early Alert and Intervention– Experiential Learning beyond the Classroom– Tutoring– Supplemental Instruction

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Discussion Questions

What practices are in place at your college? What is mandatory? For whom? What have you brought to scale?

Class attendance (as in “it’s important to show up.”)

Early alert and intervention? Experiential learning beyond the classroom? Tutoring? Supplemental instruction?

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Center for Community College Student Engagement – CCCSE

Collecting Data from Many Perspectives

Quantitative data – 4 surveys – the “what”

Qualitative data – focus groups – the “why”

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Four surveys CCSSE CCFSSE SENSE CCIS

Focus groups Initiative on Student Success – Starting Right High-Impact Practices Initiative Improving Outcomes for Men of Color

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Structured Group Learning Experiences – Promising Practices

Orientation Accelerated / Fast-track developmental

education First-year experience Student success course Learning community

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Structured Group Learning Experiences

Learning community

Student success course

First-year experience

Accelerated or fast-track developmental education

Orientation

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

56%

83%

58%

42%

96%

Percentage of colleges that report they implement each practice (N=288)

Source: 2011 CCIS data.

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CCIS, CCSSE, CCFSSE Promising PracticesPromising Practice

Colleges That Report Having It

Students Who Report Doing It

Full-Time Faculty Who Teach or Facilitate

Orientation 96% 58% 13%

Student Success Course

83% 24% 12%

First-Year Experience

58% 26% 17%

Learning Community

56% 13% 16%

Accelerated DevelopmentalEducation

42% 26% 14%

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Structured Group Learning ExperiencesAmong responding colleges using each practice, the percentage that require the

experience for all first-time students (part-time and full-time)

38%

*Required for first-time developmental students only (part-time and full-time)

Source: 2011 CCIS data.

Yes (105 of 276)

Orientation

13%

Yes (15 of 120)

Accelerated or fast-track developmental education*

27%

Yes (45 of 166)

First-year experience

15%

Yes (35 of 238)

Student success course

1% Yes (2 of 160)

Learning community

Students don’t do optional!!

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Orientation

…leads to higher student satisfaction, greater use of

support services and improved retention of at-risk

students.

However…

19% of entering students are unaware of it.

38% of colleges require it for all students – full-time and part-time.

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Orientation

Percentage of CCSSE respondents who report participating

58%

Source: 2011 CCSSE Promising Practices data.

Yes (N=237,325)

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2011 CCSSE Benchmark Scores by Orientation –

52.3 52.3 52.8 52.7 53.4

47.8 47.2 47.8 47.7

45.7

Participated in Orientation

Did not Participate in Orientation

Sources: 2011 CCSSE data

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Student Success Course

Student success courses improve students’ study skills, time management, note-taking and test-taking skills

However,

Only 15% of CCIS colleges (35/238) require it for all first-time students.

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Student Success Course

Percentage of CCSSE respondents who report participating

24%

Source: 2011 CCSSE Promising Practices data.

Yes (N=229,696)

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2011 CCSSE Benchmark Scores by Student Success Course

54.956.1

53.955.9

57.8

48.9 48.549.7

48.847.7

Participated in Student Success Course

Did not Participate in Student Success CourseSources: 2011 CCSSE data

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Late Registration?

11% of CCSSE respondents reported that they registered for class after the first class session had started.

Yet, 62% of faculty responders (CCFSSE) say that at least one student registered late for a class.

2011 Data - CCFSSE (Faculty) Promising Practice Items combined with Student CCSSE responses

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2011 CCSSE Benchmark Scores by Registration

50.5 50.151.1

50.1 50.049.647.9 47.1

49.248.1

Registered for all courses before the first day of class

Registered late

Sources: 2011 CCSSE data

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What are the challenges that get in the way of implementing promising practices? Bringing them to scale?

What could you implement tomorrow – low-hanging fruit?

If I Ran the Zoo…

One improvement that you believe would have a significant impact on improving student success…

for the college or my department

in my role

High Performing Colleges

…make student engagement

inescapable!

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Learning College Summit 2012

Arleen Arnsparger,

Project Manager

Initiative on Student Success

arnsparger@cccse.org

www.cccse.org