engagement & accountability: queensborough community college and the epsilen platform michele...
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Engagement & Accountability: Queensborough Community College and the Epsilen Platform
Michele Cuomo, MFAAssociate Dean for Academic Affairs
Victor Fichera, Ph.D.Principal Investigator of the
Freshman Academies Protocol
Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York
Queensborough Community College
An open access urban public community college in the most diverse county in the United States
Freshman Academies
Enhanced academic and student support for all
first time/full time students
High Impact Practices of the Freshman Academies
• e-Portfolio • Cornerstone• Learning Communities• Service Learning• Writing Intensive Courses
4 out of 5 High Impact Practices at Queensboroughcurrently adopt Epsilen to better engage students
High Impact Educational PracticesWhat they are, who has access to them and why do they matter?
By George D. Kuh
“The results of participating in these high-impact practices are especially striking for students who are further behind in terms of their entering academic test scores. The benefits are similarly positive for students from communities that historically have been underserved in higher education.”
Queensborough & High Impact Practices
• Named one of 12 Roadmap Community Colleges by AAC & U
• Chosen for the Collaborative for Authentic Assessment of Learning Pilot by AAC &U
• Partner in Title V Making Transfer Connections Grant
• Partner in FIPSE Connect to Learning Grant
Epsilen and the Student Wiki Interdisciplinary Group
(SWIG)"To reflect is to look back over what has been done so as to extract the net meanings which are the capital stock for intelligent dealing with future experiences. It is the heart of intellectual organization and of the
disciplined mind" (DEWEY 87)
SWIG as a High Impact Practice
• Common Intellectual Experience• Cornerstone Course• Global/Diversity Learning• Service Learning• Virtual Learning Community
Educational Objectives of the College
• Communicate effectively through reading, writing, listening and speaking
• Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems• Use information management and technology skills effectively
for academic research and life-long learning• Integrate knowledge and skills in their program of study• Differentiate and make informed decisions about issues based
on multiple value systems• Apply aesthetic and intellectual criteria in the evaluation or
creation of works in the humanities or the arts
Student Essays as Dramatic Texts
“I chose this character because it reminded me of myself. When I was young my family moved from predominantly black West-Indian neighborhood to a mostly white community. On my first day of the new school, I thought I was watching a “Happy Days” episode with a bunch of Richie Cunninghams. Her closeness to her family is the same as mine. Family is very important to me”
-Navin, Theatre 120 Student on an essay by Farima from Afghanistan, -EN 101 student
Epsilen and Service Learning
“One of the students from education informed me that I am on my way to self-actualization which means that I continually try to be the best by satisfying my cognitive need through reading books and articles. It actually makes sense…I strive for knowledge.”Student #3, Basic Skills Class
Epsilen and Assessment
• Epsilen Learning Matrix for Assessment with ePortfolio in the Business Academy Pilot 2010/11
• Moving Ahead with Eportfolio a campus initiative which connects the Epsilen Environment with the AAC & U Value Rubrics
Making Transfer ConnectionsQuestions to Help You Make the Most of College
Am I working as hard as I can and choosing a wide array of courses—not just those in which I know I will do well?
Am I working with my adviser to chart a pathway through college that challenges me and will ensure that I learn what I need to learn?
Am I pursuing opportunities, both in the classroom and beyond, to apply what I am learning in the real world—through internships, leadership in student groups, study abroad, service learning, or undergraduate research? -- from AAC & U LEAP
Research on the Effectiveness of High Impact Practices
The Assessment Protocol for Freshman Academies
A research design used to assess the effectiveness of Freshman Academies via multiple investigative methods.
• Student Surveys• Faculty Surveys• Administrative Databases
The Academies Provide:
• High Impact Practices• Freshman Coordinators• Learning Outcomes Assessment
Measures of Success
• Higher course success rates• Higher retention rates• Higher credit completion rates• Higher student and faculty engagement with
the college• Higher degree-attainment rates
Cohort Comparisons
Baseline Cohort: First-time, full-time freshmen from Fall 2006
Academy Cohort:First-time, full-time freshmen from Fall 2009
Separate analyses of remedial and non-remedial students.
Half-Year and One-Year Retention
Cohort Year Initial Cohort N
Half-Year Retention
One-Year Retention
2006 Fall Cohort 2,051 82.3% 65.8%
2009 Fall Cohort 3,226 88.0% 71.4%
"Academy Grouping" 2006 Cohort Retention 2009 Cohort Retention
Enrolled Retained Enrolled Retained
Business 416 69% 544 72%
Education 103 70% 149 84%
Health 315 71% 411 77%
Liberal Arts 796 66% 1358 69%
STEM 225 57% 493 69%
VAPA 173 59% 254 75%
One-Year QCC Retention by Academy and Cohort
COMPARISONSWithin Cohorts
High Impact Practices
Outcomes with HI:Expected and Real
• As per the Protocol, it is expected that students having HI experiences would show success in various outcomes (e.g., retention, course grades)
• 2009 HI real results – WI, SL, EP, LC: weak if anything, particularly grades
• Implementation imperfection
Some Bright Spots
92.7% of first time/full time students in the Fall 2009 SWIG project cohort enrolled in Spring 2010
88% of all ft/ft Fall 2009-Spring 2010 (Freshman Academy Students)
82% for all ft/ft Fall 2006-Spring 2007(Baseline/Pre-Freshman Academy Cohort)
Pass Rates in Remedial Writing and Number of HI Courses Taken
# HI Courses Experienced
Remedial Writing Pass Rate
0 52%1 66%2 83%3 100%
Literature on HI Effectiveness
• It takes time for HI to have an effect• Transformational Process• Outcome effect sizes are small• Multiple HI experiences needed
Enter: SWIG
Ideal classes to investigate HITruly intensive implementationMultiple HI within a semester (LC, SL)Technology enhanced integrated experiences
SWIG & EN101
EN 101 Enrollment Fall 2010
N Pass RateEN101
All Enrolled 2,872 85.0%Non-SWIG 2,721 84.4%SWIG 151 95.8%
A Harsh Examination
EN 101 Enrollment N Exempt/Passed Fall 2010 Pass RateFall 2010 All Placement Tests CUM GPA EN101
All Enrolled 2,872 31.4% 2.34 85.0%
Non-SWIG 2,721 31.0% 2.33 84.4%
SWIG 151 37.7% 2.39 95.8%
Non-SWIG all exempt 844 100% 2.42 86.2%
SWIG and Remedial Courses
Remedial Reading and Writing Courses
N Pass Rate
Non-SWIG 104 64.4%
SWIG 91 50.5%
SWIG and Credit Bearing Courses
Non-remedial SWIG or Comparison Courses
N Pass Rate
Non-SWIG 179 67%
SWIG 160 74%
Future Investigations
• Will look at SWIG groups in Spring 2011• Special attention on remedial SWIG classes• Service Learning combined with other HI
experiences• E-Portfolio combined with other HI
experiences
For further information:
Michele CuomoAssociate Dean for Academic Affairs
Administration 503Queensborough Community College
222-05 56th AveBayside, NY 11364
718-631-6344
Acknowledgements:Bruce Naples, Director of Academic Computing CenterEd Hanssen, Eportfolio DirectorJean Darcy, SWIG Project DirectorJo Pantaleo, Service Learning Director