imagine success 2008 field test findings engaging entering students

Imagine Success

2008 Field Test Findings

Engaging Entering Students

SENSE Overview

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Why Entering Students?

Community colleges typically lose about half of their students prior to the students’ second college year.

A recent study of Achieving the Dream colleges determined that 14% of entering students do not earn a single college credit in their first term.

In turn, this lack of success lowers persistence rates — just 15% of students who earn no credits in their first term persist to the following term, compared to 74% of students who earn credit in their first term.


Why SENSE? National data show that students of color, low-income

students, and academically underprepared students are at greater risk of dropping out.

And CCSSE data show students typically described as high risk are more engaged in their college experience than their low-risk peers.*

What does this tell us?* When there are differences in engagement between low- and high-risk students.


Why SENSE? Highly engaged students are the ones

who survive to the second term. Maximizing engagement may be essential

to retain high-risk students. SENSE helps colleges, students, and the

nation by focusing on the front door of the college experience.


SENSE: A Tool for Improvement Helping students succeed through the equivalent of the

first semester (12–15 credit hours) can dramatically improve subsequent success rates.

Successfully completing the first semester can improve students’ chances of returning for subsequent semesters, reaching key milestones, and ultimately earning certificates and degrees.


SENSE: A Tool for Improvement

SENSE provides both quantitative and qualitative data that:

are grounded in research about what works to retain and support entering students,

identify and help colleges learn from practices that engage entering students, and

identify areas in which we can improve.


SENSE: Quantitative and Qualitative Data

SENSE administers its survey during the fourth and fifth weeks of the fall academic term in courses most likely to enroll entering students.

Working through the Starting Right initiative, SENSE also conducts focus groups and interviews with new students as well as faculty, student services professionals, and presidents. The initiative is supported by the MetLife Foundation and Houston Endowment Inc.

SENSE 2008 Preliminary Findings


Imagine a college at which every student is intentionally connected to an individual person who feels responsible for that student’s success — and that these connections are made before completion of the intake process.

Principle #1: Personal Connections


Entering Students’ First Impressions of Their Colleges

Source: 2008 SENSE field test data.

The very first time I came to this college, I felt welcome.


1%

3%

16%

53%

27%

Strongly agree

Agree

No opinion

Disagree

Strongly disagree

1%

5%6%

54%

34%

Strongly agree

Agree

No opinion

Disagree

Strongly disagree


I was able to get the information I needed to register for classes.

Principle #1: Personal ConnectionsEntering Students’ First Impressions of Their Colleges


24%

76%

Yes

No


Was a specific person assigned to you so you could see him/her each time you needed information or assistance?

Principle #1: Personal ConnectionsEntering Students’ First Impressions of Their Colleges




“It just seems that again and again, we see students who have really personal connections at the college being successful.”

— Faculty member

“In our college, if you don’t teach, your job is to help students get to class in the best condition for learning. Everybody has that responsibility. When someone violates that, they violate more than a policy. They violate a core value.”

— Bill Law, President, Tallahassee Community College (FL)


This is an opportunity to customize one or more slides that show how your college is helping entering students build relationships quickly.

You might, for example, provide your college’s data for survey items related to personal connections and discuss the results. If you do so, provide examples of what you plan to do with the information — for example, requiring academic advising and planning; pairing entering students with case managers or mentors; or providing faculty with training so they can better build collaborative efforts, such as group projects and study groups, into coursework.

Or you might discuss the benefits or challenges related to engaging students through personal connections.

Principle #1: Personal Connections at [XX College]


Imagine a college at which every new student is clear about the college’s high expectations for performance — and every student has high aspirations for his or her own success.

Principle #2: High Expectations and Aspirations

68%Strongly agree


I have the motivation to do what it takes to succeed in college.

Principle #2: High Expectations and AspirationsEntering Students Need Clear and High Expectations


32%

29%

47%

25%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Skipped class

Came to classunprepared

Did not turn in one ormore assignments

Turned in an assignmentlate


Percentage of students who, at least once during their first three weeks of college:

Principle #2: High Expectations and AspirationsEntering Students Need Clear and High Expectations



“If the teacher seems to care, it motivates the student. If somebody … calls you when you miss … that light bulb comes on in your head.”

— Male student

“The instructors are more than willing to help me. I’ve always felt that if I’m willing to work, they’re willing to work just as hard. I think that’s the quality of a good instructor.”

— Male student



“They didn’t tell me when I signed up for class that for every hour of class, I have to do two hours of studying. They didn’t give me any expectations until I sat down in the classroom. I think that before you enroll, you should be able to know what you are getting into.”

— Male student



Principle #2: High Expectations and Aspirations at [XX College]This is an opportunity to customize one or more slides that show how your college is setting high expectations and encouraging high aspirations.

You might, for example, provide your college’s data for survey items related to high expectations and aspirations and discuss the results. If you do so, provide examples of what you plan to do with the information — for example, helping students understand expectations about the level of effort required to be successful in college as well as about specific assignments and academic goals, and taking action when students are not meeting the standard.

Or you might discuss the benefits or challenges related to engaging students through high expectations and aspirations.


Imagine a college at which every entering student, in the first three weeks of college, defines his or her educational goals and develops a plan for attaining them. Imagine further that these plans are updated regularly, with guidance, as students progress.

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to Success

71%2%6%

21%

Within the next 12 months

I have no current plans to return

I will accomplish my goal(s)during this semester/quarter andwill not return

Uncertain


When do you plan to take classes at this college again?

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to SuccessEntering Students and Academic Planning


30%

46%

12%

8% 4%

Strongly agree

Agree

No opinion

Disagree

Strongly disagree


An advisor helped me to identify the courses I needed to take during my first semester/quarter.

An advisor helped me to set academic goals and to create a plan for achieving them.

14%

25%

31%

22%

8%

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to SuccessEntering Students and Academic Planning



“Advisors ask, ‘What’s your schedule?’ … I wish I had more of a run through about what I’m going to need for my degree as well as my schedule.”

— Female student

“Students have their dreams and goals in hand, but their action plan is blank. We, as professors, educators, and staff, should be able to help them fill in the blanks.”

— Faculty member

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to Success


Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to Success at [XX College]

This is an opportunity to customize one or more slides that show how your college is helping students create and navigate a plan and a pathway to success.

You might, for example, provide your college’s data for survey items related to a plan and a pathway to success. If you do so, provide examples of what you plan to do with the information — for example, mandating advising and providing professional development for advisors.

Or you might discuss the benefits or challenges related to engaging students through a plan and a pathway to success.


Imagine a college at which all academically underprepared students have an effective, efficient path to completing developmental education and beginning college-level work.

Principle #4: An Effective Track to College Readiness

29%

25%

54%

32%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

A student successcourse

Developmentalmath

Developmentalwriting

Developmentalreading


Entering Students and Developmental EducationPercentage of entering students who are enrolled in:




“You mean there are classes that teach people how to study? That’s the problem. I don’t know how to study. I do NOT know how to study.”

— Male student



Principle #4: An Effective Track to College Readiness at [XX College]This is an opportunity to customize one or more slides that show how your college is helping students follow an effective track to college readiness.

You might, for example, provide your college’s data for survey items related to an effective track to college readiness. If you do so, provide examples of what you plan to do with the information — for example, requiring students enrolled in developmental education classes to take a student success course and incorporating student support services such as academic advising and planning into student success courses.

Or you might discuss the benefits or challenges related to engaging students through an effective track to college readiness.


Imagine a college at which engaged learning is intentional, inescapable, and the norm for all students.

Principle #5: Engaged Learning

0%

0%

1%

4%

26%

72%

73%

90%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Learning community

Student successcourse

Orientation course

On-campusorientation

Highestparticipation rate

Lowestparticipation rate


Engaging Experiences: Range of Responses by College




“All of my classes are learning labs, and I think that makes it a lot better because it’s so interactive.”

— Female student

“There is excitement, especially if they’re working in groups and you can see on their faces they’re engaged. They’re laughing, they’re having a good time, they’re excited about learning.”

— Faculty member



Principle #5: Engaged Learning at [XX College]

This is an opportunity to customize one or more slides that show how your college is creating engaging learning experiences for its students.

You might, for example, provide your college’s data for survey items related to engaged learning. If you do so, provide examples of what you plan to do with the information — for example, building structured interactions into students’ day-to-day experiences through collaborative and hands-on work in class, required study groups, and so on.

Or you might discuss the benefits or challenges related to engaged learning.


Imagine a college at which every entering student is met with a personalized network of financial, academic, and social support.

Principle #6: An Integrated Network of Financial, Social, and Academic Support

29%

32%

27%

15%

27%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Computer labs

Financial aid advising

Skill labs

Face-to-face tutoring

Academic advising/planning services


Entering Students’ Awareness of Support ServicesPercentage of entering students who are unaware of particular support services during their first three weeks of college:




“When people come here, they need somebody to talk to … they need somebody to reach out to them.”

— Male student



This is an opportunity to customize one or more slides that show how your college is creating an integrated network of support for its students.

You might, for example, provide your college’s data for survey items related to support. If you do so, provide examples of what you plan to do with the information — for example, integrating support services into the classroom experience or beginning to work with students when they still are in high school (for services such as financial aid advising).

Or you might discuss the benefits or challenges related to creating an integrated network for financial, social, and academic support.

Principle #6: An Integrated Network of Financial, Social, and Academic Support at [XX College]

Key Challenges and Next Steps


Implications: Doing Education Differently

What are the potential consequences of a commitment to attain much higher levels of student success?


Key Challenges

“Our community and our college are facing some very significant fiscal and educational challenges … I don’t want to lead a ‘slash and burn’ approach to addressing those challenges. Rather, we must rethink our work, imagining how we would build, from the ground up, a community college designed for student success. And then we need to ensure that our priorities reflect our commitment to becoming that college.”

— Brent Knight, President, Lansing Community College (MI)


Next Steps for SENSE First national administration in fall 2009. Registration for

this administration closes April 3, 2009. Colleges are encouraged to register online at www.enteringstudent.org.

Special-focus modules. Modules in 2009 will include Financial Assistance, Commitment and Support, Student Success Courses, and Technology.

The second annual Entering Student Success Institute. SENSE interactive Web site.

imagine success 2008 field test findings engaging entering students

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