qep: Project Xtreme

Academic Makeover

XTREME STRUCTURED SUPPORT

FOR GREATER STUDENT

ENGAGEMENT

North Central Texas College

www.nctc.edu

North Central Texas College

Project Xtreme:

Foundation

To transform students’ academic behaviors and create

a contextual learning environment to ensure college readiness and improve success

in core curriculum/gateway courses.

Project Xtreme:

Renovation

• Focuses on college readiness

• Aligns with the college’s Strategic Plan under Framework #2: Student Readiness, Learning and Success

Facilitate the achievement of teaching excellence and in-depth learning through innovative faculty and student programs and activities

Implement a holistic model of student advising

Improve student success in college preparatory (developmental) and gateway courses

Project Xtreme:

Design scheme

• Research

– QEP Committee members attended college readiness & student success conferences

– Conducted literature review and researched best practices

– Drafted QEP Mission statement, Identified student learning outcomes and overall assessment design

• Development

– Developed QEP Narrative

– Input and feedback from History, Math and English faculty, students, student service personnel, Instructional Council, President’s Cabinet and Board of Regents

Project Xtreme:

development and implementation

Discovery Phase: April 2008 - June 2009 Topic selection committee formed

Utilized quantitative & qualitative analysis of institutional strengths, weaknesses, survey, performance data, comparative analysis of other college and institutional research.

Topic Selection Phase: Spring 2008 - Fall 2009 Reviewed institutional & state data, identified 10 potential

topics

Broad based communication across all campuses

Faculty, staff & students voted to select top three topics

Concept papers on top 3 topics

Development Phase: October 2009 - August 2011 Quality Enhancement Plan committee was formed to fully

develop a five year QEP

Secured first and second year funding through Comprehensive Student Success Program- THECB

Title III initiatives:

transformation

• Orientation Renovation In-person orientation had been replaced with

online version ONLY (required of all FTIC students)

Most services had moved online (registration, catalog, etc.), causing disconnection

• Advising Advising was split amongst faculty, counselors,

and advisors, and approaches differed

Very little interaction between Instruction and Student Services (other than with College Prep. faculty)

Title III initiatives:

transformation • Career Exploration and Transfer

Assistance

• College Success Seminars and Course Goal Setting, Time Management, Learning Styles,

Test-Taking/Test Anxiety, etc.

Learning Framework course (EDUC/PSCY 1300)

• Early Alert No formal system in place

• Tutoring No tutoring at any campus (other than faculty

volunteering their time)

Support services:

structure • Academic Advising (Phase 1)

This phase introduced the concepts of college readiness, course sequencing, and educational planning.

All first-time college students are required to meet with an advisor and participate in New Student Orientation beginning Fall 2011 (a policy which has been revised and reinforced as a direct result of Project Xtreme).

• Academic Advising (Phase 2) Students in Xtreme sections are required to complete an

academic advising assignment/academic plan as a course requirement.

This assignment is distributed to Xtreme students during the first weeks of the semester, and all sections of Xtreme courses receive an in-class visit from their assigned advisors during the second week of the semester and a campus tour of support services and library resources.

Support services:

structure • Tutoring and Supplemental Instruction

Increasing awareness, perceived value, and utilization of support services is another initiative and measurable outcome of Project Xtreme. Tutoring hours for the on-campus Math and Writing Labs were established by the beginning of the Fall 2011 semester, and Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leaders for the Xtreme sections of HIST 1301 were also identified and trained.

Additional online tutoring hours are purchased each semester through our current provider, GradeResults, in order to meet the increased demand for this service as students in Xtreme sections have a 5-hour tutoring requirement built into their courses.

Mandatory training for all tutors and SI Leaders is required.

Tutoring

• Established Math Labs and Writing Labs on each campus

• Introduced Supplemental Instruction (originally courses with lowest pass rates-Algebra and A&P)

• Online tutoring through Grade Results, connects students to real tutors in real time

• Established tutor training schedule

• CRLA certification- Level I & II (recently applied for Level III)

• Tutoring labs also serve as computer labs-places where students congregate to form study groups or complete homework

Support services:

tutoring • CRLA certified

• Extended hours

• History supplemental instruction

• Increased the number of tutors

Corinth Math Lab Rm. 182: Monday: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Tuesday: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Wednesday: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Thursday: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Friday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Writing Lab Rm. 188: Monday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Tuesday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Wednesday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Thursday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Friday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Flower Mound MathLab Rm.112:

Monday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Tuesday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Wednesday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Thursday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Friday: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Writing Lab Rm. 112:

Monday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Tuesday: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Wednesday: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Thursday: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Friday: 9:00 am - 2:00pm

Gainesville Math Lab Room 114:

Monday: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Tuesday: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Wednesday: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Thursday: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Friday: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Writing Lab Room 111:

Monday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Tuesday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Wednesday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Thursday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Friday: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Bowie Math Lab (Rebecca Graves)

Monday: 12:30 pm - 2:00pm Wednesday: 12:30 pm - 2:00pm

Writing Lab (Mary Ann Ewing)

Thursday TBA

Graham Math Lab (Ginny Renner) Writing Lab (Nancy Clayborn)

Tuesday: 12:30-4:30 pm Tuesday: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Wednesday: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Spring 2014

Tutoring and SI

Data collection

• Quantitative information has been collected via questionnaires (Likert scales). Data analysis is conducted after each semester to determine the impact of the intervention services offered.

• Estudias Enterprise/ZogoTech systems, ACCUTRACK, and Check-IN student tracking systems are used to determine services utilized, enrollment and withdrawal information, and course performance.

• All QEP Intervention aspects, in each content area, are calculated as 5% of the students’ overall course grade.

Project data Since implementation of the project in Fall 2011:

• 3,451 students have been served.

• Success rate increase- students earning a “C” or higher in ENGL 1301, HIST 1301 and MATH 1314, has improved 7%.

• 30% of Xtreme students completed 5 or more hours of tutoring and 55% had some usage (combination of face to face, online and Supplemental Instruction).

• 62% of Xtreme students met with an advisor and have an Academic Plan on file.

• 88% of Xtreme students completed the Time Management Assignment (including Structured Support Presentation and Library Resource tour).

• Students who utilize support services (tutoring and academic advising) have a 1.8% higher GPA.

• 45% increase in the number of associate degrees awarded, and 20% increase in the number of certificates awarded.

Student feedback • “I have to say, the writing center has been a big help; I really liked

being one-on-one with the tutors and having their input on any improvements needed on my assignments. Having the writing center available to me was very helpful when revising my papers.”

• “Requiring us to go to the writing center has helped me learn that it is okay to reach out for help, and that no one is a perfect writer. I feel that the individual conferences and requiring students to go to the writing center is truly beneficial.”

• “Structured Support was a great help during my learning process; I could clarify doubts and fix mistakes in grammar and style, and I improved my scores. In particular, GradeResults was a very useful tool; its tutors are always available and willing to help. I used GradeResults so much that I had to ask for extra time college in order to continue obtaining GradeResults’ help. As a result, I obtained A- on my first two assignments. Thus, this semester I learned and applied the ways in which discourses are shaped.”

Program highlights • Almost $1M in grant funding for the first three years

of the project, allowing for:

Program expansion: 82 sections in Year Three (130 total)

Hired three additional full time advisors

Increased number of tutors, SI leaders, and GradeResults

• Student incentives:

380 students utilized the HIST textbook lending program

90 students received a free HIST access code for MyHistoryLab

40 students utilized the calculator lending program for MATH 1314

• Positive college wide changes in the areas of student success, faculty engagement, and student services.

Project inspection:

challenges

• Complexity of plan

• Human and financial resources

• Cohort tracking and assessment

• Students’ free will

Xtreme resistance

• (Which we all know is futile)

• Challenging the current system makes waves

• Be prepared for some hard hats!

– You’re enabling students

– You’re being TOO helpful

– Students should KNOW this already

– You can’t tell me how to teach my class!

Building better

blueprints • Ask the experts-find out what’s working, what’s not (and

why)

• Get involved with college committees

• Find your advocates-one person in every department, faculty in each discipline (at each campus), a loud (and respected) administrator, and STUDENTS!

• Generate ideas-be realistic and optimistic, and identify who or what needs to be involved

• Avoid the “somebody should do something about this” sentiment-YOU are somebody

• Back it up! Touchy/feely is nice, data is better:

– How can you prove that your intervention is needed?

– How can you prove it is or will be effective?

– How will you define and measure success?

Get ready to renovate!

• What are the top 3 student-centered issues at your campus that need to be addressed?

• How will you address these needs? What are 3 programs/initiatives/interventions you will implement?

• Who/what are the top 3 resources that need to be involved with implementing these initiatives at your institution?

• How will you measure the effectiveness of these interventions? How will you define success?

Questions?

• Tracey Fleniken, Director of Counseling & Testing

tfleniken@nctc.edu

• Mary Martinson, Dean of Student Success

mmartinson@nctc.edu

• Amy Klohn, QEP/CSSP Coordinator

aklohn@nctc.edu