Engaging Community Colleges A First Look

1
(No Transcript)
2

• 2008 AACC Annual Convention
• April 7, 2008
• Angela Oriano-Darnall
• Assistant Director
• Survey of Entering Student Engagement-SENSE
• The University of Texas at Austin
• Arleen Arnsparger
• Project Manager
• MetLife Foundation Initiative on Student Success
  CCSSE/SENSE

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
Survey of Entering Student Engagement
3

• They need to remember that they hold this
  person's future in their hands and with one
  wrong action or one wrong word, you can totally
  turn them off and they'll turn around, walk out
  the door and never come back.
• - Female student, focus group

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
4
Why focus on entering students?
Survey of Entering Student Engagement
5
Why focus on entering students?

• The Hemorrhage of Entering Students
• Achieving the Dream Round One College data
• Of 41, 008 students (fall 2002 cohort) 14 did
  not complete any credits during first academic
  term

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
6
Why focus on entering students?

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

7
Why focus on entering students?

• National data show that
• students of color
• low income students
• academically underprepared students
• are at greater risk of dropping out.

8

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

• When there are differences in engagement
  between low- and high-risk students.

9
Why SENSE?

• Highly engaged students are the ones who survive
  to the second term.
• Maximizing engagement may be essential to retain
  high-risk students.

10
SENSE A Tool for Improvement

• Helping students succeed through the equivalent
  of the first semester (1215 credit hours) can
  dramatically improve subsequent success rates.

11
SENSE A Tool for Improvement

• SENSE provides 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.

12
SENSE offers Quantitative and Qualitative Data

• SENSE survey 4th 5th weeks of the fall
  academic term in courses most likely to enroll
  entering students
• MetLife Foundation Starting Right initiative --
  focus groups and interviews with new students,
  faculty, student services professionals, and
  presidents.

13

• 2007 SENSE Participants
• 22 Pilot Colleges
• 13,300 respondents
• 55 of respondents are entering students.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
14

• 2007 Focus Group Participants
• Students in developmental and gatekeeper classes
• Almost all were entering students.
• Like the pilot survey, participants skewed young
  majority were 20 and younger.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
15

• 2007 Focus Group Participants
• Faculty teaching developmental, gatekeeper and
  student success classes
• Student services professionals
• Also conducted interview with the president

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
16
SENSE 2007 Preliminary Findings
17

• Entering vs. Returning Students
• 55 of students surveyed were entering students
• More likely to be male
• Are younger
• Are more likely to enroll in developmental
  reading and writing but not in developmental
  math

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
18

• First Impressions

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
19
First Impressions

• Entering Students First Impressions of Their
  Colleges

The very first time I came to this college, I
felt welcome.
Source 2007 SENSE pilot data.
20
First Impressions

• Entering Students First Impressions of Their
  Colleges

I was able to access the information I needed to
complete the enrollment process (admissions,
registration, financial aid, etc.).
Percentages may not total 100 due to
rounding. Source 2007 SENSE pilot data.
21

• Entering Student Attitudes Expectations

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
22

• Entering Student Attitudes Expectations
• 93 say they agree strongly or somewhat that they
  have the motivation to do what it takes to
  succeed in college.
• 89 agree strongly or somewhat that they are
  prepared academically to succeed in college.
• 62 agree strongly or somewhat that they have the
  money they need to pay for school.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
23

• Entering Student Attitudes Expectations
• Focus Group Findings
• All entering students said they are confident
  they will remain in school and achieve their
  academic goals.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
24

• Entering Student Attitudes Expectations
• Focus Group Findings
• Most students said the only thing that might make
  it difficult to achieve their goals would be
  balancing their time among school, family and
  work commitments
• Yet in the SENSE survey, only 35 reported taking
  a course where they are learning how to
  prioritize and manage their time.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
25

• Entering Processes

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
26
Entry Processes

• At their best, entry processes offer
  opportunities to build relationships with
  students, help them set academic goals, bolster
  their commitment to attaining those goals, and
  provide critical services.
• At their worst, entry processes can alienate
  students or even drive them away.

27

• Orientation for Entering Students
• Just over half participated in orientation prior
  to or during the first term.
• One-fifth said they were not aware of an
  available orientation.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
28

• Orientation for Entering Students
• Focus Group Findings
• Some reported participating and agreed that they
  learned things that are helping them in their
  classes.
• Some said they werent required to attend and
  didnt think it would be helpful to them.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
29

• Entering and Younger Students
• .are less likely to
• Use academic advising/planning
• Traditional age students friends
• Non-traditional age students faculty advisors
• Go to a tutor
• Use skill labs
• Seek financial aid advising

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
30
Entry Processes
Academic Advising Where Do Entering Students
Turn?
Thinking about the first three weeks of your
first academic term at this college, how often
have you used academic advising/planning services?
Source 2007 SENSE pilot data.
31

• Entering Processes Developmental Students
• 15 did not meet with an academic advisor to
  review placement test scores.
• 58 reported that an advisor did not help them
  set goals and create a plan for achieving them.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
32

• Student Success Courses Entering Students
• 36 reported participating in a student success/
  student development/ student life skills course.
• Less than half reported taking a course or
  program where they are learning how to improve
  study skills.
• Even fewer reported taking part in a course where
  they are learning how to develop a written
  academic plan to achieve their academic goals.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
33
Questions Raised by the Data

• How can colleges ensure that every new student
  gets academic advising in the first weeks of
  college?
• What are the creative options for serving large
  numbers of students?
• How might entry processes be redesigned to
  eliminate long lines, misinformation, and
  impersonal contact?

34

• Classroom Experiences What Doesnt Work

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
35
Entering Students engagement inside and outside
the classroom

• Entering students who worked with classmates on a
  project during class in the first three weeks of
  class

Entering students who worked with classmates to
prepare assignments outside of class in the first
three weeks of class
36

• Classroom Experiences Entering Students
• Almost two-thirds reported that instructors had
  activities to introduce students to one another
• More than 70 reported that instructors explained
  academic resources and services available at the
  college
• Approximately 90 reported that instructors
  clearly explained the course syllabi and grading
  policies and told students how to contact them.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
37

• Entering and younger students
• are less likely to.
• Ask questions in class or contribute to
  discussions
• Work with other students on a project or
  assignment inside or outside of class
• Use e-mail to communicate with an instructor
• Discuss an assignment or grade with an instructor

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
38
Classroom Experiences and Academic Support
Nontraditional-Age Entering Students Are More
Engaged
During the first three weeks of your first
academic term at this college, did you
Percentage of students responding affirmatively
Source 2007 SENSE pilot data.
39

• Classroom Experiences
• Focus Group Findings
• Most students agreed that their primary stress in
  college is that one or two tests will determine
  whether they pass or fail a course
• YET in the SENSE survey, only a third reported
  taking a course where they are learning improved
  test-taking skills and strategies.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
40

• Classroom Experiences
• Focus Group Findings
• After 6 weeks of class, entering students
  typically are pretty clear about what works for
  them

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
41

• Classroom Experiences

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
42

• What are we learning
• about helping entering students
• start right?

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
43
Students What Matters Most

• Asked if they ever have considered dropping out
  of college, many students say they have. And when
  they are asked what helped them stay in college,
  students answers, almost without exception, are
  about
• relationships

44
Entering Students Relationships

• 1 unfriendly or unsupportive 7 friendly or
  supportive
• 52 classify their relationships with other
  students as 6 or 7
• 61 classify their relationships with instructors
  as 6 or 7
• 46 of students classify their relationships with
  administrative personnel and offices as 6 or 7

45

• Early Observations from SENSE Starting Right
• There are clear differences between entering and
  returning students.
• Large numbers of entering students are escaping
  experiences that may be important to their
  success.
• Entering students are highly motivated, are
  committed to achieving their academic goals, and
  sincerely believe they will.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
46

• Early Observations
• Entering students dont know what they dont
  know.
• Even when we cant agree among ourselves about
  the entering student processwe expect our
  students to figure it out.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
47

• Early Observations from Focus Groups
• Sometimes we agree with our students perceptions
  about their early experiencesand sometimes we
  dont have a clue.
• Our students are hearing us they dont always
  know how to respond appropriately.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
48

• Early Observations from Focus Groups
• Students have a pretty clear idea of what will
  help them start right.
• Students quickly understand what helps them
  learn.
• Students use the word mandatory and want us to
  use it sometimes, too.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
49

• Early Observations from Focus Groups
• Entering students want to be challenged even
  though they might complain about it.
• We are very challenged by our younger students!

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
50

• Early Observations
• Theres a sizable gap between what we know and
  what we do.
• Sometimes theres even a gap between what we
  think we do and what we actually do.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement
51
Advice from Students
52
Next Steps for SENSE

• National Field Test in Fall 2008 95 colleges
• MetLife Foundation Starting Right initiative
  Focus Groups
• Entering Student Success Institutes
• New tools for participating colleges
• Benchmarking tools via the SENSE interactive Web
  site