Mountain Empire Community College

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Mountain Empire Community College
Donna Stanley
Vice President of Institutional Advancement
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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Other MECC Team members in
• attendance
• Dr. Terrance Suarez, President
• Dr. Sharon Fisher, Director of Planning and
  Community Relations
  
• Kevin Lee, Institutional Research Analyst
• Rhoda Bliese, Chair of Developmental Committee
• Jim Burns, Chair of Learning Communities/Active
  Learning Committee
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS PLANNING PHASE

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Data Collection has included
• Focus groups of students and faculty
• Community survey of low income individuals (210)
• College data for 3 cohort groups

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• The data reveal great disparities in success
  among MECC students in the 2002-2003 cohorts.
  
• Disaggregating the data helped teams understand
  patterns of student success (or lack of success)
  and pointed the way to needed interventions

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• A student at MECC is defined as being successful
  if he/she 1) passes 2/3 of credits attempted, 2)
  attains at least 2.0 GPA, and 3) is retained to
  the next semester.
• Some data is stated in terms of success, other
  data in terms of retention.

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• What the data showed
• There is a relationship between student success
  and income.
  
• Generally, our lowest income students are the
  least successful.
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• There is a strong relationship between student
  success and age.
  
• Generally, younger students (17-18 and 19-24) are
  less successful.
  
• Exception - previous dual enrollment (PDES) are
  highly successful
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Students age 17-18 comprise 50 of developmental
  students.
  
• Students 25 and older comprise only 16 of
  developmental students.
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• There is a strong relationship between student
  success and enrollment status.
  
• Generally, part-time students are less successful
  than full-time students.
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• There is a strong relationship between student
  success and level of preparation.
  
• Students who test into 3 developmental courses
  are less successful.
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• MECC is focusing on three areas
• Developmental Education
• Learning Communities and Active Learning (closely
  linked to Developmental Education)
  
• First Year Experience
• Advising
• Early Alert
• Orientation

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Current conditions prior to AtD
• focus
• No focused attention to developmental education
  as a whole
  
• Using DOS-based Compass placement test with no
  diagnostic component or calculator
  
• Inadequate communications to students about
• High stakes nature of placement
• Benefits of developmental education
• One size fits all model for developmental
  classes
  
• High proportion of young students in developmental

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Developmental Committee Recommendations
• Improve communication with students about the
  nature and purpose of placement testing
  
• Revise all developmental courses in a sequence,
  using best practices
  
• Expand options for students who only need to
  review before progressing through developmental
  instruction
  
• Develop bridge program to help young students
  move more quickly into college-level instruction
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Data analyzed by
• Developmental
• Committee in first
• year
• Productive and unproductive grades in
  developmental math, developmental English, and
  college level English courses according to age,
  gender, and EFC codes.

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Data analyzed by
• Developmental
• Committee in first
• Year (continued)
• Data on developmental class success by academic
  division
  
• Data by placement into developmental courses
• Data on success in developmental classes in
  relation to success in subsequent 100 level
  courses
  
• Data on success of students in Decision Zone

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Activities
• Established a Task Force to review policies
  procedures in placement testing and to oversee
  implementation of the web version of Compass
  
• Currently evaluating Compass diagnostics
  Ewrite
  
• Analyzed and reviewed Compass cut-off scores used
  in math and English for Decision Zone

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Activities
• Advertising for consultant to develop
  presentation to be viewed before placement test
  
• Emphasizing importance of test
• Offering options for review
• Advertising for consultant to develop
  presentation to be viewed after placement test in
  cases where developmental courses are
  recommended
• Explains the purpose and advantages of skill
  development
  
• Also includes brochure for students to review at
  later date
  
• Target date for presentation availability Fall
  2006
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Activities
• Developed fast track courses in developmental
  arithmetic and Algebra I
  
• Project pilot Summer, 2006
• Target students who need a refresher course
  rather than entire course
  
• May be component of future bridge program

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Activities
• Began establishment of Academic Resource Center
  in library to aid students who wish to
  independently review modules in math, reading,
  and composition
• Project implementation 2006
• Target those who have test scores close to
  cut-off for next level
  
• After review, allow placement retest
• Implementation behind schedule because of
  difficulty in locating software that faculty
  like
  
• May adapt existing instructional materials to
  make usable for self-instruction
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Activities
• Began first year course revisions in MTH 3 and
  ENG 1 (all developmental courses to be revised
  over 4 years)
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Summer Activities 2006
• Piloting fast track math courses
• Planning for course revision (Mth 3 and Eng 1)
• Analysis of math best practices (supplemental
  instruction, paired study skills/developmental
  math courses, other curricula that has been
  successful)
• Further development of the Academic Resource
  Center
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Second Year Activities
• Developing summer bridge learning community
• Project implementation Summer, 2007
• Learning community involving one or more
  developmental courses
  
• Piloting Mth 3 and Eng 1 course revisions

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND ACTIVE LEARNING

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Current conditions prior to AtD
• focus
• There are no current learning communities
• Small student population in programs and small
  class sections
  
• Use of active learning is sporadic and not
  documented
  
• In some programs, students wait to take
  gatekeeper (general education) courses until the
  last two semesters of the program

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Data analyzed by
• Learning
• Community/Active
• Learning
• Committee in first
• year
• Productive and unproductive grades in
  developmental math, developmental English, and
  college level English courses according to age,
  gender, and EFC codes.

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Data analyzed by
• Learning
• Community/Active
• Learning Committee in
• first year
• Data on developmental class success by academic
  division
  
• Data by placement into developmental courses
• Data on success in developmental classes in
  relation to success in subsequent 100 level
  courses

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Learning Communities and Active
• Learning Committee Recommendations
• Create an application process and solicit
  proposals for learning communities and active
  learning projects in gatekeeper courses
  
• Develop resource manual that can be shared with
  faculty who are planning learning communities or
  want to use active learning
  
• Develop internal capacity to offer on-campus
  training to assist faculty in developing learning
  communities and incorporating active learning
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Activities
• Designed an application process and solicited
  applications for proposals for learning
  communities/revision to increase active learning
  in gatekeeper courses
• 3 proposals approved for course revision/learning
  community development
  
• Conducted two in-house learning communities
  workshops
  
• Training opportunities coordinated began
  development of learning community manual
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Activities
• Accepted proposals for revision of MTH 03
  (Algebra I) and ENG 03 (Writing Prep II) courses
  to include active and collaborative learning
  strategies
• Courses are gatekeeper courses
• Pilot projects implementation in 2007

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Activities
• Accepted proposal for learning community
  thematically linking Survey of Criminology,
  Principles of Soc., and College Composition I
  
• Pilot project implementation in 2007

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Summer Activities
• Five faculty members attended the Active
  Learning Institute at Patrick Henry Community
  College in May
  
• Faculty members from MECC and other colleges are
  scheduled to attend a Learning Communities
  Institute at MECC in July 11-12
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Second Year Activities
• Solicit second round of proposals for development
  learning communities/
  
• implementation of active learning
• Conduct in-house training on active learning and
  complete learning community manual
  
• Develop plan for marketing and enrolling students
  in first learning community
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Second Year Activities
• Discuss options that might meet goals of learning
  communities in courses with low enrollment
  
• Encourage project work across the curriculum
  (rather than in linked courses)

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• FIRST YEAR
• EXPERIENCE
• Advising
• Orientation
• Early Alert

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Current conditions of orientation and
• early warning prior to AtD focus
• SVD 100 (1 hour orientation course) not required
  in first semester
  
• Previous Early Warning System not fully
  implemented
  
• Difficult to identify higher risk students those
  identified were not provided interventions in
  systematic way
  
• No tracking for implementation of interventions

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Current conditions of Advising prior
• to AtD focus
• Faculty and program based mostly academic
  advising less student success advising
  
• Because advising is program based, there is a
  wide difference in the number of students advised
  by faculty
  
• On-line registration lessening contact with
  faculty advisors
  
• Expectation of on-demand registration and
  advising
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Orientation Subcommittee
• Recommendations
• Wait until after First Year Experience Pilot
  before taking action to require the Orientation
  course during first semester.
  
• Revise content of Orientation course
• Project implementation Fall, 2006
• Revisions to include
• Establishment of written career goals
• Use of Learning Behavior Scale to monitor the use
  or need for support services.
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAM
MOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

• Orientation Subcommittee Recommendations
• (cont)
• Possibly Link SDV 109 (Student Leadership)
• to Learning Communities

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Data analyzed by
• Orientation
• Subcommittee in
• first year
• Results of survey to assess best methods
• for involving family/parents of higher risk
  students in the Orientation process
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Early Warning Subcommittee Recommendations
• Implement a pilot project before developing a
  computer-tracking system for interventions
  
• Early Warning System should connect higher risk
  students to
  
• Student Services Counselor
• Financial Aid Advisor
• Career Development Center
• Peer mentors
• Case management team (see advising
  recommendations)
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Advising Subcommittee
• Recommendations
• Do not block on-line registration for higher
  risk students until adequate advising resources
  are available
  
• Set registration periods and schedule advising
• Develop specialized faculty advisors through
  training
  
• Address summer advising staffing constraints

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Experience Committee
• Recommendations
• Establish a First Year Experience Pilot to
  integrate recommendations of subcommittees,
  including
  
• student success advising
• Faculty teaching orientation class serve in
  Student Advocate role and have scheduled
  contact with first year students
  
• Student Advocate performs monitoring,
  connecting, and interventions tracking functions
  
• Early Warning System administered through Student
  Advocates
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Activities
• Subcommittees spent year looking at best
  practices, reviewing literature, and determining
  how to best organize services.
  
• This was MECCs most difficult focus area because
  it required integration of concepts and the
  envisioning of new roles for personnel.
  
• At the end of spring semester 2006, the First
  Year Pilot Project was articulated, personnel
  were recruited, but the pilot was not designed.

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• Summer 2006 Activities
• The First Year Experience Pilot will be designed
  and will be initiated in fall 2006.
  
• A faculty member is updating the advising manual
  to give faculty accurate information to advise
  students. (This interim measure does not address
  the systemic problem of students not contacting
  their advisors, which will be addressed through
  changes in the advising system after the pilot is
  completed.)

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• PRELIMINARY
• EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN FOR FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE
  PILOT
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year
• Experience Pilot
• Design
• Control Group (7 orientation class sections)
• Experimental Group for new Orientation Curriculum
  (4 orientation class sections taught by
  counselors)
  
• Experimental Group for Student Advocates (4
  orientation class sections taught by one
  full-time and one adjunct faculty member)
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year Experience Pilot Design
• Student Advocates will track students
• Over two semesters
• Associated with key dates (Add/drop, etc.)
• Identify early signs of troubles
• Academic
• Attendance
• Work with other individuals assigned to provide
  assistance, based on Early Warning Plan
  
• Track interventions manually during pilot

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year
• Experience Pilot
• Design
• Using 2005-2006 enrollments as a guide, the
  control group is expected to contain 60
  first-time students with 20 summer/dual
  enrollment the experimental groups to contain 49
  first-time students with 19 summer/dual
  enrollment students

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• First Year
• Experience Pilot
• Design
• Quantitative Data will be available for
  experimental/control groups, full-time/part-time,
  dual enrollment and summer, as well as higher
  risk and lower risk students, using Risk
  Assessment Tool
• Qualitative analysis will be completed using
  surveys of individuals involved
  

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ACHIEVING THE DREAMMOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY
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• MECC currently seeking ideas/
• Resources related to
• Best practices in Bridge Programs
• Best practices in case management for first year
  students
  
• Strategies for expanding broader campus
  involvement in AtD
  

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• Questions?

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Mountain Empire Community College