CCSSE at GCC Three year Assessment

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CCSSE at GCCThree year Assessment

• Update of Benchmarks
• Overall summary findings
• Significant changes in results over the three
  years
• How CCSSE has been used on campus
• The national CCSSE survey questions students on a
  wide variety of measures of student engagement.
• The survey is a valuable tool to assess how well
  GCC performs and meets student needs relative to
  other community colleges across the U.S. and
  relative to itself.
• Reports can be found at www.gcc.mass.edu/about/ccs
  se.html

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Student Participation

• Spring 2005, 477 students participated
• Spring 2006, 538 students participated
• Spring 2007, 469 students participated
• For a total of 1484 responses, some of the same
  students responded in multiple years

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BENCHMARKSExternal Comparisons

• A mark on a fixed and enduring object indicating
  a particular elevation and used as a reference
  point.
• Quality tool used to compare us to other similar
  Community Colleges.

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CCSSE 2007 - Benchmark Scores
Represents average
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Benchmarks 2005-2007 GCC decile vs. small
colleges
Represents average
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GCC deciles 2007Comparison to other small
colleges the national sample
Represents average
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MASS CONSORTIUM

• Unique opportunity to develop questions relevant
  to Massachusetts.
• Worked with other community colleges to share
  student engagement and service-related data.
• Provide relevant comparisons and allows for
  identification of best practices.

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For example, Course Accessibility

• One state-wide question was about course
  accessibility and scheduling using CCSSE results
  from Mass CCs.
• I am able to sign up for and get into the courses
  I need to take in order to get my degree or
  certificate on time.

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LONGITUDINAL FINDINGSInternal Viewpoint
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Consistent Results

• Most results were consistent and confirming over
  the three years.
• This strong stability provides GCC with a
  baseline from which to measure improvement.

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Overall findingFaculty Student Interaction

• GCC students are positively engaged by activities
  that foster strong faculty-student interaction
  and engagement.
• Students, who rate their experience at GCC as
  either good or excellent, report having strong,
  positive relationships with GCC faculty.
• This finding is supported in the GCC focus group/
  qualitative study The Community Weighs In
  (spring 2007).

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Overall FindingImportance Use of Services

• Students rated importance of college services
  much higher than their frequency of use.
• College services include academic advising,
  career counseling, tutoring, financial aid,
  computer labs, organizations, transfer services
  and disabilities services.

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Overall FindingUse Satisfaction of Services

• Students who use college services are generally
  satisfied with services.

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Significant changes over 3 yearsInternships

• Interest in Internships on the rise
• Over the 3 years, there is an increase in the
  number of students who report having done an
  internship.

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Significant changes over 3 yearsOrientation

• Orientation Participation Up
• Over the 3 years there is an increase in the
  number of students responding that they attended
  orientation.

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Significant changes 0ver 3 yearsLoans

• Increase in student reliance on loans
• Over the 3 years more students identified loans
  as a major source for paying for college.

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Using CCSSE at GCC

• English Comprehensive Review
• CCSSE questions used in a survey administered to
  all GCC students enrolled in English classes
  fall 2007
• One Campus/One Community Evening at GCC
• CSSE data for day evening students served as
  basis for an informed inquiry into the needs of
  evening students .
• Fire Science Comprehensive Review
• Used CCSSE survey questions to help formulate
  research questions early in the inquiry process.

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Coming Attraction

• SENSE in September 2008
• Survey of Entering Student Engagement
• Facts
• Significant numbers of students drop out before
  completing their first semester.
• Drop-outs are disproportionately populated by
  high-risk groups part-timers, students of
  color, first generation students and increasingly
  men.
• Intention focus on entering students

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More Information

• Details of these findings and supporting
  statistics are located on the GCC website
  www.gcc.mass.edu/about/ccsse.html
• If you want to investigate topics or finding in
  more depth than provided in the reports or have
  questions, you may contact the GCC Institutional
  Research Office
• Martha Field x1421 field_at_gcc.mass.edu
• Jesse Barba x1408 barbaj_at_gcc.mass.edu
• Or the Title III Grant for Advising
• Pam Matheson x1389 matheson_at_gcc.mass.edu

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THE END
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Additional Slides
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Benchmark Academic Challenge

• Analyzing the basic elements of an idea,
  experience, or theory
• Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information,
  or experiences in new ways
• Making judgments about the value or soundness of
  information, arguments, or methods
• Applying theories or concepts to practical
  problems or in new situations
• Number of assigned textbooks, manuals, books, or
  book-length packs of course readings
• Using information you have read or heard to
  perform a new skill
• Worked harder than you thought you could to meet
  an instructor's standards or expectations
• Extent to which examinations have challenged you
  to do your best work Encouraging you to spend
  significant amounts of time studying
• Number of written papers or reports of any length

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Benchmark Active Collaborative Learning

• Asked questions in class or contributed to class
  discussions
• Worked with other students on projects during
  class
• Discussed ideas from your readings or classes
  with others outside of class (students, family
  members, co-workers, etc.)
• Made a class presentation
• Worked with classmates outside of class to
  prepare class assignments
• Tutored or taught other students (paid or
  voluntary)
• Participated in a community-based project as a
  part of a regular course

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Benchmark Student-Faculty Interaction

• Used email to communicate with an instructor
• Talked about career plans with an instructor or
  advisor
• Discussed ideas from your readings or classes
  with instructors outside of class
• Received prompt feedback (written or oral) from
  instructors on your performance
• Discussed grades or assignments with an
  instructor
• Worked with instructors on activities other than
  coursework

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Benchmark Student Effort

• Worked on a paper or project that required
  integrating ideas or information from various
  sources
• Come to class without completing readings or
  assignments
• Number of books read on your own (not assigned)
  for personal enjoyment or academic enrichment
• Preparing for class (studying, reading, writing,
  rehearsing, doing homework, or other activities
  related to your program)
• Frequency of use Peer or other tutoring
• Prepared two or more drafts of a paper/assignment
  before turning it in
• Frequency of use Skill labs
• Frequency of use Computer lab

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Benchmark Support for Learners

• Providing the support you need to help you
  succeed at this college
• Encouraging contact among students from different
  economic, social, and racial or ethnic
  backgrounds
• Helping you cope with your non-academic
  responsibilities (work, family, etc.)
• Providing the financial support you need to
  afford your education
• Frequency Academic advising/planning
• Providing the support you need to thrive socially
• Frequency Career Counseling

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Composition of respondents

• The classes included in the survey are randomly
  selected from strata (morning, afternoon, evening
  classes) by CCSSE.