Merritt College Title III Grant

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Merritt College Title III Grant

• Strengthening Pathways, Systems, and Services To
  Maximize Student Success
• Professional Development Workshop
• August 19, 2009

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Title III Activity Strengthening Pathways,
Systems, and Services to Maximize Student Success

• Goal 1 Strengthen the institutions core
  performance indicators in four key areas
  retention, drop rates, course completion, and
  transfer.
• September 2009
• Dissemination of an annual report of student
  outcomes for the colleges academic performance
  indicators in four key areas to measure
  institutional effectiveness
• Follow-up to the April 20091st Annual Assessment
  Week results
• Student Satisfaction Surveys
• Noel Levitz Faculty and Staff Priorities Surveys
• Center for Urban Education (CUE) Summative
  External Evaluation

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Component I Curriculum and Instruction

• Goal 2 Strengthen the curriculum for basic
  skills and gateway courses.
• Curriculum alignment of 35 core basic skills and
  gateway coursesCurriculum and Instruction Team
  Year I results
• Dr. Hunter Boylans External Evaluation of the
  colleges basic skills English, Mathematics, and
  ESL courses/programs and student support services

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Component II Faculty and Staff Development

• Goal 3 Expand faculty and staff development to
  improve instruction and support services.
• Merritt College Teaching and Learning Center
• Faculty and staff training on-line needs survey
  results
• Establish Teaching and Learning Center
  operational hours
• Disseminate Teaching and Learning Center faculty
  and staff development schedule
• Teaching and Learning Center advisory function
• 2009-10 Title III Campus Innovation Mini-Grants
• Kellogg Institute Summer 2009
• Teresa Williams
• Grace Idowu
• Learning Communities, First Year Experience
  Program, Supplemental Instruction

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Component III Support Services for Students

• Goal 4 Improve delivery and integration of
  academic and non-academic support services for
  students to enhance student success
• Mr. Tim Culver conducted the Noel Levitz External
  Evaluation of the colleges support services for
  students
• Student Services Implementation
• First Year Experience (FYE) Team

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Dr. Hunter Boylans External Evaluation
ReportDevelopmental Education

• Five Sections
• General description of the evaluation
• General observations of the consultant
• Consultants view of policies, practices, and
  procedures at Merritt College for various
  programs and services
• Recommendations for program improvements
• Conclusion ties report together through closing
  comments and final observations

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Dr. Hunter Boylans External Evaluation
ReportDevelopmental Education

• Discrepancy analysiscomparison of existing
  practices at Merritt College with those
  recommended by the research and literature in the
  field of developmental education
• Compares the ideal with what is real, or actually
  present at Merritt College

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• In time of turbulence and change it is more true
  than ever that knowledge is power.
• --John F. Kennedy

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Dr. Hunter Boylan

• It was refreshing to visit a campus where many
  faculty and administrators are still committed to
  the notions of social justice and educational
  opportunity that prevailed on college campuses
  during the 1960s and 1970s. these professionals
  are to be commended for these efforts. They are
  the last of the original revolutionaries in U.S.
  higher education.

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Dr. Hunter Boylan

• The colleges effort to provide educational
  opportunity for diverse students has not always
  resulted in the desired levels of student
  success.
• The Title III Grant has provided the college
  with funding to expand support services and
  promote instructional innovation.

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Dr. Hunter Boylan

• There may be some minor differences of opinion
  among those participating in the project over the
  best way to accomplish the programs goals and
  objectives, but there is consistency of support
  for these goals and objectives.

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Dr. Hunter Boylan

• Cautionary Note
• the Title III Team should, to the extent
  possible, avoid being viewed by department chairs
  or individual faculty simply as a source of funds
  for special departmental or faculty projects.
  Because the Title III Grant is new, there are
  still many faculty and staff members who do not
  fully understand its purpose. To some, the grant
  might simply be considered as a cash cow to be
  milked in the service of special interests not
  connected directly to the goals of the Title III
  Program.

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Dr. Hunter Boylan ReportCurrent State of the Art
in Merritt College Basic Skills

• Assessment
• Advising
• Basic Skills Courses
• Language
• Comprehensive Support Services

• Presentation of Basic Skills Courses
• Community Support
• Professional Development

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Noel LevitzRecommendations

• Annual Enrollment Planning
• Orientation and Assessment
• Basic Skills Instruction
• Quality Service

• Learning Center/Tutorial Services
• DSPS
• Student Satisfaction Recommendations
• Early Alert
• Student Services Collaboration with Instruction

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Noel Levitz ReportDriving Forces and Inhibiting
Factors

• Health Services triage, referral to low or no
  cost health providers limited clinical services
• Veterans Services
• Student Activities desire to provide leadership
  development to students

• Very dedicated faculty
• Multiple programs to serve special populations
• Student support services seem effective even
  though some may be understaffed
• Counseling Serviceshighest Merritt ranking on
  SSI
• Learning Center/Tutorial Services seem to be
  quality
• Transfer Center seems very effective

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Noel Levitz ReportDriving Forces and Inhibiting
Factors

• Understaffed
• Not enough space
• Underfunded
• Students come under-prepared
• High school graduation rate in Oakland Unified is
  49
• Need help with enrollment development

• Focus Group Students Four of ten cited travel to
  other district schools because they cant get
  courses at Merritt
• Academic program availability and quality noted
  by many
• Customer service could improve in many offices
• Faculty are great, best part about Merritt
• Want instructors listed on the schedule

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Linking Title III Goals to the Dr. Hunter Boylan
and Noel Levitz Report Recommendations

• Select a group recorder/reporter. Review and
  discuss the
• recommendations related to your assigned Title
  III Goal.
• Please answer the following
• Describe how you would approach the
  implementation
• of the recommendations related to your Title III
  Goal.
• Who should be participate in the implementation
  of the Boylan and Noel Levitz recommendations
  (i.e. college shared governance committees, task
  forces, programs and departments, personnel,
  etc.)?
• Feel free to add comments and suggestions.

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Title III Planning Team

• Tanya Ilarde, Counselor Coordinator, Transfer
  Center
• Rebecca Kenney, Dean, Division II
• Carlos McLean, Co-Chair, Counseling, Project
  Director, MAP Grant
• Stacy Thompson, Ed.D, Dean, Division I

• Linda Berry, Ed.D., Vice President of Instruction
• Ann Elliott, Co-Chair English Dept, SLOAC,
  Coordinator, Basic Skills Initiative
• Eric Gravenberg, Ph.D., Vice President of Student
  Services
• Jason Holloway, Chair, Mathematics Department

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Questions
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Thank You!

• Merritt College
• Title III Office
• Learning Center, Building D Room D187
• 510 434-3820 or 510 434-3822
• Merritt College WebsiteTitle III Grant Link