Committing to Student Engagement

1. Committing to Student Engagement 2008 Findings

2. CCSSE Overview Community College Survey of Student Engagement

3. The Role of Community Colleges • Community colleges have the complicated task of: • ensuring everyone has an entry point to higher education; AND • designing effective educational experiences for a highly diverse population — students with dramatically varying goals and competing demands on their time. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

4. The Commitment of Community Colleges • We are committed to meeting the increased demand despite reduced resources — without compromising on quality. • Therefore, we are focused on our core responsibility: strengthening our efforts to promote student learning and persistence. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

5. CCSSE: A Tool for Improvement • The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) is a tool that helps us keep this commitment. CCSSE helps us: • assess quality in community college education; • identify and learn from good educational practice — practice that promotes high levels of student learning and persistence; and • identify areas in which we can improve programs and services for students. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

6. CCSSE: A Tool for Community Colleges • The CCSSE survey: • was administered directly to community college students during class sessions last spring; • asks questions about institutional practices and student behaviors that are highly correlated with student learning and retention; and • uses a sampling methodology that is consistent across all participating colleges. • More than 343,378 community college students at 585 community and technical colleges in 48 states, plus British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and the Marshall Islands completed the CCSR in 2008. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

7. CCSSE: A Tool for Community Colleges Our Population Our Respondents Gender Male 38% 35% Female 62% 65% Race/Ethnicity White, Non-Hispanic 80% 75% Black or African American 5% 6% Hispanic 6% 4% Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander 1% 1% International Students 3% 10% Age 18-24 58% 63% 25-49 37% 32% 50+ 4% 4% Enrollment Status Full-Time 34% 76% Part-Time 66% 24% Community College Survey of Student Engagement

8. CommunityCollege Students Community College Survey of Student Engagement

9. Giving Voice to Students Community College Survey of Student Engagement

10. Giving Voice to Students Community College Survey of Student Engagement

11. Giving Voice to Students Community College Survey of Student Engagement

12. Giving Voice to Students Community College Survey of Student Engagement

13. Faculty Members’ Views of Students Community College Survey of Student Engagement

14. Faculty Members’ Views of Students Community College Survey of Student Engagement

15. Community College Students Contend with Competing Priorities Most Students Are Enrolled Part-Time Most Students Work Source: IPEDS, fall 2005. Source: 2007 CCSSE Cohort data. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

16. Community College Students’ Plans • When asked when they plan to take classes at this college again, 23% of students had no plan to return or were uncertain about their future plans. Source: 2007 CCSSE Cohort data. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

17. CCSSE Benchmarks Community College Survey of Student Engagement

18. CCSSE Benchmarks for Effective Educational Practice • The five CCSSE benchmarks are: • Active and Collaborative Learning • Student Effort • Academic Challenge • Student-Faculty Interaction • Support for Learners Community College Survey of Student Engagement

19. These benchmarks are tools that community colleges can use to: convert data into useful information; compare their performance to that of similar institutions and to the aspirations of their own faculty and staff; What Are Benchmark Scores? Community College Survey of Student Engagement

20. Active and Collaborative Learning • Students learn more when they are actively involved in their education and have opportunities to think about and apply what they are learning in different settings. The seven survey items that contribute to this benchmark are: • During the current school year, how often have you: • Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions • Made a class presentation • (continued on next slide) Community College Survey of Student Engagement

21. Active and Collaborative Learning • During the current school year, how often have you: • Worked with other students on projects during class • 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 • Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (students, family members, co-workers, etc.) Community College Survey of Student Engagement

22. Student Effort • Students’ behaviors contribute significantly to their learning and the likelihood that they will attain their educational goals. The eight survey items associated with this benchmark are: • During the current school year, how often have you: Prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources Come to class without completing readings or assignments • (continued on next slide) Community College Survey of Student Engagement

23. Student Effort • During the current school year, how often have you: • Used peer or other tutoring services • Used skill labs • Used a computer lab • During the current school year: • How many books did you read on your own (not assigned) for personal enjoyment or academic enrichment • How many hours did you spend in a typical week preparing for class (studying, reading, writing, rehearsing, or other activities related to your program) Community College Survey of Student Engagement

24. Academic Challenge • Challenging intellectual and creative work is central to student learning and collegiate quality. The 10 survey items associated with this benchmark are: • During the current school year, how often have you: • Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor’s standards or expectations • (continued on next slide) Community College Survey of Student Engagement

25. Academic Challenge • How much does your coursework at this college emphasize: • 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 • Using information you have read or heard to perform a new skill (continued on next slide) Community College Survey of Student Engagement

26. Academic Challenge • During the current school year: • How many papers or reports of any length did you write • To what extent have your examinations challenged you to do your best work • How many assigned textbooks, manuals, books, or book-length packs of course readings did you read • How much does this college emphasize: • Encouraging you to spend significant amounts of time studying Community College Survey of Student Engagement

27. Student-Faculty Interaction • In general, the more interaction students have with their teachers, the more likely they are to learn effectively and persist toward achievement of their educational goals. The six items used in this benchmark are: • During the current school year, how often have you: • Used e-mail to communicate with an instructor • Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor • (continued on next slide) Community College Survey of Student Engagement

28. Student-Faculty Interaction • During the current school year, how often have you: • 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 • Worked with instructors on activities other than coursework Community College Survey of Student Engagement

29. Support for Learners • Students perform better and are more satisfied at colleges that are committed to their success and cultivate positive working and social relationships among different groups on campus. The seven survey items that contribute to this benchmark are: • How much does this college emphasize: • 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 • (continued on next slide) Community College Survey of Student Engagement

30. Support for Learners • How much does this college emphasize: • Helping you cope with your nonacademic responsibilities (work, family, etc.) • Providing the support you need to thrive socially • Providing the financial support you need to afford your education • During the current school year, how often have you: • Used academic advising/planning services • Used career counseling services Community College Survey of Student Engagement

31. Grayson County College Benchmark Data (2008) Community College Survey of Student Engagement

32. GCC Benchmark Data (2004/06/08) Community College Survey of Student Engagement

33. Benchmarking — and Reaching for Excellence • The most important comparison: where you are now, compared with where you want to be. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

34. Building aCulture of Evidence Community College Survey of Student Engagement

35. Start with the Truth • “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face. … We must do that which we think we cannot.” • — Eleanor Roosevelt Community College Survey of Student Engagement

36. Understand the Facts • 19% of part-time students versus 30% of full-time students say they often or very often talk about career plans with an instructor or advisor. • 37% of part-time students versus 24% of full-time students say they never have those conversations. Source: 2007 CCSSE Cohort data. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

37. Understand the Facts • Part-time students are less likely to: • Work with other students on projects during class • Make class presentations • Participate in a community-based project as part of a course Community College Survey of Student Engagement

38. Share the Facts andAct on What You’ve Learned • “Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.” • — Charles Dickens (1812–1870) Great Expectations Community College Survey of Student Engagement

39. Using CCSSE Results Community College Survey of Student Engagement

40. The Inarguable Fundamentals • The center of community college work is student learning, persistence, and success. • Every program, every service, every academic policy is perfectly designed to achieve the exact outcome it currently produces. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

41. Using CCSSE To Assess, Inform, and Act • Identify key areas (e.g., the areas identified in your strategic plan). • Identify survey items that address these priorities. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

42. Using CCSSE To Assess, Inform, and Act • Start with the benchmarks. • Look at individual survey items. • Disaggregate the data and identify the least engaged student groups. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

43. Using CCSSE To Assess, Inform, and Act • Involve the college community. • Design strategies and set targets. • Share the data and plans to address them. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

44. Using CCSSE To Assess, Inform, and Act • Track progress by measuring outcomes. • Scale up efforts that are working. Modify or discontinue those that are not. • Repeat. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

45. Reflections on CCSSE’s First Five Years Community College Survey of Student Engagement

46. Five Lessons Learned • Lesson #1: Be intentional • Engagement doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by design. • Just as colleges must be intentional about engagement, students must be intentional about their own success. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

47. Five Lessons Learned • Lesson #2: Engagement matters for all students, but it matters more for some than for others • There are consistent, unacceptable gaps between outcomes for high-risk students and outcomes for their peers. • CCSSE data show that high-risk students typically are more engaged than their peers, but tend to have lower aspirations and less successful outcomes. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

48. Five Lessons Learned • Lesson #3: Part-time students and faculty are the reality of community colleges — and typically are not addressed in improvement efforts • Colleges that are serious about improvement must better engage part-time students. • Colleges are beginning to engage part-time faculty to better engage part-time students. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

49. Five Lessons Learned • Lesson #4: Data are our friends • Colleges operating within a culture of evidence embrace data, sharing them honestly and unflinchingly. • Data often conflict with individuals’ observations because data show the typical student experience — and that is what colleges must understand to improve. Community College Survey of Student Engagement

50. Five Lessons Learned • Lesson #5: Look behind the numbers • Colleges can go deeper with qualitative data, such as student focus groups. • On the national level, CCSSE is exploring how relationships help students succeed, and is continuing its research program. Community College Survey of Student Engagement