Achieving the Dream at Tulsa Community College

2. Achieving the DreamatTulsa Community College

3. Entering Freshman

4. What Happens?

5. The Four Components What’s Wrong? (Quantitative Data) Why? (Focus Group Student Data) Revised Interventions New Interventions Policy Changes Assess Impact

6. Academic Preparation • 60% reported ACT scores; average ACT composite score = 19.6 • 77% were tested for remedial needs • 18% enrolled in developmental English/writing • 29% enrolled in developmental reading • 67% enrolled in developmental math

7. Developmental Placement (based on entry-level assessment) 40% 30% 17% 13% 591 788 329 263

8. Graduation Rate by Number of Developmental Areas Required 591 789 329 263

9. Graduation Rate By Writing Placement 1628 126 218

10. Graduation Rate by Reading Placement 1404 263 305

11. Graduation Rate By Math Placement 648 48 143 1133

12. Persist or Graduate 1972 1485 989 968 781 717

13. Persist or Graduate by Gender

14. Persist or Graduate by Ethnicity *The one Native Hawaiian was removed from the dataset

15. The Four Components What’s Wrong? (Quantitative Data) Goals • Persistence (Year 2 – 4 ) • Developmental Reading (Year 3 – 4 ) • Developmental Math (Year 4 ) Why? (Focus Group Student Data) Revised Interventions New Interventions Policy Changes Assess Impact

16. Why?

17. The Four Components What’s Wrong? (Quantitative Data) Goals • Persistence (Year 2 – 4 ) • Developmental Reading (Year 3 – 4 ) • Developmental Math (Year 4 ) Why? (Focus Group Student Data) Revised Interventions New Interventions Policy Changes Assess Impact

18. Student Focus Groups • Three focus groups per campus • 12 total groups • 101 total students • Students volunteered and were accepted if they had completed their first semester in fall 2007 and had re-enrolled in spring 2008.

19. Student Focus Groups • 4% African American males in both AtD cohort and focus groups • 44% Tulsa Achieves students • Mean average age was • 22.7 years for focus groups (more 18 year olds with Tulsa Achieves) • 24.5 years for AtD cohort • Mean average age of non-Tulsa Achieves students was 25.8 years.

20. Most Frequent Barriers/Challenges • Adjusting to college • Balancing school and life • Textbook issues • Tulsa Achieves implementation issues • Communication issues with instructors • Choosing courses All six barriers/challenges were identified on all four campuses.

21. Specific Findings: Clusters Service Barriers Adjustment Barriers Academic Barriers 82% of all barriers/challenges fell into one of three clusters.

22. Academic Barriers Instructional Issues • Communication issues with instructors • Instructional quality • Understanding instructor’s course requirements Student Issues • Choosing courses • Meeting academic workload • Using Blackboard and MyTCC email • Academically underprepared • Lacking computer proficiency • Course placement

23. Service Barriers • Textbook issues • Poor customer service • Financial Aid service • Confusing enrollment process • Limited times and locations of classes • Finding locations on campus

24. Adjustment Barriers • Adjusting to college life • Balancing school and life • Time management • Lack of motivation

25. The Four Components What’s Wrong? (Quantitative Data) Goals • Persistence (Year 2 – 4 ) • Developmental Reading (Year 3 – 4 ) • Developmental Math (Year 4 ) Why? (Focus Group Student Data) Top Persistence Barriers: 1. Adjusting to college 2. Balancing school and life 3. Textbook issues 4. Tulsa Achieves implementation issues 5. Communication issues with instructors 6. Choosing courses Revised Interventions New Interventions Policy Changes Assess Impact Questions • How do we revise current interventions to directly address common barriers? • What new interventions can be implemented to address common barriers?

26. AtD Organizational Structure at TCC

27. Component 3: Revised Interventions/New Interventions • Orientation • Fall 2008: Strategies for Academic Success • Expand orientation to all students Multiple delivery options Options for testing out • Advising • Compiling current interventions • Collaborating with student services and registration • Tulsa Achieves Implementation

28. Adjusting to College Understanding Instructor’s Course Motivation Communication with Instructors Intervention Time Management Meeting Academic Workload Balancing School & Life TeachingStyles Strategies for Academic Success

29. The Four Components What’s Wrong? (Quantitative Data) Goals • Persistence (Year 2 – 4 ) • Developmental Reading (Year 3 – 4 ) • Developmental Math (Year 4 ) Why? (Focus Group Student Data) Top Persistence Barriers: 1. Adjusting to college 2. Balancing school and life 3. Textbook issues 4. Tulsa Achieves implementation issues 5. Communication issues with instructors 6. Choosing courses Revised Interventions New Interventions Policy Changes Assess Impact Questions • How do we revise current interventions to directly address common barriers? • What new interventions can be implemented to address common barriers? • • What policy changes • need to be made to • address common • barriers?

30. TCC State Policy Change Requests • Ensure dual credit for dual enrollment - Seniors, at least, should be able to take college classes rather than high school elective classes for dual credit. • Align Oklahoma's K-12 test outcomes with national standards • Allow Oklahoma community colleges to offer teacher education in math and science, to reduce the number of unqualified, or marginally qualified, math and science teachers in Oklahoma classrooms

31. TCC State Policy Change Requests • Rescind required $13 per credit hour fee on all developmental courses • Provide timely statewide reports tracking student transfer

32. The Four Components What’s Wrong? (Quantitative Data) Goals • Persistence (Year 2 – 4 ) • Developmental Reading (Year 3 – 4 ) • Developmental Math (Year 4 ) Revised Interventions New Interventions Policy Changes Questions • How do we revise current interventions to directly address common barriers? • What new interventions can be implemented to address common barriers? • What policy changes need to be made to address common barriers? Assess Impact Assessments Formative: • To what extent did interventions (or policy changes) effectively address common barriers? Summative: • To what extent did interventions increase persistence? Why? (Focus Group Student Data) Top Persistence Barriers: 1. Adjusting to college 2. Balancing school and life 3. Textbook issues 4. Tulsa Achieves implementation issues 5. Communication issues with instructors 6. Choosing courses

33. The Four Components What’s Wrong? (Quantitative Data) Goals • Persistence (Year 2 – 4 ) • Developmental Reading (Year 3 – 4 ) • Developmental Math (Year 4 ) Why? (Focus Group Student Data) Top Persistence Barriers: 1. Adjusting to college 2. Balancing school and life 3. Textbook issues 4. Tulsa Achieves implementation issues 5. Communication issues with instructors 6. Choosing courses Revised Interventions New Interventions Policy Changes Questions • How do we revise current interventions to directly address common barriers? • What new interventions can be implemented to address common barriers? • What policy changes need to be made to address common barriers? Assess Impact Assessments Formative: • To what extent did interventions (or policy changes) effectively address common barriers? Summative: • To what extent did interventions increase persistence?

34. AtD Planning: Summer to Fall • Research AtD.org and other sites for interventions that work for community colleges • Complete a list of TCC existing interventions • Identify specific advising components that address student identified barriers • Develop assessment protocols • Identify systemic and standard methods of collaboration and communication

35. Next Steps TCC’s goal is to achieve a 3% increase in student persistence each year.