A Matter of Degrees

1. A Matter of Degrees Promising Practices for Community College Student Success

2. I Have a Goal! On the SENSE survey, entering students say… 79%want to obtain an associate degree. 73%want to transfer to a four-year institution. 59%want to complete a certificate program.

3. Students Speak Bringing data alive through student voices…

5. What did you hear? • About “front door” experiences? • About learning and teaching? • About support for students? • About what makes a difference for students?

6. Not all orientations…or learning communities…or student success classes…or whatever the practice…are created equal!

7. Design Principles for Effective Practice • A strong start • Clear, coherent pathways • Integrated support • High expectations and high support • Intensive student engagement • Design for scale • Professional Development

8. The College with the Most Innovations… …doesn’t necessarily win! This is NOT a checklist!

9. The effectiveness of educational practice depends on… • Specific design of the practice • Quality of implementation Integration of the combination of practices the college intentionally employs… at scale!

10. Promising Practices for Community College Student Success Planning for Success • Assessment and Placement • Orientation • Academic Goal Setting and Planning • Registration before Classes Begin

11. Discussion Questions What practices are in place at your college? What is mandatory? For whom? What have you brought to scale? • Registration before classes begin? • Academic goal-setting and planning? • Orientation? • Assessment and placement?

12. Promising Practices for Community College Student Success Initiating Success • Accelerated or Fast-Track Developmental Education • First-Year Experience • Student Success Course • Learning Community

13. Discussion Questions What practices are in place at your college? What is mandatory? For whom? What have you brought to scale? • Accelerated or fast-track dev ed • Student success course? • First-year experience? • Learning communities?

15. Promising Practices for Community College Student Success Sustaining Success • Class Attendance • Early Alert and Intervention • Experiential Learning beyond the Classroom • Tutoring • Supplemental Instruction

16. Discussion Questions What practices are in place at your college? What is mandatory? For whom? What have you brought to scale? • Class attendance (as in “it’s important to show up.”) • Early alert and intervention? • Experiential learning beyond the classroom? • Tutoring? Supplemental instruction?

17. Center for Community College Student Engagement – CCCSECollecting Data from Many Perspectives • Quantitative data – 4 surveys – the “what” • Qualitative data – focus groups – the “why”

18. Four surveys • CCSSE • CCFSSE • SENSE • CCIS Focus groups • Initiative on Student Success – Starting Right • High-Impact Practices Initiative • Improving Outcomes for Men of Color

19. Structured Group Learning Experiences – Promising Practices • Orientation • Accelerated / Fast-track developmental education • First-year experience • Student success course • Learning community

20. Structured Group Learning Experiences Percentage of colleges that report they implement each practice (N=288) Source: 2011 CCIS data.

21. CCIS, CCSSE, CCFSSE Promising Practices

22. Structured Group Learning Experiences Among responding colleges using each practice, the percentage that require the experience for all first-time students (part-time and full-time) Accelerated or fast-track developmental education* First-year experience Orientation Yes (105 of 276) Yes (15 of 120) Yes (45 of 166) Student success course Learning community Yes (35 of 238) 1% Yes (2 of 160) *Required for first-time developmental students only (part-time and full-time)Source: 2011 CCIS data.

23. Students don’t do optional!!

24. Orientation…leads to higher student satisfaction, greater use of support services and improved retention of at-risk students. However… 19% of entering students are unaware of it. 38% of colleges require it for all students – full-time and part-time.

25. Orientation Percentage of CCSSE respondents who report participating Yes (N=237,325) Source: 2011 CCSSE Promising Practices data.

26. 2011 CCSSE Benchmark Scores by Orientation – Participated in Orientation Did not Participate in Orientation Sources: 2011 CCSSE data

27. Student Success Course Student success courses improve students’ study skills, time management, note-taking and test-taking skills However, Only 15% of CCIS colleges (35/238) require it for all first-time students.

28. Student Success Course Percentage of CCSSE respondents who report participating Yes (N=229,696) Source: 2011 CCSSE Promising Practices data.

29. 2011 CCSSE Benchmark Scores by Student Success Course Participated in Student Success Course Did not Participate in Student Success Course Sources: 2011 CCSSE data

30. Late Registration? • 11%of CCSSE respondents reported that they registered for class after the first class session had started. • Yet, 62% of faculty responders (CCFSSE) say that at least one student registered late for a class. 2011 Data - CCFSSE (Faculty) Promising Practice Items combined with Student CCSSE responses

31. 2011 CCSSE Benchmark Scores by Registration Registered for all courses before the first day of class Registered late Sources: 2011 CCSSE data

32. What are the challenges that get in the way of implementing promising practices? Bringing them to scale? • What could you implement tomorrow – low-hanging fruit?

33. If I Ran the Zoo… One improvement that you believe would have a significant impact on improving student success… • for the college or my department • in my role

34. High Performing Colleges…make student engagementinescapable!

36. Learning College Summit 2012 Arleen Arnsparger, Project Manager Initiative on Student Success arnsparger@cccse.org www.cccse.org