College Success Program John Cowles, Ph.D. Dean of Student Success and Retention Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, Michigan

Program Model  Targeted Interventions for Developmental Education Students (TIDES)  The College Success Program is a comprehensive assessment, advising, and targeted intervention program for developmental students. The program uses cognitive and affective assessment data and student personal characteristics to improve the precision with which course placement and support decisions are made. Targeted interventions increase the likelihood of student success and persistence.

Goal  Success Targets by 2016 Increase Dev Ed course success (C) from 58% to 63% Increase Fall-Fall persistence rates from 50% to 57% Increase “gateway” course success from 59% to 64% Increase number of Dev Ed students who complete 30+  college credits from 40% to 45% Increase graduation rate (3 years) from 11% to 15% The goal of the College Success Program is to increase the number of developmental students who persist, complete, and transfer.

Evaluation Purpose  The purpose of the external evaluation is to assess the effectiveness, and institutional impact of the program as well as provide recommendations for improvement.  Assessment Categories Project outcomes (achievement of objectives and goals) Effectiveness (quality of implementation and cost- effectiveness) Institutional impact ( structure, systems, policies, etc.)

Results from Evaluation Outcomes Objectives, goals, baselines, implementation strategies analyzed, updated, and accomplished. Purchase, installation, assessment, and initial training for data warehouse system completed. Employment of qualified staff (project coordinator, coaches, data warehouse architect). Development and effective implementation of new and expanded student intake and support strategies completed. Design and implementation of first customized intervention for higher level developmental education students completed.

Results from Evaluation, cont’d Effectiveness Strong collaboration, team work and communications among members of various departments in the implementation process. Revised projected overall return on investment based on intervention cost per student analysis. Institutional Impact Integration of the College Success Program into the College’s Strategic Plan. Integration of the Data Warehouse system implementation into a College Action Plan. High involvement and support as well as strong commitment of the college’s leadership and key stakeholders.

Recommendations: Moving Forward Expand the role of Dean of Adult and Developmental education to include other student success initiatives within the College (Dean of Student Success and Retention). COMPLETE The Dean of Student Success and Retention will be part of the President’s Cabinet. COMPLETE Create a college-wide retention committee led by Dean of Student Success and Retention. IN PROGRESS Integration of programs with similar goals (Achieving the Dream mentoring program). COMPLETE Expand the use of IT infrastructure, and IR expertise across all academic programs and student support services as well as provide related professional development to faculty and staff. IN PROGRESS