Intentional Advising to Strengthen Student Development and Outcomes Rebecca Goosen, President, NADE

Welcome Can you please tell us a little about yourselves? What is your title (administrator, faculty, staff, etc.)? What is your primary area of interest? What type of institution are you from (2 yr., 4 yr. private, public)?

Developmental Education in the Spotlight National, 60% of students need developmental education 20% of students referred to developmental mathematics and 33 % referred to developmental reading never enrolled (AtD data)

Developmental Education in the Spotlight Only 44% of referred reading and 31% referred math ever complete the full sequence (AtD data) 14% of community college students do not complete a singe credit in the first term (AtD data)

Developmental Education in the Spotlight For every 10 freshmen seeking an associate degree: 5 require DE and fewer than 1 graduate in 3 years (Complete College America) Only a quarter of part time students finish a degree (Complete College America) Economically disadvantaged students struggle the most (Complete College America)

Developmental Education in the Spotlight Minorities access higher education often through community colleges and are over represented in developmental education (Complete College America) Too many exit points along the continuum for students

Are they lost in our systems?

Traditional Pathway for Students in College Sign up on line, take what students think they need Maybe see a counselor Some colleges assess with one measure Many colleges do not have mandatory assessment and placement

Traditional Pathway for Students in College Enroll in what looks good Not all colleges have mechanisms to identify struggling students Fail, drop out, accumulate large financial aid issues

Students Don’t Do Optional

Students Often Take the Perceived Easiest Route But is it? How many times do they repeat the same course? What is their GPA? What skills are they lacking? How are the external variables (life) affecting them? Have they committed to their education?

What Does Research and Data Tell Us About Students?

Students that fail to enroll in developmental course sequences do not persist Students that fail to pass courses in the sequence do not persist There are many national initiatives hopeful to increase student successful completion of Developmental Education

Women students have higher chance of passing African American males are at higher risk Full time students have higher rates of completion

Many Exit Points 82% enroll57% pass25% do not complete Of the 57% that pass 41% enroll29% pass12% do not complete Of the 29% that pass 22% enroll16% pass6% do not complete 3 levels below college ready 2 levels below college ready 1 level below college ready

Systematic Program Assessment of Skills – Cognitive and non cognitive – Assessment of social situation – Assessment of career goals Mandatory Advising – On entry – Throughout the semester – Number of “touch points”

Systematic Program Student Success Course – Focused on building self actualization and accountability – Financial aid component Available Tutoring – On line – In person – Trained tutors (para-professional or peer tutors)

Systematic Program Student Centered Instruction – Active learning situations – Students are engaged Facilities On Campus For Learning Support – Departmental labs – Centralized campus learning support centers Location Sharing resources (Boylan, 2002)

Rules for Success Develop strong relationships between academic support and instructional units on campus Develop plans for establishing pathways for student success Train each other Share information regularly Experience each other’s roles intimately – If instructor, learn to advise – If student development, teach a student success class

Steps to Developing Intentional Pathways Analyze DataDetermine best chance for progressionLimit optionsMandateGuide students through terrain

Analyze Data What is working? Short term & long term data Enrollment patterns Look at trend lines (5 year past history) Provide data to individual faculty members as well as department data Use several data points Completers Who withdrew/why? How many A-C’s? How did they do in the first transfer level course after DE?

Analyze Data What is successful? What is their demographic? What do they look like? What is their academic history at the institution? What was their pre-college pathway? What is their goal?

Analyze Data What mechanism is contributing to those students succeeding? There is no silver bullet But a lot of silver buckshot Not one answer but rather multi-variables Identify likely variables that led to some students succeeding Example: College ready in reading, maturity by age or selection of major, timeline to graduation What needs to happen to support more of your students? What variables have the strongest impact?

Analyze Data Concentrate on the positive Look for why some students succeed rather than why students fail Do more of “what works” Begin with the low hanging fruit

Determine Best Chance Progression Examine all the modes of delivery and determine the three that are showing the most success Limit offerings to only those Limit exceptions to the rule Ensure faculty are trained in instruction and advising personnel understand the different modalities Develop a placement matrix

Placement Matrix-Math Traditional Lecture Emporium ModelAccelerated DE/College Algebra Reading LevelAny levelCollege level Math LevelAny level Motivation/Mat urity Level Any levelHigh level Distance to Graduation Not a factorClose to graduation EmployedNot a factorMay require more time on task Do they have extra time? Outside Commitment Not a factorFamily, etc. computer access? Family, etc. could be issue

Supports Needed Ensure faculty are trained to deliver new instruction Professional development is essential Advising personnel understand the different modalities and pathways offered Joint instructional and student development regular meetings

Supports Needed Educate students concerning options Mandatory orientation And/or First Year Experience And/or Student Success Class All FTIC students should have an educational plan by the end of the first semester

Limit options Students do not do optional Limit options Prepare data to support options Share with students Engage them in planning their education Advising sessions Educational planning sessions Orientation

Mandate All students should be assessed Diagnostics Cognitive/Non-cognitive Career exploration No late registration Students should be placed according to their needs Is it wise to delay taking math? Is reading at college level important?

Mandate Determine which pathways are optimum for your students based on your data – Are students delaying taking math and that effects program completion? – Are technical students in need of skill development? Do they know how to be a student? – What are the students’ expectations of college? – Do they need help in learning to be a student? Mandate Orientation

Guide Students Through The Terrain Educational plans should be completed by end of first semester Mandatory advising Provide pre set pathways for first two semesters Establish connections Peers Institution Faculty

On Ramps Traditional EnrollCourse WorkDegreeEmployment On Ramps EnrollCourse WorkCertificateEmployment Course WorkAssociatesEmployment Course WorkBachelorsEmployment Course WorkMastersEmployment

Faculty As Advisors Share the workload Many models of how this works Training is essential

Faculty As Advisors Advantages – Bridges the gap between instruction and student development – Faculty develop a deeper understanding of their students beyond content – Students have greater access to information – Can be incorporated with a course – May free up counselors time to do other types of student support Disadvantages – May increase faculty load – May confuse students – Faculty may be confused as to when to hand off to student development

Things To Think About Students need to be assessed Pathways should not be left up to chance Use data to guide decision making Provide comprehensive student success services

Things To Think About Coordinate instructional and student development services Consider present staff and what the staffing needs may be Provide professional development for all staff

What limits your ability today to design an intentional pathway for students?

Questions?

Developmental Education Initiatives Achieving the Dream Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching solving/developmental-math solving/developmental-math Complete College America-Time is the Enemy

Getting Past Go The National Center for Academic Transformation Jobs for the Future Pathways to College Network California Basic Skills Initiative

Tennessee Developmental Studies Redesign Initiative Washington’s Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) es.aspx es.aspx

Resources Boylan, H. (2002). What works: Research-based best practices in developmental education. Boone, NC: continuous Quality Improvement Network/National Center for Developmental Education. Boylan, H., & Saxon, D.P. (2012). Attaining Excellence in Developmental Education: Research-based recommendations for administrators. Boone, NC: National Center for Developmental Education. Kuh,G., Kinzie,J., Schuh,J., & Whitt,E. (2005). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

McCabe,R. (2000). No one to waste: a report to public decision makers and community college leaders. Washington, DC: Community College Press. Upcraft, M., & Gardner, J. (1989). The freshman year experience. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Valdes, G., & Gifford, B. (2012). Final report on developmental mathematics and language project. Retrieved on March 29, 2012 from: files/ elibrary/dev_math_report.pdf files/ elibrary/dev_math_report.pdf

Thank you for attending! Rebecca Goosen, MS, Ed.S., Ed.D. President, NADE Associate Vice Chancellor for College Preparatory San Jacinto College 4624 Fairmont Pkwy, Suite 203 Pasadena, TX