Student Success Report Alison Carter November 10, 2014

What is student success? Success in a course Retention –Semester to semester –Year to year Goal completion –Certificate –Diploma –AA, AS, AFA, AAS –Transfer –Job

Student Success Committee (Chair: Alison Carter) ACA Advisory Committee (Chair: Ali Norvell) Student Success Task Force (Chair: Alison Carter)

State-Mandated Initiatives

DMA  Old Developmental Math Program  3 16-week courses  MAT 060, 070, 080  Standard letter grades  No consistency from section to section

DMA  New Developmental Math Program  8 4-week courses  DMA 010, 020, 030, 040, 050, 060, 070, 080  Pass/Repeat grading  All courses are graded on the same scale and all students take the same end-of- module exam

BRCC DMA  TEDC 201 converted to DMA computer lab classroom  Used for classes and DMA testing  Day between 4-week sessions to allow time for students to adjust schedules  Edited DMA 060  More faculty training on attendance & record keeping

DMA Data – Fall 2013

DMA Data – Spring 2014

Upcoming DMA Changes  DMA 070 & 080 are removed as of Fall 2015  DMA 060, 070, & 080 are combined into 8-week DMA 065  DMA 060 will still be offered for students who need MAT 121

DRE  Old Developmental Reading & English  2 RED classes and 2 ENG classes  16-week classes  Standard grading scale  New Developmental Integrated Reading & English program  Students taught both skills together  8-week classes  Can complete in one semester

Placement Testing  Accuplacer replaced by the NCDAP  NCDAP-Math  Problems with the cut scores for all modules  Problems with the tests for DMA 070 & 080  070 & 080 tests were removed and will not be replaced  NCDAP-English not yet available

Multiple Measures  High school GPA of 2.6 (or higher) within the past 5 years allows students to bypass the placement exam and enter directly into MAT 171, 152, 143, 121, 110 or ENG 111  Potential problems with financial aid  May require increases in tutoring services  Affects more than MAT and ENG

BRCC Changes

Academic Success Courses Academic success courses are an important component of student success and retention Non-cognitive skills such as persistence, study skills, and time management are key factors to student success Important for students to take these courses early in their college career We offer: ACA 115 and ACA 122

Old ACA Problems Course sequencing ACA 115 was often not taken during the first semester or first year Course content No uniformity Instructor Quality

ACA Redesign Process Used research of First Year Experience courses Common read and new course outcomes Outside instruction –Library –Student Services –NCWORKS –Student Success Center Master course to improve continuity

ACA Data and Feedback Initial data: Students who took ACA in the 1 st year are more likely to graduate than students who did not take ACA Students were least successful in 2 nd 8- week classes Hybrid classes had lowest enrollment Students didn’t understand the hybrid concept

Tutoring Developmental and curriculum-level tutoring split from the old STAR Center Student Success Center created in New space located in high-traffic area between GENS and ARTS Focus on supporting a variety of academic needs and programs

Student Success Task Force

Completion by Design CbD is a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation initiative that has been implemented in multiple states The Student Success Task Force is the BRCC CbD implementation team Most states focus on developmental education initiatives

Focus Advising –College transfer and the Advising Center –Summer advisor for programs led by 9-month faculty –Understanding the difference between registration and advising Front Door Experience –Improving the admissions process for new students Good timing with the new Comprehensive Articulation Agreement

Why is advising important? Advisors help students understand all of the state-mandated and BRCC-driven changes Advisors provide guidance for students and can have a big impact on student retention and success

Faculty Advisors Completed an inventory of current advising practices –What areas need improvement –What is being done well Advising Pathways –Clear semester-by-semester pathways for all programs –Different pathways for students who need developmental coursework Faculty advisor focus groups –This stakeholder engagement process is mandated by the NCCCS CbD team

Technology Working with IT to incorporate the student portal into our new advising practices –Possible pilot in Spring 2015 This will allow students and advisors to create a better plan for long-term advising

Goals Move away from the advising center model –Not appropriate for a college of our size with faculty advisors Help faculty and students understand the difference between advising and registration Create long-term advising plans for students –Put the responsibility of registration in the hands of students

Long-term Goals Create a summer advising plan –Most faculty are 9-month faculty Admissions process –Possible Admissions/Intake Center

Future Recommendations

ACA 115/122 required for students in their first year, recommended in their first semester –Make sure students learn important success skills early in their academic career Discontinue late registration –Students who register after the start of the semester are less likely to successfully complete courses

Future Recommendations Mandatory orientation for new students –Online orientation available to students –Orientation not mandatory –Require orientation prior to enrollment in courses –Offer face-to-face and online orientation options