PROMOTING STUDENT SUCCESS: WHAT WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT WHAT MATTERS MOST Kay McClenney Director, Center for Community College Student Engagement The University of Texas at Austin May 7, 2012

STUDENTS’ GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS 2 Please indicate whether your goal(s) for attending this college include the following: Respondents may indicate more than one goal. Source: 2011 SENSE Cohort data. Met their goal within six years Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES (2001). Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study 1996–2001 (BPS:96/01). Analysis by Community College Research Center.

CENTER FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT: COLLECTING DATA FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES Four surveys that complement one another:  Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)  Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE)  Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE)  Community College Institutional Survey (CCIS) 3

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT HAVING THE MOST INNOVATIONS… The effectiveness of educational practice depends on…  Specific design of the practice  Quality of implementation 4

DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE PRACTICE  A strong start  Clear, coherent pathways  Integrated support  High expectations and high support  Contextualization 5

DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE PRACTICE  Intensive student engagement  Design for scale  Professional development 6

PROMISING PRACTICES FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS  Planning for Success: Assessment and Placement, Orientation, Academic Goal Setting and Planning, and Registration before Classes Begin  Initiating Success: Accelerated or Fast-Track Developmental Education, First-Year Experience, Student Success Course, and Learning Community  Sustaining Success: Class Attendance, Alert and Intervention, Experiential Learning beyond the Classroom, Tutoring, and Supplemental Instruction 7

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?  Student success course?  First-year experience? 8

2011 EXAMPLE COLLEGE BENCHMARK SCORES BY ORIENTATION Orientation No Orientation Source: 2011 CCSSE data

ORIENTATION 10 Percentage of CCSSE respondents who report participating Source: 2011 CCSSE Promising Practices data. Yes (N=237,325)

PROMISING PRACTICES FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS 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 11

PROMISING PRACTICES FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS ASSESSMENT AND PLACEMENT MOST STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE PLACEMENT TESTS AND ENROLL IN NEEDED COURSES. However… Most students do not prepare for placement tests. 44% of CCIS colleges (83/187) offer prep experiences, but only 13% of those require them. 12

ACADEMIC GOAL SETTING AND PLANNING 13 Percentage of entering students responding agree or strongly agree Source: 2011 SENSE Cohort data.

STRUCTURED GROUP LEARNING EXPERIENCES The Center describes five of the promising practices as structured group learning experiences:  Orientation  Accelerated / Fast-track developmental education  First-year experience  Student success course  Learning community 14

STRUCTURED GROUP LEARNING EXPERIENCES 15 Percentage of colleges that report they implement each practice (N=288) Source: 2011 CCIS data.

STRUCTURED GROUP LEARNING EXPERIENCES 16 Among responding colleges using each practice, the percentage that require the experience for all first-time students (part-time and full-time) *Required for first-time developmental students only (part-time and full-time) Source: 2011 CCIS data. Yes (105 of 276) Orientation Yes (15 of 120) Accelerated or fast-track developmental education* Yes (45 of 166) First-year experience Yes (35 of 238) Student success course 1% Yes (2 of 160) Learning community

2011 STATE CONSORTIUM BENCHMARK SCORES BY STUDENT SUCCESS COURSE Student Success Course No Student Success Course Sources: 2011 CCSSE data

STUDENT SUCCESS COURSE 18 Percentage of CCSSE respondents who report participating Source: 2011 CCSSE Promising Practices data. Yes (N=229,696)

PROMISING PRACTICES FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS 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 19

2011 STATE CONSORTIUM BENCHMARK SCORES BY LEARNING COMMUNITY Learning Community No Learning Community Sources: 2011 CCSSE data

LEARNING COMMUNITY 21 Percentage of CCSSE respondents who report participating Source: 2011 CCSSE Promising Practices data. Yes (N=229,374)

2011 STATE CONSORTIUM BENCHMARK SCORES BY FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE First Year Experience No First Year Experience Sources: 2011 CCSSE data

FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE 23 Percentage of CCSSE respondents who report participating Source: 2011 CCSSE Promising Practices data. Yes (N=230,996)

PROMISING PRACTICES FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT SUCCESS INCONGRUITIES? Looking for Data Disconnects

ALERT AND INTERVENTION 25 Has your institution implemented a systematic early academic warning/early intervention process? (N=181 ) Source: 2011 CCSIS data. Yes

ALERT AND INTERVENTION 26 Someone at this college contacts me if I am struggling with my studies to help me get the assistance I need (N=32,750) Yes No Not applicable; I have not experienced academic diffculties Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding. Source: 2011 SENSE Promising Practices data. (entering students)

TUTORING 27 How often do you refer students to peer or other tutoring? (N=35,299) Source: 2011 CCFSSE cohort data. Often Sometimes 3% Don’t know/NA Rarely or never

TUTORING 28 During the current academic year, I participated in tutoring provided by this college (N=130,147) Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding. Source: 2011 CCSSE Promising Practices data. Never Less than 1 time a week 3% 1% 3 to 4 times a week More than 4 times a week 1 to 2 times a week

QUESTIONS:  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?  What are your next steps? 29

PROMISING PRACTICES FOR STUDENT SUCCESS QUESTIONS? Videos © Center for Community College Student Engagement