Transcript Student Success - TCC: Tidewater Community College

Student Success
Aaron Thompson, PhD
Achieving Student Success in the
Community College
Student Diversity in America’s Community Colleges

There are 13 million students currently enrolled in approximately 1,150 community colleges in the
United States; they account for almost half of all first-year college students in America today.

More than 630,000 community college students will earn an associate degree this year, and more
than 425,000 will earn a certificate.

Most first-year community college students are employed either part or full time and attend
college part time.

The average age of the American community college student is 28.

Almost 42 percent of all community college students are the first in their family to attend college.

More than 37 percent of community college students are members of minority racial or ethnic
groups.

Close to 6 percent of international students attend America’s community colleges
Source: American Association of Community Colleges
(2012).
As educators we need to inform students of the importance
of the benefits of a:
 college experience
 college degree or certificate
 learning commitment
Why College Is Worth It

Career Benefits

Economic Advantages

Advanced Intellectual Skills

Better Physical Health

Social Benefits

Emotional Benefits

Effective Citizenship

Higher Quality of Life for Their Children
Career Benefits

Security and stability—lower rates of unemployment

Versatility and mobility—more flexibility to move out of a position and into other
positions

Advancement—more opportunity to move up to higher professional positions

Interest—more likely to find their work stimulating and challenging

Autonomy—greater independence and opportunity to be their own boss

Satisfaction—more enjoyment of their work and the feel that it allows them to use
their special talents

Prestige—higher-status positions (i.e., careers that more socially desirable and
respected)
Economic Advantages

Make better consumer choices and decisions

Make wiser long-term investments

Receive greater pension benefits

Earn higher income
Advanced Intellectual Skills

Greater knowledge

More effective problem-solving skills

Better ability to deal with complex and ambiguous (uncertain) problems

Greater openness to new ideas

More advanced levels of moral reasoning

Clearer sense of self-identity and greater awareness and knowledge of
personal talents, interests, values, and needs

Greater likelihood to continue learning throughout life
Better Physical Health

Better health insurance—more comprehensive coverage and greater
likelihood of being covered

Better dietary habits

More regular exercise

Lower rates of obesity

Longer and healthier life
Social Benefits

Higher social self-confidence

Better understanding and more effective communication with others

Greater popularity

More effective leadership skills

Greater marital satisfaction
Emotional Benefits

Lower levels of anxiety

Higher levels of self-esteem

Greater sense of self-efficacy and belief that they have more
influence and control over their life

Higher levels of psychological well-being

Higher levels of personal happiness
Effective Citizenship

Greater interest in national issues, both social and political

Greater knowledge of current affairs

Higher voting participation rates

Higher rates of participation in civic affairs and community service
Higher Quality of Life for Their Children

Less likelihood of smoking during pregnancy

Better health care for their children

More time spent with their children

More likely to involve their children in educational activities that
stimulate their mental development

More likely to save money for their children to go to college

More likely that their children will graduate from college

More likely that their children will attain high-status and higher-paying
careers
Why Do Students Leave?

Academic Reasons

Personal Reasons

Financial Reasons
Academic Reasons

Not challenged academically

Not academically prepared (underprepared students
graduate about half the rate a prepared student does in 6
years)

Lack of academic focus

Desired major unavailable
Personal Reasons

Institution isn’t a good personal fit

Medical issues (personal, parent, spouse, child)

Relationship issues (parents, significant other)

Poor social adjustment (lacking friends)

No sense of belonging

Lack of clear goals and purpose of college

Lack of discipline

Homesick
Financial Reasons

Unrealized expectations (thought they were getting
something else, wasn’t worth the cost)

Had to go to work for family or other reasons (especially true
for adult learners)

Insufficient financial aid (ran out of money)
Creating an Environment for
Student Learning and Student
Success
Principles of College Success
 Research on human learning and student development
indicates four powerful principles of college success:
Active Involvement
2. Use of Campus Resources
3. Interpersonal Interaction and Collaboration
4. Personal Reflection and Self-Awareness (Astin, 1993; Kuh, 2000;
Light, 2001; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991, 2005; Tinto, 1993).
1.
Thriving in College & Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development (Cuseo,
Thompson, & Fecas, 2010)
Active Involvement

Research indicates active involvement may be the most powerful
principle of human learning and college success. The principle of active
involvement includes the following pair of processes:
 The amount of personal time a student devotes to learning during the
college experience
 The degree of personal effort or energy (mental and physical)
students put into the learning process
Thriving in College & Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development (Cuseo,
Thompson, & Fecas, 2010)
Student Success and Interpersonal Interaction
 Four particular forms of interpersonal interaction have been
found to be strongly associated with student learning and
motivation in college:
Student-Faculty Interaction
 Student-Advisor Interaction
 Student-Mentor Interaction
 Student-Student Interaction

Thriving in College & Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development (Cuseo,
Thompson, & Fecas, 2010)
Student-Faculty Interaction

Studies repeatedly show that college success is influenced heavily by the
quality and quantity of student-faculty interaction outside the classroom.
Such contact is positively associated with the following positive outcomes
for college students:
Improved academic performance
Increased critical thinking skills
Greater satisfaction with the college experience
Increased likelihood of completing a college degree
Stronger desire to seek education beyond college (Astin, 1993;
Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991, 2005).
Thriving in College & Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development (Cuseo, Thompson, & Fecas,
2010)
Student-Faculty Interaction

Further, research studies demonstrate that students’ success is heavily
influenced by the quality and quantity of their interaction with faculty
members outside of the classroom. More specifically, student-faculty
contact outside of class is positively associated with the following student
developments:
Improved academic performance
 Increased critical thinking skills
 Greater satisfaction with the educational experience
 Stronger desire to further education beyond high school
 Involvement in own academic and personal success
 How students interpret messages received from family, school, and community
 Making choices that are in the best interest of their success

Student-Student Interaction
 Studies of college students repeatedly point to the power of
the peer group as a source of social and academic support
(Pascarella, 2005).
 Peer interaction is especially important during the first term
of college. At this stage of the college experience, new
students have a strong need for belongingness and social
acceptance.
Student-Student Interaction
 A study conducted by Light (2001) found that students who
formed or participated in small groups was a strong
determinant in their college success.
 Students who participated in study groups once weekly were
more engaged, showed increased class preparation, and
learned significantly more than students who worked alone.
Interaction with an Advisor
 Can be an effective referral agent who can direct students to,
and connect students with, campus support services that best
meet their needs
 An individual students should meet with more regularly than
course instructors
Interaction with a Mentor
 Research in higher education demonstrates that a mentor
can make first-year students feel significant and enable
them to stay on track until they complete their college
degree (Campbell & Campbell, 1997; Knox, 2008).
Self-Reflection
 Important step in achieving success in college
 Involves self-assessment, self-monitoring, reflecting on
feedback, and reflecting on the future
Thriving in College & Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development (Cuseo,
Thompson, & Fecas, 2010)
Self-Assessment
 Process of evaluating personal characteristics, traits, habits,
and their relative strengths and weaknesses
 Include personal interests, personal values, personal abilities
or aptitudes, learning habits, learning styles, personality
traits, and academic self-concept (personal beliefs about what
kind of student he/she is are and how they perceive
him/herself as a learner)
Thriving in College & Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development (Cuseo,
Thompson, & Fecas, 2010)
Self-Monitoring
 Maintaining an awareness of how effectively you are learning,
if you are learning what you are attempting to learn, and what
you are attempting to learn
 Good habits mean periodically having students ask
themselves the following questions:
Thriving in College & Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development (Cuseo,
Thompson, & Fecas, 2010)
The Future of America

Although minorities now make up approximately 1/3 of the
population, they are expected to be the majority by 2042 and
projected to be 54% of the population by 2050.

By 2023, minorities will comprise more than half of all children.
The Future of America

The population of non-Hispanic whites is expected to be only slightly
larger by 2050 than in 2008.

This group is projected to lose population in the 2030s and 2040s and
comprise 46% of the population by 2050, down from 66% in 2008.
The Future of America

In contrast, the Hispanic population is expected to triple from 46.7 million
to 132.8 million during the 2008-2050 time period.

The black population is expected to increase from 14% in 2008 to 15% in
2050.

The Asian population is expected to increase from 5.1% in 2008 to 9.2% in
2050.
Community Colleges Will be the
Access and Success Venues for
Many of These Students
Diversity Strengthens Development of Learning
& Thinking Skills
•
Research on first-year college students shows that students who
experience the highest level of exposure to different dimensions of
diversity (e.g. interactions and friendships with peers of different races, or
participating in multicultural courses and events on campus) report the
greatest gains in:



thinking complexity – the ability to think about all parts and all sides of an issue
(Gurin, 1999),
reflective thinking – the ability to think deeply (Kitchener et al., 2000), and
critical thinking – the ability to think logically (Pascarella et al., 2001).
Diversity Increases the Power of a Liberal Arts
Education
•
There is no way to gain a global perspective without understanding human
diversity.
•
Another perspective that should be developed as part of a liberal arts education
is a national perspective, which involves understanding and appreciating your
own nation.
•
Because of the increasing diversity of the U.S., “multicultural competence” – the
ability to understand cultural differences and to interact effectively with people
from different cultural backgrounds – has become an important liberal art skill
that is critical for success in today's’ world (Pope et. al., 2005).
Diversity Promotes Creative Thinking
•
Experiencing diversity can enhance your ability to think creatively.
•
Diversity experiences supply us with different thinking styles that can help us
to be aware of our own cultural framework.
•
These experiences also help us to be aware of our perceptual “blind spots”
and avoid the dangers of group think – the tendency for tight, like-minded
groups of people to think so much alike that they overlook the flaws in their
own thinking – which can lead to poor choices and faulty decisions (Janis,
1982).
Diversity Enhances Career Preparation & Success
•
Whatever career you may choose to enter, you will likely find yourself
working with employers, employees, co-workers, customers, and
clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.
•
Successful career performance in today's’ diverse workforce requires
sensitivity to human differences and the ability to relate to people
from different cultural backgrounds who work in the U.S. and across
different nations (National Association of Colleges & Employers, 2003;
Smith, 1997).
Diversity Stimulates Social Development
•
Interacting with people from a variety of groups widens one’s social
circle by expanding the pool of people with whom one can associate
and develop relationships.
Diversity
•
A major goal of appreciating diversity is to promote more equitable and
treatment of all people and reduce prejudice or discrimination toward
particular groups of people.
•
Diversity is also a learning experience that strengthens the quality of an
individual’s education, career preparation, citizenship, and leadership in
a democracy.
The Role of Faculty in Student
Success
Use:

Regular and formative feedback

Getting students involved first day of class (know their
names)

Peer support (tutoring, mentoring)

Content related to student’s experiences

Attendance

High expectations
Faculty Influences on Student Success
 The relationship between students and faculty members is
more important in predicting the social-emotional functioning
of students than their academic performance (Decker, Dona,
& Christenson, 2007).
Faculty Influences on Student Success
 Informal interactions that take place outside of the classroom
between students and faculty members have been found to
have an effect on the motivation of students beyond the usual
predictors of academic performance including performance in
secondary school or academic aptitude (Pascarella & Terenzini,
2005; Pascarella, Terenzini, & Hibel, 1978).
Faculty Influences on Student Success
 The first interactions with faculty members have a
significant influence on the value placed on high academic
achievement and can counteract the general student
culture that does not typically value such achievement
(Komarraju, Musulkin, & Bhattacharya, 2007).
Faculty Influences on Student Success

A recent study by Komarraju, Musulkin, and Bhattacharya
(2007) found that students who viewed faculty as
approachable, respectful, and available to them outside of
class time as being more confident in their academic skills and
being motivated, both intrinsically and extrinsically.
Interaction with Students
 Research has shown that students are more likely to
interact with faculty members they consider to be:
Sociable
 Intelligent
 Demonstrated leaders
 Supportive
 Objective (Babad, Avni-Babad, & Rosenthal, 2003; Furnham
& Chamorro-Premuzic, 2005).

Interaction with Students
 Students who feel comfortable in speaking informally
with faculty are more likely to:
Consider the learning process an enjoyable experience
 Gain a deeper understanding of how a college education
prepares them for future employment (Komarraju,
Musulkin, & Bhattacharya, 2007).

Reflecting on Feedback

Learning and decision-making are enhanced when you reflect
on, and make use of, information received from others on
how to correct or improve performance.
Reflecting on their Future

Self-projection which involves futuristic thinking and the tasks of
goal-setting and long-range planning

Focusing on the big picture

Long-term dreams and goals inspire motivation and “little details”
such as deadlines and short-term commitments that require
perseverance.
The Role of Staff in Student
Success
Academic Advising

Intrusive advising that focuses on students’ strengths, values, and
beliefs when establishing goals

There are several indications that advising can have a significant
impact on retention through a number of variables strongly associated
with student persistence:





Student satisfaction with the college experience;
Effective educational and career planning;
Utilization of available support services;
Student contact with faculty and staff outside of the classroom; and
Student mentoring.
Academic Advising
 Research has concluded that undergraduates think
most highly of advisors who function as mentors or
counselors and who are:
Available/accessible
 Knowledgeable/helpful
 Personable/approachable

Financial Aid

More and more data are indicating that financial aid and
Bursar’s offices have an influence on access and success of
colleges students. In addition, need based aid received after
the first year can have a large impact on student persistence.
The Importance of the First Year for Student
Success

The first year of college is undoubtedly the most important year of the college
experience because it’s a stage of transition

Students report the most change, the most learning, and the most development
(Doyle, Edison, & Pascarella, 1998; Flowers, Osterlind, Pascarella, & Pierson, 2001;
Light, 2001).

The academic habits students establish in their first year of college are likely to persist
throughout their remaining years of college (Schilling, 2001)

When graduating seniors look back at their college experience, many of them say that
the first year was the time of greatest change and the time during which they made
the most significant improvements in their approach to learning.
The Partnership Between
Postsecondary/P-12
Graduation Rate Gaps
Underprepared Students
System completion rates of full-time, first-time associate and baccalaureate students who entered a KY public or
independent university and completed a degree at any in-state public or independent institution, by college
readiness at entry.
Source: CPE Comprehensive Database
4
6
Percentage of Kentucky Population on Medicaid by Education
Levels
40.00%
36.77%
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.61%
10.00%
3.74%
12.50%
5.37%
5.00%
0.00%
Bachelor's or
higher
Associate's
Degree
Some College
High school
graduate
Less than high
school
Source: March 2012 Current Population Supplement, Current Population Survey (CPS)
Source: CPE Comprehensive Database
6
6
Progress
Kentucky Leads the Nation in the Rate of
Improvement Between 2000-2009
#1
#1
#1
Adults (25-64) with a college degree (associate and higher)
6-year graduation rates at 4-year institutions (public and
private)
Undergraduate credentials awarded per 1,000 18 to 44
year olds with no college degree
Kentucky Leads the Nation in the Rate of
Improvement Between 2000-2009
#2
Young adults (25-44) with a college degree (associate and
higher)
#3
#5
3-year graduation rates at 2-year institutions (public and
private)
Undergraduate credentials 1 year or more in length
II. Senate Bill 1 (SB1) Update
Results Achieved
Kentucky’s College and Career Readiness Success
The number of high school graduates ready for college has steadily been increasing
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
47.2%
40%
30%
38%
34%
20%
10%
0%
2010
2011
2012
Source: Dodd, Karen. “Stocktake Summary for College and Career Readiness Delivery Plan.” Kentucky Department of Education. Oct 2012.