Imagine Success

Engaging Entering Students

2008 Field Test Findings

SENSE Overview

Why Entering Students?

Community colleges typically lose about half of their students prior to the students’ second college year. A recent study of Achieving the Dream colleges determined that 14% of entering students do not earn a single college credit in their first term. In turn, this lack of success lowers persistence rates — just 15% of students who earn no credits in their first term persist to the following term, compared to 74% of students who earn credit in their first term.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Why SENSE?

  National data show that students of color, low-income students, and academically underprepared students are at greater risk of dropping out.

And CCSSE data show students typically described as high risk are more engaged in their college experience than their low-risk peers.*

What does this tell us?

* When there are differences in engagement between low- and high-risk students.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Why SENSE?

 Highly engaged students are the ones who survive to the second term.  Maximizing engagement may be essential to retain high-risk students.

 SENSE helps colleges, students, and the nation by focusing on the front door of the college experience.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

SENSE: A Tool for Improvement

 Helping students succeed through the equivalent of the first semester (12–15 credit hours) can dramatically improve subsequent success rates.

 Successfully completing the first semester can improve students’ chances of returning for subsequent semesters, reaching key milestones, and ultimately earning certificates and degrees.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

SENSE: A Tool for Improvement SENSE provides both quantitative and qualitative data that:

   are grounded in research about what works to retain and support entering students, identify and help colleges learn from practices that engage entering students, and identify areas in which we can improve.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

SENSE: Quantitative and Qualitative Data

 SENSE administers its survey during the fourth and fifth weeks of the fall academic term in courses most likely to enroll entering students.

 Working through the Starting Right initiative, SENSE also conducts focus groups and interviews with new students as well as faculty, student services professionals, and presidents. The initiative is supported by the MetLife Foundation and Houston Endowment Inc.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

SENSE 2008

Preliminary Findings

Principle #1: Personal Connections

Imagine a college at which every student is intentionally connected to an individual person who feels responsible for that student’s success — and that these connections are made before completion of the intake process.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #1: Personal Connections Entering Students’ First Impressions of Their Colleges The very first time I came to this college, I felt welcome.

16% 1% 3% 27% 53% Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree 14% 0% 3% 28% 53% Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree

Source: 2008 SENSE field test data.

GCC Survey of Entering Student Engagement: Cohort

Principle #1: Personal Connections Entering Students’ First Impressions of Their Colleges I was able to get the information I needed to register for classes.

1% 6% 5% 34% 54% Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree 1% 5% 4% 54% 39% Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree

Source: 2008 SENSE field test data.

GCC Survey of Entering Student Engagement: Cohort

Principle #1: Personal Connections Entering Students’ First Impressions of Their Colleges Was a specific person assigned to you so you could see him/her each time you needed information or assistance?

17% 69% 31% .31

Yes No 83% Yes No

Source: 2008 SENSE field test data.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #1: Personal Connections

“It just seems that again and again, we see students who have really personal connections at the college being successful.”

— Faculty member

“In our college, if you don’t teach, your job is to help students get to class in the best condition for learning. Everybody has that responsibility. When someone violates that, they violate more than a policy. They violate a core value.”

— Bill Law, President, Tallahassee Community College (FL) Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #1: Personal Connections at Grayson County College

What are some ideas/examples for how to use these results to improve personal connections at GCC? e.g.

Providing students with case managers or mentors Providing faculty with training so they can better build collaborative efforts, such as group projects and study groups, into coursework.

What are some of the benefits or challenges related to engaging students through personal connections?

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #2: High Expectations and Aspirations

Imagine a college at which every new student is clear about the college’s high expectations for performance — and every student has high aspirations for his or her own success.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #2: High Expectations and Aspirations Entering Students Need Clear and High Expectations I have the motivation to do what it takes to succeed in college.

68% Strongly agree Survey of Entering Student Engagement: Cohort 63% Strongly agree GCC

Source: 2008 SENSE field test data.

Principle #2: High Expectations and Aspirations Entering Students Need Clear and High Expectations Percentage of students who, at least once during their first three weeks of college: Gold = GCC, Red = Cohort

Turned in an assignment late Did not turn in one or more assignments Came to class unprepared Skipped class

0% 10% 20% 40% Survey of Entering Student Engagement 50%

Principle #2: High Expectations and Aspirations

“If the teacher seems to care, it motivates the student. If somebody … calls you when you miss … that light bulb comes on in your head.”

— Male student

“The instructors are more than willing to help me. I’ve always felt that if I’m willing to work, they’re willing to work just as hard. I think that’s the quality of a good instructor.”

— Male student Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #2: High Expectations and Aspirations

“They didn’t tell me when I signed up for class that for every hour of class, I have to do two hours of studying. They didn’t give me any expectations until I sat down in the classroom. I think that before you enroll, you should be able to know what you are getting into.”

— Male student Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #2: High Expectations and Aspirations at Grayson County College

Provide examples of what you plan to do with the information students are not meeting the standard.

— for example, helping students understand expectations about the level of effort required to be successful in college as well as about specific assignments and academic goals, and taking action when Discuss the benefits or challenges related to engaging students through high expectations and aspirations.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to Success

Imagine a college at which every entering student, in the first three weeks of college, defines his or her educational goals and develops a plan for attaining them. Imagine further that these plans are updated regularly, with guidance, as students progress.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to Success Entering Students and Academic Planning When do you plan to take classes at this college again?

2% 6% 21% 71% Within the next 12 months I have no current plans to return I will accomplish my goal(s) during this semester/quarter and will not return Uncertain Survey of Entering Student Engagement: Cohort 19% 4% 4% 73% GCC Within the next 12 months I have no current plans to return I will accomplish my goal(s) during this semester/quarter and will not return

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to Success Entering Students and Academic Planning An advisor helped me to identify the courses I needed to take during my first semester/quarter.

An advisor helped me to set academic goals and to create a plan for achieving them.

12% 8% 4% 30% 46% Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree 22% 8% 14% 31% 25%

Source: 2008 SENSE field test data.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement: Cohort

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to Success Entering Students and Academic Planning An advisor helped me to identify the courses I needed to take during my first semester/quarter.

An advisor helped me to set academic goals and to create a plan for achieving them.

22% 5 12% 36% 46% Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly Disagree 23% 6% 18% 28% 26% Strongly agree Agree No opinion Disagree Strongly disagree

Source: 2008 SENSE field test data.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement: GCC

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to Success

“Advisors ask, ‘What’s your schedule?’ … I wish I had more of a run through about what I’m going to need for my degree as well as my schedule.”

— Female student

“Students have their dreams and goals in hand, but their action plan is blank. We, as professors, educators, and staff, should be able to help them fill in the blanks.”

— Faculty member Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to Success at Grayson County College

Provide examples of what you plan to do with the information — for example, mandating advising and providing professional development for advisors. Discuss the benefits or challenges related to engaging students through a plan and a pathway to success.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #4: An Effective Track to College Readiness

Imagine a college at which all academically underprepared students have an effective, efficient path to completing developmental education and beginning college-level work.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #4: An Effective Track to College Readiness Entering Students and Developmental Education Percentage of entering students who are enrolled in: GCC in gold, Cohort in red

Developmental reading Developmental writing Developmental math A student success course

Survey of Entering Student Engagement 0% 29% 10% 20% 25% 30% 32% 50%

Principle #4: An Effective Track to College Readiness

“You mean there are classes that teach people how to study? That’s the problem. I don’t know how to study. I do NOT know how to study.”

— Male student Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #4: An Effective Track to College Readiness at Grayson County College

Provide examples of what you plan to do with the information — for example, requiring students enrolled in developmental education classes to take a student success course and incorporating student support services such as academic advising and planning into student success courses. Discuss the benefits or challenges related to engaging students through an effective track to college readiness.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #5: Engaged Learning

Imagine a college at which engaged learning is intentional, inescapable, and the norm for all students.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #5: Engaged Learning Engaging Experiences: Q ll.b, ll.c, 11.a, 17.f

On-campus orientation Orientation course

6% 2%

Student success course

3%

Learning community

5% 1% 29% 25% 44% GCC Cohort 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100 %

Source: 2008 SENSE field test data.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #5: Engaged Learning

“All of my classes are learning labs, and I think that makes it a lot better because it’s so interactive.”

— Female student

“There is excitement, especially if they’re working in groups and you can see on their faces they’re engaged. They’re laughing, they’re having a good time, they’re excited about learning.”

— Faculty member Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #5: Engaged Learning at Grayson County College

Provide examples of what you plan to do with the information — for example, building structured interactions into students’ day required study groups, and so on. -to day experiences through collaborative and hands-on work in class, Discuss the benefits or challenges related to engaged learning.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #6: An Integrated Network of Financial, Social, and Academic Support

Imagine a college at which every entering student is met with a personalized network of financial, academic, and social support.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #6: An Integrated Network of Financial, Social, and Academic Support Entering Students’ Awareness of Support Services Percentage of entering students who are unaware of particular support services during their first three weeks of college:

Academic Advising

29%

Face-to-face tutoring Skill labs Financial aid advising Computer labs

27% 27% 32% 0% 10% 15% 20% 30% 40%

Source: 2008 SENSE field test data.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #6: An Integrated Network of Financial, Social, and Academic Support

“When people come here, they need somebody to talk to … they need somebody to reach out to them.”

— Male student Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Principle #6: An Integrated Network of Financial, Social, and Academic Support at Grayson County College

Provide examples of what you plan to do with the information — for example, integrating support services into the classroom experience or beginning to work with students when they still are in high school (for services such as financial aid advising). Discuss the benefits or challenges related to creating an integrated network for financial, social, and academic support.

Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Key Challenges and Next Steps

Implications: Doing Education Differently What are the potential consequences of a commitment to attain much higher levels of student success? Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Key Challenges

“Our community and our college are facing some very significant fiscal and educational challenges … I don’t want to lead a ‘slash and burn’ approach to addressing those challenges. Rather, we must rethink our work, imagining how we would build, from the ground up, a community college designed for student success. And then we need to ensure that our priorities reflect our commitment to becoming that college.”

— Brent Knight, President, Lansing Community College (MI) Survey of Entering Student Engagement

Next Steps for SENSE

 Main Survey, Special-focus modules: Commitment and Support and Student Success Courses  The second annual Entering Student Success Institute, April 26, 2009, Santa Fe, NM: – Dr. David Foster – Dr. Jeanie Hardin – Dr. Jean Sorensen – Mark Taylor – Barbara Malone  SENSE interactive Web site, http://www.ccsse.org/sense/members/ – Username: GRAYSON – Password: SJIABQ$2

Survey of Entering Student Engagement