Transcript Engaging Community Colleges A First Look

The CCSSE-Texas Small
Colleges Consortium: Working
Together to Improve Student
Success
What is CCSSE?
The CCSSE survey:
is administered directly to
community college students
during class sessions; asks questions
about institutional practices and student
behaviors that are highly correlated with
student learning and retention; and uses
a sampling methodology that is consistent
across all participating colleges.
Community College Survey of Student Engagement
Background about CCSSE

Completed 5th national administration

700,000 students

548 community colleges

48 states, British Columbia, Marshall Islands
Community College Survey of Student Engagement
CCSSE in Texas
 59 (82% of) Texas community and technical
colleges have participated in CCSSE (20022008)
 48 of those colleges have participated more
than once
Community College Survey of Student Engagement
The CCSSE-Texas Small Colleges
Consortium
For four years, The Houston Endowment Inc. has
funded the Texas Small Colleges Consortium, a
project that has supported two years of participation for
29 Texas community colleges in the Community
College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)
Community College Survey of Student Engagement
The Colleges
Angelina College
Northeast Texas Community College
Brazosport College
Panola College
Cedar Valley College
Paris Junior College
Clarendon College
Ranger College
Coastal Bend College
Southwest Texas Junior College
College of the Mainland
Temple College
El Centro College
Texas State Technical College
Harlingen
Frank Phillips College
Galveston College
Texas State Technical College
Marshall
Grayson County College
Texas State Technical College Waco
Howard College
Texas State Technical College West
Texas
Kilgore College
Lamar Institute of Technology
Lamar State College – Orange
Navarro College
Community College Survey of Student Engagement
The Victoria College
Trinity Valley College
Vernon College
Western Texas College
Continued Work
Under a new grant from the Houston Endowment Inc.,
colleges will receive a 50% grant-funded subsidy for
their continued participation in CCSSE 2008 and 2010
or CCSSE 2009 and 2011 survey administrations.
Community College Survey of Student Engagement
Using CCSSE Results
for Improvement
TRINITY VALLEY
COMMUNITY COLLEGE (TVCC)
Texas Association for Institutional Research (TAIR)
Galveston Conference
February 5, 2008
Presented by Tina Rummel
Director of Institutional Research
Trinity Valley Community College
About TVCC

TVCC has campus locations in Athens, Terrell, Kaufman and
Palestine. The college has grown to an enrollment of more than
5,800 students.

TVCC’s mission statement is a learning-centered college that
provides quality academic, workforce, and community service
programs to meet the educational needs of our students and the
citizens of our service area.

TVCC has been reaffirmed by the Southern Association of College
and Schools as of June, 2007 with no additional follow-up.
History of TVCC & CCSSE

TVCC was selected to participate in the Texas Small Texas College
Consortium which was supported by the Houston Endowment for
2005 and 2007 and feel very honored to have had that opportunity.

TVCC ‘s commitment to the results and findings of CCSSE in 2005
and 2007 has motivated us to continue participation in 2009 and
2011. Partial funding has been made possible through the (CCSSE)
Texas Small College’s Partnership.
(Continued on next slide)
The History (continued)

Trinity Valley Community College administered CCSSE to over 700
students in the spring of both 2005 and 2007.

The results of the survey from 2005 revealed that 90% of the
community colleges that participated in CCSSE performed better
than TVCC in four of the five student engagement benchmark
areas.

In 2005, faculty and administration were very alarmed and
concerned by the results that TVCC received.

Since that time, TVCC has been working diligently to improve the
level of engagement with our students.
TVCC’s QUALITY ENHANCEMENT
PLAN(QEP)
TVCC’s QEP became known as the Learning Initiative (LI).
The LI focuses on increasing students’ ability to read and write in
crucial learning experiences by enhancing student engagement.
TVCC continues to incorporate student engagement initiatives
into the LI, which was prompted by 2005 CCSSE results.
A number of activities under the leadership of the LI have been
developed since the alarming results of the 2005 CCSSE.
The college is in its third year of the project and has a number of
pilot programs in place.
LI Projects
Trinity Valley Community College’s Quality Enhancement Plan Report,
Engaged Learning: Pathways to Success, identifies four projects to be
implemented as a part of the QEP.
 An
Open Learning Lab
 The Learning Academy
 Discipline-Specific Reading Tests
 Student Networking Groups
Open Learning Lab
A central part of the LI planning is to provide a free lab where
students can receive professional tutoring and computer-assisted
learning.
The labs are designed to provide additional tutorial help to students who
have difficulty with learning as well as a place to check email, work on
distance education classes, and have a relaxing place to call home.
The Terrell and Palestine campuses have joined the Athens campus in
efforts to create permanent open Learning Labs at their facilities.
 Many faculty at the respective campuses have volunteered an hour of
their office time to the lab, which has increased multi-campus awareness and
involvement.
The Learning Lab on the Athens campus has been relocated to a larger
space on the 3rd floor in the newly opened Baugh Technology Center.
A full-time coordinator has been hired effective Spring 2008.
The LI office will track student and faculty involvement in the Open
Learning Lab as a part of a LI Annual Report.
Learning Academy
The Learning Academy is a professional development program for
faculty and staff designed to shift the emphasis from teaching to
learning.
The idea is that a significant portion
of our faculty and staff will become
graduates of the Learning Academy, thus creating a culture where fellow
colleagues can openly talk about teaching and learning.
A class of the Learning Academy is targeted to include
10 to 15 faculty or
staff members a year.
The learning
academy’s popularity has generated a sophomore class as
well as a freshman class of faculty and staff.
On the next slide, these are the key elements that have come out of the
Learning Academy.
(Continued on next slide)
Key Elements of the Learning
Academy
◦ Classroom Assessment Techniques – Participants suggest at least two new
classroom assessment techniques for the group.
◦ Instructional Design Technique Effectiveness – Participants document their own
learning about learning as a result of the reengineered learning experience.
◦ Project Portfolio -- Participants complete a project portfolio designed to be at
the conclusion of their entire learning experience for the Learning Academy. This
portfolio includes documentation of the completion of the stated learning
outcomes identified above. Due by July 15th following the spring term of class
participation, the portfolio takes numerous forms, including a paper copy, an
interactive web portfolio, a video portfolio, or a combination of the above.
◦ Learning Day – Participants document their progress toward these outcomes by
providing evidence of such growth in their Project Portfolio and by presenting the
results of their attempts to apply these concepts in their courses. These are to be
shared with the entire campus during the Learning Day in the following fall
semester. Learning Day has been officially added to the TVCC Calendar each fall
semester. All classes are dismissed for the day for an intensive in-house
opportunity for professional development.
Discipline-Specific Reading Tests

As a result of the data collected by the administration of the Pre-TASP (tests 01 and
02) in fall 2005, the LI Council decided to explore the idea of developing DisciplineSpecific Reading Tests.

The concept came at both the recommendation of the director of the Texas
Assessing Student Learning Project as well as out of a need to respond to faculty
demands to have information on reading which was practical and useful.

In the case of the Pre-TASP test, none of the testing material was specific to
particular disciplines.

A major pilot for the fall 2006 semester was built around the concept of DisciplineSpecific Reading Tests. A series of ready-to-use tests were developed around
textbook readings taken from U.S. History, Speech, General Psychology,
Fundamentals of Nursing and Human Anatomy & Physiology. Students were asked
to read a section of each textbook and respond to questions specific to that reading.

Tests were created in each of these courses to measure the reading skills of the
students enrolled.

Student results on those assessments were immediately available so faculty could
quickly recommend remediation, if needed.

Post-tests were developed and administered to measure any reading gains.

The tests have been put online using WebCT and we are in full swing with this
process and making improvements as we go.
Student Networking Groups
This concept was to teach and train faculty in new group or team
techniques and allow them to experiment before attempting to make
major changes in course design.
 With Student Networking Groups, faculty would structure their classes
to divide into working groups that would function to foster student to
student interaction.
 Teaching methods would encourage active and collaborative learning
between students while concurrently encouraging students to take
responsibility for their learning.
TVCC’s Commitment to CCSSE
TVCC’s goal is to improve 10 deciles in 2009 and 10 deciles in 2011
on the CCSSE Benchmark comparisons.
Although the journey to be reaffirmed has ended for now, the goal
of increased engagement will remain a focus for TVCC as we move
into the future.
Thank you for taking the time to listen today, I hope that you have
enjoyed the presentation.
Any Questions!!
How Do I Find Out More?
Tina Rummel
Director of Institutional Research,
Trinity Valley Community College
100 Cardinal Drive
Athens, Texas 75751
(903) 675-6282
[email protected]
www.tvcc.edu/institutionalresearch
Lamar Institute of Technology’s
PASS Program
Partnership in Achieving Student Success
Texas Association for Institutional Research
Galveston Conference
February 5, 2008
Presented by
Mr. David Mosley, Director Institutional Research &
Planning, SACS Accreditation Liaison
Overview
•
•
•
•
SACS Accreditation
Quality Enhancement Plan
Identification of a QEP topic
LIT’s PASS Program
– College Success Skills Course
– Quality Academic Advising
• Assessment Results
– Community College Survey of Student Engagement
(CCSSE)
– WorkKeys Listening, Reading for Information, and Writing
Tests
– Retention Data
SACS Accreditation
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
• Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement:
• Core Requirement 2.12 “requires an institution to develop an
acceptable Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and show that the plan
is part of an ongoing planning and evaluation process. Engaging the
wider academic community, the QEP is based upon a
comprehensive and thorough analysis of the effectiveness of the
learning environment for supporting student learning and
accomplishing the mission of the institution. It is used to outline a
course of action for institutional improvement by addressing one or
more issues that contribute to institutional quality, with special
attention to student learning*.”
• * SACS Visiting Committees expect Multiple Direct Measures of
Student Learning!
Empirical Data (THECB)
Retention Rates
Full time,
FTIC
Students
LIT and
Similar
Institutions
Statewide
Average
2000
2001
LIT SI LIT
48%
77% 67%
63%
2002
2003
SI
LIT
SI
LIT
SI
79%
54%
78%
65%
52%
79%
79%
78%
Full time FTIC students who did not receive remediation in the Fall and who
returned the following Spring
SI = Similar Institutions
What Do the Numbers Mean?
Statewide
LIT
Establishing a Focus….
• Review of relevant research
• LIT Strategic Plan
– Empirical data (Data Resources for
Institutional Effectiveness)
•
•
•
•
Educational consultant (Noel Levitz)
Faculty Assessment Survey
Campus-wide Focus Groups
Office of Student Services data
Faculty Assessment Survey
• 30% of faculty indicated that 6 or more
students were unsuccessful in courses
they taught
What Would Help?
Very likely
Likely
Study Skills Course
25.0%
26.3%
College Orientation Course
7.2%
31.9%
Learning Communities
11.1%
30.6%
Academic Advising
12.2%
18.9%
Career Counseling
27.0%
20.3%
Valid Percents
Faculty Assessment
Survey
Personal Problems
Very
likely
21.9%
Likely
27.4%
Reading Comprehension
39.5%
22.4%
Critical Thinking Skills
30.1%
39.7%
Failed to Prepare for Class
73.3%
20.0%
Excessive Absences
59.2%
25%
Academically Unprepared
50.7%
24.0%
Inadequate Study Skills
52.6%
28.9%
Poor Time Management
48.0%
29.3%
Partnership in Achieving Student
Success (PASS Program)
• Mission
– The PASS program seeks to improve the quality of student life and
learning through improvements, enhancements, or additions to the
institution’s educational programs and services. (STUDENT
ENGAGEMENT)
• Goal
– Design and implement a College Success Skills Course to improve the
quality of student life and learning
– Provide quality academic advisement for students
– Provide professional and paraprofessional training to support PASS
initiatives
• Student Learning Assessment Measures
– Academic Advisement Survey administered to all First-Time LIT
students and to all graduating students.
– Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) initially
administered Spring 2004 (Pre-QEP) and subsequently every two
years.
– ACT’s WorkKeys™ Listening, Reading for Information, and Writing tests
administered in the College Success Skills Course
Assessing the PASS Program
• Principal measures
– Pre-test and Post-test (WorkKeys™)
– Community College Survey of Student
Engagement (CCSSE)
– Academic Advising Pre-test and Post-test
• Other measures
– Supplemental Evaluations
– Retention data
• Future measures
– Survey of Entering Student Engagement (LIT to
participate in Fall 2008) www.enteringstudent.org
WorkKeys™ Data
55.4
53.8
52.5
53.2
53.6
51.8
53.7
54.3
51.9
49.6
Support for
Learners
Categories of Engagement
•
53.6
48.0
StudentFaculty
Interaction
56.0
54.0
52.0
50.0
48.0
46.0
44.0
Active &
Collaborative
Learning
Benchmark Score
(50=National Mean)
Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)
Retention Index Benchmarks - 2004 to 2006 Comparative Results
LIT vs. Texas Peer Group*
Benchmark Scores
LIT : Spring 2004
CCSSE
Benchmark Scores
Texas Peer Group :
Spring 2004 CCSSE
Benchmark Scores
LIT : Spring 2006
CCSSE
Benchmark Scores
Texas Peer Group :
Spring 2006 CCSSE
* - Texas Peer Group consists of Clarendon College, Coastal Bend College, Navarro College, Panola College, Texas State Technical
College Marshall/Waco/West Texas, The Victoria College, and Western Texas College.
CCSSE Retention Index Comparison
LIT vs. Texas Peer Group*
• 2004 LIT Retention Index = 151.96
• 2006 LIT Retention Index = 161.70 (a gain
of 9.74 points or +6.4%)
• 2004 Texas Peer Group* Retention Index
= 158.60
• 2006 Texas Peer Group** Retention Index
= 159.20
• (LIT's 2006 gain over the Peer Group = 2.5 points or +1.6%)
•
•
*Texas Peer Group:
Clarendon College, Coastal Bend College, Navarro College, Panola College, Texas State Technical
College Marshall/Waco/West Texas, The Victoria College, and Western Texas College
•
Active & Collaborative Learning
Benchmark
In your experiences at this college during the current school year,
about how often have you done each of the following? Asked questions in
class or contributed to class discussions:
• Made a class presentation.
• Worked with other students on projects during class* (Effect
Size=0.24)
• Worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class
assignments.
• Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary)
• Participated in a community-based project as part of a regular
course
• Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside
of class (students, family members, co-workers, etc.)
* - Statistically significant CCSSE Survey Item(s) with positive “Effect Size”
Student-Faculty Interaction Benchmark
•
•
In your experiences at this college during the current school year,
about how often have you done each of the following:
Used email to communicate with an instructor.** (Effect Size: -0.29)
•
Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor.
•
Talked about career plans with an instructor or advisor* (Effect
Size=0.44)
•
Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with instructors outside of
class.
•
Received prompt feedback (written or oral) from instructors on your
performance.
•
Worked with instructors on activities other than coursework* (Effect
Size=0.25)
** - Statistically significant CCSSE Survey Item(s) with negative “Effect Size”
* - Statistically significant CCSSE Survey Item(s) with positive “Effect Size”
Support for Learners Benchmark
•
•
How much does this college emphasize each of the following:
Providing the support you need to help you succeed at this college.
•
Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and
racial or ethnic background.
•
Helping you cope with your non-academic responsibilities (work,
family, etc.)* (Effect Size=0.20)
•
Providing the support you need to thrive socially. (Effect Size=0.24)
•
Providing the financial support you need to afford your education.
•
•
Indicate how often you use the following services:
Academic advising/planning. (Effect Size=0.33)
•
Career counseling (Eff. Size=0.21)
* - Statistically significant CCSSE Survey Item(s) with positive “Effect Size”
Thank you.
For more information:
David Mosley, Coordinator
Institutional Research & Planning
SACS Accreditation Liaison
Lamar Institute of Technology
PO Box 10043
Beaumont, Texas 77710
409.880.2207, [email protected]