Transcript Engaging Community Colleges A First Look

Benchmarking
Effective
Educational
Practice
Community Colleges of the State University of New York
April, 2005
The Role of Community Colleges
Community colleges have the complicated
task of:

providing full access to education through open
admissions; AND

designing effective educational experiences for a
highly diverse population — students with
dramatically varying goals and competing demands
for their time.
The Challenge for
Community Colleges
Our students have significant time commitments in
addition to their education. Most of them attend
college part-time, and most of them work, care for
dependents, and commute.
Two-Thirds of
Students Are Enrolled
Part-Time
Most Students Work
The Critical Work of
Community Colleges
The Solution:
Engagement By Design
These challenges do not make student
engagement impossible. They do mean
it must be intentional. It must happen by
design.
CCSSE: A Tool for Improvement
The Community College Survey of Student
Engagement (CCSSE) is a tool that helps colleges:

assess quality in community college education;

identify and learn from good educational practice —
practice that promotes high levels of student
learning and persistence; and

identify areas in which we can improve programs
and services for students.
CCSSE: A Tool for Community
Colleges
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.
More than 92,000 community college students from
152 community and technical colleges in 30 states
responded to the 2004 CCSSE survey.
CCSSE GROWS….
 400 Colleges
 400,000 Students
 40 States
CCSSE: A Tool for Accountability
CCSSE:

provides reliable data on issues that matter;

reports data publicly; and

is committed to using data for improvement.
CCSSE opposes using its data
to rank colleges.
ranking
Benchmarks for
Effective Educational Practice
CCSSE reports survey results in two ways: national
benchmarks — areas that educational research has
shown to be important in quality educational practice
— and students’ responses to individual survey
items. The five benchmarks are:

Active and Collaborative
Learning

Student Effort



CCSSEville Community College
2004 Benchmark Scores
Active and
Collaborative
Learning
Stude nt Effort
55.7
Academic Challenge
45.8
39.8
Student-Faculty
Interaction
Support for Learners
39.6
38
Academic
Challenge
Stude nt-Faculty
Inte raction
Support for
Learne rs
Reaching for Excellence
CCSSE encourages colleges continually to ask whether
current performance is good enough and to reach for
excellence in student engagement. Colleges can:
1. Compare themselves to the
national average (the 50 mark).
CCSSEville Community College
2004 Benchmark Scores
2. Compare themselves to
high-performing colleges.
3. Measure their overall
performance against
results for their least-engaged
group, aspiring to make sure all
subgroups engage in their
education at similarly high levels.
4. Gauge their work in areas their
college strongly values.
5. Contrast where they are now with
where they want to be.
Active and
Collaborative
Learning
Stude nt Effort
55.7
50-45.8
39.8
39.6
38
Academic
Challenge
Stude nt-Faculty
Inte raction
Support for
Learne rs
Active and Collaborative Learning
Students learn more when they are actively
involved in their education and have
opportunities to think about and apply what
they are learning in different settings. The
seven survey items that contribute to this
benchmark are:
During the current school year, how often have you:

Asked questions in class or contributed to class
discussions

Made a class presentation
(continued on next slide)
Active and Collaborative Learning
During the current school year, how often have you:

Worked with other students on projects during class

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 a part
of a regular course

Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with
others outside of class (students, family members,
co-workers, etc.)
Active and Collaborative Learning
Key Findings: All CCSSE 2004 colleges
Students Who
Collaborated on
Projects During Class
Students Who
Collaborated on
Classwork Outside
of Class
Student Effort
Students’ behaviors contribute significantly to
their learning and the likelihood that they will
attain their educational goals. The eight survey
items associated with this benchmark are:
During the current school year, how often have you:

Prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before
turning it in

Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or
information from various sources

Come to class without completing readings or assignments
(continued on next slide)
Student Effort
During the current school year, how often have you:

Used peer or other tutoring services

Used skill labs

Used a computer lab
During the current school year:

How many books did you read on your own (not assigned)
for personal enjoyment or academic enrichment

How many hours did you spend in a typical week preparing
for class (studying, reading, writing, rehearsing, or other
activities related to your program)
Student Effort
Key Findings: All CCSSE 2004 colleges
Hours Full-Time
Students Spend
Studying
Students Who Come to
Class Unprepared
Academic Challenge
Challenging intellectual and creative work is
central to student learning and collegiate quality.
The 10 survey items associated with this
benchmark are:
During the current school year, how often have you:

Worked harder than you thought you could to meet
an instructor’s standards or expectations
(continued on next slide)
Academic Challenge
How much does your coursework at this college emphasize:

Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience, or
theory

Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information, or
experiences in new ways

Making judgments about the value or soundness of
information, arguments, or methods

Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or
in new situations

Using information you have read or heard to perform a
new skill
(continued on next slide)
Academic Challenge
During the current school year:

How many assigned textbooks, manuals, books, or
book-length packs of course readings did you read

How many papers or reports of any length did you
write

To what extent have your examinations challenged
you to do your best work
How much does this college emphasize:

Encouraging you to spend significant amounts of
time studying
Academic Challenge
Key Findings: All CCSSE 2004 colleges
Are Students Reading
Enough?
Are Students Writing
Enough?
Student-Faculty Interaction
In general, the more interaction students have
with their teachers, the more likely they are to
learn effectively and persist toward achievement
of their educational goals. The six items used in
this benchmark are:
During the current school year, how often have you:

Used e-mail to communicate with an instructor

Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor
(continued on next slide)
Student-Faculty Interaction
During the current school year, how often have you:

Talked about career plans with an instructor or
advisor

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
Student-Faculty Interaction
Key Findings: All CCSSE 2004 colleges
Students Who Talked
with Advisors or
Instructors about
Career Plans
Students Who
Discussed Ideas with
Instructors Outside
of Class
Support for Learners
Students perform better and are more satisfied at
colleges that are committed to their success and
cultivate positive working and social relationships
among different groups on campus. The seven
survey items that contribute to this benchmark are:
How much does this college emphasize:

Providing the support you need to help you succeed at this
college

Encouraging contact among students from different
economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds
(continued on next slide)
Support for Learners
How much does this college emphasize:

Helping you cope with your nonacademic
responsibilities (work, family, etc.)

Providing the support you need to thrive socially

Providing the financial support you need to afford
your education
During the current school year, how often have you:

Used academic advising/planning services

Used career counseling services
The Need for Inescapable Engagement
Students Who Earn
Degrees
Students Who Transfer
Strategy 1:
Engage Early, Engage Often
CCSSE Respondents by Credit Hours Earned at the College
Strategy 2: Stress Academic Advising
Students’ Use of Academic
Advising/Planning Services
Students’ Use of Career
Counseling Services
Strategy 3: Redesign Educational
Experiences
Collaborative Learning
among Students
Interaction with Faculty
Members
Strategy 4: Redesign Educational
Experiences
Question:
What are the key “design principles”
for creating gatekeeper courses in
which students will learn and succeed
at higher levels?
Building a Culture of Evidence
Better educational outcomes do not just happen.
They depend on building and working within a
culture of evidence:

Being relentless about putting data in front of faculty and
staff — and using the data to promote positive change.

Being honest about current student performance to
identify the means for improving.

Setting goals and implementing strategies to achieve
them.

Basing every decision — about programs, policies,
budgets, and staffing — on which action will have the best
effect on student learning.