Students Who Enrolled in the 2011-2012 Academic Year But Did Not Return in Fall 2012

July 2013 1

Top 5 Financial Reasons Major Reasons

49% Tuition and fees not affordable 40% Needed to earn money

Minor Reasons

22% Did not earn enough money in summer 18% Could not find part time job to help pay for expenses 34% Received inadequate financial aid 17% Inadequate money management skills 33% 32% Encountered unexpected expenses Cost of living too high in Honolulu 17% 16% My job interfered with my school work My/parent/family loans were too high 2

Top 5 Support Services Major Reasons

27% Inadequate academic advising

Minor Reasons

23% Classrooms in disrepair 26% 20% 20% 15% Inadequate parking Faculty unhelpful Staff unhelpful Dissatisfied with housing 23% 18% 16% 16% Inadequate career development Inadequate tutoring services Felt unsafe on campus Limited co curricular activities 3

Top 5 Personal Reasons Major Reasons

25% Decided to transfer while at UHM

Minor Reasons

17% Needed a break from school 22% Family circumstances changed 16% Inadequate management of school-play-work time 22% Needed to relocate 15% Felt too lonely 19% 12% Wanted to be closer to home Always planned to transfer elsewhere 14% 13% Commuting problems Uncertain of value of college degree 4

Top 5 Academic Reasons Major Reasons

20% Earned poor grades

Minor Reasons

19% Did not take enough responsibility for my learning 18% Dissatisfied with quality of instruction 19% Skipped too many classes 14% 13% 12% Too many required courses Desired major not offered Dissatisfied with major 15% 14% 14% Did not have adequate study skills Did not think major would lead to adequate job Classes too challenging 5

Sought advice about leaving from…

60 53,3 50 51,3 46,1 40

%

30 20 21 26,4 13,6 10 0 0,9 9,7 6

Month Students Made the Decision to Not Reenroll

%

8 6 4 2 0 16 14 12 10 8,5 4,5 7,3 6,8 15,0 7,6 5,7 11,6 4,0 4,5 5,7 14,2 7

CLASS STANDING DIFFERENCES

8

Financial Reasons

(Percentage differences from the average for each class.)

TOTAL % OF RESPONDENTS

Could not find a part-time job while attending school for expenses Unsure how to apply for financial aid My/ family values prohibited applying for financial aid Applied but didn’t receive financial aid

Freshman

(n=136)

21.4% Sophomore

(n=192)

30.1% Junior

(n=203)

31.9% Senior

(n=106)

16.6%

1.6% 6.7% 3.6% 2.9% 8.4% 1.4% 4.2% -1.2% -9.0% -0.3% -3.7% 4.6% -1.0% -7.9% -4.1% -6.4% Lost scholarship or other financial aid -0.5% 4.2% 2.5% -6.2% 9

Support Services

(Percentage differences from the average for each class.)

TOTAL % OF RESPONDENTS

Inadequate child care support Institution too large Classrooms in disrepair Dissatisfied with housing Limited co-curricular activities

Freshman

(n=136)

21.4%

-3.2% 11.3% 0.9% 7.2% 9.6%

Sophomore

(n=192)

30.1%

-12.0% 6.8% 6.4% 6.4% 0.8%

Junior

(n=203)

31.9%

-13.7% -10.1% -14.4% -4.9% -12.8%

Senior

(n=106)

16.6%

28.8% -7.9% 7.2% -8.7% 2.4% 10

Personal Reasons

(Percentage differences from the average for each class.)

TOTAL % OF RESPONDENTS

Felt racial/ ethnic tension Did not feel welcomed on campus Felt too lonely Decided while at UHM to transfer to another college Accepted a well paying job

Freshman

(n=136)

21.4% Sophomore

(n=192)

30.1% Junior

(n=203)

31.9% Senior

(n=106)

16.6%

14.2% 11.0% 6.6% 9.9% 8.1% 7.9% -14.1% -10.0% -11.3% -4.9% -7.8% -9.6% 8.0% 5.7% -6.9% -6.9% -3.3% -0.6% -7.3% 11.2% 11

Academic Reasons

(Percentage differences from the average for each class.)

TOTAL % OF RESPONDENTS

Was unprepared for college level work Skipped too many classes Did not have adequate study skills Took too many classes Did not feel like I could get a job with a UHM degree

Freshman

(n=136)

21.4% Sophomore

(n=192)

30.1% Junior

(n=203)

31.9% Senior

(n=106)

16.6%

34.6% 16.9% -6.1% -0.4% -19.9% -14.8% -8.6% -1.7% 16.1% 10.7% 0.5% -15.0% -12.5% 0.2% -4.1% 4.1% 5.8% 8.4% -10.4% -3.8% 12

HAWAI`I VS. CONTINENTAL U.S.

13

Financial Reasons

Cost of living too high in Honolulu My job interfered with my school work Needed to earn money Unsure how to apply for financial aid Inadequate money management skills Lost scholarship or other financial aid Encountered unexpected expenses Could not earn enough money during the summer My/ family values prohibited applying for financial aid Note: *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001

Hawai`i Residents

(n=412)

31.1

20.4

38.1

10.7

14.8

16.7

32.8

27.7

U.S. Continent

(n=202)

43.6

9.4

30.7

5.4

9.9

11.9

28.7

Diff.

Sig

-12.5 *** 11.0 *** 7.4

5.3

*** *** 4.9

4.8

4.1

** ** * 23.8

3.9

* 6.3

2.5

3.8

*** 14

Support Services

Inadequate parking Dissatisfied with housing Inadequate career development Institution too large Inadequate tutoring services Inadequate child care support Note: *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001

Hawai`i Residents

(n=412)

20.1

7.3

13.1

8.7

8.7

2.2

U.S. Continent

(n=202)

6.9

14.9

6.9

4 6.4

1

Diff.

Sig

13.2 *** -7.6 *** 6.2

4.7

2.3

1.2

*** *** * * 15

Personal Reasons

Wanted to be closer to home Needed a break from school Felt racial/ ethnic tension Commuting problems Accepted a full-time job Accepted a well paying job Felt too lonely Uncertain of value of a college degree Family circumstances changed Did not feel welcomed on campus Inadequate mgmt of school-play-work time Relationship problems Decided while at UHM to transfer

Hawai`i Residents

(n=412)

17.5

23.5

3.4

18.7

14.3

13.3

12.9

15.8

27.4

8.3

20.1

8.7

27.7

U.S. Continent

(n=202)

33.7

11.4

15.3

6.9

3.0

3.0

22.3

7.9

19.8

15.8

13.9

13.9

32.7

Note: *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001

Diff.

Sig

-16.2 *** 12.1 *** -11.9 *** 11.8 *** 11.3 *** 10.3 *** -9.4 *** 7.9

*** 7.6

*** -7.5 *** 6.2

*** -5.2 *** -5.0

* 16

Academic Reasons

Could not get into desired program Too many required courses Could not get into required classes Earned poor grades Not enough responsibility for learning Took too many classes Skipped too many classes Accepted a job in major field or career Classes not challenging enough Classes too challenging Weak English skills Note: *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001

Hawai`i Residents

(n=412)

16.5

20.1

15.8

22.6

19.2

10.2

16.7

7.0

9.5

10.9

2.9

U.S. Continent

(n=202)

6.4

12.4

8.4

16.3

13.4

5.4

11.9

2.5

13.9

8.4

1.5

Diff.

Sig

10.1 *** 7.7

*** 7.4

6.3

*** *** 5.8

4.8

4.8

4.5

*** *** ** *** -4.4

2.5

1.4

** * * 17

Actionable Financial Reasons (%)

MAJOR MINOR 46.6

33.0

• Received inadequate financial aid 18.9

• Applied but did not receive financial aid 30.3

22.1

12.7

14.2

7.4

• Inadequate money management skills 6.0

• Unsure how to apply for financial aid 14.5

17.6

11.0

18

Actionable Support Services 1 (%)

MAJOR 27.1

26.1

• Inadequate parking

20.2

• Faculty unhelpful

19.7

• Staff unhelpful

14.8

• Dissatisfied with housing

• 11.3

• Inadequate career development

MINOR 32.5

23.2

30.5

23.6

16.3

22.7

19

Actionable Support Services 2 (%)

MAJOR 7.4

6.9

5.9

•Inadequate tutoring services •Felt unsafe on campus

MINOR 23.5

18.2

16.7

5.4

15.3

2.5

3.0

20

Actionable Personal Reasons (%)

MAJOR 24.8

9.9

• Inadequate mgmt. of school-play-work time 9.2

• Felt too lonely MINOR 20.0

16.9

15.0

7.2

6.8

• Did not feel welcomed on campus 5.0

• Felt racial/ethnic tension 12.6

9.7

5.8

21

Actionable Academic Reasons (%)

MAJOR 16.9

13.5

• Too many required courses 10.7

• Could not get into required classes MINOR 22.1

16.8

12.4

5.8

3.6

• Classes too challenging 13.3

13.8

22

Employment

Hrs p/wk working

Zero 1 – 9 10 – 19 20 – 29 30 – 39 40 +

TOTAL

40 30 20 10 0 37 Zero

No.

n=238 n=63 n=109 n=120 n=69 n=45

n=644

9,8 1 - 9

%

37.0

9.8

16.9

18.6

10.7

7.0

100% Avg. Income

$91,267 $68,165 $64,963 $61,800 $56,621 $51,253

$71,713 Hawaii

112 37 78 90 53 41

n=411 %

47 59 72 75 77 91 Hours per week working 16,9 10 - 19 18,6 20 - 29 10,7 30 - 39

Mainland

104 23 27 28 15 4

n=201 %

44 37 25 23 22 9 40 + 7 23

Students Surveyed

First-Time Freshmen and Transfer Leavers

Transfer Freshman 44% 56%

Class Standing

Junior 32% Senior 17% Freshman 21% Sophomore 30% 2012 24

Representativeness of Sample

African American American Indian/Alaskan Native Asian Caucasian Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Hispanic Mixed Race (2 or more) Unknown

UHM %

1.5

0.3

42.4

21.4

17.5

2.0

14.3

0.2

All Leavers %

2.5

0.7

Respondents %

1.2

0.7

29.9

32.4

18.3

2.5

13.3

0.2

26.9

37.7

14.5

2.5

11.6

0.3

Diff.

-0.3

+0.4

-15.5

+16.3

-3.0

+0.5

-2.7

+0.1

25

Major Themes

UHM LEAVERS INTERVIEWS

26

Academic Advising - Summary

• • • • • • • • Not personalized or individualized for the student Generic information that could be obtained manually through other medium Unhelpful – “figure it out” Long lines to meet with advisor Didn’t help strategize which classes to take in which order Advising for undeclared students not helpful – not assigned one advisor and not required to meet with the advisor Lack of communication and strategy can lead to extended program length Advising meetings focuses on registration, rather than true academic advising 27

Academic Advising - Quotes

• • • • •

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, I wanted to explore different classes but paying $22,000 a year without knowing what I wanted to do didn’t make sense so I wanted to come back home and take community college courses.” “[The advisors] would give us a sheet and tell us what we needed to take, but didn’t help us. They basically told us to figure it out.” “I felt like they had a bad system where I felt like people weren’t very welcoming. I went and saw a counselor and he wasn’t very helpful. He assumed that I knew what I was doing because I was a transfer student and I had done it before, but I had no idea what was going on.” "I was very frustrated with the counseling." You can't sign up ahead of time for counseling - you have to go and wait in a line at the start of the day (or specified time)… there is not one advisor assigned to each student - rather he had to see a different person almost every time. The advisors were not helpful. The information they provided was the same that she could have accessed online or via other sources. The information they gave was generic.

28

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Quality of Instruction - Summary

Not rigorous Lack of faculty support Geared towards traditional-aged students Courses not offered Felt could get a better education from a community college for lower cost Large class sizes Poor quality of classrooms Inflexible online classes Boring pedagogy (lecture-based) Poor classroom management Less than convenient faculty office hours Lack of academic support 29

• • • • •

Quality of Instruction - Quotes

“The classes were underdeveloped and not rigorous compared to the AP classes that I took in high school. Compared to what I’m paying, the classes didn’t seem worthwhile. The honors program, especially, was underdeveloped and disappointing. The courses weren’t challenging and I didn’t learn enough.” “I left it because there were better opportunities in community college. Besides the cost, it was also closer to my house.” “The biggest challenge was getting to and from classes, and there were so many students in classes there weren’t enough seats. Not sure how that happened, it makes taking a class hard when you’re sitting on the floor, especially when it’s something difficult. I wish there were more courses and programs at West Oahu.” Courses were hit-or-miss -- a few were really great, but many of them had the flaws described above (too impersonal, too big, too little engagement). Office hours could have helped her grades, which were unsatisfactory. In an online course, the instructor didn't teach us anything -- just assigned reading. No lectures to speak of. Required courses were just "going through the motions," not very rigorous. "You read the textbook and regurgitate the information." get "credit for doing the bare minimum."

30

Administrative Processes - Summary

• • • • • • • • Lack of follow-up from department when wanting to switch majors Miscommunication leading to loss of financial aid Unstructured and unorganized Antiquated computer systems Bureaucratic Function of system labels students taking ‘leave of absence’ as being leavers Lack of instructions and timelines for doing ‘business of being a student’ Financial aid, cashiers, and registrar’s offices all cited as having unhelpful staff 31

• • • • • • •

Administrative Processes - Quotes

“The computer systems are ancient.” “The red tape is crazy” “The administrative system makes it impossible to get anything done” “Reduce administrative red tape and improve communication to avoid student financial crises“ “In high school, it was easier to get things done. You know who to go to and where to go. I’m not saying that [UHM] should treat us like high school students, but they should have some sort of outline [to help students].” "So many times things look good on paper, but when somebody uses it, there's a glitch. My thoughts are that when someone is on a leave of absence and if the school hasn't heard from them, they should contact the student by letter, phone, or email to ask what the students' intentions are and say that 'you have until x date to reenroll.' I'm testing the waters on a lot of those things, but [the University] should definitely make it less difficult to re-enroll." [UHM needs to] generally improve communications, bureaucratic efficiency, and quality of instruction.

32

NSSE results from 2004-2010

EXAMINING ACADEMIC RIGOR

33

Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources UHM First Year Peer First Year UHM Senior Peer Senior 3,2 3,1 3 2,9 2,8 2,7 2,6 2,5 UHM First years reported integrating ideas the least 3,4 3,35 3,3 3,25 3,2 3,15 3,1 3,05 3 Seniors exhibit mixed results in the 6-year window 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 In your experience at your institution during the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following? 1=Never, 2=Sometimes, 3=Often, 4=Very often 34

Come to class without completing readings or assignments

UHM First Year Peer First Year UHM Senior Peer Senior 2,35 2,3 2,25 2,2 2,15 2,1 2,05 2 UHM First years are less likely than their peers to be prepared for class 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2,4 2,35 2,3 2,25 2,2 2,15 2,1 2,05 UHM Seniors report coming to class more prepared in recent years 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 In your experience at your institution during the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following? 1=Never, 2=Sometimes, 3=Often, 4=Very often 35

Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations UHM First Year Peer First Year UHM Senior Peer Senior 2,7 2,6 2,5 2,4 2,3 2,2 2,1 All first year students increasingly report working harder 2,8 2,75 2,7 2,65 2,6 2,55 2,5 2,45 2,4 UHM Seniors report working the hardest of the four groups presented 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 In your experience at your institution during the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following? 1=Never, 2=Sometimes, 3=Often, 4=Very often 36

5,7 Select the circle that best represents the extent to which your examinations during the current school year have challenged you to do your best work.

UHM First Year Peer First Year UHM Senior Peer Senior 5,5 5,6 5,45 5,5 5,4 5,3 5,2 5,1 5 UHM First years are challenged the least 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 5,4 5,35 5,3 5,25 5,2 5,15 UHM Seniors are more challenged than their peers 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

1=Very little to 7=Very much

37

Preparing for class (studying, reading, writing, doing homework or lab work, analyzing data, rehearsing, and other academic activities) UHM First Year Peer First Year UHM Senior Peer Senior 4,7 4,5 4,3 4,1 3,9 3,7 3,5 UHM First years report the least time preparing for class 4,7 4,6 4,5 4,4 4,3 4,2 4,1 4 3,9 3,8 All seniors are increasing their class preparation since 2007 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 About how many hours do you spend in a typical 7-day week doing each of the following?

1=0 hrs/wk, 2=1-5 hrs/wk, 3=6-10 hrs/wk, 4=11-15 hrs/wk, 5=16-20 hrs/wk, 6=21-25 hrs/wk, 7=26-30 hrs/wk, 8=More than 30 hrs/wk

38

Spending significant amounts of time studying and on academic work

2,8 2,7 2,6 2,5 3,3 3,2 3,1 3 2,9 UHM First Year Peer First Year UHM students report a decreased emphasis on studying at UHM 3,2 3,15 3,1 3,05 3 2,95 2,9 2,85 2,8 2,75 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 UHM Senior Peer Senior 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 To what extent does your institution emphasize each of the following?

1=Very little, 2=Some, 3=Quite a bit, 4=Very much

39

Providing the support you need to help you succeed academically

UHM First Year Peer First Year UHM Senior Peer Senior 2,7 2,6 2,5 2,4 3,2 3,1 3 2,9 2,8 3 2,9 2,8 2,7 2,6 UHM students report lower levels of support than their peers 2,5 2,4 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 To what extent does your institution emphasize each of the following?

1=Very little, 2=Some, 3=Quite a bit, 4=Very much

40