Focus on Diagnosis: - PowerPoint Presentation

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Focus on Diagnosis:Persistence at TCC

TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGEJulie Woodruff, Associate Professor of EnglishMary Millikin, Director of Institutional Researchrepresenting the AtD Data TeamFebruary 3, 2010

© 2010 Tulsa Community College Data TeamSlide2

TCC Fall 2009 Profile19,198 studentsFour campuses city-wide62% female and 38% male26% minority students 3,531 first-time freshmen44% of students under age 2174% university parallelSlide3

4 – Component ProcessSlide4

Component 1: What’s Wrong?Institutional Research conducted a comprehensive analysis of student success disaggregated by demographics Core Team selected three priorities for further analysis over next four yearsSlide5

Persist or Graduate1972

1485989

968

781

717Slide6

Graduation Rateby Reading Placement1404

263305Slide7

Graduation RateBy Math Placement648

48143

1133Slide8

Achieving the Dream Calendar YEARPRIORITY2008-09

2009-10 2010-11 First-time Freshmen Persistence Developmental ReadingDevelopmental Mathematics African-American Male Student PersistenceSlide9

4 – Component ProcessSlide10

Component 2: Why?Student focus groups

Faculty and staff focus groupsLiterature reviewSlide11

Focus Group PreparationPlanning Recruiting studentsOrdering suppliesSlide12

Student Focus Group Participants12 student focus groups3 focus groups at each of 4 campuses101 students Student participants in focus groups matched demographics of students in first-time freshmen cohortSlide13

Research Question:

“What barriers or challenges

did you experience in persisting to your second semester?” Slide14

Student ResultsSlide15

Most Frequent BarriersAdjusting to college Balancing school, employment, and life Difficulty choosing courses Communication issues with instructors Textbook issues Slide16

Persistence FindingsAdjustment BarriersService BarriersAcademic Barriers82% of all barriers fell into one of 3 major types or clusters.Slide17

Faculty and Staff ResultsSlide18

Faculty/Staff Research Question:

“What barriers or challenges

do you experience in helping students persist to their

second semester?” Slide19

Faculty and Staff Focus Groups 2 focus groups offered per campus*7 total groups conducted 64 total participants; 25 faculty and 39 staffFirst groups on each campus were mixed groups of faculty and staff volunteers. The second focus groups on each campus contained only faculty. Asked faculty and staff what challenges they experience in helping students persist to their 2nd semester.

*One campus filled one focus group; the second group on that campus was not attended.Slide20

Most Frequent Faculty/Staff ObstaclesStudent attitudes/motivationStudents not academically preparedTextbooksPart-time instruction issues

Online coursesAdvisement-related issuesFinancial AidSlide21

Persistence Findings: ClustersStudent Attitudes & MotivationPolicies & Administrative PracticesInstruction

76% of all barriers fell into one of 3 major types or clusters.Slide22

4 – Component ProcessSlide23

Component 3: Intervention

From student and faculty barriers: Strategies for Academic Success courseSlide24

Strategies for Academic Success Intervention:DesignHiring Criteria AssessmentsEnrollment Limits TrainingCourse Objectives TextbookSlide25

Strategies for Academic Success Intervention: SupportFaculty Support Website on BlackboardCampus Lead InstructorsTextbook Author Presentation to TCC FacultySlide26

Strategies for Academic Success Intervention: Organization and StructureStrategies for Academic Success Intervention Team Leader ResponsibilitiesCompensationStrategies for Academic Success Intervention TeamResponsibilitiesMembership and StructureSlide27

Strategies for Academic Success Intervention: Organization and Structure cont’dCampus Lead InstructorsResponsibilitiesFaculty (full-time employees of the college preferred)ResponsibilitiesCompensationSlide28

Strategies for Academic Success Intervention: Focus Groups Reveal Most Frequent Challenges for Lead Faculty Time required to update faculty support siteGetting faculty to read and use available online support resources in BlackboardNumber of faculty to mentorDependence of some faculty on lead faculty for many lesson plans and activitiesSlide29

Strategies for Academic Success Intervention: Focus Groups Reveal Most Frequent Challenges for FacultyCourse Planning, Preparation, Delivery Academically Unprepared StudentsScheduling Student Support ServicesInstructor Collaboration Slide30

Strategies for Academic Success Intervention: Formative Assessment of TrainingTraining Survey: Content, Needs, Timing, SatisfactionResults to Intervention TeamSlide31

Strategies for Academic Success Intervention: Changes Improved instructor directions for administering LASSI (Learning and Study Strategies Inventory)Improved in-house online collection tools for instructors’ assessment dataSlide32

Strategies for Academic Success Intervention: Next StepsCommon Cognitive AssessmentComplete pilotImplement Fall 2010 Based on Training Survey, review training and modify, if neededSlide33

Component 4: Assessment and Modification

Evaluate Strategies for Academic Success course Student results

Faculty feedbackLead faculty feedbackSlide34

Student ResultsSlide35

Strategies for Academic Success (ENGL 1003) and College Survival (ENGL 0903)Year 1: 2008-200961 sections fall 200842 sections spring 200914 sections summer 2009Groups for comparison from Fall 2008 first-time freshman cohortEnrolled in Strategies (1,712)Enrolled in College Survival (92)Enrolled in neither course (1,851)Slide36

Fall-to-Spring PersistenceStrategiesSurvivalNeither

*Significant at alpha < .01Slide37

Fall-to-Spring Persistencefor Highest At-risk StudentsSurvivalReading I Non-Survival*Significant at alpha < .01Slide38

Fall-to-Fall PersistenceStrategiesSurvivalNeither

*Significant at alpha < .01Slide39

Fall-to-Fall Retention for the MostAt-risk StudentsSurvivalReading I Non-Survival*Not significant at alpha < .01Slide40

Significant Differences in Course Grades Between Strategies and Non-Strategies Students inBasic MathWriting II (Developmental Writing)College AlgebraBiology for MajorsUS History 1492 to Civil War EraIntroduction to Psychology *Significant at alpha < .01Slide41

Persistence InterventionAfrican-American Male Student InterventionSlide42

African-American Male Student:Component 1 -- What’s Wrong?Fall-to-Spring Persistence = 60% 75% overall first-time freshmen Fall-to-Fall Persistence = 36% 50% overall first-time freshmen Persistence after three years, including graduation = 16% 36% overall first-time freshmen persistence after three years (graduation or retention) Slide43

African-American Male Student:Component 2 -- Why?7 student focus groups Facilitators and scribes: African-American male TCC employeesChallenges with recruiting participantsData analysis in processSlide44

African-American Male Student: Focus Group Preliminary ThemesDifficulty balancing school, employment, and lifeNeeding academic and career goalsExperiencing self-defeating attitudes and low motivationHaving insufficient academic preparationExperiencing stereotypingWanting to see more AA male mentors, AA role models, AA male students on campusSlide45

African-American Male Student:Next Steps in Component 2--Why?Additional focus groups to be conducted with general faculty and general staff on all campusesResearch Question: “What are your challenges/obstacles in assisting African-American male students to persist at TCC?”Slide46

African-American Male Student Next Steps cont’d: Component 3--InterventionReceive student focus group dataDigest focus group data, literature reviews, interviewsDesign intervention and assessment March-JulyImplement intervention Fall 2010Slide47

African-American Male Student Intervention: Next Steps cont’dComponent 4-- Assessment and ModificationAssess intervention formatively and summativelyBased on assessment data, modify intervention to increase effectivenessSlide48

Thank you