The Making of a Learning Community at Grossmont College

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The Making of a Learning Community at Grossmont
College

• What are the ingredients necessary for success?

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Eye of Newt, Toe of Frog, Wool of Bat and Tongue
of Dog
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Patience
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Enthusiasm
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Persistence
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Partners in Crime Mentors of New Instructors
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Instructors Creating Assignments, together
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To Motivate Students
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To Encourage Collaborating
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And Learning
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The Help of Counselors and Support Staff
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Commitment to the Journey
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ARCC Data-Fall, 2007-Spring 2008

• English 90 Composition35 success
• English 90 and English 90R65 success
• English 98 Composition55 success
• English 98 and English 98R70 success

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Research

• Fall 2001Spring 2002 English 98 and 110
• Sample Size2,743
• RESULTS IN PROJECT LINKS
• Success --1003 (69.1)
• No Success184(12.7)
• Withdraw265(18.3)
• RESULTS IN STAND-ALONES
• Success674 (52.2)
• No Success265(20.1)
• Withdraw352(27.5)

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Research Continued--Subgroups

• Minority Students
• Project Courses 65.7 success vs.50
• Female Students
• Project Courses 73.5 vs. 56.7
• Low-Income Students
• Project Courses 68.8 vs. 46.7
• Disabled Students
• Project Courses 60.4 vs. 47.4

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Project Success Fall 1996-2000

• Project Success studentsstudents enrolled in
  both linked classes English 103/105 (98/98R) or
  English 110/106 (110/110R), for a total of 2,083
  students.
• Non-Project Studentsstudents enrolled a
  non-Project section of English 103 (98) or
  English 110 taught by the same instructor who
  teaches a Project section of the same course, for
  a total of 1,328 students.

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Research Study1996-2000

• Success Rates for English 103/105 (98/98R) where
  success is an A, B, C, or Credit grade, and D,F
  and No Credit grades are not successful
• Project Success Students 59.8 success
• Non-Project Students 43.5 success

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Research

• Retention Rates
• Project 81.5 vs. 66.5
• Persistence Rates (to subsequent semester)
• Project 70.4 vs. 66
• Transition and Success to Next English Level
• Project 54 vs. 42 (transition)
• Project 62 vs. 59 (success)

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Research

• Success Rates for English 110/106(110R)
• Project Students 67 vs. 63
• Retention Rates
• Project Students 82.9 vs. 77.1
• Persistence Rates
• Project Students 75.5 vs. 64.7
• Transition and Success in Next English Level
• Project Students 34 vs. 20 (transition)
• Project Students 61 vs. 48 (success)

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Considerations

• Research first What courses have the poorest
  success rates? Are there courses that students
  tend to enroll in concurrently?
• When looking to link, consider courses with
  high enrollments and/or courses that are required
  (Pathways)
• Develop recruitment tools.

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• Schedule courses back-to-back and on the same day
• If possible, schedule instructors so they may
  visit each others classes
• Consider Freshman Experience approaches which
  require enrollment in a full load of courses

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• Consider linking developmental courses with
  curriculum focused on specific vocational/career
  goals
• Start small think quality not quantity

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• Consider first working with individual
  instructors in other content areas to share what
  you teach, what your students need, and how you
  can help each other teach those concepts to your
  students in a constructive context (integrative
  learning)

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Because When Every Student Counts, Every Student
Succeeds

• Learning is not merely the memorization of dates
  and facts. Learning is when one comes upon
  knowledge, questions it, analyzes it, and applies
  it to his or her life. The cluster was an
  enriching experience that I will not soon forget.
  The words of my instructors will echo in my head
  for years. Never have I changed so much in such
  a short period of time.
• Ryan Doyle, Grossmont student