Engaging Community Colleges A First Look

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SENSE Fall 2007 Pilot Orientation Conference Calls
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Conference Call Overview

• Materials available on Web site
• Procedure Guide
• PowerPoint
• SENSE participation agreement
• Agenda
• Introductions whose new?
• Project overview
• Sampling frame
• Timeline

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Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE)
PROJECT OVERVIEW

• Purpose Systematically understand earliest
  experiences
• Emphasis on the front door experience
• Help students persist through equivalent of first
  semester (12-15 credits)
• Benefits for participating colleges
• Use data to produce more successful student
  outcomes
• Useful for benchmarking institutional practices
  and assessment strategies
• Data will provide means for benchmarking
  externally (after pilot)
• Comparison/Contrast with CCSSE
• CCSSE administered spring SENSE given in fall
  during 4th and 5th weeks
• CCSSE samples drawn from all courses SENSE
  focused sampling frame

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

• Roles and Responsibilities
• (p.2)
• Campus Contact
• MUST be available during summer months
• Survey Administrator(s)
• May be same person as Campus Contact
• Faculty may (in some cases) be the Administrator
• SENSE Liaison
• Liaison will be assigned in early June

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PROJECT OVERVIEW
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Fall Term Course Schedule File (CSF)
SAMPLING

• The CSF is used to create the sample
• The CSF contains only courses meeting the
  following parameters (page 4)
• All developmental reading, writing, and math
  courses at all levels (NOT INCLUDING ESL courses)
• First college-level math course(s)
• First college-level English course(s)
• Send an Excel (not html or pdf) file to SENSE
  Liaison within one week of this call
• Template in guide (Appendix F, page 23)

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Fall Term Course Schedule File (CSF)
SAMPLING

• Courses outside the sampling frame DO NOT
  include
• Distance-learning classes not meeting in person
  during the fourth and fifth weeks of class
• ESL courses
• Dual-enrollment courses for high school students
• Review the sample
• Check for courses that should not have been
  included
• Two days to review to determine if another sample
  needs to be pulled

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Target Sample Size 160
SAMPLING
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TIMELINE REVIEW
P.13
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TIMELINE REVIEW

• Presidents Memo
• When to send Prior to the conclusion of spring
  2006 term!
• Template Appendix D, page 21
• Sample Approval Process
• When to send Submit the CSF as an Excel file to
  your liaison within one week of this call
• Sample Appendix F, page 23
• SENSE sends college random sample (May 10 June
  15)
• College approves sample, SENSE begins building
  class packets

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TIMELINE REVIEW

• Survey Packet Preparation
• Each sampled course will have an envelope
  containing these materials
• SENSE Surveys (including extra surveys)
• Survey Administration Script (Appendix I, page
  26)
• Class Information Sheet (Appendix J, page 27 -
  Note not yet printed)
• SENSE Special Focus Questions
• 2 Pencils
• SENSE also sends UPS return shipping labels and
  SENSE neon address labels

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TIMELINE REVIEW

• Selecting Administrators
• Administrators may be non-faculty or faculty
• Deans memo
• When to send July 15 August 15
• Sample Appendix E, page 22
• Scheduling Letter
• When to send Prior to start of 2007 fall
  academic term
• Sample Appendix H, page 25

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TIMELINE REVIEW

• Post Administration
• Return completed surveys WEEKLY to SENSE in the
  course envelopes (along with Class Information
  Sheets) in which the surveys were administered
• UPS shipping labels-if you lose them or need
  more, contact SENSE liaison
• SENSE suggests notifying us when a survey
  shipment is sent
• Recommend Campus Contact keeps record of
  shipments
• All surveys must be returned to SENSE no later
  than October 15, 2007

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SENSE DELIVERABLES

• Institutional Reports
• All reports will be electronic via the SENSE Web
  site
• Reports will be available February 2008
• Pilot Data will in the Members Only section
  however, beyond data phase data will be posted in
  the public section of our Web site

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Questions?
WRAP-UP