College Student Success Project

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College Student Success Project 
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College Student Success Project
Introduced by Shirley Green Ph.D., Interim
Vice-President Student Affairs Presenters Dr.
Rick Sheets Ed.D., Interim Associate Dean of
Students Heather Kruse M.Ed., Director of Student
Development Michaelle Shadburne M.Ed., Manager,
Employee Org. Learning Laurie Pemberton Ph.D.,
Director of Institutional Effectiveness

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Presentation Learning Objectives

• Components in PVCCs iStartSmart model and their
  importance
• Attributes that contribute to the success of new
  college students
• Strategies and indicators for related program
  assessment

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Overview of MCCCD/PVCC

• Maricopa County Community College District
  consists of 10 colleges and 2 skill centers in
  the Greater Phoenix AZ area
• Paradise Valley Community College is located in
  North Phoenix (32nd Street Union Hills)
• In Fall 2007, PVCC had 8,574 headcount 3,908
  full-time-equivalent students

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National Trends / Challenges

• Nationally of students who seek an associates
  degree, only 45 earned an associates or
  bachelors degree or transferred within 6 years
• Those enrolled in certificate programs, only 41
  earned a degree or transferred within 6 years

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National Trends / Challenges

• Nationally only 27 of students referred to
  development education courses completed them
• 70 of first semester students re-enrolled in the
  next semester
• Only 44 re-enrolled in both second and third
  semesters

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National Trends / Challenges

• The P-20 education system leaks badly at every
  joint (including public, private)
• For every 100 students that entered Arizonas
  kindergarten in 2007, only 14 are projected to
  earn a bachelors degree

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National Trends / Challenges

• In Arizona (between 2007-2025)
• Projected bachelors degrees to be awarded
  100,344
• In order to be nationally and globally
  competitive, 300,000 575,000 more bachelors
  degrees need to be awarded

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National Trends / Challenges

• Right to fail, or opportunity to succeed?
• At PVCC, 17 of the cost of a course is paid by
  the student (tuition/fees)
• Good stewards?
• Informed intrusiveness
• Educational malpractice?

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Deep Thoughts

• Access without support is not opportunity
• Vincent Tinto NISOD, 2008
• Institutions dont have a problem with access,
  they have a problem with success
• Bob Bendotti IARC, 2008

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Why iStartSmart?

• Faculty concerns about students
• Under-prepared to attend college.
• Low retention in classes.
• Low persistence to the next semester.
• Low enrollments in 200-level courses.
• Low identification and attainment of educational
  goals.

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Call to Action

• Fall 2000 PVCC adopted the under-prepared
  student issue as one of the Colleges strategic
  issues.
• Spring 2001
• The Under-prepared Student Initiative (USI)
  committee was formed, which included both faculty
  (15) and staff (3).
• A white paper was generated by PVCC veteran
  faculty member Dr. Sally Rings, synthesizing the
  current research about the under-prepared
  students.

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AccomplishmentsUnder-prepared Student Initiative
Committee

• An advocacy paper was written and shared with the
  entire college. Key beliefs included
• That the college's faculty, staff and
  administration all share the responsibility of
  serving under-prepared students.
• That current policy and practice relating to
  orientation, assessment, placement testing,
  advisement and late registration for all students
  must be reconsidered.
• That strategies and programs designed to serve
  under-prepared students should be systemic and
  sustainable.

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AccomplishmentsUnder-prepared Student Initiative
Committee

• Further research was conducted to study
  successful programs at colleges across the U.S.
• Consultants that helped PVCC frame student
  success strategies included
• Kay McClenney, University of Texas at Austin
• Joann Wright, Moraine Valley Community College
• Kati Haycock, The Education Trust
• Skip Downing, On Course
• Vincent Tinto, Syracuse University
• The USI committee developed the iStartSmart
  student success pilot project.

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• For all first-time degree-seeking students

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New to College?
PVCCs student success program, iStartSmart, is
required if any of the following apply

• New to college, degree seeking and taking 12 or
  more credit hours
• New to college, degree seeking and taking 6 or
  more credits, and placement test scores indicate
  any course under 100 level

Placement Testing required for all students who
meet any of the following criteria

• New to college, degree seeking and taking 6 or
  more credit hours
• All new to college students wishing to take
  college-level English, Mathematics, or Reading
• Any student receiving Financial Aid who does not
  have a GED or high school diploma

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Orientation Agenda
Welcome / Icebreaker Group Activities Funding
Your Education Tour of Student Services Breakout
Sessions Benefits of a College Success
Course Parent Session Choose Your
Classes Choosing Your Class Schedule Register for
Classes Orientation Check Out Evaluation /
Assessment Student ID Card, Pay for Classes Option
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College Success Course
http//www.oncourseworkshop.com/
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College Success CourseOn Course A Comprehensive
Foundationfor Academic Success and Retention
Academic Success Retention
Traditional Success Class
Study Skills Campus Resources________________
_____________Effective Outer
Behaviors______________________________________
Empowering Inner Qualities
On Course Success Course
On Course Success Course
On Course Success Course
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College Success Course

• One or three credit, transferable course that
  includes Study Skills plus
• Personal Responsibility
• Self-Motivation
• Self-Management
• Interdependence
• Self-Awareness
• Lifelong Learning
• Emotional Intelligence

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Responsibility Model
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Responsibility Model
Inner Critic
Inner Guide
Inner Defender

• Creator languageTheres always something I can
  do. I can choose to be different. I can
• I will

Victim language Theres nothing I can do. I
have always been that way. I cant.. Ill
try
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VOLUNTEERS!!!

• Will the three volunteers please come forward!
• To become familiar with the difference between
  how creators and victims respond to lifes
  stimuliwe will now demonstrate the power of
  choice using the responsibility model in a
  brief role play.

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Role Play Scenario

• You are a college administrator who is
  considering the pros and cons of developing a new
  student success program. The audience will be
  able to listen in to the inner critic/defender
  victim voice and the inner guide/creator voice as
  you consider this option.

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Fall 2007 iStartSmart Students

• 959 students completed orientation and the
  related group advising session
• 875 (91) of these students enrolled in PVCC fall
  2007 credit courses
• iStartSmart students represented 10 of all PVCC
  credit students in fall 2007
• A total of 941 students were enrolled in the
  college success courses

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Spring 2008 iStartSmart Students

• 293 students completed orientation and the
  related group advising session
• 258 (88) of these students enrolled in PVCC
  spring 2008 credit courses
• iStartSmart students represented 3 of all PVCC
  credit students in spring 2003
• A total of 230 students were enrolled in the
  college success courses

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PVCCs iStartSmart Students

• The majority of PVCCs iStartSmart students
• Under age 20
• Graduated high school in past year
• Have no prior college experience
• Full-time students at PVCC
• Attend classes during the day

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Orientation

• 86 information useful
• 84 prepared to meet with an advisor
• 83 understand how goal setting can enhance
  achievement
• Other objectives
• Faculty expectations in PVCC courses
• Academic support services

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College Success Course

• Students felt the course prepared them
• 86 success in college and life
• 88 improve self-management skills
• 86 learn how to take charge of their lives
• 84 increase self-motivation
• 83 increase self-awareness
• 79 develop interdependence

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Student Success

• 92 (809 of the iStartSmart students) completed
  the fall 2007 semester
• 73 of the course attempts were successfully
  passed (A, B, C grades)
• 74 of the fall 2007 iStartSmart students
  enrolled in PVCC spring 2008 credit courses
  (compared to 57 for all PVCC students from fall
  2007 to spring 2008)

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Lessons Learned

• Right to fail versus responsibility for student
  success
• Courage to act on what we know to be true
• Informed intrusiveness (educational stewardship)
• Handshake between academic, administrative, and
  student services

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Lessons Learned

• College-wide support/involvement required
• Marketing and communications are critical
• Create buy-in for College Success Course at
  Orientation
• Assess integrated Orientation, Advising, and
  Registration
• Benefits/challenges of new SIS
• Plan for added staff and resource demands

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Next Steps

• Assess orientation/registration process and make
  needed changes
• Engage family and friends to support new students
• Increase faculty engagement
• Assess cohort
• Communication/involvement of all employees

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www.pvc.maricopa.edu/istartsmart