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Enrollment Decline Study Commissioners Summary

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Title: Enrollment Decline Study Commissioners Summary


1
Technical College System of Georgia
Enrollment Decline StudyCommissioners
Summary Office of Planning and Research
2
Enrollment Decline Study
  • Key findings
  • There is no single factor, condition, practice or
    policy which has precipitated enrollment decline,
    but a combination of factors.
  • Proprietary schools in Georgia have experienced
    enormous growth in recent years with a 28.4 jump
    in enrollment between 2003 and 2004 and a 14
    increase between 2004 and 2005. With two years
    of double-digit growth, the number of students
    enrolled in proprietary schools increased rapidly
    from 30,255 students in FY2003 to 44,323 students
    in FY2005.
  • In FY2005, almost half (48.8) of all students
    entering technical colleges in the fall were not
    retained.
  • Developmental studies enrollment decreased by
    12.3 percent from FY2005 to FY2006 (31,979 to
    28,037) which is much larger than the system
    enrollment decrease of 1.5 percent.

3
Enrollment Decline Study
  • Methodology
  • Several different methodologies were
    incorporated for this particular study, depending
    upon the factor or potential relationships of
    factors.
  • Regression analysis was used to determine the
    relationship and degree of correlation among
    variables such as workplace unemployment rates to
    student enrollment, high school graduates,
    budget, and population growth.
  • Data for this study was extracted from multiple
    sources, both internal and external including the
    Department of Technical and Adult Education Data
    Center, the National Center for Education
    Statistics, the Georgia Department of Labor and
    the Georgia Department of Education.
  • To obtain primary source information, focus
    groups were conducted at nine different schools
    around the state including Gwinnett, DeKalb,
    Coosa Valley, Appalachian, Southwest Georgia,
    Valdosta, Southeast Georgia, Altamaha, and
    Savannah Technical Colleges. Schools were
    selected based upon changes in enrollment, size,
    and geographic location.

4
Enrollment Decline Study
  • General factors contributing to enrollment
    decline
  • Technical college students are at-risk students
    facing almost insurmountable
  • barriers to academic success (Cohen Brawer,
    1987), including poor
  • academic skills, family and work pressures, and
    financial difficulties.
  • Unlike the traditional or residential college
    student, students at technical colleges are often
    faced with competing demands on their time
    (Stewart, Merril, Saluri, 1985).
  • Technical college students tend to be older, are
    more likely to be working and are more likely to
    interrupt their enrollments for personal or
    employment reasons.
  • Lack of adequate preparation for post secondary-
    level work, passage of time and the commensurate
    erosion of academic skills are indications of the
    hindrances to academic success of these students.

5
Enrollment Decline Study
6
Enrollment Data
7
Enrollment Decline Study
Enrollment by Program
8
Enrollment Decline Study
Enrollment by Program
  • The major changes in enrollment from FY 2002 to
    FY 2006 have been the dramatic and steady
    increase of students enrolled in Health and
    Personal Service programs and the steady decrease
    of students in Computer Information Systems (CIS)
    programs.
  • Of the 48,226 students enrolled in Health
    technologies in FY 2006, 69 of the enrollment
    was in three major groups 1) Health Care
    Assistant, 2) Practical Nursing and Related
    Programs 3) Medical Assisting.
  • CIS enrollment has plummeted from 32,997 in FY
    2002 to 14,720 in FY 2002, a decrease of 55.

9
Enrollment Decline Study
Enrollment by Consortia
10
Wait List
11
Enrollment Decline Study
Wait List
12
Enrollment Decline Study
Wait List
  • Waiting lists for programs in the health
    technologies area are quite commonplace,
    sometimes with waiting periods up to two years.
  • Waiting lists often have detrimental effects,
    since students who are unable to pursue their
    chosen areas of study or enroll in required
    courses take longer to graduate and may be more
    inclined to drop out or transfer.
  • Before HOPE caps were put into place, students on
    waiting lists often took program-related courses
    to enhance their skills while waiting to get into
    their chosen area of study. Now, with HOPE caps
    in place, students are far more hesitant to take
    courses while waiting to get into their program
    of study in fear of using up all their HOPE
    credit hours.
  • Because of HOPE caps many students are forced to
    stop out of school until they can get into
    their program of choice, transfer to another
    institution, or change to another program of
    study.

13
Competition
14
Enrollment Decline Study
Proprietary Schools
Proprietary Schools with Largest Enrollments
Source NCES/IPEDS Enrollment
15
Enrollment Decline Study
Proprietary Schools
  • Although the exact number of proprietary schools
    operating in Georgia is unknown, sixty-six
    proprietary schools in Georgia report data to the
    National Center for Education Statistics.
  • Proprietary schools in Georgia have experienced
    enormous growth in recent years with a 28.4 jump
    in enrollment between 2003 and 2004 and a 14
    increase between 2004 and 2005.
  • Students attending these schools are eligible for
    federal financial aid including grants, loans,
    and other financial assistance.
  • Tuition costs do not seem to be a factor for
    students since average yearly tuition at the
    two-year proprietary schools is approximately
    12,558 compared to the average yearly tuition of
    1,116 at Georgia Technical Colleges.

16
Enrollment Decline Study
Appeal of Proprietary Schools
  • Many for-profit institutions offer accelerated
    programs.
  • Most proprietary schools do not require students
    to take core classes that dont relate directly
    to their program of study. Students at
    proprietary institutions think that this allows
    them to learn the skills they need to get a job
    without taking classes that they consider
    irrelevant.
  • Convenience in terms of schedule and location is
    also an appealing quality of the proprietary
    school. The flexible scheduling of classes is an
    important benefit offered by proprietary schools,
    particularly those that target the working adult
    population.
  • Flexible admissions standards many for-profit
    institutions focus on a students commitment and
    motivation rather than placement tests or prior
    academic records.

17
Enrollment Decline Study
Enrollment of USG Schools vs. DTAE Schools
USG Schools within close proximity to DTAE Schools
18
Enrollment Decline Study
University System of Georgia Schools
  • In an effort to increase the number of Georgians
    earning college degrees, the University System of
    Georgia launched a pilot admissions program in
    Fall 2005 that eliminates the use of SAT and ACT
    scores in determining an applicants eligibility
    for admission to any of the states 12 public
    two-year colleges and four state colleges. The
    new admissions standard is similar to DTAE.
  • University System and Technical College systems
    appear to be, in effect, blending missions with
    many of the two-year University System colleges
    by increasing the number of short-term, terminal
    award programs in vocationally specific areas
    while the Technical College System of Georgia has
    implemented changes by moving toward COC
    accreditation and working on articulation/transfer
    agreements with two- and four-year colleges.
  • Most University System schools experienced
    increases in FTE between Fall 2004 and Fall 2005.

19
Budget
20
Enrollment Decline Study
Budget
  • Much of DTAEs history has been a story of
    uninterrupted growth. For over a decade the
    enrollments increased, funding increased, and the
    system grew by almost every measure. The
    relationship between funding levels and
    enrollment levels was not fully explored at that
    time because everything was going up.
  • Limited state budgets from FY2001 forward have
    not kept up with enrollment growth. State
    funding per FTE (in constant dollars) decreased
    from 5,523/FTE in FY1999 to 3,956 in FY2004.
    This decline affected the colleges in many ways,
    including deferred maintenance, substitution of
    adjuncts for full-time faculty, reduction in
    evening classes, limited student support
    services, and increased fees. These changes, in
    turn, could have affected student enrollment.
  • The data suggest a 4-year lag before changes in
    funding actually begin to cause changes in
    enrollment
  • If funding declines do lead to enrollment
    declines, the formula would perpetuate those
    decreases, as reduced funding leads to reduced
    enrollment leads to further reduced funding. In
    such a model, several years of level funding
    could be required in order to restore system
    stability.

21
Enrollment Decline Study
Relationship Between Change in Dollars to
Change in FTE Count
  • The accompanying chart shows the percent change
    in state appropriations per FTE plotted against
    the percent change in FTEs four years later.
  • This may not be a direct correlation, but the
    intermediate variables, which are caused by the
    funding decline and in turn cause the drop in
    enrollment, are numerous and varied.
  • One likely candidate is the reduction in
    full-time faculty per FTE, which is shown on the
    graph with a 3-year lag.

22
Enrollment Decline Study
Relationship Between Change in Dollars to
Change in FTE Count
23
Focus Groups
24
Enrollment Decline Study
Participating Schools
Technical Colleges selected to participate in the
focus groups were Altamaha, Appalachian, Coosa
Valley, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Savannah, Southeastern,
Southwest, and Valdosta.
25
Enrollment Decline Study
  • Key factors in enrollment decline indicated by
  • focus groups around the state include
  • Wait Lists for classes
  • Family/job responsibilities
  • Transportation/distance/fuel
  • Course delivery/scheduling/sequencing
  • Transferability of classes
  • Financial aid issues
  • Negative perception of technical colleges
  • Additional student costs books, fees, course
    equipment




26
Enrollment Decline Study
Student Voices from our Schools
Heavily Discussed Cost of books Transferability
of classes Wait lists Faculty Family/job
responsibilities Transportation/Gas Prices

Moderately Discussed Child care HOPE
cap Developmental classes Financial
aid Perception Scheduling/Flexibility
Infrequently Discussed Online classes Night
classes Dual enrollment Parental pressure
Wait List
27
Enrollment Decline Study
Students Why did you choose a/your Technical
College?
  • Hands on immediately tells you if you want to do
    that major
  • Instructor devoted to helping/taking time with
    students
  • Convenience good training good schedule
  • Wanted to be able to start a job with knowledge
    of how to actually do the job
  • Close to home

Wait List
28
Enrollment Decline Study
Student Quotes
  • Money is one of the biggest issues of coming to
    school or not coming
  • Book prices are insane
  • Public perception is not respected
  • Local school system pushed University System only
  • Courses should transfer between schools
  • Advertise change their perception sell what we
    offer, get the message out
  • Night classes needed for those who work
  • Most people are very negative when you tell them
    you attend a technical college
  • Financial aid especially pell doesnt help
    students until after the quarter is over
  • Community perception/high school perception is
    technical college is for those who

Wait List
29
Enrollment Decline Study
Faculty/Staff Voices from our Schools
Heavily Discussed HOPE Cap Dual
enrollment Unemployment rates Wait
lists Transportation/Gas prices Course delivery
Moderately Discussed Internal policies/procedures
Competition Public Relations Perception
Transferability
Infrequently Discussed Course scheduling/sequencin
g Unclear mission Population Budget cuts Service
areas
DTAE
30
Enrollment Decline Study
Faculty/Staff What message would you like to
send DTAEs Central Office?
  • Heads up for planning
  • Communicate down to the schools
  • Didnt really have a decline because there was a
    spike due to plant closings
  • Develop state guidelines to market programs
  • Regionalization of programs

Wait List
31
Enrollment Decline Study
  • Conclusions
  • Enrollment decline in technical colleges is not
    merely a Georgia phenomenon, but a regional and
    national trend.
  • Student needs vary and the span of needs must be
    met successfully
  • Most students receive financial aid
  • Many require developmental courses in basic
    skills before entering their chosen occupational
    programs
  • They may be single parents with additional family
    responsibilities
  • They and/or their spouses may need to work
    multiple jobs to enable one member to attend
    classes
  • Items such as student fees and program costs
    (uniforms, etc.) may be almost impossible
    expenses for them
  • The escalating cost of books even more of a
    go/no-go factor
  • Students in rural (as opposed to metropolitan
    area students) must consider fuel costs as they
    may have long (30 to 100 miles) commutes to
    school.

32
Enrollment Decline Study
  • Recommendations
  • The Focus Group facilitation team strongly
    recommends that DTAE undertake a
  • more substantive study on enrollment management
    and enrollment declines.
  • Specifically
  • DTAE must better communicate mission, vision, and
    marketplace alignment to its schools and
    consumers. Look at North Carolinas system for
    community/technical colleges for best practices.
  • More aggressive/targeted marketing, add more
    curb appeal to programs.
  • Reduce waiting list for specific programs. (Some
    programs are 1-2 years)
  • Equalize institutional accreditations. Formally
    work out the overall issues of the transfer of
    students and their credits with other Georgia
    Colleges/ Universities (Board of Regents)
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