Learning Communities: Kingsborough Community College

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Learning CommunitiesKingsborough Community
College

• Rachel Singer
• Stuart Suss
• Janine Graziano-King

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Kingsborough College Profile

• A unit of The City University of New York
• Brooklyns only community college
• Over 15,000 students in credit programs
• Approx. 20,000 students in Continuing Education

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Kingsborough College Profile

• 800 Faculty and Staff
• Operating budget approx. 65 million
• Campus atmosphere

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Kingsborough College Profile

• Offers both
• Liberal Arts Sciences
• Career oriented
• programs

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Kingsborough Student Profile

• The Economics
• 41 of students from families with
• lt 20,000 household annual income

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Kingsborough Student Profile

• Approximately 50 full-time / 50 part-time
• 35 of students work 21 hours per week
• 70 of students receive financial aid

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Kingsborough Student Profile

• 41 White
• 33 Black
• 14 Hispanic
• 12 Asian
• 127 Countries
• 72 Languages
• 60 Female

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Roadblocks to SuccessUnder-preparation

• Freshman Basic Skills Test Performance
• 25.9 Failed Reading
• 59 Failed Writing
• 60.6 Failed Mathematics
• Only 20 of entering freshmen passed all three.

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History of Learning Communitiesat Kingsborough

• 1995 ESL Intensive
• 2000 Career Perkins
• 2003 Opening Doors (MDRC)
• 2007 Career Focused (MDRC)

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What does the KCC LC model look like?
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O P E N I N G D O O R S
Tutoring
Information Literacy
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Block Programming for Student Cohorts
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The Role of Administration

• Getting buy-in from potential stakeholders
• Faculty
• Top administrators
• Department chairs
• Staff
• Students
• Keeping stakeholders in the loop
• Serving as a liaison among LC stakeholders
  internal external resources
• Supporting faculty development

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The Role of the Faculty

• To promote integrative learning through...

• Identifying shared learning objectives
• Synchronizing course topics
• Developing shared assignments
• Discussing student progress

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The Role of the Case Manager

• To promote student success through...

• Teaching a theme-based Student Success course
• Working with linking faculty partners to discuss
  student progress
• Meeting with students one-on-one
• Facilitating early intervention where needed

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Additional Support

• Enhanced instruction
• Supplemental Support
• Tutors
• In class
• In Reading Writing Center
• Information literacy
• Book voucher

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The Effects of Opening Doors Learning
Communities at Kingsborough Community College
Mary Visher October 3, 2007
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Briefing Outline

• Background on the study
• Effects of Opening Doors Learning Communities on
  students
• Conclusions and discussion

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Background on the Opening Doors Study at
Kingsborough

• One of six colleges nationwide participating in
  the Opening Doors Demonstration
• Goal To test the effectiveness of promising
  interventions designed to increase student
  success
• Academic achievement
• Persistence
• Graduation or transfer
• Employment and other long-term outcomes
• Opening Doors Learning Communities ran from
  2003-2005
• Over 1,500 students enrolled in the study

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Opening Doors Learning Communities at Kingsborough

• Targeted incoming freshmen
• Groups of 25 students took 3 linked courses
  together
• English (usually developmental)
• Student development (taught by counselor)
• A standard college course, such as sociology or
  health
• Faculty coordinated assignments, discussed
  student progress
• Students received tutoring and book voucher

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Characteristics of Students Enrolled in the Study

• 55 percent female, 45 percent male
• Average age 19.7
• 74 percent financially dependent on parents
• Race/ethnicity
• 20 percent Hispanic
• 27 percent white
• 38 percent black
• 9 percent Asian
• Main reason for enrolling in college
• 30 percent to earn an Associates degree
• 50 percent to transfer to a 4-year institution
• 10 percent to obtain job skills

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Study Used Random Assignment Design the Gold
Standard
Incoming Freshmen invited to participate in study
Students gave consent
Baseline data collected
Random Assignment
Program group Enrolled in Opening Doors Learning
Communities
Comparison group Received regular college
services
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All Program and Comparison Group Students Tracked
for up to 2 Years

• Transcripts from KCC and CUNY
• Credits earned, grades, retention
• National Student Clearinghouse
• Transfer and persistence
• Follow-up survey at 12 months after random
  assignment
• Classroom and campus experiences
• Engagement and belonging
• Work, civic participation, health

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Primary Research Question

• What is the value added of Opening Doors Learning
  Communities, over and above what students would
  normally receive?
• Program effects the difference between the
  outcomes of students randomly assigned to Opening
  Doors and the comparison group
• A high bar at a quality college like
  Kingsborough

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Overall, the Learning Communities were well
implemented

• 40 LCs implemented over 4 semesters
• Students in LCs had access to case managers
• Students took linked classes together

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Implementation varied across the LCs and
semesters.

• Faculty collaboration varied.
• Curricular integration varied.
• Case management not always fully understood by
  faculty.
• Size of LCs varied.
• LCs strengthened over time.

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Students in Learning Communities More Likely to
Enroll Full-Time


PERCENT
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Students in Learning Communities Attempt and Pass
More Courses



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Positive Effects on Course Completion Persist One
Semester, Then Diminish.
One Semester after ODLC
Two Semesters after ODLC


Number of Courses Passed
Number of Courses Attempted
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Cumulative Effects on Credits and Enrollment
after 3 Semesters

CREDITS
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More OD students completed English by end of
second semester.
PERCENT

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Even After 1 Year, Students in Learning
Communities Report Better College Experience

PERCENT



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A Delayed but Positive Effect on Persistence?

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Conclusions about Opening Doors Learning
Communities

• Significantly improved academic outcomes during
  the learning communities semester
• In subsequent semesters, had modest but
  significant effects on credits earned and passing
  English
• Left a lasting imprint on students perceptions
  of college
• Acquiring academic and work skills
• Using knowledge
• Participation and engagement
• Overall rating of college experience
• A slight, positive and somewhat delayed impact on
  persistence.

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Implications for Policy and Practice

• Single-semester Learning Communities may not be
  enough.
• Linking without integration may not be enough.
• More attention to teaching and learning is
  needed.
• More tests of other LCs needed.

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The Learning Communities Demonstration

• The National Center for Postsecondary Research
• 6 distinct tests of 6 LC models, 5 of which have
  devopmental link
• Early results available in 2009 or 2010

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Impact of the Study

• Renewed interest in pedagogy and student-centered
  learning
• Surge in cross-departmental collaboration and
  commitment to student success
• Change in policy Enroll as many freshmen as
  possible in an English class in their first
  semester (now approx. 80)
• Cultural shift toward evidence based practices

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The Future

• Can positive effects be sustained in second
  semester learning communities?
• Will there be any long-term positive effects on
  retention and graduation?

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The Future

• What interventions are most effective?
• How can increased cost of Learning Communities be
  incorporated into budget?
• Goal Enroll 80 of freshmen in Learning
  Communities
• Testing a second semester of Learning Communities
  

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Current Demonstration MDRC KCCCareer Focused
LCs

• Q What is the value added of a second
• semester of Learning Communities?

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Majors in Career Focused LCs

• Accounting
• Business Administration
• Early Childhood Ed/Education Studies
• Mental Health and Human Services
• Health Careers

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C A R E E R F O C U S E D
Supplemental Instruction
Course in Major
Behavioral Science
Information Literacy
Integrative Seminar