BENCHMARKING EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES What We’re Learning. What Lies Ahead

BENCHMARKING EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE IN COMMUNITY

COLLEGES

What We’re Learning. What Lies Ahead.

Community College Survey of Student Engagement 2005 Findings

ENGAGING STUDENTS, CHALLENGING THE ODDS

CCSSE OVERVIEW



CCSSE: A Tool for Improvement

The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) is a tool that helps us keep this commitment. CCSSE helps us:

assess quality in community college education;

identify and learn from good educational practice — practice that promotes high levels of student learning and persistence; and

identify areas in which we can improve programs and services for students.



CCSSE: A Tool for CommunityColleges

The CCSSE survey:

is administered directly to community college students during class sessions;

asks questions about institutional practices and student behaviors that are highly correlated with student learning and retention; and

uses a sampling methodology that is consistent across all participating colleges.

About a quarter million community college students (representing 2.68 million students) from 444 community and technical colleges in 45 states are part of the 2006 CCSSE cohort.



CCSSE: A Tool for Accountability

CCSSE:

provides reliable data on issues that matter;

reports data publicly; and

is committed to using data for improvement.

CCSSE opposes using its data to rank colleges.

ranking



Benchmarks of Effective Educational PracticeCCSSE reports survey results in two ways: national benchmarks — areas that educational research has shown to be important in quality educational practice — and students’ responses to individual survey items. The five benchmarks are:

Active and CollaborativeLearning

Student Effort

Academic Challenge

Student-Faculty Interaction

Support for Learners

CCSSEville Community College 2005 Benchmark Scores

39.845.8

55.7

39.638

Active andCollaborativeLearningStudent Effort

AcademicChallenge

Student-FacultyInteraction

Support forLearners



Active and Collaborative Learning

Students learn more when they are actively involved in their education and have opportunities to think about and apply what they are learning in different settings. The seven survey items that contribute to this benchmark are:

During the current school year, how often have you:

Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions

Made a class presentation

(continued on next slide)



Active and Collaborative LearningDuring the current school year, how often have you:

Worked with other students on projects during class

Worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments

Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary)

Participated in a community-based project as a part of a regular course

Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class (students, family members, co-workers, etc.)



Active and Collaborative LearningKey Findings: All CCSSE 2005 colleges

Students who often or very often ...

Source: CCSSE 2005 data.

6%

21%

45%

26%

65%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Participated in a community-basedproject as part of a course

Worked with other students outside ofclass to prepare class assignments

Worked with other students during class

Made a class presentation

Asked questions in class or contributedto class discussions



Student Effort

Students’ behaviors contribute significantly to their learning and the likelihood that they will attain their educational goals. The eight survey items associated with this benchmark are:


Prepared two or more drafts of a paper or assignment before turning it in

Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources

Come to class without completing readings or assignments




Student Effort


Used peer or other tutoring services

Used skill labs

Used a computer lab

During the current school year:

How many books did you read on your own (not assigned) for personal enjoyment or academic enrichment

How many hours did you spend in a typical week preparing for class (studying, reading, writing, rehearsing, or other activities related to your program)



Student EffortKey Findings: All CCSSE 2005 colleges

Full-time students who …

*Note: This survey item asks students how often they “come to class without completing readings or assignments.” Responses of “Never” are reverse coded here.

12%

69%

24%

56%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Spent at least 21 hours per week preparingfor class

Spent between one and 10 hours per weekpreparing for class

Always came to class prepared*

Often or very often prepared two or moredrafts of a paper or assignment before

turning it in




Academic Challenge

Challenging intellectual and creative work is central to student learning and collegiate quality. The 10 survey items associated with this benchmark are:


Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor’s standards or expectations




Academic ChallengeHow much does your coursework at this college emphasize:

Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience, or theory

Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information, or experiences in new ways

Making judgments about the value or soundness of information, arguments, or methods

Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations

Using information you have read or heard to perform a new skill




Academic Challenge

During the current school year:

How many assigned textbooks, manuals, books, or book-length packs of course readings did you read

How many papers or reports of any length did you write

To what extent have your examinations challenged you to do your best work

How much does this college emphasize:

Encouraging you to spend significant amounts of time studying



Academic ChallengeKey Findings: All CCSSE 2005 colleges

Full-time students who wrote papers or reportsof any length during the year

31%

22%

13%

34%

5-10 papers orreports



More than 20papers or reports





In general, the more interaction students have with their teachers, the more likely they are to learn effectively and persist toward achievement of their educational goals. The six items used in this benchmark are:


Used e-mail to communicate with an instructor

Discussed grades or assignments with an instructor






Talked about career plans with an instructor or advisor

Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with instructors outside of class

Received prompt feedback (written or oral) from instructors on your performance

Worked with instructors on activities other than coursework



Student-Faculty InteractionKey Findings: All CCSSE 2005 colleges

Students who often or very often ...


8%

24%

55%

15%

43%

37%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Worked with instructors on activitiesother than coursework

Talked about career plans with aninstructor

Received prompt feedback (oral orwritten) from instructors

Discussed ideas from readings orclass with instructors outside of class

Discussed grades or assignmentswith an instructor

Used e-mail to communicate with aninstructor




Students perform better and are more satisfied at colleges that are committed to their success and cultivate positive working and social relationships among different groups on campus. The seven survey items that contribute to this benchmark are:


Providing the support you need to help you succeed at this college

Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds






Helping you cope with your nonacademic responsibilities (work, family, etc.)

Providing the support you need to thrive socially

Providing the financial support you need to afford your education


Used academic advising/planning services

Used career counseling services




Most

Important

Service?



WHAT WE’RE LEARNING:PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS

AND PROPOSITIONS



EARLY LESSONS

#1 Engagement matters

•…for community college students

•…and different kinds of engagement matter most for different kinds of students



EARLY LESSONS

#2 In community colleges, engagement is unlikely to happen by accident.

It has to happen by design.

[See results for in- vs. out-of-class engagement.]



EARLY LESSONS

#3 Engagement is beneficial for community college students in general -- but evidently, most of all for students “at risk.”

See “conditional effects.”



EARLY LESSONS

#4 It’s never as simple as we might wish it were.

E.g.,

• Institutional size matters – but not as much as we might predict

• More variation within colleges than across?



EARLY LESSONS

#5 “The compensatory effect”

i.e., where there are differences in engagement between “high-risk” groups and their comparison groups (academically under-prepared students, students of color, first generation students, nontraditional college age students) --- the high-risk students are more engaged.



EARLY LESSONS

#6 We must engage students early and often.

…Coming soon: the Entering Student Survey



EARLY LESSONS#7 Focused, sustained efforts, targeted to significant numbers of students, can produce improvements, both in CCSSE results and in student outcomes.

[CCSSE/ NSSE results reflect programs/practices AND

Targeting changes in programs/practices can affect CCSSE results and student outcomes]

“The compensatory effect”




THREE WRONG IDEAS•This [benchmarking, building a culture of evidence, using data to improve student success] is a project.

•There are marginal, quick fixes.

•Resources and selectivity matter most.

•And the bonus #4 wrong idea:

Average is good enough.





THREE RIGHT IDEAS• Data are our friends.

•Transparency is good.

•However good we are today, it’s not good enough.





WHAT LIES AHEAD?

QUESTIONS? SUGGESTIONS?

Documents

BENCHMARKING EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES What We’re Learning. What Lies Ahead