ERIC ED482609: Engaging Community Colleges: National Benchmarks of Quality. Summary of 2003 Findings [and] 2003 Findings.

32 Pages·2003·0.72 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 482 609
.JC 030 663
Engaging Community Colleges: National Benchmarks of Quality.
TITLE
Summary of 2003 Findings [and] 2003 Findings.
Texas Univ., Austin. Community Coll. Leadership Program.
INSTITUTION
Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia, PA.; Lumina Foundation
SPONS AGENCY
for Education, Indianapolis, IN.
2003-00-00
PUB DATE
30p.; Produced by Community College Survey of Student
NOTE
Engagement (CCSSE). Support also provided by the MetLife
Foundation. Co-Sponsors are The Pew Forum on Undergraduate
Learning and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching. For the 2002 Findings, see ED 471 535.
Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas
AVAILABLE FROM
1 University Station D5600, Austin, TX 78712-0378.
at Austin,
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; Web site:
http://www.ccsse.org; e-mail: [email protected]. For full text
of Summary:
http://www.ccsse.org/publications/Executive5ummary2003.pdf.
For full text of 2003 Findings: http://www.austin.cc.tx.us/
oiepub/ext_rpts/ccsse/2003/report_2003.pdf.
Research (143)
PUB TYPE Reports
EDRS Price MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Accountability; Community Colleges; Educational Needs;
DESCRIPTORS
*Educational Objectives; Educational Quality; Excellence in
Education; Instructional Effectiveness; *Program
Effectiveness; *Two Year Colleges
ABSTRACT
This report introduces five national benchmarks of effective
educational practice in community colleges. The benchmarks are: active and
collaborative learning, student effort, academic challenge, student faculty
interaction, and support for learners. All address institutional practices
and student behaviors that research has shows are important in promoting
student learning and retention. Some of the key findings of the report are
64% of students actively participate in class discussions
the following:
(1)
31% of students have never made a class
versus 36% who do not;
(2)
67% of full time students spend ten or fewer hours
presentation;
(3)
49% of students worked harder than they thought they
preparing for class;
(4)
67% of students claim that exams
could to meet an instructor's demands;
(5)
31% of full time students
are relatively to extremely challenging; and (6)
read four or fewer assigned textbooks or books during the school year.
Students were questioned regarding Academic and Support Services and they
ranked the following as areas that they are most dissatisfied with:
(1)
(3) financial aid advising;
(2) job placement assistance;
career counseling;
and (4) transfer credit assistance. The goal of this report is to aid
colleges improve programs and services for students. Contains numerous graphs
and tables.
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CCSSE's 2003 Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice
benchmarks are described briefly below. Visit www.ccsse.org
key findings for the 2003
CCSSE
for detailed survey findings including user-customized searches, a complete list of the survey
items related to each benchmark, and examples of promising educational practices at
CCSSE
member colleges.
Active and Collaborative Learning
CCSSE Opposes Ranking
Students learn more when they are actively involved in
CCSSE opposes using its data to rank colleges.
their education and have opportunities to think about
There is no single number that can adequately
and apply what they are learning in different settings.
describe a college's
or accurately
Among the survey items associated with this benchmark,
performance; most colleges will perform
students are asked whether they participate in class
relatively well on some benchmarks and need
discussions and whether they work with other students
improvement on others. Each community
on projects in and outside the classroom.
college's performance should be considered in
Key Findings:
terms of its mission, institutional focus, and
Active and Collaborative Learning
student characteristics. Because of differences
* 64% of respondents report that they asked
and variations in college
in these areas
questions in class or contributed to class
comparing survey results between
resources
discussions either often or very often. This leaves
individual institutions serves little constructive
36% who have engaged in these activities less
purpose and likely will be misleading. Moreover,
frequently or not at all.
improvement over time may provide the best
* Only 27% have often or very often made a class
gauge of a college's efforts to enhance student
presentation. Nearly a third (31%) have never done so.
learning and persistence.
* Close to half (48%) often or very often worked
with other students on projects during class,
while 12% report never having that experience.
Student Effort
* Only 21% worked with classmates outside of
Students' behaviors contribute significantly to their
class to prepare class assignments.
learning and the likelihood that they will attain their
* Just 20% have at least occasionally participated
educational goals. Among the survey items associated
in a community-based project as part of a
with this benchmark, students are asked whether
regular course.
they come to class without completing readings or
assignments, whether they prepare multiple drafts
of assignments before turning them in, and how
Students Who
Students Who
Collaborated on Projects
Collaborated on Projects
frequently they use skill labs and other student services.
During Class
Outside of Class
Key Findings: Student Effort
12%
* More than half (51%) of respondents indicate
that they often or very often prepared two or
48%
21%
more drafts of a paper or assignment before
turning it in, though almost a fifth (19%) report
that they never did so.
* 60% of respondents report that they often or
48% often or very often
very often worked on a paper or project that
21% often or very often
12% never
required integrating ideas or information from
various sources, while 11% never did so.
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For more information about CCSSE, survey results, student engagement, and retention, visit www.ccsse.org.
* Surveyed students report that their coursework
emphasizes "very much" or "quite a bit" using
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information to perform a new skill (61%) and
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analyzing the basic elements of an idea,
experience, or theory (65%), but smaller
percentages of students report an emphasis on
the mental activities of synthesis (57%),
application (55%), and )udgment (50%)
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* 67% of full-time students spend 10 or fewer
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hours preparing for class. Seventy-three percent
of all respondents indicate that they come to
class unprepared at least some of the time, and
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27% indicate that they never do so
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Academic Challenge
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Challenging intellectual and creative work is central
to student learning and collegiate quality. Among the
Student-Faculty Interaction
survey items associated with this benchmark, students
are asked how many books they have read, how many
In general, the more interaction students have with
papers they have written, and whether they have
their teachers, the more likely they are to learn
worked harder than they thought they could to meet
effectively and persist toward achievement of their
an instructor's standards or expectations.
educational goals. Among the survey items associated
with this benchmark, students are asked whether they
Key Findings: Academic Challenge
discussed grades or assignments with an instructor,
* 49% of students indicate that they often or very
talked about career plans with an instructor or advisor,
often worked harder than they thought they could
or worked with instructors on activities other than
to meet an instructor's standards or expectations.
coursework.
* 31% of full-time students report that they have
read four or fewer assigned textbooks, manuals,
Key Findings: Student-Faculty Interaction
books, or book-length packs of course readings
* A third of students (33%) say they have never
during the current school year. (The survey is
used e-mail to communicate with an instructor.
administered in FebruaryApril.)
Close to one-third (31%), however, have used
* 30% of full-time students report that they have
e-mail for that purpose either often or very often.
written four or fewer papers or reports of any
* 45% report that they have discussed grades or
length during the current school year.
assignments with an instructor either often or
* 67% indicate that their exams are relatively to
very often, leaving over half who have done so
extremely challenging, while 10% find them
occasionally or never.
relatively to extremely easy.
BEST COPY AWAKE
For more information about CCSSE, survey results, student engagement, and retention, visit www.ccsse.org.
Theational Picture: Key Issues and Challenges
Just as no single number can adequately
or accurately
describe a single college's
performance, no single view of overall results can describe the performance of community
colleges across the country. Several interesting patterns emerge in a review of the national
picture some that confirm long-held beliefs, some that reveal unexpected information.
* Student Aspirations: Charting a Path Is
* Capture Time Is Critical. "Capture time"
Essential for Success. Given both research and
the time colleges have to engage students
is
experience indicating that goal-setting can be
limited because students have multiple demands
on their time and spend limited time on campus.
particularly important to at-risk students, several
CCSSE 2003 data show that overall, students' CCSSE findings add impetus to calls for advising
strategies that are designed to be engaging.
engagement in out-of-class activities is low.
Because vital capture time is in short supply,
* Promising Results for Students of Color. Taken
community colleges might gain significant
as a group, African American, Hispanic, and
ground in retention and student learning by
Native American students are more engaged than
expanding the design and use of intentionally
their fellow students who are white. Though the
engaging classroom activities, course require-
differences are fairly small, they are consistent,
ments and assignments, and assessments.
and they suggest that students of color are
* Student Persistence Remains a Challenge.
exerting relatively more effort while experiencing
Nearly one in 10 students (9%) are "uncertain"
greater academic challenge.
whether they will return to the college the
following year An additional 5% have no current
plans to return to the college (a response that is
different from saying that they will accomplish
their goals and not return for that reason)
When viewed in the context of institutional and
public priorities placed on promoting student
persistence, these are disturbing findings, but
many community colleges already are taking
steps to address them
I
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CCSSE is supported by grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts,
the Lumina Foundation for Education, and the MetLife Foundation
SI
Co-sponsors are The Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning and
.
"
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
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Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Editorial and design by KSA-Plus Communications, Inc
Web site: www.ccsse.org
E-mail: [email protected]
41-
Students' Views of Academic and Support Services
Most
Most Most
Most Important
Dissatisfied With
Satisfied With
Frequently Used
Computer labs
Computer labs
Academic
Career counseling
1
advising/planning
* While 25% of students have often or
2 Computer labs
Job placement
Academic
Financial aid
very often talked with an advisor or
advising/planning
advising assistance
instructor about career plans, 31% say
3
Academic
Financial aid Financial aid Financial aid
they have never done so.
advising/planning
advising
advising
advising
* Only 15% of students report having
4 Career counseling
Skill labs
Skill labs
Transfer credit
often or very often discussed ideas from
assistance
their readings or classes with instructors
outside of class, and 47% have never
engaged with faculty in that way.
Key Findings: Support for Learners
* 57% state that they often or very often received
* While students attribute relatively high
prompt feedback from instructors on their
importance to academic advising and career
performance, which is known as an important
counseling, one-third to one-half of students
factor in student learning and retention.
rarely or never take advantage of those services.
* While 70% of students indicate that their college
provides the support they need to succeed at the
college either "quite a bit" or "very much," a
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Support for Learners
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Students perform better and are more satisfied at
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colleges that are committed to their success and
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cultivate positive working and social relationships
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among different groups on campus Among the survey
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whether their college provides the financial support
they need to afford their education, and how
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frequently they use services such as academic advising
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and career counseling
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3EST COPY AVAILABLE
5
For more information about CCSSE, survey results, student engagement, and retention, visit www.ccsse.org.
\ A GrOwing Demand for Higher Education,
A Growing Need for Quality
The Community College Survey of Student Engagement
Research shows that the more actively engaged students
(CCSSE) provides a resource for assessing quality in
with college faculty and staff, with other students,
are
community college education
and a tool that helps
and with the subject matter
the more likely they are
colleges improve their performance. The need for such
to learn and to achieve their academic goals.
a tool is acute. Community colleges across the United
CCSSE benchmarks focus on institutional practices
States, committed to providing access to quality
and student behaviors that promote student
education, are challenged by both escalating
and that correlate highly with student
engagement
enrollments and severely reduced resources.
learning and persistence. They are one useful way to
Community colleges have the complicated task of
view results of CCSSE's survey, The Community College
providing broad access to ensure that everyone has an
Student Report, which is administered directly to
and then
entry point to quality higher education
students during classes at participating colleges.
designing effective educational experiences for a highly
CCSSE provides the colleges with survey results, along
diverse population of students with varying goals and
with tools they can use to improve programs and
competing demands on their time.
services for students. CCSSE also makes its results
In trying to meet increased demand with reduced
public. The organization's Web site, www.ccsse.org,
without compromising on quality
resources
provides detailed survey results as well as information
community colleges need tools that can help them
about student engagement and community colleges.
better assess their students' needs and strengthen
institutional efforts to promote retention and learning.
As community colleges endeavor to provide access and
quality, CCSSE is a tool that can help them succeed.
Benchmarks of Quality
A Focus on Student Engagement
The five benchmarks of effective educational practice in
This year, CCSSE introduces its national benchmarks
community colleges are active and collaborative learning,
for effective educational practice in community
student effort, academic challenge, student-faculty
colleges. The introduction of these benchmarks creates
interaction, and support for learners. These benchmarks
unprecedented opportunities for community colleges,
are tools that colleges can use to:
their students, their communities, and policymakers,
all of whom have a stake in quality higher education.
* convert data into useful information;
* compare their performance to that of similar institutions,
to the aspirations of their own faculty and staff, and to
the full CCSSE population of community colleges;
* compare their own performance across benchmarks;
* identify areas in need of improvement and monitor the
effects of improvement initiatives; and
* track their progress toward identified institutional goals.
Because the results are public, benchmarks also can
stimulate conversation
within colleges and among
policymakers
about effective educational practice.
CSSE
Community College Survey
of Student Engagement
Engaging
I mmunity
Cbileges
I
National Benchmarks
of Quality
2003 Findings
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Acknowledgments
At the top of CCSSE's list of acknowledgments are the 65,300 community college students
who responded to the 2003 Community College Survey of Student Engagement. Because
now are equipped with a
along with their colleges
they took the time to tell us, we
greater understanding of the challenges these students bring to college with them, the ways
community colleges serve them well, and the opportunities that exist to strengthen the
quality of their learning experience.
and the expressed commitment of many of CCSSE's member colleges
Our obligation
is to reciprocate by seizing those opportunities for improvement, continuously reaching for
excellence in learning, teaching, and student success.
Kay M. McClenney
[Erector
Community College Survey of Student Engagement
Supported by Grants from
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Lumina Foundation for Education
Met Life Foundation
Co-Sponsored by
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The Pew Forum on Undergraduate Learning
Introduction
Foreword
A Commitment to Improvement
Even in Challenging Times
2
A Growing Demand for Higher Education, A Growing
Need for Quality
3
The CCSSE Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice
5
2003 Benchmarks
The 2003 Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice
7
Active and Collaborative Learning
Student Effort
Academic Challenge
Student-Faculty Interaction
Support for Learners
Benchmarking Progress: High-Performing Colleges
12
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The National Picture: Key Issues and Challenges
13
Capture Time Is Critical
Student Persistence Remains a Challenge
Student Aspirations: Charting a Path Is
Essential for Success
Promising Results for Students of Color
Closing the Gaps: A Look at High-Risk Students
CCSSE National Advisory Board
20
CCSSE Technical Advisory Panel
20
For more inforn4ation about CCSSE and the 2003 survey, visit www.ccsse.org.
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