Just Imagine Success

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2008 Field Test Findings

Imagine

SuccessEngaging Entering Students


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2 2008 Field Test Findings

For more information about SENSE and the 2008 survey, visit www.enteringstudent.org.

Imagine Success is the rst report published by the

Center or Community College Student Engagement,

newly established by the College o Education and

the Community College Leadership Program at Te

University o exas at Austin. Te Center is an umbrella

organization or our continuing eorts to provide data,

services, and support to colleges seeking to improve

student learning, persistence, and attainment.

When we launched the Community College Survey o

Student Engagement (CCSSE) in 2001 and then ollowed

it with the Community College Faculty Survey o

Student Engagement (CCFSSE) and the new Survey oEntering Student Engagement (SENSE), we could only

imagine that by 2009 we would have worked with more

than 700 community colleges to survey nearly a million

students in 49 states, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and

the Marshall Islands.

Yet over that period o time, we have been part o a sea

change in community college education. Communities,

colleges, and students increasingly are recognizing

the critical role o college education in securing

our individual and collective utures. Accordingly,

community college educators at the leading edge are

demonstrating a new commitment to data-inormeddecisions and evidence-based strategies or improvement.

It is clear, given daunting challenges both scal and

educational, that those strategies must be bold and

imaginative. Our students deserve nothing less.

We grateully dedicate this report to community college

leaders at every level who dare to imagine success and

then to make the changes necessary to attain it.

Kay McClenney

Director

Center or Community College Student Engagement

Supported by grants rom

Houston Endowment Inc.

Lumina Foundation or Education

MetLie Foundation

Co-sponsored by

Te Carnegie Foundation or the Advancement

o eaching

Acknowledgments

Whatever you can do, or dreamyou can, begin it. Boldness hasgenius, power, and magic in it.

Johann Wolgang von Goethe (17491832)

Published by the Center or Community College Student Engagement.

2009 Permission granted or unlimited copying with appropriate citation.

Please cite this report as: Center or Community College Student Engagement. (2008). Imagine Success: Engaging Entering

Students (2008 SENSE Field Test Findings). Austin, TX: The University o Texas at Austin, Community College Leadership Program.


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1Imagine Success: Engaging Entering Students

Contents

Foreword What I? Why Not? 2

Te Benets and Challenges o Successully

Engaging Entering Students 3

Six Design Principles: Features o a College

Designed or Student Success 5

Principle #1: Personal Connections

Principle #2: High Expectations and Aspirations

Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathway to SuccessPrinciple #4: An Eective rack to College Readiness

Principle #5: Engaged Learning

Principle #6: An Integrated Network o Financial,

Social, and Academic Support

Implications: Doing Education Dierently 17

Overview o the 2008 SENSE Field est

Respondents 19

CCCSE National Advisory Board 20

SENSE echnical Advisory Panel 20

You cant depend on your eyes when yourimagination is out o ocus.

Mark wain (18351910)


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Foreword

What If? Why Not?

We all are amiliar with the litany o national reports

on the status o American education: We ace a rising

tide o mediocrity, we are alling toward the bottom

rung among developed nations, and so on. Te reports,combined perhaps with the daily challenges inherent in

community college work, have aected both our expec-

tations and our aspirations. We have come to expect

and even possibly to accept the worst.

Community colleges have begun to undertake the

courageous discipline o using data to develop an honest

understanding o student experiences. But as we develop

this culture o evidence, we see that by many measures

eective student engagement, success in developmental

education, persistence, attainment o credentials our

results are not what they need to be.

But what i we started attaining our most ambitious

goals, and the reports began to herald outstanding,

mind-boggling success or our eorts? What i the

reports began to certiy major gains in student out-

comes? What might that successul experience look

like? What would students do in their earliest weeks

o college? In what ways would those experiences be

strikingly dierent rom what typically happens now?

I our innovative and persistent eorts lead to greatly

increased success or entering students, we will ace a

new and ironic challenge: Have we designed our colleges

to handle success, or would dramatically higher levels ostudent achievement turn our colleges upside down?

Attaining signicantly better outcomes requires

transormational change in practice and in policy. But

it begins with change in institutional culture speci-

cally, with an armation o values and belies that place

student success as our highest priority. We are beginning

to operate on a culture o evidence, but we also need to

concern ourselves with evidence o culture a culture

ensuring that these values and belies undergird every

institutional and individual action.

Imagine a college at which administrators, aculty, and

sta all:

Arm that every community college student can be

successul.

Believe that, given the right conditions, all students

can learn.

Exorcise the right to ail rom the collective

vocabulary.

Deeply value personal connection with every student.

Genuinely respect students time as well as the

strengths and experiences they bring with them to

college.

Put into practice atscale what we know works.

And imagine a college where we thoughtully, purpose-ully set up the conditions or success in the rst three

weeks o each students college lie.

Where ailure has become the too-requent pattern

even the expectation a genuine commitment to

success requires dramatic interventions to shatter that

pattern and engage students in new ways o learning and

living. In colleges that intentionally create conditions

or success in the early weeks o college, students not

only are exposed to patterns o success they are more

likely to adopt them and become adept at navigating and

sustaining them, both independently and condently.

Imagine a ocus on developing this competence and con-

dence in learning and living well during each students

earliest weeks o college. And then imagine what we

would do in week our, in week 10, and or the rest o the

year, and next year, and the year ollowing. Tis second

national report rom the Survey o Entering Student

Engagement (SENSE) shows us emerging strategies or

engaging entering students and encourages us to

consider not only how to promote greater achievement,

but also how we would have to adapt our current ways

o doing education i we succeed.

Terry OBanion

President Emeritus, League or Innovation in the

Community College

Director, Community College Leadership Program,

Walden University

Tere are those who look at thingsthe way they are, and ask why. Idream o things that never were, andask why not?

Robert Kennedy (19251968)


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The Benefits and Challenges ofSuccessfully Engaging Entering Students

Imagine an America in which the vast majority o com-

munity college students nish what they start. Imaginethat close to 90% o students complete demanding

courses with a grade o C or better. Tat nearly all

developmental education students complete their

developmental coursework and successully transition

to college-level courses. Tese improvements could lead

to others: Imagine that rst- to second-year persistence

increases rom about 50% to 75% and then continues

to rise. I these milestones came to be, we might soon

double the number o community college students who

complete certicates, earn degrees, or transer to our-

year institutions to continue their education.

Tis report presents preliminary ndings rom the

2008 eld test o the Survey o Entering Student

Engagement (SENSE). It asks readers to use these nd-

ings to understand the experiences o entering students

at community colleges today and to envision a path

to a dramatically dierent uture. Te prospect o

genuine, large-scale success has powerul implications

or students, communities, the nation, and the way

community colleges approach their work.

Success (or Failure) Begins at the

Front DoorCommunity colleges today typically lose about hal

o their students prior to the students second year o

college. Other students remain in school but struggle

with developmental courses and dont progress to

college-level work. A recent study o Achieving the

Dream colleges determined that 14% o entering students

do not earn a single college credit in their rst term. In

turn, this dramatic lack o success lowers persistence

rates just 15% o students who earn no credits in their

rst term persist to the ollowing term, compared to

74% o students who earn credit in their rst term.

Tese results are unacceptable and all ar short o

students aspirations. Aer all, how many students go

through the intake process and register or college with

an expectation o earning zero credits?

Tere is good news. In recent years, a growing number

o community colleges have become serious about

using evidence to make decisions. In those institutions,

administrators, aculty members, and sta are examin-

ing data and engaging ully and honestly with it. Tis

willingness to act on act rather than on assumptions

or wishul thinking is a critical rst step in helpingmore students thrive.

wo-thirds o American community college students

attend institutions that have participated in CCSSE,

SENSE, or both. Many o these colleges are actively

and continuously looking or ways to improve

their educational practice. Tey are implementing

proven strategies, developing innovative approaches,

introducing and evaluating pilot projects, and working

to bring promising programs to scale.

Te imperative or improving student success now calls

community colleges to next steps: envisioning, planning,and implementing the bold changes that will lead to ar-

reaching success. Tis process begins with a ocus on the

ront door.

Achievement at community colleges cannot meaning-

ully improve when nearly hal o all new students

leave aer only one or two terms. o attain signicant

educational goals, students must, at a minimum, stay

in school. But the real reason colleges must ocus on

entering students is that early success sets the stage or

Be willing to consider everything. Te mistake we make so oen is thinkingwe can improve a largely dysunctional process by making small, incrementalchanges I youre not willing to rethink everything, you end up simplyrearranging the deck chairs on the itanic, and theres no way were going to

bring about signicant change doing that. Steven Murray, President, Phillips Community College o the University o Arkansas (AR)


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uture achievement. Current research indicates that

completing the equivalent o the rst semester (1215

credit hours) improves students chances o returning

or subsequent semesters, reaching key milestones, and

ultimately earning certicates and degrees. More and

more, colleges are recognizing the importance o laying

this strong oundation.

Doing What Works

As colleges examine data about their students, they oen

discover that what theyknow about their students

and about strong educational practice is disconnected

rom what theydo.

Community colleges know, or example, that their

students are likely to arrive academically underprepared,

attend college part-time, have job and amily obligations,

and struggle with nancial obstacles. Yet colleges

rom course scheduling and stang to academic policies,instructional approaches, and student support oen

are designed as i most students do not ace these

challenges.

It is time to consider what would happen i colleges

redesigned their educational approaches to refect the

reality o student characteristics. It is time to consider

the results o incorporating practices shown by evidence

to be successul and o implementing those practices

at scale so they dene the experience o all students, not

just a ortunate ew.

New questions would arise. How, or example, might

colleges have to change the way they do business

course scheduling, stang, and so on i many more

students completed their developmental courses? Would

we know how to manage a community college at which

hal o all students were taking sophomore-level classes?

What would have to change so there would be enough

clinical placements, internships, and science labs or

advancing students? What other adjustments would

success require?

Some will argue that todays economic realities render

it impossible to make undamental changes or consider

new initiatives. Te act, however, is that when resources

are limited, it becomes more important to set clear pri-

orities, nd ways to be more eective, and direct unds

to activities that produce the greatest benet or the

largest number o students. I community colleges are

going to help more students succeed and help our

country thrive now is the time to act, and to act boldly.

Te value o engaging students and in particular,

making sure this engagement begins early in their

college experience is well documented. Certainly, the

desire or increased student success is palpable. Already,many community colleges are developing educational

strategies based on current research and data about their

students perormance. Already, there are results to cele-

brate on campuses across the country. Now we must turn

to expanding these early successes to serve all students

a goal that will require rethinking the undamentals o

community college work.

I all you ever do is all youve everdone, then all youll ever get is all

you ever got.

exas wisdom

SENSE:Quantitative and Qualitative Data

The Centers work with entering students has two central components

SENSEsurvey, which provides detailed quantitative data, and the Star

Rightinitiative, which provides qualitative data.

The survey is administered during the ourth and fth weeks o the a

academic term in courses most likely to enroll entering students. The

asks students about institutional practices and student behaviors t

that research indicates are associated with improved student success

during the early weeks o college. Each year, the SENSEsurvey instru

includes both the core survey, which will be the same rom year to yea

plus several optional special-ocus modules. Each special-ocus modu

delves deeply into a key issue related to entering student engagemen

2008 feld test included three special-ocus modules Commitmen

Support, Financial Assistance, and Student Success Courses. Particip

colleges chose to include zero, one, or two modules in the survey o th

students. In this report, data rom the special-ocus modules are integ

with data presented rom the core survey.

In addition to the quantitative data rom the survey, the Starting Rightinitiative, supported by the MetLie Foundation and Houston Endowme

Inc., conducts qualitative research about the entering student experie

Through ocus groups and interviews at select colleges, Starting Righ

gathers the perspectives o new students as well as aculty, student s

proessionals, and presidents, elevating their voices and painting a mo

complete picture o the entering student experience. The Center conti

to share promising practices identifed through this work.

SENSEs rich survey data help colleges better understand whatis happ

ing. Data rom the ocus groups and interviews can help them fgure out

Throughout this report, quantitative and qualitative fndings are presente

by side because each inorms our understanding o the other.


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Six Design Principles: Features of aCollege Designed for Student Success

Te six design principles discussed on the ollowing

pages describe critical elements o engagement or enter-ing students. For each, SENSE eld test data and ocus

group ndings report current practices and indicate

the level o work needed to maximize entering student

success. Descriptions o colleges current strategies

demonstrate the results o using data to set priorities

and make decisions.

At a college designed or success, these six principles

would dene the entering student experience; every

entering student would be engaged in all six ways and

students experiences would be well integrated rather

than compartmentalized. Moreover, the design elements

naturally overlap, and a college designed or success

would capitalize on these intersections, nding new ways

to make connections with its students and across its

organizational boundaries.

Te six design principles should be inescapably inte-

grated into the critical time period or entering students

the period that begins with the colleges initial contact

with the student (which may be weeks or months

beore he or she starts college) and ends as the student

successully completes the earliest weeks o college.

Many o these principles can and should continue

throughout students college careers, but SENSE dataand this report ocus on this entering student timerame.

Principle #1: Personal Connections

Imagine a college at which every student is intentionally

connected to an individual person who eels responsible

or that students success and that these connections

are made beore completion o the intake process.

In Starting Rightocus groups, students consistently

underscore the role that personal connections play in

student persistence. When students tell their personal

stories, they describe many reasons or eeling discour-

aged or thinking about dropping out. But their reasonsor persisting almost always include one element: a strong

connection to someone at the college. Relationships with

aculty members, advisors, sta members, and other

students play a critical role in engaging students and

encouraging them to stick with their studies.

For this reason, most community colleges encourage

instructors to learn students names and encourage

students to learn each others names as quickly as

possible. Recognizing students by name demonstrates

an investment in them. Making a personal connection

encourages students to attend class because they know

their absences will be noted; in many cases, this invest-

ment can improve student perormance.

Some institutions extend this responsibility to the entire

college community, encouraging everyone on campus

rom maintenance crews to administrative support sta

to the college president to play a role in connecting

with and supporting students.

Preliminary Findings

Te SENSE survey includes several items that gauge

whether students eel welcome and personally connected

to instructors, sta, and other students during their rst

three weeks o college.

Asked whether they agree with the statement, Te

very rst time I came to this college, I elt welcome,

80% o entering students agree or strongly agree, and

4% disagree or strongly disagree.

In response to the statement, I was able to get the

inormation I needed to register or classes, 88%

o entering students agree or strongly agree, and 6%

disagree or strongly disagree.

In our college, i you dont teach, your job is to help students get to class in the bestcondition or learning. Everybody has that responsibility. When someone violates

that, they violate more than a policy. Tey violate a core value. Bill Law, President, allahassee Community College (FL)


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SENSE respondents report the quality o their relation-

ships at the college during the rst three weeks o

their rst academic term using a scale o 17, on which

1 indicates unriendly, unsupportive, and sense o

alienation, and 7 designatesriendly, supportive, and

sense o belonging. Students report the quality o their

relationships as ollows:

Regarding administrative personnel and oce sta,

48% indicate a 6or 7; 5% report a 1 or 2.

Regarding other students, 53% o entering students

describe their relationships as 6or 7; 3% report a

1 or 2.

Regarding instructors, 64% classiy their relation-

ships as 6or 7; 2% indicate a 1 or 2.

Students report the most positive relationships with

instructors. Similarly, in ocus groups, students indi-

cate that they consider instructors to be an essential

source or support and eedback. As one student said,O course we can get encouragement rom amily and

riends, but that instructor giving you that pat on the

back it makes coming to class more rewarding.

Some students develop personal connections with aculty

and other students through social activities and clubs.

However, given most students limited time on cam-

pus, the best opportunities to build relationships oen

are ound in engaged learning (both in and out o the

classroom) and other structured experiences. o retain

entering students, the earlier and more requently such

experiences occur, the better.

SENSE data indicate that colleges can create more

opportunities or building strong connections early.

For example, ewer than one-quarter o entering students

(24%) reply yes to the question, Was a specic person

assigned to you so you could see him/her each time you

needed inormation or assistance?

During the intake process, colleges can increase students

opportunities to orm personal connections with aculty

and sta by requiring academic advising and planning

and by pairing entering students with case managers

or mentors. In their courses, instructors can acilitate

students connections with one another by building

group projects, study groups, and other collaborative

eorts into coursework.

Entering Students First Impressions of Their Colleg

The very rst time I came to this college, I elt welcome.

I was able to get the inormation I needed to register or classes.

Was a specic person assigned to you so you could see him/her eayou needed inormation or assistance?

53%

54%

76%

16%

6%

3%

5%

1%

1%

27%

34%

24%

Strongly agree

Strongly agree

Yes

Agree

Agree

No opinion

No opinion

No

Disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

Source: 2008SENSE feld test data.

It just seems that again and again,we see students who have really

personal connections at the college

being successul. Faculty member


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Colleges Apply the Principle

Northwest Vista College (TX) requires all rst-time-

in-college students to take its Student Success Seminar.

Unlike many other reshman seminars, which are pass/

ail, students in this course receive letter grades. In

recent semesters, the college has oered themed sections

o the course, such as I Hate Math, For Psych MajorsOnly, and You Go Girl Womens Studies. Faculty

members rom almost every discipline on campus teach

the course and serve as resources or incoming students;

many also maintain an inormal mentoring role or

years. With the addition o the themed sections, students

connect with aculty members with whom they share

a career interest or rom whom they can get needed

assistance.

Te Ping Pong Club at Santa Fe Community College

(NM) is a ormal, student-run campus organization.

Club members meet at a ping pong table in the colleges

campus center, which is located next to the caeteria.Te college placed the table in this high-trac space

to attract students and encourage them to spend time

together. Te strategy was sound; the Ping Pong Club is

one o the strongest clubs on campus, successully grow-

ing its membership each year. Recruitment is inormal

generally students see their peers playing and ask how

they can join and the club sponsors tournaments at

all player levels each semester. One measure o the clubs

popularity is its use o equipment: Te college has to

replace the paddles every semester due to wear and tear.

At Cuyahoga Community College (OH), student

ambassadors serve as mentors or new students,

particularly high-risk students. Te ambassadors help

their peers discover and use campus resources, make

connections on campus, and successully navigate their

educational experience. Te program began in 2003 as a

way to provide peer-based student services, and in 2008,

it expanded as student ambassadors were trained to be

mentors to a particular group o scholarship recipients.

Te college has noted higher retention rates among stu-

dents who had mentors.

Principle #2: High Expectations andAspirations

Imagine a college at which every new student is clear

about the colleges high expectations or perormance

and every student has high aspirations or his or her

own success.

In the words o Vincent into, No one rises to low

expectations. On any college campus, it is easy to

determine i the college community is setting high

expectations or all students.* Te belie that allstudents

can learn either does or does not permeate the

campus. And this tone, whether positive or negative, sets

the stage or student perormance.

When colleges set high expectations or all students,

they oen nd that students aspirations rise. Students

begin to believe they can succeed even i they did not

succeed in high school, even i their parents and grand-

parents never set oot on a college campus, even i theyhave to work two jobs, even i English is not their rst

language. Ten, students not only become more likely

to attain their goals but also begin to reach or more.

Tose who started out seeking a certicate might

consider an associate degree. Tose on track or an

associate degree start planning or the bachelors degree

they will earn next.


In response to the statement, I have the motivation to

do what it takes to succeed in college, 68% o entering

students strongly agree. While this motivation is critical,

it has little value indeed it is wasted i students do

not understand what it takes to be successul and adopt

behaviors that lead to achievement. For example, nearly

a third (32%) o entering students report that they turned

in at least one assignment late, 25% say they ailed to

turn in one or more assignments, 47% report that they

came to class unprepared, 29% say that they skipped

*For more inormation on this topic, see the 2008 CCSSE

National Report, High Expectations and High Support.

I the teacher seems to care, it motivatesthe student. I somebody calls youwhen you miss that light bulb comes

on in your head.

Male student


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class, and 10% report skipping class multiple times all

during the rst three weeks o their rst academic term.

I these negative behaviors are not addressed, they too

oen become habits.

In Starting Rightocus groups, both students and aculty

members acknowledge that entering students need to

learn how to be successul students, and that clear expec-tations are essential or this goal. As one aculty member

notes, Many o the students have no idea what they are

into, due to no ault o theirs. So my rule the rst week

o class is to make sure they eel comortable and know

clearly what is expected o them.

One students comments indicate the need to set unam-

biguous expectations early: Tey didnt tell me when

I signed up or class that or every hour o class, I have

to do two hours o studying. Tey didnt give me any

expectations until I actually sat down in the classroom.

I think that beore you even enroll, you should be able to

know what you are gett ing into. Unortunately, nearly

six in 10 ull-time entering students (59%) report that

they spent ve or ewer hours per week preparing orclass during their rst three weeks o college.

Colleges can and should help students understand

expectations about the level o eort required to be

successul in college as well as about specic assignments

and academic goals. Colleges also need to act when

students are not meeting the standard. In a Starting

Rightocus group, one student says, Tey told us the

rst week, I you miss X number o classes, then this

happens, [but I still was surprised when] I got a letter

rom my advisor saying I had missed two days o class.

I thought, Oh, they were serious about that, Ive been

on time ever since. I have not missed a class. Im passingmy quizzes, reading my text.

When colleges set high expectations, they also should

communicate their belie that students can meet them.

Yet only about hal o entering students (51%) strongly

agree with the statement, Te aculty at this college

wants me to succeed.*

Finally, setting clear and high expectations should

go hand in hand with providing inormation about

academic and support services and, at least or some stu-

dents, a requirement to use them. SENSE data show that

one quarter (25%) o entering students strongly agree thatinstructors clearly explained the academic and student

support services available at the college.


Students at Lawson State Community College (AL)

were entering college with poor writing skills, so the

institution decided to emphasize writing throughout

students academic experiences. Te college analyzed

and revised the curriculum or our key classes

Developmental English I and II, and English Composi-

tion I and II to emphasize teaching the skills and

communicating the importance o high-quality writing.Specic areas addressed include number and length o

papers required as well as accuracy in writing.

*Data rom the 2008 SENSE Commitment and Support special-

ocus module.

Entering Students Need Clear and High Expectation

I have the motivation to do what it takes to succeed in college.

Percentage o students who, at least once during their rst threeweeks o college:

32%

25%

29%

68% Strongly agree

Turned in an assignment late

Came to class unprepared

Skipped class

Did not turn in one or moreassignments


Te instructors are more than willingto help me. Ive always elt that i Imwilling to work, theyre willing to work

just as hard. I think thats the quality o

a good instructor. Male student


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Principle #3: A Plan and a Pathwayto Success

Imagine a college at which every entering student, in

the rst three weeks o college, denes his or her edu-

cational goals and develops a plan or attaining them.

Imagine urther that these plans are updated regularly,

with guidance, as students progress.


Tere is ample evidence to document the importance

o academic advising and planning. Having a plan

clearly dened goals and a roadmap or reaching them

plays a critical role in student persistence. Yet, despite

their high aspirations, 21% o entering students are

uncertain when they plan to take classes again.

More than three-quarters (76%) o entering students

agree or strongly agree that an advisor helped them select

their courses, but only 39% o entering students agreeor strongly agree that an advisor helped them to set aca-

demic goals and to create a plan or achieving them.

Further, or many entering students, going to college is

but one o a number o obligations. Yet, just more than a

quarter (27%) agree or strongly agree that a college sta

member talked with them about their commitments out-

side o school (work, children, etc.) to help them gure

out how many courses to take.

In Starting Rightocus groups, students lament the act

that advising seems to be more eective or course selec-

tion than or goal setting. One student notes, Advisorsask, Whats your schedule? I wish I had more o a

run through about what Im going to need or my degree

as well as my schedule.

Students also consistently assert the need or manda-

tory academic advising and planning. One student, or

example, recommended a scheduled time slot at the

beginning o the semester to discuss classes, degrees, and

goals with an advisor plus a mid-semester meeting to

discuss how were doing and next steps.

Finally, students also consistently recommend manda-

tory orientation, particularly guided tours o the collegecampus, or all new students. Students comments

about orientation, however, are retrospective they

Entering Students and Academic Planning

When do you plan to take classes at this college again?

An advisor helped me to identiy the courses I needed to take duringmy rst semester/quarter.

An advisor helped me to set academic goals and to create a plan orachieving them.

2%

46%

6%

12%

8%

21%

4%

8%

71%

30%

14%

25%

31%

22%

Within the next12 months

Strongly agree

Strongly agree

I have no currentplans to return

Agree

No opinion

Agree

I will accomplish my goal(s)

during this semester/quarterand will not return

No opinion

Uncertain

Disagree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree


Students have their dreams and goalsin hand, but their action plan isblank. We, as proessors, educators,

and sta, should be able to help themll in the blanks. Faculty member


12/24



understand the value o orientation long aer the useul

time to participate in it has passed. Indeed, ewer than

hal o entering students (44%) attended an on-campus

orientation prior to the beginning o classes. One in ve

students (21%) report that they were unaware o college

orientation. Tese ndings support students assertions

that colleges can better serve their entering students by

making orientation inescapable.


Te president oSanta Fe Community College (NM)

attends commencement ceremonies at local high schools

and gives all graduating students an acceptance letter to

SFCC. (o make this possible, college sta visit the high

schools a ew months beore graduation to explain the

colleges application process.) Te letter o admission

congratulates students and indicates the next steps they

should take to enroll in college. It also emphasizes the

time-sensitive nature o the New Mexico state lottery

scholarship; students who ail to enroll in a state two- or

our-year college the semester aer graduating rom

high school lose eligibility or the scholarship orever.

Students requently arrive at the enrollment oce with

their letter in hand, ready to complete the next step in

the enrollment process.

Durham Technical Community College (NC) took

notice when its SENSE results indicated that 67% o

entering students were unaware o the colleges pre-

enrollment orientation and only 22% had attended. Te

college reorganized the orientation program with two

goals: increasing participation and maintaining quality.Aer the reorganization, 743 new students attended the

orientation an increase o 350% over the previous year

and a record attendance. O the students who attended

the orientation, 92% indicated they had learned skills

necessary to get a good start at the college.

Te student success course at Houston Community

College (TX) requires students to explore careers, learn

about the programs oered at HCC, work with academic

advisors to declare a major, and le a degree plan. Te

class has positive eects or all students, but the strongest

gains have been among Hispanic and Arican-American

students. Hispanic students persistence rates increased15% rst-all-to-spring, 14% rst-all-to-all, and 26%

rst-all-to-second-year-spring. Arican-American

students persistence rates increased 5% rst-all-to-

spring and 13% rst-all-to-second-year-spring. Te

HCC student success course has been so successul, it

now is required or all new students who have ewer than

12 credits and have not led a degree plan or a declared

major.

Principle #4: An Effective Track toCollege Readiness

Imagine a college at which all academically under-

prepared students have an eective, ecient path to

completing developmental education and beginning

college-level work.

An estimated 62% o community college students are

underprepared or college-level courses, and at some

colleges that number exceeds 90%.

Proper placement or students is critical, o course.

Moreover, a recent Community College Research Centerstudy o Achieving the Dream colleges underscores the

value o requiring students to enroll in the developmen-

tal courses indicated by their placement tests. Te study

ound that more students exit a remedial sequence by

ailing to enroll in the rst course than by ailing a

developmental course in which they are enrolled.*

Te tasks o identiying and appropriately enrolling

large numbers o underprepared students are only

part o the challenge. Te same study o Achieving the

Dream colleges ound that many students who begin

in developmental classes never make it to college-level

classes 69% o developmental math students do not

complete their developmental math sequence, and 57%

o developmental reading students do not complete their

developmental reading sequence.

Given incoming students academic challenges,

community colleges cannot improve student achieve-

ment without making sure that students enroll in the

developmental courses they need and then successully

move rom developmental to college-level courses. While

colleges have made strides in assessment and placement,

completion rates indicate that developmental education

students are not being served eectively. Creating aneective track to college readiness clearly will require

new approaches, implemented at scale.

*Bailey, ., Jeong, D.W., & Cho, S. (2008). Reerral, Enrollment,

and Completion in Developmental Education Sequences in

Community Colleges. (CCRC Working Paper No. 15). New York,

NY: eachers College, Columbia University, Community Col lege

Research Center.


13/24



O the SENSE eld test respondents, 64% o entering stu-

dents tested into at least one developmental area: 29% o

entering students are enrolled in developmental reading,

32% are enrolled in developmental writing, and 54% are

enrolled in developmental math.

Among entering students who tested into at least one

developmental class, more than one in 10 (11%) report

that their college did not require them to enroll during

their rst academic term in the classes indicated by

their placement tests. More positively, among the least-

prepared students (those testing into three developmental

areas), 96% report that their college did require them to

take the classes they need in their rst academic term.

Across the eld test colleges, actual enrollments in

developmental education courses suggest that testing

and placement policies are ensuring that the majority o

students enroll in the developmental classes they needduring their rst term:

Among entering students who tested into develop-

mental reading, 88% actually enrolled during their

rst academic term.


mental writing, 88% actually enrolled during their

rst academic term.


mental math, 87% actually enrolled during their rst

academic term.

When colleges adopt and enorce mandatory assess-

ment and placement policies, students cannot postpone

the coursework most critical to their long-term success.

Leaving the decision to students about whether to enroll

in developmental classes is not likely to serve their best

interest.

Additionally, there is growing evidence that participating

in student success courses leads to improved student

outcomes, particularly (though not exclusively) or

developmental students. Yet even though 64% o entering

students indicate that they are enrolled in at least one

developmental education class, only 25% are enrolled in

a student success course.

Sixty-ve eld test colleges administered the SENSE

special-ocus module on student success courses. Among

these respondents, most students who were enrolled in a

student success course somewhat agree or strongly agreethat they gained key skills and knowledge:

63% say they developed skills to become a better

student.

69% report improving their time management skills.

75% say they learned to understand their academic

strengths and weaknesses.

80% report learning about college services available

to help students succeed in their studies.

81% report learning about college policies and dead-

lines that aect them.

Further, 58% o entering students who enrolled in a stu-

dent success course developed a written plan or how and

when they can achieve their academic goals, compared

to 30% o all entering students. Nearly three-quarters

(74%) o entering students enrolled in a student success

course say such courses should be mandatory or all

entering students.

Ultimately, colleges may be better able to meet students

needs by incorporating student support services such

as academic advising and planning into student success

courses.

Entering Students and Developmental Education

Percentage o entering students who are enrolled in:

29%

32%

54%

25%

Developmental reading

Developmental math

A student success course

Developmental writing


You mean there are classes thatteach people how to study? Tats the

problem. I dont know how to study. Ido not know how to study.

Male student


14/24




Broward College (FL) uses a case management model

to improve outcomes or its developmental students. Te

college has trained eight Success Specialists, each o

whom advises approximately 250 entering students

who place into two or more college prep (developmental

education) subject areas. Te specialists assign thestudents to theme-based learning communities, most o

which include a three-credit Student Lie Skills course,

college prep classes, and a general education course.

Broward created our dierent types o learning com-

munities, all o which produced improved outcomes on

retention, course completion, or both. Students who were

in learning communities and received holistic advising

had the greatest success: 82% all-to-spring retention,

compared with 70% or students who were in learning

communities but did not receive this broad, intensive

advising; 58% all-to-all retention, compared to 53% or

students who did not receive holistic advising.Ninety percent o entering students at College o the

Marshall Islands (MH) require developmental education.

o better serve them, the college created a rst-year college

experience program that combines course work, tutor-

ing, and student lie programs along with developmental

instruction. Students participate in learning communities,

and they attend a semester-long course that orients new

students to the rst-year experience and acilitates their

transition to college. Aer the rst-year experience

program was implemented, developmental student

retention increased by 10 percentage points.

Phillips Community College o the University o

Arkansas (AR) has three levels o developmental

mathematics, and the college uses the ICAN Learn

Interactive Math Program to deliver instruction to

the three classes. Each class includes 42 to 46 sel-

paced modules designed to provide quick, incremental

learning. Students must successully complete each

lesson beore moving to the next lesson, and they must

complete all modules to successully complete the course.

Using this approach, students can complete as many as

three levels o developmental math within one semester.

PCCUA data indicate that students who successully

completed the developmental sequence perormed better

in college algebra and on the CAAP test, but the actual

number o students completing the course within one

semester declined. Further evaluation indicated that the

biggest problem was time on task, so the college required

students to spend an additional hour per week in the

math lab to increase instructional time.

Principle #5: Engaged Learning

Imagine a college at which engaged learning is inten-

tional, inescapable, and the norm or all students.

Most community college students attend college part-

time and must nd ways to balance class and study time

with work and amily responsibilities. As a result, they

oen spend little time on campus beyond the hours

they attend classes. Colleges can make the most o class

time by using the instructional approaches that are most

likely to engage students, help them learn, encourage

them to build relationships and take advantage o

campus resources and make them want to come

back or more.


Ample evidence shows that engaging learning strategies

including those CCSSE terms active and collaborative

learning are related to desired student outcomes suchas persistence and academic achievement. SENSE data

indicate, however, that large proportions o entering

students are not experiencing these instructional

approaches during their rst three weeks o college.

For example:

75% o entering students say they are not enrolled in

a student success course.

96% say they are not enrolled in a learning community.

85% report neverparticipating in a required study

group outside o class.

22% say theyneverworked with other students on

a project or assignment during class, and 69% never

did so outside o class.

31% say theyneverreceived prompt eedback (oral or

written) about their perormance rom an instructor.

27% report neverasking or help rom an instructor

regarding questions or problems related to class.

71% say theyneverdiscussed ideas rom readings or

assignments with instructors outside o class.

All o my classes are learning labs,and I think that makes it a lot betterbecause its so interactive.

Female student


15/24


While the overall percentage o students who have had

these early experiences is useul, it also is instructive to

consider the responses across colleges. For example, at

the college with the highest participation in on-campus

orientations, 90% o students participated. Tis suggests

that colleges can achieve high rates o student partici-

pation in orientation and other high-impact entering

student activities.

Starting Rightocus group ndings indicate that both

aculty and students who have experienced engaging

instructional approaches highly value them. One

student, or example, appreciated it when his instructor

made small-group work inescapable, recalling, In

English, weve been doing a lot o group work. I we

raise our hands, she [the instructor] wont pick on the

person whos raising their hand. Shell pick on someone

else in the group and expect them to know it, too. So

beore we even raise our hand, we have to talk it out

with our group.

Faculty members use a variety o approaches toencourage students to invest in one another. One

aculty member explains, I divide the students into

groups and let them know theyll be working with this

group or a long period o time. It makes it easier or

them to connect with each other. When one student

stopped coming to class, the students in her group

would not let her stop. Tey kept call ing her and cal ling

her. Finally she showed up.

Colleges can nd many ways to build these types o

structured interactions into students day-to-day experi-

ences. In addition to collaborative work in class, colleges

can require study groups, make interactive work parto assignments, and build community service or other

hands-on experiences into coursework.


Prairie State College (IL) carved out time or our

Arican-American male aculty members (one each romEnglish, communications, sociology, and psychology)

to spend time together immersed in the literature on

practices that oster academic success or Arican-

American male students. Te ollowing all, each o the

proessors taught a section o a college success seminar

based on his research. Te goal was to jump start the

college experience or young Arican-American men.

Tis program builds important relationships and

complements a mentoring program that ocuses on

Arican-American male students.

At Lane College (TN), Fast Lane to Success is a learn-

ing community or rst-year college students that

began with two linked classes Eective Learning

and a college success course that ocused on helping

students develop academic and personal skills. It was

ully enrolled, well received, and had a positive eect

on retention and success. Fast Lane to Success then was

expanded to include three levels o writing classes, and

plans are underway to develop a section that includes a

math class. Student surveys indicate that those who

participated in Fast Lane to Success were more engaged

with their studies, instructors, ellow students, and the

college overall than their peers who did not participate.

LaGuardia Community College (NY) places all

incoming students into one o three academies

Business/echnology, Allied Health, and Liberal

Engaging Experiences: Range of Responses by College

90%

73%

4%

1%

0%

0%

72%

26%

On-campus orientation

Highest participation rate Lowest participation rate

Student success course

Learning community

Orientation course


Tere is excitement, especially i theyreworking in groups and you can see ontheir aces theyre engaged. Teyrelaughing, theyre having a good time,

theyre excited about learning.

Faculty member


16/24



Arts and placement is based on the students major.

Each academy unctions as a school-within-a-school

and oers themed basic skills courses linked with

discipline-area courses. For example, Basic Writing is

paired with Introduction to Business. Te academies

also provide career development courses and an array o

co-curricular activities that contribute to student success

and development. All o these activities are centeredaround the academys discipline. Te Allied Health

academy, or example, might oer career orientation

events in health elds, study skills workshops using

health-related materials, and speakers rom the health

proession. Academy students retention rate is 6% higher

than that o their nonparticipating peers, and their pass

rate in discipline-area courses also is 6% higher.

Principle #6: An Integrated Networkof Financial, Social, and Academic

SupportImagine a college at which every entering student is

met with a personalized network o nancial, academic,

and social support.

Entering students are most likely to succeed when expec-

tations are high and they receive the support they need

to achieve at high levels. Tis support includes nancial

aid advising; academic support, such as tutoring and

skill labs; and social support so students do not eel

isolated when acing challenges.

Preliminary FindingsTe ability to take advantage o student support services

begins with knowing both that they exist and how to

access them. Unortunately, SENSE data indicate that

less than a third o entering students are aware o key

student services during the rst three weeks o college.

29% o entering students say they did not know about

academic advising/planning services.

27% report not knowing about ace-to-ace tutoring.

32% say they were unaware o skill labs.

27% say they did not know about nancial aidadvising.

15% say they were unaware o computer labs.

In Starting Rightocus groups, students repeatedly

say they want more inormation about registration,

advising, resources, and so on: more people talking to

us, more handouts, a more complete check-o list

or admissions. One student, rustrated in her quest or

inormation, notes, rying to navigate the colleges Web

site is like trying to gure out a calculus problem when

you have no clue what calculus is.

Colleges can improve both awareness and use o

student services by integrating them into the classroom

experience. Tis has the dual advantage o making the

services inescapable and tying them directly to the

course content. In addition, or some services, such as

nancial aid advising, colleges can start working with

students when they still are in high school.


Austin Community College District (TX) visits local

high schools to provide college pre-enrollment services,

including nancial aid planning, to high school seniors.

ACC oers day and evening inormation sessions or

parents and students to help them understand the pro-

cess, deadlines, and materials needed or nancial aidapplications. Te college also conducts day and evening

FAFSA workshops on high school campuses to provide

one-on-one assistance to amilies completing the FAFSA.

Entering Students Awareness of Support Services

Percentage o entering students who are unaware o particularsupport services during their rst three weeks o college:

29

27%

27%

15%

Academic adv ising/plann ingservices

Skill labs

Financial aid advising

Computer labs

Face-to-ace tutoring



17/24


ACC serves more than 15,000 high school seniors each

year, and the outreach is working. In 200708, 1,423

seniors completed the FAFSA. Halway through the

200809 academic year, 2,007 seniors had completed

the FAFSA, an increase o 29%.

Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FL)

created its oolbox Scholar Project to providemaximum resources to students with developmental

needs in mathematics. Te project gives college-prep

(developmental) mathematics aculty a toolbox o

support resources or their students, including the

use o masters students or supplemental instruction

(both in the classroom and in the Learning Commons),

diagnostic and prescriptive soware packages, and

tracking systems or student progress. racking students

progress allows aculty to intervene quickly, either

with individual or small-group sessions on topics o

concern. Assigning mandatory sessions in the Learning

Commons or all students in the class removes the

stigma o seeking tutoring. Initial data indicate that

students who have been engaged in this project have

been more willing to seek assistance in the Learning

Commons in subsequent semesters.

Butler Community College (KS) developed an early

alert initiative aer its SENSE data revealed that 9.6% o

the colleges entering students skipped class several times

during the rst three weeks o their rst academic term.

Tis percentage was signicantly higher than the 4.9%

average o the other 2007 participating colleges. In all

2008, Butler piloted an early alert initiative with 55

aculty participants. Te program allows aculty to

identiy at-risk students and reer them to the colleges

director o rst-year experience or to an advisor. Tat

sta member then conducts needs assessments and

connects students to appropriate support services, such

as tutoring, counseling, disability services, and even o-campus social service agencies.

Athletic perormance grants are among the nancial

assistance options at Tyler Junior College (TX), and the

college helps its scholar-athletes succeed with academic

support designed to improve their retention, academic

success, GPA, and graduation rates. First-time athletes

are required to take a college study skills course ocused

on transitioning into college as an athlete. Study hall just

or athletes staed by qualied tutors is scheduled

our nights a week, and attendance is mandatory.

When people come here, they needsomebody to talk to they needsomebody to reach out to them.

Male student


18/24



In spring 2008, the City University o New York (CUNY) began

designing a new CUNY community college to address projected

enrollment growth at its six existing community colleges and to

explore the possibility o wholly restructuring the community col-

lege experience to improve outcomes.

With a charge rom Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, a sta plan-

ning team undertook the work, which included input rom CUNY

aculty and administrators as well as national experts. A steering

committee o CUNY leaders, including Presidents Regina Peruggi

o Kingsborough Community College and Gail Mellow o

LaGuardia Community College, is overseeing the planning

process.

John Mogulescu, CUNY Senior University Dean or Academic

Aairs and Dean o the School o Proessional Studies, notes,

The opportunity to imagine a new institution, one that is singularly

ocused on the need to dramatically increase graduation rates,has been incredibly valuable. A concept paper summarizes the

exploratory work and describes a set o key ideas and practices

deemed essential or the new college. Over the next 18 months,

CUNY will promote urther discussion and renement o the

recommendations, briefy summarized below.

The challenge.Approximately 14% o rst-time ull-time resh-

men enrolled in CUNY associate degree programs graduate within

three years, while about 25% are still enrolled. As in most other

community colleges, graduation rates are lowest or students o

color and those rom low-income backgrounds.

Defning elements.The new college will require students to

enroll ull-time, at least in the rst year. Every course o study will

address the theme o creating and sustaining a thriving New York

City, to create both a coherent curriculum and opportunities to

connect with the citys public institutions, private rms, cultural

organizations, unions, and other entities or internships and eld

placements related to student coursework.

Pre-college programs, admissions/assessments, and the

summer program.The ull plan has extensive recommenda-

tions about student services, including assigning each student

to a sta member who will help him/her navigate the enrollment

process. The emphasis is on students usingservices, not justbeing aware o them, and the planners assert that the college

should not orego the need to make demands o students i those

demands are tied to substantially increasing their chances or

success. For example:

Interviews will be a required part o the admissions process,

impressing upon students that open access should not

amount to uninformedaccess.

A ull-time, three-week summer program will help students

begin to develop reading, writing, and research skills neces-

sary or the rst-year program; begin the intensive work

o the colleges math program; become acquainted with

resources available at the college; and develop a sense o

comort and amiliarity with the college.

All students will be presumed to need remediation. Instead

o traditional placement assessments, students skills will be

assessed through demonstrated prociency in reading and

writing assignments during the summer program. A compre-

hensive online math placement test will be used or math.

Educational model. Major eatures o the educational model

include:

Required credit-based coursework or all rst-year students,

whether college ready or academically underprepared.

No zero-credit remedial classes and no traditional and

isolated introductory courses.

A required rst-year core curriculum incorporating a City

Seminar, a Math Topics course, and a Proessional Studies

course in conjunction with workplace education.

Shorter modules in place o traditional semesters.

Full-scale implementation o learning communities.

A rst-year program o studies with no predetermined credit

value; rather, credits will be awarded based on the quality and

quantity o a students work.

A central role or student advising.

A limited number o elds o study chosen careully or their

relevance to New York Citys needs and job market, now and

into the uture. Majors would be organized into Liberal Arts,

Health and Human Services, Inormation Studies, and Urban

Systems.

Accountability. Data will be used to help build a community

o teachers and learners who can examine and understand the

ecacy o their own work and how to improve it. The college will

have clear goals, including an initial target o 30% graduation

and readiness or next steps, within three years, or all students.

Extended graduation and readiness targets are 35% in our yearsand 40% in ve years.

Source: City University of New York, A New Community College:

Concept Paper, August 15, 2008.

2008 Field Test Findings

Imagining a New Community College


19/24


What are the potential consequences o a commitment to

attain much higher levels o student success? I a college

makes changes that promote ar-reaching student suc-

cess, there are signicant implications or its culture, itsorganizational structure, and its allocation o both scal

and human resources. Colleges have to ask themselves

i they are prepared to bring successul practices to scale

and, i not, what current policies and practices may

have to be changed to make ull-scale implementation

possible. Tey have to look careully at their campus

cultures to assess whether their stated values, attitudes,

and practices are conducive to signicant change. For

example, what happens to a students right to ail at

a college redesigned to signicantly improve studentoutcomes?

o help many more students succeed, colleges have

to look at every aspect o their practice, including

the college intake process; teaching practices; class

scheduling; and academic policies, particularly

decisions about mandatory and optional experiences

and assignments. Ten, when colleges do achieve large-

scale success, they may have to revisit the same issues

again because success promises to bring new challenges:

Serving a college o successul students is bound to

require some dramatically new strategies. And wouldnt

that be a wonderul challenge to ace?

Community college educators in constrained economic

environments may worry that student success is

unaordable. Newly developed tools oer a dierent

perspective. Several eorts are underway to help colleges

better analyze the costs o student success strategies in

comparison with their benets, particularly the benet

o increased revenue rom tuition and state unding

Implications: Doing Education Differently

Our community and our college areacing some very signicant scal andeducational challenges I dont want

to lead a slash and burn approach toaddressing those challenges. Rather,we must rethink our work, imagininghow we would build, rom the groundup, a community college designed orstudent success. And then we need toensure that our priorities refect ourcommitment to becoming that college.

Brent Knight, President, Lansing Community College (MI)


20/24For more information about SENSE and the 2008 survey, visit www.enteringstudent.org.


generated by improved student retention. Tese analyses

can help colleges allocate resources appropriately. For

example:

Te Making Opportunity Afordable initiatives

Investing in Student Success project, unded by

Lumina Foundation or Education and Wal-Mart

Foundation, is developing an analytic tool to helpcolleges and universities determine whether pro-

grams designed to retain students are cost-eective

investments. Te project ties program-level cost data

to student outcomes and explores the extent to which

the additional revenue colleges and universities

generate by increasing student retention osets the

additional cost o such programs.

Te Basic Skills Initiative Project at Skyline College

(CA) created a model that demonstrates the value

o ocusing on student retention. Using a return-

on-investment (ROI) ramework, the research team

looked at real-world data or a range o nontradi-tional and supposedly expensive developmental

education programs. It ound that, i the programs

are successul, they oen more than pay or

themselves, including up-ront costs that exceed

the cost o traditional programs.*

All o this happens in the context o Americas renewed

ocus on a culture o responsibility. Now is the time or

community colleges to tackle their greatest challenge:

not only serving students with signicant need, but

ensuring their success.

Next Steps for SENSE

In the coming year, SENSE will conduct its rst national

administration and introduce new online tools to help

participating colleges and the public.

First national administration in all 2009. In early

and mid-2009, the Center will nalize the SENSE

survey instrument based on additional student

interviews, data analyses, and ongoing psychometric

analyses. Te Center will conduct the rst national

administration oSENSE in all 2009. Registration

or this administration closes April 3, 2009.Colleges are encouraged to register online at

www.enteringstudent.org.

Special-ocus modules. In addition to the core

survey instrument, participating colleges may add up

to two special-ocus modules, which provide insight

into key topics o interest. Modules available in 2009

will include Financial Assistance, Commitment and

Support, Student Success Courses, and echnology.

Additional special-ocus modules, including Aca-

demic Advising and Relationships on Campus, willbe introduced or the 2010 SENSE administration.

Second annual Entering Student Success Institute

(ESSI). eams rom 20 colleges that participated in

the 2008 SENSE eld test will convene in Santa Fe,

NM, in late April or the second ESSI. At the institute,

colleges will dig into their SENSE results, along with

other critical institutional data, to deepen their

understanding o their students earliest college

experiences. Trough ocused interaction with

nationally recognized speakers and colleagues rom

other eld test colleges, and with the assistance o

expert resident aculty, attendees at this teams-

only event will learn about strategies and develop

a written action plan or improving the entering

student experience at their colleges.

SENSEWeb site. With the release o the eld test

data, SENSE launched an interactive Web site that

allows member colleges to create customized data

reports. Tis dynamic search capability will be avail-

able on the public site aer the completion o the rst

national administration.

We would argue that colleges anduniversities have a moral, ethical, andsocietal obligation to ocus on increasingachievement o student goals. Te workwe have undertaken simply suggeststhat they also have a nancial incentive

or doing so. Robert Johnstone, Dean, Planning, Research, and Institutional

Eectiveness, Skyline College

*For more inormation about the Caliornia Basic Skills

Initiative, visit www.cccbsi.org.


21/24


Te 2008 SENSE eld test survey was administered

at 89 community colleges and yielded 57,547 usablesurveys. Te survey was administered in classes

randomly selected rom the population o all rst

college-level English and math courses and all

developmental education courses (excluding ESL

courses).

Colleges chose to include zero, one, or two o the

three special-ocus modules in their surveys: 50 colleges

administered the Financial Assistance special-ocus

module, 54 administered the Commitment and

Support module, and 65 administered the Student

Success Courses module. In all, 86 colleges administered

special-ocus modules.

Both entering students (those in their rst term at the

college) and returning students responded to the survey,

but the preliminary ndings in this report ocus only on

entering students.

Te data presented in this report represent the eld test

sample only. Te ollowing comparison o characteristicso entering and returning students oers a preliminary

indication o which students may be at greatest risk o

leaving college beore starting their second year. For

example, 43% o entering students are male, but only

37% o returning students are male.

Overview of the 2008 SENSEField TestRespondents

Characteristics of 2008 Field Test Respondents

Characteristic

Entering

students

Returning

students

All

respondents

Male 43% 37% 41%

Female 57% 63% 59%

Enrolled part-time 27% 38% 31%

Enrolled ull-time 73% 62% 69%

Traditional-age (1824) 82% 63% 74%

Nontraditional-age (25 and older) 18% 37% 26%

Work more than 20 hours per week 40% 53% 45%

Report that English is their frst

language88% 84% 87%

Married 11% 20% 15%

Have children living with them 20% 32% 25%

Race/Ethnicity of 2008 Field Test Respondents

Race/ethnicity

Entering

students

Returning

students

All

respondentsLatino/Hispanic 12% 14% 13%

White 63% 58% 61%

Arican American 15% 17% 16%

Asian 4% 5% 4%

Native American 1% 1% 1%

Native Hawaiian


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Peter Ewell, Chair

Vice President

National Center or Higher

Education Management Systems

(NCHEMS)

David Armstrong

President

Broward College (FL)

Rose Asera

Senior Scholar

Te Carnegie Foundation or the

Advancement o eaching

George Boggs

President and CEO

American Association o

Community Colleges

Walter G. BumphusChairman, Department o

Educational Administration

Te University o exas at Austin

Jacqueline Claunch

President

Northwest Vista College (X)

Larry Ebbers

Proessor, Educational Leadership

and Policy Studies

Iowa State University

Terrence Gomes

President

Roxbury Community College (MA)

George Grainger

Senior Grant Ocer


William Law

President

allahassee Community College (FL)

Byron N. McClenney

Program Director

Achieving the Dream


Alexander McCormick

Director

National Survey o Student

Engagement (NSSE)

Indiana University Bloomington

Christine Johnson McPhail

Proessor Emeritus

Morgan State University (MD)

Jan Motta

Executive Director

Massachusetts Community College

Executive Oce (MA)

John E. Roueche

Director, Community College

Leadership Program


Gerardo de los Santos

President and CEO

League or Innovation in the

Community College

Anne Stanton

Program Director

Te James Irvine Foundation

Vincent Tinto

Distinguished ProessorSyracuse University (NY)

Evelyn Waiwaiole

Director

NISOD National Institute or Sta

and Organizational Development

Tom Bailey

Director

Community College Research Center

eachers College, Columbia

University (NY)

Kimberly Coutts

Director o Institutional Research

MiraCosta Community College (CA)

Peter Ewell

Vice President

National Center or HigherEducation Management Systems

(NCHEMS)

Bob Gonyea

Associate Director, Center or

Postsecondary Research


George Grainger

Senior Grant Ocer


Gary Hanson

Senior Research and Policy Analyst

(Retired)

Te University o exas System

Steve Head

President

Lone Star College-North Harris (X)

C. Nathan Marti

Manager o Consulting Services

Division o Statistics and Scientic

Computation


Alexander McCormick

Director

National Survey o Student

Engagement (NSSE)


Ann M. Toomey

Director

System Research and Grants

Community College System o

New Hampshire

Alice VilladsenPresident Emeritus

Brookhaven College (X)

Ted Wright

Special Assistant to the President

(Retired)

Broward Community College (FL)

CCCSENational Advisory Board

SENSETechnical Advisory Panel


23/24


Kay McClenney

Director

Jef Crumpley

Associate Director, Operations

Angela Oriano-Darnall

Assistant Director, Survey o Entering

Student Engagement

Arleen Arnsparger

Project Manager, Initiative on

Student Success

Courtney Adkins

Survey Operations Coordinator

Karla Fisher

College Relations Coordinator

Christine McLean

Senior Associate

Chris Cosart

Web and Database Administrator

Shanna Howard

Webmaster

Beiyi Cai

Research Associate

Erika Glaser

Research Associate

Rowland Cadena

College Liaison

Sandra Shannon

Project Coordinator, Initiative

on Student Success

Kerry Mix

Research Assistant

Judy Row

Administrative Manager

Chris Lynch

Accountant

Annine Miscoe

Administrative Associate

Johna Crump


Marlana Rodgers


Michael Merck


Chris OrozcoOce Assistant

Editorial and design by KSA-Plus Communications, Inc.

SENSEMember Colleges

For a list o colleges that participated in the 2008 SENSE eld test, visit www.enteringstudent.org.

CCCSESta


24/24

Center or Community College Student Engagement

Community College Leadership Program

College o Education


3316 Grandview Street

Austin, X 78705

: 512.471.6807 F: 512.471.4209

Just Imagine Success

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