University Business - January 2009 - (Page 22)

COMMUNIT Y COLLEGES Getting the SENSE of Students New survey addresses crucial first weeks By Ann McClure as first impressions of campus. the data can reveal differences between programs and how students perceive them. “oftentimes colleges think they have policies in place for assessment and placement, but in reality it is very different,” orianoDarnall says. A key finding so far, which is supported by CCSSe data, is the importance of making connections with other students and college personnel early in a student’s career. institutions encourage faculty to brainstorm ideas about connecting better on the first day of class. “Another area that emerged very clearly is that students don’t know what they don’t know,” Arnsparger says. this is especially a pain point for first-generation students who might not have anyone to help them navigate a college system. “even people who work with community colleges fall into [this assumption],” says oriano-Darnall. ApplyiNg The dATA Administrators at durham Technical Community College (n.C.) participated in both the pilot and the field test. “i asked Angela if we could get our data early,” says tom Jaynes, dean of student development. His team made significant changes to the orientation program based on data from last year’s survey, and they are eager to see its impact. When the 2007 pilot results revealed that only 20 percent of students either went to orientation or knew it existed, Jaynes was surprised. “We were putting a lot of energy into creating the orientation program.” officials already knew attendance was low, but the SenSe data highlighted the problem and also prompted changes. oriano-Darnall often sees this hapuniversitybusiness.com om m u n i t y C ol l e ge leaders already know to expect some students will drop out in the first few weeks of the semester. the Survey of entering Student engagement (SenSe) can help them figure out why. “We lose nearly 50 percent of community college students nationwide before their second year,” says Angela oriano-Darnall, assistant director for the SenSe survey, which is in its second year and is administered by the Community College leadership Program (CClP) at The University of Texas at Austin. “it is imperative that we learn what is happening early in their career.” SenSe is a paper survey completed by students during the fourth and fifth week of the fall semester when they are still getting their feet wet, as opposed to the Community College Survey of Student engagement (CCSSe), which is administered in the spring after students have already shown some persistence. the CClP launched CCSSe six years ago. NUTs ANd BolTs the new survey grew from the CClP’s work on the established survey as well as from Achieving the Dream, a national multiyear initiative to help more community college students succeed. “We know that engagement is related to student success,” explains Director Kay mcClenney. “We also know that certain student groups are ‘high risk’ because they have a low likelihood to persist.” Research has shown those high-risk students, often firstgeneration or minority students, are more engaged than other groups, and it is these highly engaged, high-risk students who are in the survey pool for SenSe, which is focused on developmental courses. 22 | January 2009 C STC President Shirley Reed learns about students in person and through surveys. People are “stunned” when they find out high-risk students are making such an effort, says Arleen Arnsparger, the project manager for the metlife Foundation’s initiative on Student Success. the metlife Foundation provides funding for the survey, along with the Houston endowment and the lumina Foundation for education. Colleges have programs in place ranging from student success courses to mandatory advising that are meant to address the many reasons students drop out. the survey can help administrators assess the effectiveness of an established program, while also highlighting intangibles, such Rules of Common SENSE Developed by the Community College Leadership Program at The University of Texas at Austin, the Survey of Entering Student Engagement will be fully administered this year for the first time. The registration deadline is March 1, and institutions pay a sliding scale participation fee ranging from $1,600 to $12,200, based on fall IPEDS credit head-count enrollment. Discounts are available for multiyear and consortia contracts. http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - January 2009

University Business - January 2009
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Financial Aid
Community College
From Data to Information
5 Reasons to Switch to Virtual Servers
Finished in a Flash
Internet Technology
What's New
End Note

University Business - January 2009