report of spring 2013 cuyahoga community college … of spring 2013 cuyahoga community college...
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Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
8/1/2013
Report of Spring 2013 Cuyahoga Community College Research Site Visit (March 4-6, 2013) and Tri-C Life 2012-2013
“Getting Connected: Harnessing the Power of Social Media to Enhance Community College Student Success.” A grant funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Regina Deil-Amen
Cecilia Rios-Aguilar
with
Scott Brenden, Monica Moreno Anguas, Kari Chew, and Sandra Soto-Santiago
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
1
Report of Spring 2013 Cuyahoga Community
College Research Site Visit (March 4-6, 2013)
and Tri-C Life 2012-2013 “Getting Connected: Harnessing the Power of Social Media to
Enhance Community College Student Success.” A grant funded by
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Table of Contents
Site Visit Logistics………………………………………………………………………………..2
Tri-C Life Facebook App Data Findings……………………………….…………………3
Spring 2012 Semester………………………………………………………………….8
Fall 2012 Semester………………………………………………………………….…16
Spring 2013 Semester………………………………………………….…………….22
Interview and Focus Group Data Findings……………………………………………37
Perceptions of Tri-C Life…………………………………………………………….37
Perceptions of Community and Belonging………………………………….40
Challenges and Recommendations for Tri-C and Tri-C Life........................46
Improving Student Services……………………………………………………….46
Successfully Implementing the Technology………………………………...48
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
2
Site Visit Logistics
The purpose of our second research team site visit in Spring 2013 was to gather further
qualitative data on patterns and themes that had emerged from our first 2012 site visit
and after our preliminary analyses of the data generated by the Tri-C Life app in Year 1
of the grant. Therefore, we targeted our interview and focus group questions on student
efforts to strategize success while navigating the procedural, academic, social aspects of
their college-going experiences. In particular, in our 2012 site visit, we found students
extremely challenged with financial aid issues, so we added that as an additional topic of
interest for the 2013 interviews.
Who participated in the site visit? The two principal investigators, Dr. Regina Deil-
Amen (University of Arizona) and Dr. Cecilia Rios-Aguilar (Claremont Graduate
University), along with graduate research assistant Sandra Soto-Santiago and Ph.D.
candidate LaMonica Everett-Haynes.
Sandy Moses was our immediate contact in helping us prepare for the visit, including
the securing of rooms for interviews and the recruitment and scheduling of interview
participants – a monumental task! She was tremendously instrumental in assisting us
with completing a total of 4 staff interviews, 41 student interviews, and 1 focus group
with 4 student participants. Altogether, of the 45 students who participated in an
interview or focus group, the vast majority, 71% of them, were female, and only 29%
were male, while the racial breakdown of student participants included 53% white, 40%
Black, and 7% Hispanic, South Asian, or Middle Eastern.
Nearly two-thirds of those interviewed (64%) were of non-traditional age, returning
adult students, with several who were in their 40’s or 50’s. The remainder (36%) had
either immediately enrolled after high school or were in their early 20’s.
29%
71%
Male
Female 54%
40%
7% White
African-American
Other
36%
64%
Traditional
Non-traditional
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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Similar to our visit in 2012, we again visited three campuses to conduct our research
(West, Westshore/Westlake, and Metro). At the end of our visit we were able to meet
with the institutional research team who had been supplying us with the institutional
student data as well as several
others involved with the Tri-C
Life app and social media,
including Rob Stuart, with
whom we are collaborating on
a publication. Our manuscript
includes data analyses to
forward new thinking about
theories that address career
opportunities in community
college students’ decisions to
persist. It has been submitted
for review in Community
College Review and is
entitled, “‘How Much
Economic Value Does My
Credential Have?’: A Labor
Market and Socio-Academic Integration Approach to Study Students’ Persistence in
Community Colleges.” At this meeting, we presented a preliminary report of the
research findings from Year 1.
From our combined analyses of the interview and focus group data from 2013 along
with that collected in 2012, we see several patterns emerging in our findings. We report
these later in the report after detailing our analyses and findings of the data gathered
from posting and commenting activity on Tri-C Life.
Tri-C Life Facebook App Data Findings
How does the Tri-C community use the app and what topics are most prominent? In
our 2012 report last year, we noted patterns that had emerged on the Schools App for
Cuyahoga Community College – Tri-C Life – for first semester of use, which was fall
2011. We used those patterns as a basis for developing a coding scheme of 41 codes
regarding the content appearing on the school feed as well as 15 archetype codes, which
characterized the types of users or behaviors that emerged in this use of this Tri-C
Facebook app.
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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Content Codes
1 Major/Degree-Relevant 20 TECHNOLOGY.SOCIAL MEDIA USE
2 Career-Relevant 21 College Social Media Use
3 Other Procedural 22 General Social Media Use
4 Academic 23 Reaction To and Use of App
5 Purely Social 24 Schools App Benefits
6 Clubs/Groups/Social Organization(s) 25 Staying Connected to College
7 Feelings or Effort (Belonging) 26 FINANCIAL AID
8 Feelings or Effort (Success or Failure) 27 Aid Eligibility-Avoid Loans
9 Feelings or Effort (Sharing of Self) 28 Aid Eligibility-Don’t Receive Aid
10 Market Transaction 29 Communication Means of College-FA Staff
11 Cannot Categorize 30 Confusing-Misleading FA Information
12 Discouragement 31 Distribution Money Timelines
13 Encouragement 32 Don’t Qualify for FA
14 Goals 33 Inefficiency in FA Office
15 Instructors Effective 34 Positive FA Experiences
16 Instructors Ineffective 35 Relevance of Academics
17 Kind of Student NOW 36 Sources of Aid
18 Kind of Student PAST 37 Sources of Financial Aid Information
19 Social Background and Family 38 FINANCIAL AID USE
39 Academic Support
40 Family Support and Personal Expenses
41 Get-the-Check Leavers (Pell runners)
Archetypes Codes 1 Connection-Seeking Networker
2 Socialite
3 Organizer
4 Procedural/Info Seeker
5 Procedural/Info Helper
6 College Advocate
7 College Cynic
8 Emotional Sharer
9 Doubter
10 Frustrated Complainer
11 Counselor
12 Saint/Good Samaritan
13 Debater
14 Market Participant
15 Spammer
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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Our analyses for the current 2013 report involved coding and analyzing all of the posts
and comments appearing on Tri-C Life for fall 2011, the academic year 2012, and spring
2013. The results are summarized then explained in detail for each semester below. We
utilized both “R” text mining software and Nvivo 10 software for the analyses. The text
mining generated word clouds, which identified the most frequently used and central
words appearing in the Tri-C Life School Feed through 2012. We then selected the
words generated in each word cloud, searched for and identified them in the data, then
observed and coded those words in the context of the entire school feed posts or
comments to determine the topics of the exchanges, including spring 2013 in that
analysis.
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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Using this word cloud generated by R as a starting point, we analyzed the actual content
of Tri-C Life exchanges that contained the frequently used words to better understand
the context of the posts and comments in more depth. As can be seen in the word cloud,
two of the most frequent words posted on Tri-C Life from 2011 through 2013 were
“good” and “class.” Also quite common was the word “campus,” signaling students
reaching out to connect with others on their same campus. ‘Questioning’ words appear
frequently as well, such as “can,” “‘what,” “who,” “how,” “when,” “where,” “does,” and
“should,” indicating use of Tri-C Life to seek information. Also frequent were words
seeking not only information, but also guidance, assistance, or connection based on
involvements or classes, such as “anyone,” “know,” “take,” “math,” “english” and
“interested” (as in “Anyone taking math…?” or Does anyone know…?” or “Anyone
interested in…?” or “Can anyone please help me…?). The fact that Tri-C Life is
succeeding as a place to ask for help and receive it is indicated by the frequency of words
like “please,” “thanks” “need,” “help,” “want,” “looking,” and “trying.” Many of these
connection-seeking words also revolved around attempts to buy and “sell” “books” as in
posts asking “Anyone have…book for….class?” Also very common was the phrase
“financial aid” and less common, but still frequent enough to appear in the cloud were
the related terms, “check,” “deposit,” and “refund.” Finally, “friends” appeared quite
frequently on, indicating the use of Tri-C Life to “meet” or “make” friends or to
announce that they “need” “new” friends.
Additional layers of analysis revealed several patterns that emerged in the data showed
students’ attempting to forge connections and create a social media-based college
community with particular characteristics. Students seem to be engaging in “integrative
community building,” in which they expose their college-going needs and request and
offer support to one another. The characteristic patterns that showcase this are detailed
below.
Although designed by Inigral as a social space, academically relevant words and
procedure-relevant exchanges were most prominent. In addition to the words already
noted above, other academic specific words such as “semester,” “book,” “study,”
“homework,” “professor,” “instructor,” “teacher,” “test,” “grades,” “algebra,” “science,”
“tutoring,” and “blackboard” appeared often. Students used Tri-C Life to communicate
about academic and class related issues, financial aid, and enrollment and course-taking
advice and timelines, such as registration policies and procedures. Relative to other
colleges in the study, Tri-C students tend to be more likely to identify which classes they
are taking or plan to take and initiate interactions regarding which instructors and
classes are “good” by reaching out to others who are taking or have taken the same
“class” or similar classes. Responses to these posts are plentiful. Also very popular is the
use of Tri-C Life to buy and sell books to sidestep the high cost of new books. The focus
on enrollment, registration, class, and financial aid schedules and timelines is revealed
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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through the appearance of time-based language, such as “semester,” “start,” “week,”
“Monday,” “Tuesday,” “Wednesday,” and “Friday,”
However, in addition to this academic and procedural focus, students also maintain a
strong desire to use Tri-C Life to find friends and communicate about other social or
political topics. One topic in particular that distinguishes Tri-C students from students
at the other colleges in the study is religion spirituality. Exchanges about “God,”
“church,” “blessed,” “Christ,” “religion,” “Jesus,” and the “Bible” were somewhat
prevalent. Regarding how students identify themselves and try to connect with others,
they seem to prefer to identify by their campus, (especially “west,” “western,” “metro,”
and to a lesser extent, “east,” “eastern,” and “westshore”) and also by
“program”/”major” (especially psychology, nursing, business, medical, and
photography) rather than other demographic characteristics.
One distinct pattern emerged of returning adult students actively using the app in a way
that was somewhat different than younger students. Returning adult students identified
themselves as such and often expressed an academic fear or challenge, and other
students or staff/faculty responded with encouragement. In other words, they sought
and received socio-emotional support from ‘similar’ others. Their posts include but
move a step beyond the more practical or procedural issues raised by more traditional
age students.
Overall, students at each college use the social media space to pro-actively network to
construct a community of support and information to navigate a highly complex
organizational context and acquire additional college-going knowledge. Tri-C Life serves
as a “virtual” window exposing what students both LACK and POSSESS. Students are
confused and lack procedural college-going knowledge but they possess the initiative
(navigational capital) to communicate and network to acquire what they lack, and they
possess a desire for an emotionally supportive, information-sharing, helpful community.
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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Spring 2012 Semester
Highly Frequent Topics
The three most frequent topics (labeled using the content codes) appearing on the app
in Spring 2012 were Market Transactions (Code 10), Academic (Code 4), and
Instructors Effective (Code 15). First, the most common market transaction was the
sale and purchase of textbooks. For example, “im selling a math 0910 book. need to get
rid of it. make me an offer!” There were often responses to these posts, but actual
agreements to complete a sale were not common. If sales happened as a result of posts,
it is likely students completed arrangements to meet for the transaction through direct
message or other communication (not posted on the app). Sellers were not the only
ones using the app for market transactions; buyers also searched for students wanting to
sell the books they needed. For example, one student posted, “Does anyone have the
book for Hospitality 1030, the On Cooking book? I also need the book for math 1060. If
anyone is selling either of those books please let me know thanks.” The archetype for
this behavior was Market Participant. Within this same category of Market
Transactions, but far less common, were advertisements of products, services, or events
unrelated to the college. For example:
Barbers, Beauticians, Nail Tech's, Entertainers, Small Business Owners,
etc. Let's get your Tax Preparation process started..... NO OBLIGATION.....
NO OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE!! Visit www.etaxwhiz.com and see what
we can do for you!!! INBOX FOR DETAILS.
These types of posts often received no response. The archetype for this behavior was
Spammer, marketing content unrelated to the college but perhaps related to students’
self-employment or involvement in small businesses. Others used the app to advertise
non-commercial events, such as, “EVERY WED AFTERNOON AT 12 NOON TO 2PM.
LIVING WATERS CAMPUS MINISTRY BIBLE STUDY HERE AT TRI-C METRO AT
THE THE LIBERAL ARTS BUILDING AT THE CAFE. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.”
Such posts, in contrast to those like the tax preparation advertisement, tended to receive
moderate responses. For instance, this one received 3 “likes” and one inquiry.
Second, posts requesting academic support (code 4) were also among the most highly
frequent. For example, students sometimes directly asked for study partners, “I'm
looking for a study buddy. Anybody down?...” Others used the app to introduce
themselves and identify other students in the same program who might want to study
together, “Returning to Tri-c for a medical billing specialist certificate. Anyone good at
med term need study help. Attending evening classes.” Some students replied to these
posts as by offering to study as potential study partners, but others shared advice and
encouragement:
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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I love medical terminology. Once you've got the basics, everything else
should be a breeze. Learn common prefixes, suffixes, and root words at the
beginning. You will see those throughout the whole course. Then you will
only be learning a few more words each section.
Besides searching for study partners, students also ask for academic advice, such as,
“Introduction to Purchasing---Better to take On Line or On Campus?!?!” The archetype
of a student who used the app in this way is Connection-Seeking Networker. However,
in this semester, many of these posts received no replies.
The third most highly frequent topic on the app was that of students asking for
recommendations for effective instructors, and such posts received many responses.
The relevant archetypes for these behaviors are Procedural/Info Seekers and
Procedural/Info Helpers. Below is an extended but instructive example of one student
asking for a recommendation and receiving responses from several other students:
Original Post: I have to take English Comp 1020, can anyone suggest aneasy going, good teacher?
Comment 1: [first and last name of instructor] … he's pretty easy. His class is very boring and you'll end up browsing the internet or doing homework for other classes but hey, I got through it lol.
Original Poster: Thanks…what campus was he on?
Comment 2: Mr. [last name of instructor]. He's not only funny, but easy. You have your paper due @ midterm so you don't have to worry about that & finals. We even watched a movie in class. The class was fun & if you don't like English, you will than. He's @ the west campus.
Original Poster: awesome…that is what I needed to hear, I just dropped my class yesterday the woman had a stick up her butt, and the class was Moving way Too Fast for me we were only into our second week and had 3 papers due I was choking
Comment 3: i got [first and last name of instructor] hes pretty cool
Comment 4: He is at the western campus.
Comment 5: [first and last name of instructor] he is at West. He grades papers on content and doesn't go into detail on plays and poems. There is one research paper of course. Midterm and Final are open note. However, the class is really boring and he tells stories while getting off topic. Other than that an pretty much an easy A
Comment 6: I like teachers that get off topic easily. Makes the class go by faster lol.
Comment 7: That sucks that she went too fast. You can't learn anything that way. That's a lot of papers in the 2nd week if they have to be the long ones. I'm surprised everyone else didn't complain.
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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Moderately Frequent Topics
Eight other content topics were observed to be not as frequent as the three above, but
fairly common nonetheless. The first of these moderately frequent topics is financial aid
and includes several financial aid relevant codes combined: Confusing-Misleading
Financial Aid Information (Code 30); Distribution Money Timelines (Code 31);
Inefficiency in Financial Aid Office (Code 33); Relevance of Academics (Code 35),
Sources of Aid (Code 36); and two final ones that are subcodes under Financial Aid Use
– Academic Support (Code 39) and Family Support and Personal Expenses (Code 40).
Several examples below illustrate the nature of financial aid posts as a surprisingly
frequent topic on Tri-C Life.
One student solicited advice on dealing with confusing information on a book credit,
posting:
OK I got my refund back but my book credit isn't on there. I subtracted my
pell grant from my tuition and got back the amount I calculated but I still
had unused book credit. The lady on the phone was mean and said it was
all there. What did I do wrong?
Another student responded with advice:
Hmm...sounds like you did it right. Did you use the total per term amount
& not total per year? You also have to go by the amount on MyTric since if
you took a lab there are lab fees. Normally like $30. If it still comes out
right, try calling back. … hopefully you get someone more helpful to talk
to. If they are still nasty, you can even try calling a different campus.
In an example of a post about the timelines for the distribution of aid money, a student
asks when financial aid deposits will be made, “anybody get their refund not direct
deposit? when will it come?” As another example, a student posted, “Does anyone know
how the financial aid/loan process works? It looks like my funds will be disbursed
Feb/March am I able to use any of the funds earlier in the bookstore to get my
textbooks???” Replies included:
Comment 1: You should have an email saying you have book credit if u do.
Comment 2: Go to the office or call they will add your book credit on the spot
Comment 3: depends on when it was submitted and when ur classes start. call metro, and metro only and ask for James.
Comment 4: James is the MAN!!!!
Comment 5: James has help me and others like me (confused) to no end, The one thing that seperates him from the others is he likes helping people
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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and making sure they get what they need to be a success. For 2 years, any ?'s I have, I FIND him and it gets handled.
Regarding inefficiency, one student sarcastically described the long telephone wait
times, “Oh how I love being on hold with Financial Assistance! It's amazing how long
their ‘one minute wait’ actually is!” Another student described the long in-person wait
times for financial aid staff who are “very rude. They ignore you and are busier chatting
with co-workers than caring to assist you, chatting and giggling away … SO very RUDE
of these people.”
Sometimes staff made announcements to communicate information or respond to
questions about Financial Aid. For example, staff member, Tisha Hardy, posted a
promotion for the direct deposit feature of financial aid disbursements:
Advantages of Direct Deposit: • Quick, automated deposit into your checking or savings account. • Funds are available to your account within 2 business days from the date of issuance by Tri-C. • No more waiting at your mailbox, in line at your campus Enrollment Center, or at the bank. • Secure, paperless transactions • No more worrying about losing your paper check or it getting lost in the mail. • You enter and maintain your own bank account information using the link above. • Don't have a bank account? Contact the Parma Credit Union at (440) 843-8300 to set up a free checking or savings account.
The relevance of financial aid exchanges to academics mainly involved the connection
between academics and financial aid loss. For example, a student wrote about the
financial aid consequences of a class being cancelled, “Now…in order to keep my
financial aid going I’m stuck taking useless classes/classes I don’t need…” In this case
the poster would be of the archetype Frustrated Complainer.
Student posts about sources or types of aid were typically questions about how to get a
certain type of aid, such as, “I have Finacial aid, and I want to participate in the work-
study program, what I have to do?” Other students asked general financial aid questions
but mentioned the types of aid they received. For example, “Will loans affect my refund
check as well?” and on a later date, “How do I find out how much I will be getting back
from financial aid and pell grants?”
Regarding the use of financial aid for academic support, students commonly expressed a
need to receive enough financial aid to pay for the high cost of books. For one class:
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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I'm taking General Pyschology - PSY 1010 - EW2 with Stacy Souther this summer. When I look on the bookstore website, it lists three books totaling almost 350.00. does anyone know if we really need all these? I may not take the class just because of the cost of the books.” …I need the financial aid/book money to pay for them.”
Another student asked about using financial aid funds to purchase a personal computer,
“I want to buy a PC from the bookstore with my book funds. That won't affect my refund
check would it?”
Regarding the use of financial aid to support family or for personal expenses, an
example is a student who expressed irritation that financial aid funds could not be
applied to gasoline, “They need to let us use our money for gas cards. I have a car, why
would I want a bus pass?” And later, “I can't get to class if my tank on E.”
Taken together, these financial aid exchanges above were coded as Frustrated
Complainer, Counselor, Procedural/Info Seeker or Procedural/Info Helper archetypes.
In addition to financial aid, the second moderately frequent topic on the app was coded
as Other Procedural (Code 3). Students frustrated with other aspects of the college’s
procedural bureaucracy asked each other for help. For example, “Does anyone know
why our grades are not yet posted on-line?” received two student replies to point this
student toward finding her grades and when to expect them. Archetypes were
Procedural/Info Seeker and Procedural/Info Helper.
The third moderately frequent topic was the one coded as Career-Relevant (Code 2).
For instance, a student asked for career advice and received input from other students.
“Decided against a career in dietetics. . . I want to stay in the health field, but can't figure
out what is best for me! Anybody in nuclear medicine or respiratory care? I'd love some
advice!” Two students offered their input. One commented, “nuclear medicine with a
four year can get you 38 dollars an hour! all you have to do is inject people with glow
stuff ....” Another commented, “good idea to do the shadowing.” The archetypes for
these exchanges are Procedural/Info Seeker and for those who respond,
Procedural/Info Helper or Counselor. Closely related to this topic is the code of
Major/Degree-Relevant (Code 1) and Goals (Code 14), in which students wrote about
their degree, academic, and career ambitions. In response to a post by a student who
wrote, “Can’t wait to start in Digital Filmmaking!” another commented:
:( I'll be online for 2 and at east for the other 2. Best of luck to you
though! :) Im doing the associate of art in graphic design illustration..then
going to work in the fashion industry while finishing my goal in another
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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college or art institute somewhere..well..wherever my degree takes me and
become an art director.
In another example, one student posted, “I have to work harder next semester
graduating is right around the corner yes (Goals) next B.A at CSU.” Another student
replied, “I ditto your comment Carol!! My next move is recieving my B.A @ CSU!:)”
Student Kimberly Walter-Phillips (May 19, 2012) posted, “:( I'll be online for 2 and at
east for the other 2. Best of luck to you though! :) Im doing the associate of art in graphic
design illustration..then going to work in the fashion industry while finishing my goal in
another college or art institute somewhere..well..whe rever my degree takes me and
become an art director.”
The use of the social media by the college was the fourth moderately frequent topic,
College Social Media Use (Code 21). Two staff and one student ambassador posted
during the spring 2012 semester. Staff member Sandy Moses only had two posts in this
period. Staff member Tisha L. Hardy had 15 posts, mostly announcements, such as
“Summer registration begins March 19th! Beat the rush and schedule an appointment
with a Counselor NOW to discuss your classes for Summer and Fall 2012. Call (800)
954-8722 option #4 to schedule an appointment.” Generally, the posts were
informational in nature, and there was no response from students. There were many
more posts at the beginning of the semester and only one in April. Student Ambassador
Danielle Hayden had 10 posts, mostly announcements, such as “Happy New Year my
Tri-C family! Reminder: Classes begin on the 17th! Register ASAP!” Generally there
were no responses from students. Sandy Moses and Tisha Hardy were coded as
Procedural/Info Helper archetypes, while Danielle Hayden was the same, as well as a
College Advocate at times.
The fifth moderately frequent code was Purely Social (Code 5). Some students sought a
connection in general by posting such things as, “Hello all! i am interested in finding
new friends to hang out with! i like parkour, rugby, netflix, chilling out, cuisine, parks,
working out, exercise, and music! add me if you want =]” and “Need new friends. Who
go to metro.” Some students initiated events, such as a “Let’s go dancing” meetup.
Archetypes in this category were Connection-Seeking Networkers (like James Walsh,
Juicee Harris, and Samantha Rae) and Socialites (like Beyond Description).
The sixth moderately frequent topic posted was coded as Clubs/Groups/Social
Organization(s) (Code 6). Some students ask how to join a club or what the purpose of
certain clubs are, such as one who asked, “I know what Lambda Gay-Straight Alliance is
but what does the club do? How do you join?” Another told how much he was enjoying
a club, “Omg Did the Hulahoop club today at CCW/Westshore Campus so much fun you
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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realy get a workout.” Another student responded to this post, “I didn't know there was a
hulahoop club! That's awesome!”
The seventh moderately frequent code was Feelings or Effort (Success or Failure) (Code
8). Some students were cheerleaders of hope, like one who wrote, “Starting Things Off
Right ^ ^ !! #Spring 2012.” Others celebrated accomplishments:
I finally finished up Business English 1000. It was a great class and even
better it was on Sundays... Now I have to continue my journey. Nothing is
going to stop me. My eye is on the prize and I am going to work hard to
accomplish my goal!
Others process their feelings of unease, “Starting class today. Last class i took was high
scool 30 years ago Nervous scared and excited. I hope I can remember how to do this.”
These postings, and the comments of any students who respond, are generally coded as
Emotional Sharer archetypes.
The eighth and final moderately frequent code was Encouragement (Code 13). Like the
feelings expressed just above, many students (Emotional Sharer archetypes) used Tri-C
Life to reveal how they felt fearful, anxious, overwhelmed, or discouraged, and it was
common for other students to respond with encouragement. For instance, a student
expressed helplessness and despair, “I am studying for my first A&P lab assessment
that's on Tues and I am totally overwhelmed! There's just waaay too much information!”
and then later “…I've been at it all day and I swear I don't know any more now than
when I started!” Quite often, other students responded kindly to such posts with
attempts at reassurance. In another example, a student expressed anxiety about
upcoming tests, “wait....what....exam s???? already?????” and received this grounded in
another students’ positive testimony about overcoming such fears, “I was like that too
when I was in school over at CCW I always dreaed taking tests big time especially math
tests . I have terrible math anxiety but i oveecame that one and now I 'm a graduate of
Tri-C and moving on to CSU for my Bachelors Degree this fall.” Commenting in
response, the original poster wrote, “Very impressive! I was thinking of following in your
footsteps if I could get out of Bio Chem..... not my subject, but there is no option of
failing! Thanks for the encouragement! Thats pretty cool!”
Closely related to the Encouragement code were posts in which Saints/Good Samaritan
archetypes offered to comfort and coach hurting or needy students. For example,
student one student posted:
any minority males feeling that they are struggling with classes and need
guidance or just someone to talk about life happening and feel apart of
something? if this is you or someone you know, inbox me for more info on
the MMI/Minority Male Initiative.
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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In another example, a different student wrote, “Anyone is needing a mentor I will be
glady to help you out whatever you need help in . If youre struggling w\ math 0950 I can
help you w\ that . Need someone to talk to I'm here.”
Slightly Frequent Topics
There were some topics that appeared much less frequently on Tri-C Life. Although
uncommon, they are worth noting. The first only slightly frequent topic was about
Ineffective Instructors (Code 16). This stands in stark contrast to the “highly frequent”
posts regarding Effective Instructors (Code 15), and the nature of the posts involved
discretion on the part of the posting students (Frustrated Complainer archetypes) who,
interestingly avoided mentioning the names of these ineffective instructors. Instead,
they focused on the behaviors that made them ineffective. For example, “awesome…that
is what I needed to hear, I just dropped my class yesterday the woman had a stick up her
butt, and the class was Moving way Too Fast for me we were only into our second week
and had 3 papers due I was choking.” Similarly, another student posted:
Who else is majoring in Surgical Technology? I'm interested in hearing
what classes others in my major are taking..I started out with Math-0910
English-1010 Interpersonal Communication and Medical Terminology but
withdrew due to the teacher and the way he talked to students and treated
them.
Another topic that was only slightly frequent was students sharing their personal
characteristics, qualities, and behaviors as students, such as procrastination and study
habits. Students also tended to mention their social or family background infrequently
as well, and when they did, it was often in the context of a financial aid inquiry. For
instance, “Question. My mom died when I was 14 and my dad signed over his rights as a
parent to my older sister. Also, i do not work. Do I file as an independent or dependent
student?” Students also tended to post infrequently about their reaction to or opinion of
Tri-C Life. The few posts that were written expressed lack of “friends” or enthusiasm
about making for more friends on the one hand or unwanted interactions on the other
hand as drawbacks. When staff Tisha Hardy asked, “…how do you like the app so far?,”
a student replied, “I'm just figuring it out....probly won't like it as much till I get more
friends on here.” Other students were concerned about unwanted personal connections,
with one student asking, “how do i block someone on here?” and another wondered,
“when did this turn into a dating website?”
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Rare Topics
It is interesting to note topics that were very rare or not present at all on Tri-C Life.
Despite the prevalence of financial aid as a topic, particular aspects of financial were not
posted about on Tri-C Life. For instance, although they spoke about their desire to
avoid loans in the interviews, students did not note such loan aversion of Tri-C Life.
They did not identify themselves as someone who did not qualify for or receive any
financial aid. They also failed to mention or celebrate any positive experiences in dealing
with financial aid. Also differing from what students shared in interviews, they rarely
posted about what kind of student they had been in the past. Additionally, students did
not overtly post a desire to fit-in or seek belonging as a college student. Surprisingly,
they also rarely proclaimed an identity related to or attempted to connect with others
based on shared values, morals, community or high school of origin, residence,
race/ethnicity, gender, parental status, sexuality, interests and hobbies.
The only archetypes not observed during 2012 were College Cynic (users who question
the benefit and positive aspects of the college / college experience), Doubter (users
expressing concern over their belonging in college based on social and/or academic
experiences), and Debater (users who often start or participate in contentious behavior
about various issues).
Fall 2012 Semester
Financial Aid
Similar to Spring 2012, some of the most highly frequent topics appearing on Tri-C Life
in Fall 2012 were related to financial aid. The most common financial aid topic was
Sources of Financial aid Information (Code 37), which describes students getting info
on Financial Aid (such as from other students, financial aid staff, websites, family
members, Veterans office, community resources). It appears that students use Tri-C
Life to acquire this critical information, often from other students. For example, one
student requested help about how to even begin the financial aid process right before
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the semester started, “im new to tri c metro campus and im confused on how to do the
whole financial aid stuff and i start school sept 10 someone please help me out.”
Another asked about very basic information about student loans, “Taking out a loan for
the first time since I can't afford to pay out of pocket anymore. Anyone know how it
works? Does everyone usually get approved?” The last example was also coded under
the seldom-mentioned topic, Sources of Financial Aid (Code 36). A third student wrote
about how federal grants are distributed throughout the semester, “Eek! Only part of my
pell grant money came through! Will the rest come later? I hope so!” In Spring 2012 and
Spring 2013 students were also observed using the app to acquire financial aid
information from each other. The typical archetype for the askers would be
Procedural/Info Seekers and of the responders would be Procedural/Info Helpers.
The second most frequent financial aid topic was Distribution Money Timelines (Code
31). This code relates to inconsistency on deadlines for distributing FA money, most
commonly perceived delays in the distribution of money. A common subtopic is that
financial aid funds for textbooks are not deposited in time for students to buy get their
books for class, which also applies to a seldom-mentioned topic, Financial Aid Use –
Academic Support (Code 39). For example, “Can you guys let me know if it's just me, or
are you still waiting for book money? I have assignments due and no books.” Another
vented frustration about the same issue, “Man o man. I started off this semester fine
buy my Book money is not on and it's really making me mad. No one will help and I'm in
classes now skating thru without them. SMH.” Students express frustration about wait
times for aid not related to books as well, “okay. help. ive been veryy patient. it ran out
this morning…….when the heck are financial aid refunds going to be released???? i tried
calling----6 times----63-69 minute wait times. SHOW ME THE $$$$$$! :)” The
common archetype for this code was a Frustrated Complainer.
The third most frequent financial aid topic is closely related; it was Confusing-
Misleading Financial Aid Information (Code 30). This topic concerns confusing and/or
misleading information regarding the complete financial aid process: applying, how to
fill out the application, deadline dates. For example, one student asked for help to
understand the amounts, timing, and distribution of financial aid: “I'm so confused. On
mytricspace. it tells me that i was granted 2770 this fall. I am full time yet i some of the
money didn't come through? Is it because i have one class that is 14 weeks?” The typical
archetype for this code was a Frustrated Complainer.
The fourth most frequent financial aid topic was Inefficiency in the Financial Aid Office
(Code 33) in which students posted about difficult to reach financial aid staff, long lines
to either talk face to face, long wait times on phone calls. For example, a student wrote,
“Monday Moan: Since there is ALWAYS a line at financial aid, why not have more staff
on duty? I have been trying to get up there for weeks now and I just don't have time to
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stand in a 15+ student line. Something is terribly wrong with the system.” The typical
archetype for this code was a Frustrated Complainer.
The fifth most frequent financial aid topic was Relevance of Academics (Code 35),
connections between academics and financial aid qualification, receipt, loss, etc. A
student asked on the app whether dropping a class and adding a different class would
jeopardize financial aid: “Does anyone know if someone can withdraw from a class they
just registered for (for spring 2013), and register for a different class without it affecting
fafsa funds?” The typical archetype for the askers would be Procedural/Info Seekers
and of the responders would be Procedural/Info Helpers.
The above financial aid topics and types of posts were also common in Spring 2012 and
Spring 2013. Several financial aid topics were not mentioned on the app: Aid Eligibility
(desire to avoid loans), Aid Eligibility- Don’t Receive Aid, Don’t Qualify for Financial
Aid, and Positive Financial Aid Experiences, Family Support and Personal Expenses,
Get the Check Leavers (or “Pell Runners”). These same topics were also rare in or
absent from the prior and subsequent semesters (Spring 2012 and Spring 2013).
Academic and Other Procedural Topics
After financial aid, another highly frequent topic was Academic (Code 4). This code
seeking or sharing information on class content and academic expectations. For
example, a student asked about getting the syllabus for a specific course, “any one
taking bio 1050 with ms mackie i cant find the fall syllibus i can only find the one for
spring am i missing something or is it not posted yet?” Another student asked about the
requirements of the course and the same teacher, “to anyone who's had ms. mackie for
bio 1050- is the textbook REALLY necessary? like, does she ever test on anything
outside the powerpoints?” The typical archetype for the askers in this code would be
Procedural/Info Seekers and of the responders would be Procedural/Info Helpers.
Students also frequently expressed frustration with unhelpful instructors (Instructors
Ineffective [Code 32]), “Am I the only person having issues with teachers attitudes in
the on-line classes? It feels like they shrug off any issue as BS and don't take you
seriously.” The archetype on this code would be Frustrated Complainer.
The Other Procedural (Code 3) was a moderately frequent topic was related to enrolling,
policies, rules, degree requirements, transportation, locations, etc. (not financial aid, not
directly major, degree, or career relevant). For example, a student asked about approval
of their enrollment form, “Question for everyone. Is there anybody else still waiting for
their 12-13 enrollment form to be approved? Mine is just sitting under review for the last
month.” Another requested information on getting input from a counselor, “How do I
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get in to see an academic advisor? I can't get through on the phone?” A third asked for
information on school-sponsored childcare:
Does anybody know anything about tri-c's child care? I noticed on a
campus map there was an area for child care, but I cannot find any
information anywhere. I need to find out general information like cost of
care, hours, etc. I would greatly appreciate any info! Thanks!”
The typical archetype for the askers was Procedural/Info Seekers and of the responders
would be Procedural/Info Helpers.
Also with moderate frequency, students posted about their Major/Degree Relevant
(Code 1) and Career-Relevant (Code 2) Goals (Code 14). One wrote to introduce herself,
“I would love to pursue a career writing. However, at this moment its just one of my
favorite pastimes.” Another likewise posted past as well as future aspirations, “Hi
everybody, I'm a new student (older student) going back to school late in life with the
help of the veterans association. I am going to get my associates studying vetinary
technogly.” The archetype best fitting these students is Connection-Seeking Networkers.
Personal and Market Topics
Students used Tri-C Life to express themselves personally on a moderately frequent
basis. For example, a significant topic was Encouragement (Code 13), the receiving of
encouragement or support for college-going. This topic was closely connected to
Feelings or Effort (success or failure) (Code 8), sharing desires to succeed, do well in
college, in job, in life, or fear of failing, not doing well, not succeeding. For example, one
student reported receiving encouragement from his own academic ability, “So I went to
turn my homework in. And guess what my essay was so good the bumped me up a class.
Yay.” Another expressed encouragement from feeling competent as he or she recently
returned to college, “So my day went well and I am almost done with my assignment. I
haven't written a paper in years, very rusty but I am so far satisfied with what I have
written…” Still another student expressed apprehension at fitting in as a non-traditional
student, essentially requesting encouragement from other students on Tri-C Life,
“anyone coming in as a student for career advancement purposes? i'm afraid i'll be seen
as an old working lady :P” Archetypes of the original posters would typically be
Emotional Sharers and of the responders would be Counselors. The combination of
Fear of Failure and Encouragement was used extensively by non-traditional students in
Spring 2013, but less so in Spring 2012.
Students also used Tri-C Life for Market Transactions (Code 10), commonly the sale
and purchase of textbooks. For example, a student asks whether any other students
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would sell a specific book, “who has barbara fine clouse progressions with readings
paragraph to essay 7th ed packaged with my skills lab book western campus.” The
archetypes in this code would be Market Participants.
Although less frequent, an additional set of personal posts was specific to the College
Advocate and Saint/Good Samaritan archetypes. In an example of College Advocate, a
student of the expressed that the level of her comfort with Tri-C was so great that she
wished she could remain there to complete a bachelor’s degree:
I wish TriC would offer 4 year degrees. I am nearing my end at TriC and
am getting ready to transfer. While visiting other colleges I find myself
comparing what they offer to the atmosphere of TriC. While a big campus
is a plus for some, I like that triC is compact and accessible. One building
instead of having to traverse multiple via the outside. Once on campus,
everything is "right there" at TriC. No travel needed. I am comfortable at
TriC. I would LOVE to stay for the next phase of my education.
The Saint/Good Samaritan archetype posted religious/spiritual/motivational messages,
usually in all capital letters, such as: “TODAY IS A GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE BUT A
BETTER DAY TO KNOW JESUS!”
Social Topics
Tri-C Life was also used with moderate frequency in Fall 2012 for social connections.
For example, students discussed Clubs/Groups/Social Organization(s) (Code 6). These
posts were promotions or advertisements of the specific clubs such as the Psychology
Club and the Hospitality Club. Archetypes using this code would be Organizers.
Students of the Socialite archetype also used the app with slight frequency for Purely
Social (Code 5) purposes, beyond school organizations. One posted his or her desire to
build friendships, “I need friends man lol,” while another was more specific aobut times
and places (with some Academic overlap):
hey everyone, im just here to see if anyone is attending the brunswick
location on tuesdays and thursdays starting sept. 11th? It would be pretty
cool to get to know a few people instead of going in alone. who knows we
may even have the same classes. im only going part time at the moment
with eng 0990 and math 0950. Anyone have a match?
Another seemed to be interested specifically in romance: “hey single 28/m/medina
psychology major. any single females want to chat? [>Singles & Dating].”
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Battle Topics
The college organized two major competitions on Tri-C Life – Battle of the Bands and
Battle of the Artworks, and therefore, these posts were highly frequent in Fall 2013. For
Battle of the Bands, student band members typically posted links to their entries. Other
students used the "like" button to vote for entries. Sandy Moses moderated. A typical
post included a link and a short explanation of the entry. If other students responded,
comments were generally positive and supportive. Students also posted questions about
the Battle (how to create an entry, how prize will be distributed, etc.). Sandy Moses
responded. Most students only posted entries, but others were very active participants.
One student in particular actively promoted the contest and her entry. She was awarded
second place and Sandy Moses acknowledged her effort. Battle of the Artworks was very
similar. Students posted links to their entries. Many students posted multiple entries.
Sandy Moses did not post and students did not ask questions about the Battle itself.
There were fewer responses to entries. When students did respond, they were generally
positive. Battle competitions were very rarely observed in Spring 2012 or Spring 2013,
except in reference to the already-completed competitions in the prior fall semester.
Rare Topics
It is interesting to note topics that were very rare or not present at all on Tri-C Life.
Despite the prevalence of financial aid as a topic, particular aspects of financial were not
posted about on Tri-C Life. For instance, although they spoke about their desire to
avoid loans in the interviews, students did not note such loan aversion of Tri-C Life.
They did not identify themselves as someone who did not qualify for or receive any
financial aid. They also failed to mention or celebrate any positive experiences in dealing
with financial aid. Also differing from what students shared in interviews, they rarely
posted about what kind of student they had been in the past. Surprisingly, they also
rarely proclaimed an identity related to or attempted to connect with others based on
shared values, morals, community or high school of origin, residence, race/ethnicity,
gender, parental status, sexuality, interests and hobbies. This list of rare and missing
topics is very similar to that of Spring 2012 and Spring 2013.
The only archetypes not observed during Fall 2012 were College Cynic (users who
question the benefit and positive aspects of the college / college experience), Doubter
(users expressing concern over their belonging in college based on social and/or
academic experiences), and Debater (users who often start or participate in contentious
behavior about various issues). These are the same archetypes not observed in Spring
2012 or Spring 2013.
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Spring 2013 Semester
Highly Frequent Topics
There are only three “very frequent” categories – Market Transaction and two often-
paired codes of Feelings or Effort (Success or Failure) and Encouragement. The first
“very frequent” use of the app is Market Transaction (Code 10), and the most common
market transaction was the sale and purchase of textbooks. For example, a student
offered textbooks for sale by posting, “Selling Financial Accounting 1013 book and
Business 1020 book, gently used, no markings, and super cheap! Please respond below if
interested.” Another wrote, “If anyone still needs the textbook for Geography 1010, I'm
selling mine for $40. ‘The World Today: Concepts and Regions in Geography, 5th
Edition’. Comment, PM, or email me if interested. Thx!” Another student offered a
completely new book for sale by inquiring, “Does anyone need the intro to business book
(BADM 1010)? Its brand new, i never used it because i dropped the class and the one I'm
taking now doesn't use this book. the code in the book isn't scratched off either. The
isbn-13 is __.”
There were sometimes responses to these Market Transaction posts, but actual
agreements to complete a sale were not observed. If sales happened as a result of posts,
they may have happened through direct message (not posted on the app). Sellers were
not the only ones using the app for market transactions; buyers also searched for
students wanting to sell the textbooks they needed. For example, one student posted,
“Anyone have a Math 1200 book they are selling?.” Another asked, “Anyone selling a
Math 1200 Intermediate Algebra book? That lives in brunswick? Message me!” A
different student asked, “Does anyone have the English book for sale that you use for
0990 class.” One student even offered to buy a graduation cap and gown: “Okay, I'm
being cheap...is anyone selling a black cap and gown, size large. For some reason I don't
want to buy these items just to sit in my attic after I'm done with them.” The archetype
in this code was usually a Market Participant.
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Within this same category of Market Transactions but far less common were
advertisements of products, services, or events unrelated to the college. For example,
one post stated, “if anyone is looking to get some tattoos work or piercings request me.
I'm sure we can help you guys out.” These types of posts often received no response.
The archetype in this code was a Spammer, marketing content unrelated to the college.
Another wrote:
If anyone is planning a party or get together (spring break is coming and
so is the nice weather) I wanted to let everyone know I had a dj at my last
birthday from ______ (entertainment company) and the dj was great!
Very reasonable price, even for a college student!! If anyone is intrested
contact me and i will provide the phone numbe [sic]
Another student promoted her new business, “Hi everyone I just opened my
boutique___ and have great deals, please check us out!!! new items coming soon... it's a
women clothing boutique, all kinds of styles... like us on facebook at ___.... thank you so
much see you all soon.”
The next highly frequent topic was Feelings or Effort (Success or Failure) (Code 8),
which includes fear of failure. This code was much more prominent in Spring 2013 than
in Spring 2012. Because the number of posts in this category could be largely attributed
to non-traditional students, the growth of this category over the previous year may
reflect increasing engagement of returning adult students on Tri-C Life. Some students,
not necessarily non-traditional age, were motivational speakers, “Happy New year
everyone I hope this year we all will achieve what we didn't last year and those who
achieve there's last year will continue pushing forward for more. Be Blessed
Everyone!!!” Later in the semester the same student wrote, “Got all S's on my midterm
results now to get this finals over with. Aiming for that 4.0 or minimum grade 3.7 With
the help of God i shall succeed!!” Others process their feelings of unease, like this post,
“Start school in 15 days, super nervous to go back...”
Very closely related but more common in Spring 2013 was a two-code pattern in which
new non-traditional students expressed trepidation about being successful (Feelings or
Effort – Success or Failure) and previously enrolled non-traditional students gave them
hope and Encouragement (Code 13) by sharing similar experiences that they had gone
through. This was observed to a markedly higher degree in Spring 2013 than Spring
2012. It was especially common in the two weeks before classes began as students
expressed their fears of the unknown. For example, one student expressed her feelings
of trepidation when she saw other students doing the same, “I was saying the same
thing that some people said. I am nervous and excited too. It's been a long time for me
too. Hopefully I will be ok. Lol.” A Good Samaritan Archetype student responded with
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reassurance, “Hi ___! You will be fine. I am working on my second semester. I haven't
been to school since ___.”
The extended conversations featured below demonstrate a highly frequent and notable
pattern – postings with returning adult students expressing fear of failure (Feelings or
Effort – Success or Failure) and the multiple corresponding responses (comments) of
Encouragement. The archetypes of the original posters were generally Emotional
Sharers, and the reassuring responders were often Counselors. It appears that for non-
traditional students, Tri-C Life is a means through which they expressed their fears that
they were not “cut out” for higher education. And they obtained reassurance and
encouragement from other non-traditional students that they had what it takes, that
they could succeed, in short, that they belonged in college. This type of post often
received the most comments, with extended exchanges from multiple respondents
commenting. The boxes on the next several pages detail several of these interactions,
with the first showing a brief exchange and the remaining ones showcasing the nature of
the longer exchanges.
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Original post: I can not wait until school is over. Some one have mercy on me. I have been doing homework for two weeks straight. I'm not behind but I can't catch up either. Do any one feel like me
Comment from Student 1: I'm not behind either, but it sure is a challenge to juggle school, work and family! I'll be glad for a short break before I have to dive into summer courses. Good luck! Keep on keepin on, the end is almost here! :) Comment from Original Poster: Thank you I needed support
Original post: I am scared to return to school but I'm happy. I just pray in the end we ALL win!!
Comment from student 1: We will, it's in the Plan! Comment from Student 2: You will do fine and when it comes to exams it helps to have a study group. I did that for math and I got an A in the class. Comment from Student 3: Hi ___!! I didn't use the study group tool. I did use my tutors though. I received a B for the first time ever in my life. I will use the study group in addition to a tutor and see if I can get an A this time around for ___ Math. Comment from Student 3: Hello ____ You should be happy. You are making a great positive change in your life with God/His Son's help. They put that get up and Go in You!! I know they put it in me. So heere I am and Here I Go!! Comment from Student 4: Welcome back!!! You are going to do great!!! I'm with [Student 3]...I find the tutoring center to be amazing for helping out!!! Comment from Student 3: ___! I mentioned your A in math today in an orientation to encourage other students like myself to use the Study Groups. I also told other students to use the Tri-C Facebook page for encouragement on anything a student could possibly be going through with their academics. We are a Great Support System to one another. Let's keep up the Good Work!! Goooo Ussss!! Comment from student 5: We can do it! Stay focused and don't be afraid to seek help when it's needed- that's what the tutors and writing center are there for. Have confidence that you CAN do it. The hard work will pay off in the not so distant future; keep your chin up and go for it! Comment from Student 2: I took Math __ last term and we would meet an hour before the exams and work together. We did that through the finals even. It helped alot and it was a nice way to get to know the other classmates. Comment from Student 3: ___ you have given me a gauge on how long to make a study group if and when I decide to begin a group. I was already thinking about 1-2 hrs. I am going into ___ Math this semester. I have good hope I can pass this math also.
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Original Post: It's been over 20 years from the last time I stepped into a class room, I nervous and I hope I do well...
Comment from student 1: Hi ___, Last time I was in school was in 1985. I just started in again last semester. You will be fine. Get you a counselor to work along side you to keep you on the straight and narrow. Get with Financial Aid and let them help you, Use the tutoring services, Use your teachers open hours, Use your student resources as much as possible. This is what I did and I did a great job in the end. A-Eng, B-Math ___, C-Psychology. You can do this. Comment from Original Poster: and whats this club that you mentioned about ? Comment from Student 2: Good luck. It's not as bad as you think. I felt like that after going back soo many years later. Now it just feels right & I can't imagine not being there. Comment from Original Poster: Thanks for the encouragement !!!! Still nervous though Comment from Student 3: You'll be cool. You took the first step. Comment from Student 4: Hello ___. The best source of help that i have found was getting involved with TRIO program. Which campus are you attending? The TRIO staff at Metro are awesome and very well in tune with their students. Comment from Student 4: At Metro campus, i have found ___ a very good and helpful counselor. She will take her time in getting you the clear cut information and guidance you may be seeking. A little focus on your part will help her in helping you. God be with you ___. Comment from student 1: Great advice ___. I am on the wait list for the Trio program. Look into the Americorp program also. It is the office that is to the right of the hall before you go to the elevators to go up into the Computer floors in the Student Services building. Around the corner from The Enrollment Center. They are a support between you and the counselor. My advisors name is ____.
Original Post: I am starting the Court Reporting program in a couple of weeks extremely nervous but excited as well. Haven't been to school in a very long time.
Comment from Student 1: Hello!! Good luck ___. I just started last semester and I did fair to midland. I am excited about the upcoming semester. I haadn't been to school since 1985. It's like riding a bike. (For Real)!! Comment from Student 2: Hey ___, wishing u the best. I started back last year in the spring. Returning from 1995. It has been refreshing.. You will be fine.
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Comment from Original Poster: I haven't been since 1989 should be interesting? Comment from Original Poster: Thank you ___, glad to hear:) Comment from Original Poster: Thank you ___, I just cannot believe I am a Mom of two and heading back to school will be rewarding if all works out. Comment from Student 1: You are so welcome ___! The time to do it is now. It will work out. Use your resources(counselors,student services,financial aid). Comment from Original Poster: First week was very trying for me, not sure if I'm cut out for this? Guess I will give it a semester? Hate to be a downer but I think I am to old haven't been to school for 25 years Comment from Student 2: ___hang in there. I was overwhelmed at first but I stayed focused and I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel Its a great feeling. Comment from Original Poster: Thank you ___, what are you taking? How long did it take you? Comment from Student 2: I am finishing up classes for a medical. Billing certificate. Then I found a certificate that I need one class. For and an associates degree for health information management. Comment from Student 2: I am a mom of 3 and just became a Grandma in June to a beautiful baby girl and yes it is crazy but its my time to do my thing and school is it Comment from Original Poster: That's not bad at all, one class that's great. Good luck, so how long has that taken you? Comment from Original Poster: Wow you are busy, you must do your classes at night when they are all in bed? Lol I am a mom of two and they are older ___ and ___ and I work. I know I can do this it's just an adjustment Comment from Student 2: I work fulltime for ____ (company) I have 2 sons __ and ___ and a __ year old daughter I tale online classes and night classes. I was terrified in the beginning. Comment from Student 2: But as a single mom my kids understand and support me. U will get into the groove and it will be awesome experience. It has taken me 3 semesters to complete the certificate this coming may Comment from Original Poster: That's great thank you again for encouraging me. I do need it. Your right things do not come easy if you want it you have to go after it. Student 1 (to Original Poster): ___. Don't quit. You are my inspiration to keep going. I don't mean to be a downer either. I at this moment am going through. Not having a job. I work 4 hours a week. I live on my own My rent is $365,Car-$400 a month, Car Insurance $200 a month, Electric-$100 a month, Cable bundle-$150 a month. I was going to go into school and drop all of my classes. I have no money to pay anything right now. You get the
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point. I am going to push forward. If I were to drop out would that change my situation NO!! I am going to better myself no matter what last time I was in school was in 1987 so that what 26 years. We can do this dispite all of our obstacles. We just need to stay positive and just do it. Anything worth having is hard work. At the end of the tunnel is the success it took to get where we wnt to go/be. Go! Go! Go! I know I will!! Comment from Original Poster: ___ that is very encouraging thank you for that and you keep your head up as well, things will all work out. I am just hoping court reporting will be a good career? It stills seems very interesting and the few people I have talked to that do it or have done it really liked it. What are you going for? Comment from Student 1: I am going into Human Services. I am going to transfer to ___ (college) and continue on into my Social Work Degree. I am glad I can help. This is going to be some bumpy terrain we are going to have to handle. We can do this!!
Original Post: Hey, everyone I am enrolled in the western campus for spring semester. My major is vet-tech. I am so nervous I am not from the area, I just moved up this way a couple months ago. I haven't been in school since i dropped out of culinary school in 2010.
Comment from Student 1: im studying to be a ___ as well. what classes r u taking in the spring Comment from Original Poster: english ___ math ___ american sing language 1 step aerobics Comment from Student 1: cool and when u take the math ___, dont buy the book bc i am selling my math ___ book Comment from Student 2: what days do you have class? if you have class on monday depending on the time i could show you around if youd like ill be there monday sometime after 11 my first class is at 12. Comment from Student 2: im going for ___ (name of major) also and would love to make some friends who are taking the same major =) Comment from Student 1: i have classes on monday from 6pm-9pm for biochem, tuesday and thursday from 7:30am-2pm, and wednesday from 6pm-7pm Comment from Original Poster: i have class mon wed friday from 1130 to 300 and tues and thurs 2 to 6 Comment from Student 2: cool im there mon wed fri from 12-6 (mon & wed) & 12-3 fri Comment from Original Poster: ill be there fri from noon to 3
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Moderately Frequent Topics
Six other content codes were observed to be not as frequent as the three codes noted
above, but fairly common nonetheless. The first two of these moderately frequent topics
covers financial aid themes: Confusing-Misleading Financial Aid Information (Code
30) and Distribution Money Timelines (Code 31).
Original Post: So I am a non-tradtional student...meaning I have kids the ages of most of you. :) Which also means you can school me on a few things. Like: WHERE IN THE HECK DO I FIND MY SCHEDULE ON MY TRI-C SPACE? Thanx mucho!
Comment from Student 1: I am a ___ and I have a ___yr old and a ___ yr old. The summer session will be my 3rd semester for me. It is tought but you can get through. Comment from Student 2: I am with you. I just completed my first semester working toward a degree I started ___ years ago. I have an __, __, and ___ year old. Comment from Original Poster: Ahhhh....you guyz just pulled me out of my Woe-is-Me-for-going- back-to-school-with- my-kids-mentality". :) THANK YOU DAWN FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT .... I'm feeling all kinds of stressed out about this venture. I'm with you ___ ...I've been off and on..mostly off for a lot of years. CONGRATS TO BOTH OF YOU!!! What a boost!!!
Original post: I don't start to the 28th. I got my BFA a long time ago. Trying to catch up on graphics after missing a few years. Very nervous.
Comment from Student 1: That's cool! I graduated ___ years ago.I went to college and had to drop out now I'm back and I'm having a lot of fun. I hope u enjoy your classes. Comment from Student 1: I was nervous too but it went away very fast. Comment from Original Poster: I hope so. I worked several years in the field of design... Back when I was the "young" one, now I feel like a dinosaur. Good luck! Comment from Student 1: Thanks and your no dinosaur lol Comment from Original Poster: Ha ha. : )) Comment from Original Poster: Try telling that to my ___ year old daughter!! She is so embarrassed I'm going back to College, let alone if I'm in the same room with her and her friends. lol
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For example, a student solicited advice on dealing with confusing information
(Confusing-Misleading Financial Aid Information, Code 30), “So i got a call saying i
havent paid for my classes and i need to b4 tuesday. I have financial aid that should of
paid for it. Anyone get that and what should i do?” In a similar vein, another student
asked about a startling message she had received:
Can someone help explain this to me? I get the Pell Grant for school. I got
an email tonight saying that there had been financial aid activity on my
account. I go online and the Pell Grant reward had been taken off so I now
owe a balance? I have all As, have been to all my classes, and have no "red
flags" on my account...my income hasn't changed and I already did my
FAFSA (which didn't change) for next year...what's going on? I am
FREAKING OUT...
Another student asked about planning for financial aid for summer and fall and posted:
“I just transferred and Spring is my first semester. I got my full Pell grant
but also qualified to receive another $2,775 for Summer semester as well.
Does anyone know (or familiar with) if I would get full Fall semester Pell
as well? Seems as if its all different from everything I have read. Any
information would be great! Thanks!”
Other students responded with advice, often saying they had experienced similar issues
and specific suggestions to resolve problems. The archetypes of askers in this code are
Procedural/Info Seeker or Frustrated Complainer while the archetypes of responders
are Counselor or Procedural/Info Helper.
The second moderately frequent code, also related to financial aid, was Distribution
Money Timelines (Code 31). In an example of this type of post, a student asked when
financial aid deposits for books will be made, “Does anyone know how the financial
aid/loan process works? It looks like my funds will be disbursed Feb/March am I able to
use any of the funds earlier in the bookstore to get my textbooks???” Another posted,
“Do we still have to make a payment even if we have financial aid?” Still another wrote,
“does anyone know when whats left of the financial aid money used will be issued back
to us?” The requesters in these exchanges are Procedural/Info Seekers and the
responders would be the Procedural/Info Helper archetypes.
The third use of Tri-C Life in the moderately frequent category is Career-Relevant
(Code 2). Students often asked for career advice and received input from other
students. For example, one wondered:
you know it is really hard trying to decide if i want to change my major to
something in the healthcare field that doesnt require me dealing with
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patients which i know you cant avoid and the culinary is something i really
love to do but i was thinking maybe i need to something practical cause
that healthcare field is the biggest thing out now.
Another student responded, “Go for your passion not what the work industry says is the
best employment opportunity out at this moment.” The archetype for this code are
College Advocate or Procedural/Info Seeker. Those who respond are Counselors.
The fourth type of moderately frequent post was those requesting Academic support
(Code 4). For example, one post directly asked for a study partner: “Hey anyone want a
study partner for i.t. 1010 intro to microcomputers.” Another asked for help in a specific
course “is anyone else taking Meteorology or took it before? I need help!!” Another
message asked, “Anyone taking Technical Writing, Math 1200 or Marketing 2010 online
over the summer, please add me, I know I am going to need someone to conspire with
on Math!” Another student wrote, “I need help on something in math is their anybody
willing to help me.” There were fewer posts requesting academic support in Spring 2013
compared to Spring 2012, when this was a “highly frequent” code. The archetype of a
student who used Tri-C Life in this way would be a Connection-Seeking Networker.
The fifth type of moderately frequent use of Tri-C Life was that of students asking for
recommendations for Effective Instructors and other students responding (Code 15).
The relevant archetypes in this code are Procedure/Info Seekers and Procedural/Info
Helpers. One message asked, “Has anyone had _____ for spanish? If so, what did you
think of the class and the instructor? Thanks!” Another post inquired, “Has anyone had
this instructor ______ for 0990 English ?” Another student posted, “anyone know how
____ (instructor) is for anatomy and phys?” Another student requested
recommendations for a specific class and received recommendations for two instructors,
“anyone know of a good teacher to take for biochemistry 2331 at either campus?” One
student responded, “do you mean A&P 2331? If so ___ (name of instructor). He is the
best!” and another wrote, “____ (name of instructor) is great.” Another student offered
an unsolicited recommendation: “If you need to take ___ or __ (courses) take your
class with ___. He is the absolute best and very down to earth with a sense of humor.
Most of the class is just talking so its an easy A :)” It can be noted that students are not
only making recommendations for instructors as persons, but instructors are
practitioners of specific strategies of classroom interaction that make them effective.
The sixth moderately frequent type of post was Ineffective Instructors (Code 16). In
Spring 2012 the Effective Instructor code was “very frequent” and the Ineffective
Instructor code was “infrequent.” For 2013, the two codes have evened out somewhat,
although there were still more Effective Instructor observations. These students, of the
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Frustrated Complainer archetype, do not seem to focus on instructors personally, but
on the behaviors that made them ineffective. For example, in response to a student
asking for input on her upcoming teachers, “UGH i had that eng 1020 teacher for eng
1010.... I did not like his class at all.... it always turned into a political debate and we
learned nothing! Good luck with him.” Similarly, another posted her frustration with
her unorganized teacher:
Need to vent!!!! Im am so fed up with my ___ class!!!! The professor is
just awful! She never answers questions, and when she does they make no
sense, or only answers half of what you were asking and the syllabus is all
messed up...we were supposed to get a new one weeks ago!!! This is the
most unorganized class/professor I have ever taken in my life! If I didnt
just want to get this class over with, I would drop it and retake it with
another professor!
Slightly Frequent Topics
There were some topics that appeared much less frequently on Tri-C Life. Although
uncommon, they are worth noting. The first only slightly frequent topic was Aid
Eligibility-Avoid Loans (Code 27). A student expressed that she did not want to borrow
for college: “i also dont want to have to take out student loans.” This was the only
expression of loan aversion that was observed.
The second slightly frequent topic was Relevance of Academics (Code 35), the
connection between academics and financial aid loss. One student asked about the
financial aid consequences of dropping a class, “Does anyone know if can drop out of
your class when have Financial Aid?” In this case the poster would be of the archetype
Procedural/Info Seeker. Another asked whether aid was contingent on course load,
“Do you have to be full time to get the loan money?” Several students responded to this
post with thorough explanations in their comments.
The third slightly frequent topic was Financial Aid Use – Family support and personal
expenses (Code 40). One student, a Frustrated Complainer archetype, expressed
irritation that financial aid funds could not be applied to gasoline, “They need to let us
use our money for gas cards. I have a car, why would I want a bus pass?” and later “I
can't get to class if my tank on E.” In this semester, students were not observed writing
about using financial aid for rent or childcare.
The fourth slightly frequent topic was Major/Degree-Relevant (Code 1). Some students
asked for advice about fields of study: “Anyone know any court reports [sic]? How is the
career?” Another Procedural/Info Seeker posted:
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you know it is really hard trying to decide if i want to change my major to
something in the healthcare field that doesnt require me dealing with
patients which i know you cant avoid and the culinary is something i really
love to do but i was thinking maybe i need to something practical cause
that healthcare field is the biggest thing out now.
A student responded:
Hello, Go for what you enjoy!! I am a State Nurse Assistant of 12 years. I
love what I do. If you don't really want to work with patients which you
come in constant contact with. You won't enjoy what you are doing. The
money won't matter. It will end up being a waste of your time and money.
I have come back to school to be a Social Worker... Go for your passion not
what the work industry says is the best employment opportunity out at
this moment.
The fifth slightly frequent topic was Other Procedural (Code 3). Students frustrated
with the bureaucracy ask each other for help. For example:
Omg now i'm having a hard time with tri-c I gave them my transcript and
now they saying they didn't receive anything from me and now i still got an
outstanding balance that is due. I'm calling this school and all i'm getting
is run around. Like seriously this cannot be happening now when i'm
suppose to start school in exactly two weeks.
A student asked how to find out what textbook are required, “Soo how do I know what
books I need?” Another asked about payment deadlines, “If you set up for a payment
plan the Option C your first pmt is due February 4th correct? Or do they take the
payment out when you set it up?” Another posted, “anyone taken or taking classes at the
Corperate Campus on Center Ridge? was wondering how parking was and (where),if
there is security....” Another student asked about being involuntarily dropped from a
class: “WHAT CAN I DO I DID NOT ATTEND ONE DAY OF CLASS AND I WAS DROP
FROM THE CLASS I HAVE MY BOOK AND HMRK FOR THIS CLASS. NEED HELP
ASAP.” Some askers were Frustrated Complainers and others were Procedural/Info
Seekers, while the responders were Procedural Info Helpers.
The sixth slightly frequent topic was Purely Social (Code 5). Archetypes in this category
were Connection-Seeking Networkers and Socialites. For example, a student announced
a social gathering he had scheduled through the app, “Just created the meetup Get
together for coffee.” In an example of another use of Tri-C Life for inviting people to
social events which they initiate, a student invited specific students to join the “meetup”
which she had created for dancing via a direct message:
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Hello ___. I am glad you took a look at the meetup page. I am going to be
at the Holiday Inn on this Saturday 2/2/13 at 9:00pm. I need to get there
to save us a table and look out for everyone. I will be at the Impulse
Lounge. Ask for me at the Front Desk or At the Door. It closes at 2:00am. I
dance all night and I don't leave until 2am. I have such a ball. I will still be
with you though. I am getting ready to send out a message to everyone else
that still wants to go. Welcome and Good Luck this Semester in school.
A seventh slightly frequent topic was Clubs/Groups/Social Organization(s) (Code 6).
These archetypes were Organizers and Connection-Seeking Networkers. Some students
ask how to join a club or what clubs do. One asked, “does anyone know what kinda
clubs they have at the west campus and how to join them. Another asked for help to find
a specific kind of club. Another posted, “hi my name is ___. are there any groups at tri-
c western campus for devout christians on campus, where you can meet other christians
and make friends?” Club members promoted their club meetings to other students:
East Campus Student Peace Alliance (Peace Club) meetings are every
Wednesday in the Global Issues Resource Center (EEC) Rm 115, 3:00pm-
4:00pm! All are welcome to attend! Check out our website and the events
that we have planned for the Spring semester! _____ (web site)
The eighth slightly frequent topic was Discouragement (Code 12). A student of the
Emotional Sharer archetype expressed helplessness and despair, “I am studying for my
first A&P lab assessment that's on Tues and I am totally overwhelmed! There's just
waaay too much information!” and then later, “…I've been at it all day and I swear I
don't know any more now than when I started!” Other students responded with
attempts at reassurance.
The ninth slightly frequent topic was Goals (Code 14). One student of the College
Advocate archetype wrote about their academic and career ambitions in a direct
message to another student:
…on the campus one thing on my mind....... completing, succeeding, and
fulfilling a series of goals....staying in shape. and completing these
semesters trust me play times not my angle its hard sometime, but
remember, it s you that counts don t Give free rent to pride it will consume
and distract your goal....stay focus you will succeed just believe lady, just
really believe.
The tenth slightly frequent topic was Kind of Student Now (Code 17). An Emotional
Sharer student lamented their flawed study habits, “I hate my trig class. The
coursework plays into my natural habit to procrastinate.”
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The eleventh slightly frequent topic was from staff members, College Social Media Use
(Code 21). E-learning staff member Sandy Moses did not initiate any posts in Spring
2013, though Sandy responded to five direct messages from students. Sandy’s responses
communicate the business information needed but were also personable and validating
when appropriate. For example, when a student was confused about one of the contests,
Sandy apologized and resolved the student’s underlying concern, “Very good point
[name of student]. Redo the survey, and this time I have added a place for your contact
information. Sorry about that. Since the winner is randomly selected, it won't matter
that you weren't the first one to complete the survey.” The difference between Sandy’s
responses compared to students’ responses is that Sandy’s were slightly more
businesslike. Sandy only had two posts in Spring 2012 (two announcements) and no
response to either post. Tisha L. Hardy posted 15 times in 2012, usually official
announcements, but none in 2013. Most of the time she did not get a response. In 2012
she got responses from students two out of two times that she asked a direct question.
Staff also initiated the “Battle of the…” contests during certain times of the year.
However, during Spring 2013, only one student initiated a post mentioning the “Battle
of the…” contests. Three students mentioned the contests in response to other posts.
Sandy’s archetype was Procedural/Info Helper or College Advocate.
The twelfth slightly frequent topic was Schools App Benefits (Code 24). A student
expressed her wish that the app help her make new friendships: “New to this site and to
Tri-C, just want to meet new people.” This was the Socialite archetype.
The thirteenth slightly frequent topic was Cannot Categorize (Code 11), which included
student government promotions (“vote for me”) such as, “Hello everyone this Week is
Student Government Voting. so got to ___ or ___ to cast your vote. And Vote for me
____ for President.” He could be classified as a College Advocate and a Spammer. A
second difficult to categorize use was principally by one student who posted
inspirational/spiritual messages almost daily. An example is the post below, in which
this student could be seen as a Saint/Good Samaritan archetype trying to provide
spiritual inspiration. Incidentally, this same student posted several hundred similar
messages:
GOD CAN INSPIRE HIS DOCUMENT OF BLESSINGS THAT PORE
OVER WITH GREAT SERIOUSNESS, THAT PROVIDE MATERIAL WE
NEED FOR LEISURE AND EVEN LAUGHTER, OR TIMES OF SORROW.
WE COME MORE CONVINCED IN GOD'S DIVINE TRUTH, WHEN WE
SEEK TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND JESUS. EVEN
UNBELIEVERS HAVE A SENSE OF KNOW WHERE GOD STANDS. IN
HUMAN LIFE IT WILL EVOKE TEARS, LAUGHTER, REPULSION, AND
ADMIRATION IN THE PICTURE OF OUR FAILING AND SUCCESS. IN
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LIFE CAN BE PAINFULLY DRY, WITH QUESTIONS WE FEEL
NEGLECTED BY GOD AND OTHERS WHICH MAKE ONE HURT AND
CRY INSIDE. TRY TO AVOID THE DRYNESS WHEN IT COMES TO
GOD. IT IS BETTER TO HAVE GOD AND NOT NEED HIM THAN TO
NOT HAVE AND NEED HIM. SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD
AND EVERYTHING WILL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.
A fourteenth slightly frequent topic on the app was Financial Aid Use – Academic
Support (Code 14). The archetype of these students would be Procedural/Info Seeker.
Students expressed their plans to use financial aid to fund purchases of textbooks and
class materials:
Original post: I'm really getting frustrated. Now they're saying I don't have any book credit and school starts next week. I've been emailing and calling the Financial aid office. (I know they're closed now)
Comment 1: They are there today.... Call them at ____ that is the number there OR you can walk in, they are not taking appointments. Comment 2: Glad they got you taken care of Comment 3: Does anyone know how the financial aid/loan process works? It looks like my funds will be disbursed Feb/March am I able to use any of the funds earlier in the bookstore to get my textbooks??? Comment 4: You should have an email saying you have book credit if u do.
Rare Topics
It is interesting to note topics that were very rare or not present at all on Tri-C Life. For
example, despite the prevalence of financial aid as a topic, particular aspects of financial
were not posted about on Tri-C Life. For instance, despite financial aid being a topic of
frequent conversation on the app, students did not identify themselves as someone who
Did Not Qualify for Aid or Did Not Receive Financial Aid. They also failed to mention
or celebrate any Positive Financial Aid Experiences. Differing from what students
shared in interviews, they rarely posted about what Kind of Student they had been In
The Past. Additionally, students did not overtly post Feelings or Effort regarding
Belonging as a college student.
The only archetypes not observed during Spring 2013 were College Cynic (users who
question the benefit and positive aspects of the college / college experience), Doubter
(users expressing concern over their belonging in college based on social and/or
academic experiences), and Debater (users who often start or participate in contentious
behavior about various issues).
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Interview and Focus Group Data Findings
Perceptions of Tri-C Life
During our site visit, the semi-structured interviews and focus groups we conducted
revealed a generally favorable view of what Tri-C has to offer to potential students in
communities in and around Cleveland. The college seems to be very well-established,
visible, and involved in the communities it serves. One student said, “Everywhere I go,
there is Tri-C.” Another aptly summarized conceptions of the college we heard over and
over again by referring to an actual advertisement, “I heard about it on TV…the
commercial, and they talked about Tri-C, where futures begin, you can learn new stuff,
they help you, they are there for you and further your career if you’re struggling.”
Students’ thoughts about Tri-C Life revealed their expectation of such a positive college
community feeling on this on-line space as well – none expressed fear that it would be a
negative space or that they experienced it as such.
One recurring complaint students did have about Tri-C Life was that they had not been
adequately informed about what purpose it served, how to best use it, or what to expect.
One student put it succinctly, “I need to have a reason to go to it.” Many others shared
similar sentiments:
Well I really wasn’t sure because I never went to a school with a
‘community’ on Facebook. I had a math class where we had a ‘math group’
on Facebook, and I wasn’t sure what that was, but there was a special
group you’d go on. So, I was kinda like “maybe it’s going to be like that.” So
when I went in and people, you know, there’s a thing for a meetup or
meetups and stuff, but I’m not sure people really know how to use it…how
we could utilize the Facebook group… I wanted to know if we could chat in
real time with students on there without me having to get on my private
Facebook account. I really didn’t want to do that.
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It seemed like they launched the app, and they didn’t really know to like
successfully launch the app and explain it to people. Because like there was
a ‘if you become our friend on Facebook you will get a coffee’ or
something, but it didn’t really ever like explain what you could use the app
for. Maybe if they even explained it on their website or something?
Many students were disappointed that the app could not serve more of an academic
support function, helping students initiate study groups or exchanges with others in the
same or similar classes:
They launched it, but I don’t think they really explained to students how to
use it. The one thing I went on there for specifically was to see if you could
set up a study group with other people in your classes because I do a lot of
distance learning classes, and it was really hard to find people in your
classes on there and stuff.
Finding students in similar classes to form study groups or help one another was made
even more problematic by the existence of multiple campuses, and some students
suggested the Tri-C Life platform should make it easier to identify and connect with
others in the same campus more readily:
Because that kind of gets confusing too on who’s on the West campus, and
who’s on the Metro campus, and who’s on the East’ campus. And then
there’s Corporate College West too. So, it’s kind of like…“Is anyone taking
English 1010?” will be a random question ,and you’re like “Yeah, could we
do a study group?” “Sure, where are you at?” “I’m on West,” “I’m on East,”
and … it’s kind of funny.
What did students think about the idea of a Facebook space just for Tri-C?
Conceptually, there was a general agreement among those students interviewed that
there was an inherent value to having Tri-C students connect with each other through
social media. Most made the assumption, however, that the greatest value lay in the
opportunity to access and share information and guidance and resolve confusions, not
to simply socialize. They tended to define the most useful function as one of college
planning and college-going advice and guidance that supplemented, but did not replace,
face-to-face meetings to work through procedures and decisions, such as a social media
space where someone could help them or they could help each other plan a trajectory
through their major or program:
I mean a lot of people seem very very concerned about making their
schedules and program sequencing of…“what’s the proper courses I should
take if I want to finish in X amount of time?” You…can go talk to a
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counselor and (imitating student) “Oh! I don’t have time for that”.. So
then…if…they somewhere they could go and look…if they had something
like that online…
A secondary function of Tri-C Life that students noted as useful was raising awareness
of events and opportunities across campus.
I think they would even be really more open to events that were happening
on campus. Because a lot of times people have no idea. Like…one day I was
like, “Did you guys know there was a job fair tomorrow?” And nobody had
any idea that there was a job fair on campus that they could have gone to.
So I think it’s like the bulletin boards get like really overwhelming.
Interestingly, students had generally positive things to say Tri-C’s websites. However,
students found the social format of Facebook more appealing than the solitary searching
through and comprehending of vast amounts of information necessary to gain
information from My Tri-C Space or other related websites:
I mean when you log in to My Tri-C Space, there’s this like very ‘BLAH’
looking bulletin board and it has like…blah blah blah on there, and it’s like
very very tiny writing that I don’t think anybody sees. …Cause I know a lot
of people when I talk to them “You know when you log into Tri-C Space
and you hit ‘my info’ and you go to the bottom, that’s where like that form
is,” and they’re like “what?” And then you have to show them, “I don’t read
this stuff” (student) “Yeah well, you’re a student, you kinda have to read.”
At the same time, can you blame them? Because it’s loaded, it’s totally full.
Often non-traditional students felt this preference for social media to be true for
younger students, but they also noted it provided the convenience they desired relative
to the need to search through overwhelming amounts of information or to meet face-to-
face. For instance, the following returning adult student expressed this idea along with
the need for the college to be more explicit about the value of it, as noted above:
I feel like since they’re always on their phones , …they would feel more
connected to the school if there was a larger presence on Facebook, if they
could go on Facebook to ask a question. … If there was like a forum that
they could submit a question to or something along those lines, they would
feel more connected, and I feel like if they knew that ‘did you know we can
go and form a study group?’ or you know, find out other classes that you
can take on there, I feel that they would be more inclined to use that than
they are like researching on webs or actually going to an office. It’s like less
intimidating I think. I know I would use it.
Deil-Amen, Regina [email protected]
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As we asked students in interviews about navigating the vast array of information
available on-line and via emails, they said they appreciated the availability of such
information but seemed overwhelmed by the detail and the need to be aware of all the
multiple sources of information and what to prioritize. One insightful respondent
wondered if expecting students, a majority of whom may be academically struggling or
underprepared for college, to read through and understand excessive amounts of
complex information regarding college-going procedures, policies, and programs in
order to be successful in college, is perhaps unrealistic.
Despite the potential of social media, maintaining consistent activity in Tri-C Life is
important to preserve a sense of value. “I always go on there. I’m always like, ‘What are
they doing?’ There’s nothing.” As this student’s words demonstrate, sustained
engagement is critical to maintaining a positive reaction to Tri-C Life among newly
enrolled students or among students joining Tri-C Life for the first time. Regarding the
drop in active users from one semester to the next, one student stated, “Everybody
realized that nobody was using it, then everybody just stopped.” Efforts to transfer
Battle of the Bands and Battle of the Artwork activities onto Tri-C Life were successful in
remedying some of that decreased engagement, and interviewed students seemed very
receptive to that contest opportunity.
Perceptions of Community and Belonging
The purpose of Tri-C Life as an intervention was to create an alternative space for
students to experience college community and connection. Prior research has
shown that involvement and integration into a college community or
communities is a strong predictor of persistence. Oftentimes, ideas about being
involved and engaged in college revolve around the traditional notions of
participation in activities, clubs, and organizations on campus. In our interviews
this year, we asked students directly for their own definition of involvement and
what it is that makes them feel most engaged in college and what gives them a
sense of belonging. Generally their answers emphasized relationships,
motivation, and goal commitment. Most pointed to the ability to be friendly and
work together with other students in their class as the most important key
element of their sense of community, belonging, and connection. In this sense,
their ideas about keeping involved and engaged were socio-academic, social
interactions that revolved around their career goals and academic pursuits.
Identifying other serious students who were also helpful was a popular strategy.
But there are students who do work really hard and when you do find like
– when you can identify who those students are when you need help or you
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want to be with somebody to bounce ideas off of, people are really
welcoming. They don’t mind to sit there and like discuss stuff with you in
class ,which I appreciate, because sometimes most people are like more
into their own problems. They don’t really care to sit down and talk with
you about something if you have a question. But I’ve noticed if I talk to
somebody, they usually like to communicate and interact about the
classroom, outside of the classroom if you needed to.
Many others felt developing good relationships with instructors, administrators,
staff, and graduates helped them to be in the know about how to strategize
success.
Interviewer: What makes you feel most engaged in college?
Student: Knowing the faculty. When you know the faculty you get to know
who it is that holds the power; who holds the key of getting things done.
Some faculty members are really good at talking to the dean and other
ones don’t even know the dean and there’s a woman in the student life
office who’s the gate keeper and you have to be on her good side. I worked
for a whole semester just making her know who I was and like me.
It seemed that the value students placed on the potential of Tri-C Life extended
these notions. They viewed it as a useful space to develop such relationships with
other students (even former students), but not necessarily with faculty.
Some students might be stressed out and something is going to go wrong,
and that [Tri-C Life] might be able to help. You might be able to tie
yourself in, and there are more people that can respond…help out. So the
more people you know, the better off it is. … It is going to give you some
support; it is a safety net. Help you with your grades or if you are going
through some personal stuff…you can reach out through that app because
you’re dealing with people from everywhere.
A vast majority of the students interviewed linked these notions of engagement through
relationships to the types of support that are instrumental in preventing them from
leaving college:
Student: I just started getting in contact with the Tri-C alumni. It’s called
Alumni Friends, and its where the alumni and the people that’s still here
kind of sit down and talk me. It ain’t always directly always here at the
school, like, sometime we just go to a baseball game, basketball game just
kind of more so time to not think about school. Or even like if you are
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struggling with something and need to talk to somebody or if you think
that… you’re about to give up or something, you can call and talk
to…people in the alumni that can kind of try and help you or done been in
that situation.
Interviewer: So what about being at Tri-C makes you feel motivated to
participate in something like the alumni group, or in class, to be actually
involved?
Student: Trying to stay linked to not giving up you know, like, you have so
many things going on in your life it’s easy to say, “I ain’t doing this no
more.” You know because again you got to study, you got to be in class on
time, you got to be able to pay attention, but life still keep going on. So if
one of my grandkids get sick, if one of my kids, something going on with
them you know, you kind of get to a place where you kind of trying to
figure out should I leave class, stay in class, what’s important what’s not
important.
For a good proportion of the students interviewed, their own relationship to their goals
was what made them feel like they belonged at this college. The diversity and sense of
openness conveyed by Tri-C to everyone who wants another chance to succeed
apparently adds to the notion in student’s minds that everyone belongs there.
Interviewer: So, what makes you feel most engaged here?
Student: I have no idea. You mean most comfortable or…?
Interviewer: Yeah, I mean motivated to do well.
Student: I don’t know. Just because I failed once at school. It is a
comfortable environment. And I am not the oldest person here. And the
easiness of everything that comes with it. I still can’t get over how easy it
was to register, and come back to school, and be ready. So…
Interviewer: Do you feel you belong here?
Student: I do, yeah.
Interviewer: What makes you feel like that?
Student: Well, because I have an end. I have a goal, and I think that’s the
most important thing about being at a college. And I don’t know, I like the
community aspect of coming here and seeing a lot of different types of
people. Yeah, I feel like it’s the right place for me.
Students often did not feel that anything further than their own commitment was
needed to experience a sense that they belonged. For so many students, actually being
involved in campus life was not necessary for them to feel a sense of community or
belonging. When asked how they were involved in the college, many of the students
responded, “I’m not.” Yet these students were excelling academically and felt
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comfortable as students at Tri-C. Their sense of engagement was firmly embedded
directly in their classes. This was particularly true for non-traditional age students, who
seemed to think they should be involved but weren’t. They were almost apologetic about
not being involved in traditional ways, but were quite explicit about how their
motivation to persist rested on their feelings that this was a college where they belonged
because they could finally demonstrate competence in their classes and succeed
academically.
Interviewer: Do you feel engaged at this college?
Student: Yes I do, academically.
Interviewer: What makes you feel engaged?
Student: I think recognition that I’m attributing something to the course,
that I am actually giving something while I’m there; participating in the
class you know, and all those sorts of things. And I think again it comes
from that sense of belonging, with my background too. I mean I have an
older sister, and my older sister was always the queen. She was the perfect
child…and I always felt like I was left out where my mother was concerned.
So that’s always been an issue from my whole entire life, and I think it’s
always been a sense of belonging going through these things in school. It
was a sense of belonging. Um, I feel like I belong here. I feel like it’s a very
good fit. I’m not like “Oh God, do I really have to go to school?” It was my
choice to come here. It’s my choice to spend the time here. when I’m home
working on my homework, I enjoy doing that…and when I finish it, I feel
good about it. I’ve accomplished something, and that makes me feel better
inside.
As the example above demonstrates, probing about how students stayed engaged has
made it quite clear that alternative notions of engagement and involvement that
emphasize within class and socio-academic relationships and career goal commitment
are needed. Students’ descriptions of the type of involvement that mattered to them
revolved more around relationships to instructors and peers in their classes than it did
around consistent involvement in structured or organized activities. When asked, “What
makes you feel most engaged with school or like you really belong here?” a student
replied, “Just the other students and the teachers. The professors are really important
to me. If I don’t click or get it with the professor, I’d feel out of place.” Another student
explained:
I had fear when I was coming back, but knowing with all the help that’s
here, the tutoring and the students, and cause certain students I get
around that I know is doing good in school, I ask questions, see if they can
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help me along with tutoring, along with my professor, along with the
teacher. I don’t have any fear because it’s access to a lot of help.
Such findings from the interviews and focus groups suggest Tri-C Life should be applied
to fostering the types of engagement that matter most to students – class-centered and
career/program–centered socio-academic relationships that congratulate students for
their efforts, encourage and motivate them and help them connect with like-minded
others for support and assistance. It was apparent from our interviews that many of Tri-
C’s students have not succeeded very well academically in the past in high school or in
their attempts to attend four-year colleges, yet they are highly motivated to try again
and willing to help each other in that process.
Furthermore, it was our sense from our analyses of the interviews that family support
for students’ college pursuits was there as well – both from the children, spouses, and
partners of returning adult students as well as the parents of younger traditional age
college students. In fact, many of the younger students we interviewed who enrolled
straight from high school discussed how their family context served as a strong
motivator to continue on to attend college or to work hard to succeed in college:
My mom you know was a big influence on us, me and my brother going to
Tri-C because she encouraged us to really, she really put her foot down and
said “Look, I want you to go to school. I don’t want you to stop,” because
you know, she didn’t really finish. I don’t think she’d want me to say that,
but she didn’t really finish high school…so she wanted me to really further
my education when I graduated and got my diploma… So I think she had a
huge impact.
Finally, since communicating about “good” instructors was such a popular activity on
Tri-C Life, it is important to elaborate why this was so meaningful for students in their
attempts to be successful. In interviews, we inquired about this. Most students described
an instructor’s commitment, passion, and willingness to acknowledge and attend to
student’s individual strengths and weaknesses in a supportive manner were prominent
themes. The voices of three different students on this topic are detailed below:
Interviewer: Could you tell me about any mistakes you made early on in
your career that you’ve learned from – in terms of college?
Student: I’ve stopped the mistakes before they happened.
Interviewer: So what were some of the things you prevented?
SS: Like I told you with the teachers, not taking the teachers – doing that.
I’ll take a class over again if I do badly in that class. When I first came
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here, I wanted to learn about computers; I took intro to computers. That
was – I got a D that time, but I came back, took it a year later and got an A.
that’s when I learned about my instructors being good or bad. It was the
same exact information, the same book and everything. It was one teacher
versus another – how do you get a D one time and an A another time?
That’s when I developed my ‘you’ve got to stick with a good instructor’
philosophy.
I did cosmetology school, you know, that was just the one professor all the
time, instructor, and I don’t know, some days she was alright, some days
she wasn’t. But this being here is like, it’s just beautiful. I look forward to
getting up in the morning and coming to class, especially my IT class. I
love her to death. She makes it that you want to learn it. It’s gotten hard
now … I’m, “Oh my God, I’m pulling my hair out. I don’t want to study
this” She’s like, “I told you to call me. Call me anytime.” ...I love her to
death. She makes it worth going to class.
Well, what’s the focus of the instructor, to help me learn or is the
instructor just there to get a pay check? Is the instructor here because they
got their degree and couldn’t get a job at a four-year institution, so they’re
stuck here? What is it? Where’s their passion? If they’re not passionate
about, it how can I be passionate about it? So they have to be passionate.
Particularly since Tri-C students seem to be exchanging information and opinions about
different instructors on Tri-C Life in such a relatively discreet and polite manner, this
practice should continue. Hopefully, however, the college can try to better incorporate
more instructors into Tri-C Life to actively engage in advice-giving, encouragement, and
support to students in their subject areas.
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Challenges and Recommendations for Tri-C and Tri-C Life
Overall, the tone of posts on Tri-C Life have been remarkably positive, characterized by
what we have termed “integrative community building,” in which students attempt to
create a virtual college community in which they expose their needs and frustrations
and other students respond with information, assistance, shared experiences,
encouragement, and support. Academic (sharing opinions and recommendations about
good instructors and classes), procedural (registration and related organizational
timelines and deadlines), and financial aid (criteria and disbursement procedures)
predominate.
However, a distinctly social quality of reaching out for friendship, especially among
those seeking others on the same campus or in the same program, remains quite
prevalent. Religious content is also somewhat more popular than political or social
commentary. For instance, many posts referred to something spiritual or religious
(including relying on spirituality as a source of strength and motivation) while nearly no
posts at all referred to issues that gripped our nation but did not seem to make their way
onto Tri-C Life, such as the pivotal role of Ohio voters in the presidential election or the
finding of Ariel Castro’s kidnapping victims.
We found instructor approach and family encouragement play a pivotal role in student’s
feelings of engagement and involvement, along with relationships of support with peer
students in similar classes or the same program/career trajectory. Feelings of belonging
as a college student, however, seem disconnected a bit from involvement notions but
strongly linked to goal commitment and academic engagement.
Maintaining Tri-C Life as a space to connect with other students, with staff, and with
faculty for immediate support or to facilitate ongoing relationships through the
utilization of meaningful “communities” that extend over time is preferable to meet the
needs of Tri-C students. However, our site visits and numerous qualitative interviews
and focus groups uncovered some areas of concern and related recommendations the
foundation of procedural processes that need to occur each semester for students to ever
begin or continue learning within their classes.
Improving Student Services
A majority of the students interviewed expressed frustration at being shuttled from one
staff person or from one office to another to resolve their financial aid or other
procedural issues. In fact, this was one of the most common complaints. Student after
student discussed long and arduous attempts to secure staff help with the often non-
transparent financial aid process, particularly in the post-application stage to deal with
confusions, questions or problems, or in the re-application stage that needs to occur
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year after year. For students who don’t fit the ‘typical’ student profile around which the
federal financial aid system is built, more individualized attention is often needed.
Students’ frustrations appear to reflect a combination of the overwhelming complexity
of the decentralized, bureaucratically segmented system paired with the lack of directed
guidance from a single source. This left students to navigate the complexity on their
own, which often resulted in them ultimately feeling lost. As a consequence, many
students commented on the amount of time it took to complete the time-consuming
financial aid process. In some cases, returning adult students who had mastered some of
the process used Tri-C Life to help other students quickly and on a massive scale with
routine procedural and financial aid information in response to the posts of other
students. Systematizing such posts routinely as a small part of multiple staff or work
study positions would be optimal if embedded in more streamlined financial aid services
that were integrated in with registration and enrollment services.
Understaffing relates not only to the access students have to guidance and assistance but
also to the processing of paperwork and awards. In an administrator interview, we
learned that Tri-C has only five staff processing aid applications for the 30,000+
students who enroll each year. The lack of assistance with applying for aid combined
with processing delays inevitably leads to an even longer wait time for students. An
additional prominent source of anxiety was the delay involved with students receiving
their Pell refunds. Students now have to wait more than a month after classes start to
receive aid money that they use to incorporate college-going into their life expenses. For
instance, many need the money to pay for less-expensive books, transportation, and
other family-related and living expenses that make it possible for them to attend college.
Tri-C Life makes the pervasiveness of these problems readily apparent, with one of the
most frequently posted topics being complaints regarding the inefficiency of the
financial aid office and related services. Often these posts have an emotional component
as well, making students’ financial aid frustrations evident and available in black and
white on the school feed. This can be used by colleges as a mechanism for
troubleshooting and making decisions about where to apply resources. Beyond the
timeliness of information and assistance, the accuracy of information was also an issue.
In interviews, students were often very frustrated at being given incorrect or changing
information, mainly about financial aid and program requirements. Tri-C Life posts
mirrored this same frustration, presenting yet another opportunity for such “data” to be
used by the institution to identify areas in need of improvement.
From our analyses of the app data, clearly students are using Tri-C Life to fill the gaps in
the student support manpower available at the college for such individualized
procedural navigation. On an institutional level, the college should consider
streamlining the way students receive information. Registration, enrollment,
advising/counseling, and financial aid should be more seamless with staff to provide
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help for students to “problem solve” their obstacles and bureaucratic snags (avoid
shuffling from one office to the next). One-stop assistance centers that combine
registration and financial aid and advising might be considered.
Perhaps Tri-C Life could aid in this process by having student support specialists
present on Tri-C Life to do such problem-solving both in an individualized way and to
respond to common problems for hundreds or even thousands of students at once
rather than repeatedly on a one-on-one basic. We suggest Tri-C attempt to purge many
of the communities on Tri-C Life and identify student leaders or staff to create more
intentional ones that related to student’s classes of enrollment, program/career
trajectory, or perhaps a community to answer financial aid questions. Utilize Tri-C Life
to have forums for advising, mentoring, problem solving type questions and answers,
particularly financial aid, enrolling and registration, procedural deadlines and
strategies, class sequencing strategies for certain majors and transfer goals.
Successfully Implementing the Technology
As noted earlier in this report, we found that exposure to the existence of Tri-C Life,
awareness of its value, and consistent routine engagement are critical components to
ensure the success of this social media-based effort to create a vibrant and useful
community for students. Unfortunately some aspects of these three components have
been weak.
There is still confusion and lack of knowledge among students that Tri-C Life exists and
what it is for. We interviewed many students who had either not joined Tri-C Life or had
joined but never used it. However, once we explained it to them, they noted they would
be excited to join or use it for several reasons. One of the most common was if it
provided a space to engage with others across similar classes or program trajectories in
a way that differed from Blackboard, which limited students to only those in their class
and functioned more like a listserve than a space to interact with classmates
individually. Another common reason was for virtual advising for academic or financial
aid purposes.
Students also thought they would find it appealing if they could use it as a space to place
to connect with others in similar life situations. This was particularly true for returning
adults, who gave each other emotional support and specific advice on course-taking for
their specific program path and advice on navigating financial aid procedures. In fact,
returning adults were just as likely to use Tri-C Life as were more traditional age
students, and they were more frequently among those students offering general advice
and course-taking and financial aid information to the younger students. A final
common reason students got excited about using Tri-C Life was to buy and sell
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textbooks and related class supplies. However, too many interviewed students did not
realize it could be used for all of these purposes noted above.
We were surprised to learn that a majority of the students who expressed no interest in
joining Tri-C Life when they first heard about it, changed their tone when we explained
that it could actually serve all (and more) of those purposes. We suggest offering pre-
defined examples of such potential uses as guideposts for students to assess the tool’s
value, and to make this widely visible across the campuses and in digital spaces students
visit frequently. The promotions that have been used have been effective, but larger
scale efforts are needed to provide a way to guide larger masses of students on what Tri-
C Life could be used for other than their own perceptions of their personal Facebook
use. The email invite is a minimum criteria and not very effective outside of a larger
marketing campaign regarding the benefits. After receiving the email, many students
deleted it without reading it, had chosen not to join, or had chosen not to engage after
joining. If embedded within a larger and more visible marketing campaign, students
may be more receptive. My Tri-C Space may be a fruitful place to make Tri-C Life more
visible. If this is done, we suggest using the Facebook symbol more prominently to
distinguish Tri-C Life from My Tri-C Space because the similar titles are often a source
of confusion. Also, instructors can be used as agents of information, mentioning for a
few minutes the potential use of Tri-C Life to students in their classes, or simply
handing out small fliers explaining it.
Even among those who had joined, students generally quite ignorant that the sub
“communities” even existed. Among those students we spoke with that did use Tri-C
Life, very few recognized a way to easily identify others in their similar program
(through the use of the self-defined sub communities). And unfortunately, there existed
no easy way to identify others in the same classes or in similar life circumstances –
family structure, age, or college-going patterns, such as part-time, evening, on-line, or
remedial students. Perhaps the announcement feature within the app itself could be
utilized to suggest valuable uses of the space.
We found that ensuring ongoing levels of consistent routine engagement was the final
key component of successful implementation. Schools App relies heavily on the social
component of social media; in order for a single user to reap benefits, other college users
must be present for the social interaction to occur. It relies to a great degree on
widespread use by an entire college or community. Many students in interviews
confessed they chose to stop using Tri-C Life once they saw that relatively few others
were utilizing it. It seemed their perceptions of low activity on Tri-C Life limited their
routine engagement – they felt not enough students were using it. Once students began
to see that activity levels on were low, it decreased the value of the technology in their
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eyes. They felt it was not worth their time to post or even go on Tri-C Life to see what
was being posted.
However, relative to the other colleges in the study, the efforts of Tri-C to maintain
engagement through the Battle of the Band and the Battle of the Artwork has limited
this problem. In order for this particular technology to be effective, a good portion of an
entire college community must adopt it. Incentives to join (raffles, giveaways, contests)
can work for this purpose. However, the students’ willingness to engage seems to
depend in part on the extent and frequency of engagement of other students within the
college.
Tri-C is clearly an impressive institution with strong roots in local communities serving
a huge segment of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Our visit was productive, and we
were greatly impressed by the students, staff, and administrators with whom we had the
pleasure of speaking. The qualitative interview data and Tri-C Life data we have
collected will continue to be pivotal in helping us better understand the dynamics of
student success generally and its relationship to the use of social media at the college.
We are extremely grateful for the cooperation of this outstanding community college
and our continuing partnership.
“Getting Connected: Harnessing the Power of Social Media to Enhance Community College Student
Success.” A grant funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation