The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)

Pilot Test Results (Fall 2001)

May 6, 2003

Expanded Dean’s Council

CCSSE (cessie)

Provides a new focus on educational practices that research shows are related to student success

Conducted out of the University of Texas at Austin

Supported by grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Lumina Foundation for Education

Patterned after NSSE (nessie) conducted out of Indiana University

CCSSE Pilot Institutions and Numbers

Pilot Targeted Actual Response Institution Sample Sample RateButler County CC 825 514 62.3%Cascadia CC 625 445 71.2%CC of Denver 1,125 536 47.6%Central Piedmont CC 825 981 118.9%Hocking College 825 713 86.4%Johnson County CC1,125 445 39.6%Kingsborough CC 1,125 1,049 93.2%Kirkwood CC 1,125 1,021 90.8%Montgomery College 825 447 54.2%Richland CC 1,125 826 73.4%Schoolcraft College 1,125 712 63.3%Sinclair CC 1,125 600 53.3%Total 11,800 8,289 70.2%

Procedures CPCC sent UT our class schedule electronically They selected sections including developmental

courses and a variety of classes at each campus They provided us a list of selected sections and an

alternate list (in case the original list needed subs) Planning and Research staff went to each selected

classroom and distributed, monitored and collected the data over a three week period in Fall 2001

Data were returned to UT for analysis UT returned the summarized data to the College in

2002

Findings - DemographicsCPCC Respondents University Sample (all institutions) Students (NSSE)

Gender:Male 41.2% 44.0% 44%Female 58.8% 56% 56%

Race:White 57.0% 61.5% 70%Asian 4.6% 5.2% 6%Latino 4.9% 8.8% 6%Black 17.6% 9.3% 10%Nat. Amer. 3.8% .4% 1%Int’l 11.1% 8.5% 3%Other 4.7% 6.7% na

Enrollment Status:Full-time 39.4% 31.5% 79%Part-time 60.6% 68.5% 21%

What was learned from the entire group

Almost 80% have home computers with Internet connections

20% have access at work and 70% have on-campus access

Only 65% use the Internet at least weekly for class projects or assignments

47% use it several times a week 30% use it often or very often

Learned… continued

56% do not receive financial support from parents 55% do not receive grants or scholarships 75% have no student loans 40% claim paying for college is a significant issue 45% report that their colleges provide the financial

support they need to afford their education

Students at-risk of not attaining their educational goals

Community college students are 3-4 times more likely to reflect the factors that research indicates put them at-risk. Those are: Being academically under-prepared Being a single parent Being financially independent Caring for children at home Working more than 30 hours a week Being a first-generation college student Being a part-time student Identifying the cost of attending college as a significant

issue

At-risk Students

25% of CCSSE respondents fell in the low risk category (0-1 risk factors)

66% were moderate risk students (2-4 risk factors)

9% were high-risk (5 or more risk factors)

High-risk students

Are less likely to set transferring to a four-year institution as a primary goal

Are more likely to set completing their associate degree as a primary goal

Are exerting more effort to succeed (they are overcoming significant challenge to attend college)

Are much less likely to come to class prepared More likely to ask questions and participant in class

discussions Are more likely to prepare two or more drafts of a

paper or assignment before turning it in

High-risk students

Are more likely to report that they “work harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor’s expectations”

Are more likely to find exams challenging Are more dedicated to studying Are taking advantage of services offered by the college Are more likely to give high ratings to the importance of

tutoring, financial aid, career counseling, etc. Are more likely to participate in study-skills classes,

orientation and organized learning communities

At-risk Students

Community Colleges are doing a good job of motivating and serving these students

Ensuring the success of these students remains one of the critical challenges for community colleges

Assisting these students may be one of our most significant potential contributions to our community

Section I:Activities in the Classroom

Students were asked “how often” they participated in various activities in the classroom

Scale: 1 = never, 2 = occasionally, 3 = often and 4 = very often

Data for CPCC are compared to the CC sample and to the university sample (NSSE)

College ActivitiesCPCC CC NSSE

1. Asking questions in class/contributing to the discussion 2.94 2.81 2.79

2. Made a class presentation 2.05 2.03 2.17

3. Preparing two or more drafts of a paper before turning it in 2.47 2.54 2.70

4. Working on a paper that requires integrating ideas or information from various sources 2.57 2.64 3.01

5. Coming to class without completing reading or assignments 1.97 2.01 2.10

Comparisons: 981 CPCC students, 8,289 community college students and 33,000 first-year university students

College ActivitiesCPCC CC

NSSE6. Working with other students on

projects during class 2.55 2.59 2.42

7. Working with classmates outside of class to prepare assignments 1.88 1.92 2.35

8. Teaching/tutoring other students 1.48 1.42 1.63

9. Participating in a community-based project as part of a regular course 1.35 1.33 1.37

10. Using list-serves, chat rooms or the Internet to discuss or complete 2.14 2.07 2.58an assignment

College Activities

CPCC CC NSSE11. Used email to communicate with

the instructor 2.07 1.91 2.77

12. Discussed grades or assignments with

an instructor 2. 65 2.43 2.56

13. Talked about career plans with an

instructor or advisor 2.06 1.98 2.11

14. Discussing ideas from readings/lecture

with the instructor outside of class 1.85 1.72 1.74

15. Receiving prompt feedback from an

instructor on your performance 2.69 2.58 2.61

College Activities CPCC CC

NSSE

16. Working hard to meet an instructor’s expectation 2.54 2.47 2.58

17. Worked with instructors on activities other than coursework 1.42 1.42 1.51

18. Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class. 2.71 2.61 2.73

19. Having serious conversation with students of a different race/ethnicity 2.61 2.39 2.65

20. Having serious conversation with students of different religions, political opinions or personal values 2.53 2.41 2.90

Students have multiple demands on their time and spend limited time on campus. Results indicate that most student-faculty interaction takes place in class. More than 80% of students do not participate in college sponsored extracurricular activities. Therefore, the most powerful engagement strategies likely will center around classroom and classwork.

Impact – Part-time Students

Part-time students are least engaged 45% of part-time students (and 29% of full-time

students) never worked with classmates outside of class to prepare assignments

51% of part-time students (and 39% of full-time students never discussed ideas from readings or classes with an instructor outside of class.

Research shows that these interactions lead to improved learning and higher retention rates

Impact on Transfer Students

These classroom activities may impact the progress of our transfer students

Community college students rated their interaction with faculty both in and out of class higher than university students

However, they ranked interaction with other students lower than university students

College Activities - Developmental vs. Non-Developmental

Non-dev. Developmental

CPCC Nat.CPCC Nat.

1. Asking questions in class/contributing 2.97 2.81 2.92 2.81 to the discussion

2. Made a class presentation 1.93 1.98 2.17 2.08

3. Preparing two or more drafts of a paper before turning it in 2.23 2.40 2.71 2.69

4. Working on a paper that requires integrating ideas or information 2.46 2.58 2.68 2.70from various sources

5. Coming to class without completing 1.97 2.03 1.97 1.99reading or assignments

College Activities - Developmental vs. Non-Developmental

Non-dev. Developmental CPCC Nat.CPCC Nat.

6. Working with other students on 2.49 2.54 2.61 2.64projects during class

7. Working with classmates outside of class to prepare assignments 1.80 1.89 1.96 1.95

8. Teaching/tutoring other students 1.51 1.41 1.45 1.43

9. Participating in a community-based project as part of a regular course 1.30 1.29 1.41 1.36

10. Using list-serves, chat rooms or the Internet to discuss or complete 2.11 2.04 2.18 2.10an assignment

College Activities - Developmental vs. Non-Developmental

Non-dev. Developmental CPCC Nat. CPCC Nat.

11. Used email to communicate with the instructor 2.04 1.88 2.10 1.94

12. Discussed grades of assignments

with an instructor 2.59 2.37 2.70 2.49

13. Talked about career plans with an instructor or advisor 2.00 1.89 2.12 2.07

14. Discussing ideas from readings/lecture with the instructor outside of class 1.83 1.68 1.87 1.77

15. Receiving prompt feedback from aninstructor on your performance 2.70 2.56 2.68 2.60

College Activities - Developmental vs. Non-Developmental

Non-dev. Developmental CPCC Nat.CPCC Nat.

16.Working hard to meet an instructor’s expectation 2.40 2.37 2.68 2.60

17.Worked with instructors on activities other than coursework 1.36 1.39 1.47 1.44

18.Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class. 2.68 2.55 2.74 2.66

19.Having serious conversation with students of a different race/ethnicity 2.57 2.34 2.66 2.44

20.Having serious conversation with students of different religions, 2.52 2.38 2.53 2.45political opinions or or personal values

Mental Activities in the Classroom

Students were asked about how often they participated in a list of mental activities in the classroom

Activities such as: memorizing facts, analytical skills, critical thinking, and application of new skills or information

Mental Activities by Comparison

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CPCCCC SampleNSSE

(n/a)

Mental Activities by ComparisonDevelopmental vs. Non-developmental

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CPCC DevNat. Dev.CPCC non-dev.Nat non-dev.

Mental Activities by Comparison1-30 hours vs. 31+ hours

1

2

3

4

CPCC 1-30Nat. 1-30CPCC 31+Nat. 31+

Student Opinions About School

Students were asked:Does the college provide the support you need to

help you succeed at this college, encourages contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds, helps you cope with your non-academic responsibilities (work, family, etc.), encourages you to spend significant amounts of time studying and providing the financial support needed.

Scale: 1=very little, 2=some, 3=quite a lot, 4=very much

Student Opinions About School

1

2

3

4

spend timestudying

provide support encouragestudent contact

non-academicresponsibilities

support to thrivesocially

financial supportfor tuition

CPCC

CC Sample

NSSE

(n/a)

How Students Spend Their Time

Community College students are older They work Have families Take care of dependents Don’t have a lot of time to spend on

campus Don’t spend as much time “hanging

out” before and after class

Weekly Activities

Students were asked about how many hours in a typical 7-day week do you spend doing the following:

0 none 1 5 or fewer 2 6-10 hours 3 11-15 hours 4 16-20 hours 5 21-25 hours 6 26-30 hours 7 more than 30 hours

Student’s Weekly Activities

How many hours per week do you do the following:

CPCC CC Sample NSSE

Preparing for class 1.88 1.92 4.08

Working on campus .15 .25 1.61

Working off campus 3.13 2.82 2.35

Participating in college

sponsored activities .23 .26 2.32

Student’s Weekly Activities

How many hours per week do you do the following:

CPCC CC Sample NSSE

Relaxing/socializing 1.97 2.18 4.12Providing care for dependents 1.41 1.36 1.58Commuting to and from

classes 1.36 1.28 na Participating in community/

campus organizations .82 .61 na

Relationships at the College

How would you characterize the quality of relationships? 1=unfriendly, unsupportive, sense of alienation 7=friendly, supportive, sense of belonging

Quality of RelationshipsCPCC CC Sample NSSE

With other students 5.41 5.39 5.69With Instructors 5.67 5.51

5.39With administrative personnel

and offices 4.89 4.89 4.90

Knowledge, Skills and Personal Growth

To what extent has your experience at this college contributed to your knowledge, skills and personal development in the following areas?

Scale: 1 very little

2 some

3 quite a bit

4 very much

CPCC CC NSSE

Acquiring a broad general education 2.91 2.87 3.09 Acquiring job/work-related knowledge/skill

2.62 2.51 2.52 Writing clearly/effectively2.61 2.64 2.85 Speaking

clearly/effectively 2.54 2.54 2.59 Thinking critically/analytically 2.87 2.84 3.09 Solving numerical problems 2.58 2.51 Using computing and information technology2.58 2.51 2.73 Working effectively with others2.67 2.69 2.82

Educational and Personal Growth

CPCC CC NSSEVoting in local, state or college elections 1.66 1.62 1.94Learning effectively on your own 2.78 2.73 2.97Understanding yourself 2.56 2.53 2.87Understanding people of other

racial/ ethnic backgrounds 2.45 2.36 2.58 Developing a personal code of values/ethics 2.18 2.20 2.64 Contributing to the welfare of

your community 1.85 1.79 2.15 Developing clearer career goals 2.68 2.63 naGaining information about career opportunities 2.58 2.54 na

Educational and Personal Growth

Retention – What issues would force you to withdraw from this college?

31

31

37

40

40

44

61

77

0 20 40 60 80 100

Moving/relocating

Lack of finances

Change in career plansEducational goals change

Working full-timeCaring for dependents

Academically unprepared

Mismatch w/ coll. obj.

All community college students

Student Engagement

Critical to retention and student successOccurs in student services (counseling,

advising, financial aid, etc.)Occurs in the classroom (class participation,

bonding with students and faculty)Occurs through process – policies that

encourage students to stay and don’t make it easy for them to leave

Findings

CPCC as a whole, did better on the assessment than most of the community colleges who participated

This opened the opportunity for a Met Life grant for us

Looking at the differences between our classroom activities and those of the university may help us better understand transfer issues

What the Universities Learned from NSSE

Campus Climate Students who report that their school

encourages contact with peers from different backgrounds also see their school as supporting:

• Their academic success• Their coping with other responsibilities• Their social needs

What the Universities Learned… continued

Supportive Faculty MembersStudents who report that their faculty

members are accessible and supportive perceive that their school:

• Provides the support they need for their academic success

• Helps them cope with non-academic responsibilities

• Provides social support

What the Universities Learned…. continued

Good Academic AdvisingStudents who report getting high quality

academic advising:• Are more likely than their peers to interact with

faculty members• Perceive their institution’s environment is

academically and socially supportive• Are more satisfied with their overall college

experience

Two websites

http://www.indiana.edu/~nsse

http://www.ccsse.org

The End