It’s More than Just a Study Skills Class: Essential Ingredients of Student Success Courses
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It’s More than Just a Study Skills Class:Essential Ingredients of
Student Success Courses
Pam Millsap, Ph.D. Dean of General Education ProgramsCollege of the Mainland
Lynda Villanueva, Ph.D.Vice President of Academic and Student AffairsBrazosport CollegeData Coach, Achieving the Dream
Why a Student Success Course?
According to ATD data, there are large numbers of entering students who require developmental education, yet completion rates in developmental courses are low. Graduation rates are also shockingly low.
One of the demonstrably successful interventions used by many ATD institutions is a student success course designed to support persistence and enhance engagement.
Community College- The Harsh Reality
Only 45% of CC students earn a degree or certificate or transfer within 6 years of enrollment (O’Gara, Karp, & Hughes (2008))
Student Success Courses-Prevalence
• 40% of colleges require some kind of success or orientation course
• 33% require it for some students
• 20% do not require it all
Source: Community College Survey of Student Engagement (2008)
SSC’s-Where do they fit?
Reading, math, English, ESL
STUDENTSUCCESSCOURSES
Are SSC’s Effective?
Although formal research on student success classes is
limited, there is a pervasive and intuitive sense that such
courses are an absolute good-so self-evidently efficacious
that neither the need nor the effects have been widely
studied (Hope, 2010)
What Students Report……..
• 63% said they enhanced their learning skills
• 69% said they improved their time management skills
• 75% reported they better understood their academic strengths and weaknesses
• 80% said they learned about importantcollege services
• 81% reported they learned about critical processes and deadlines
Source: Survey of Entering Student Engagement (2008)
Problems with Research on SSC’s
Pros• Strong theoretical
support • Building evidence base
among ATD schools
Cons• Difficult to isolate effects• No info on student
demographics• No research on faculty training• Research assumes curriculum
is implicitly understood• Models are as diverse as the
students served
What SSC’s Must Overcome
Source: Levitz and Hovland (1998)
Personal Social Academic Life Issues Institutional Issues
Any Comprehensive Success Course Should……
1. Be based on theories of student development
2. Be accessed early in students’ academic career
3. Promote interaction with peers, faculty, and campus community
4. Include strategies to familiarize students with campus resources
5. Be centrally coordinated
Source: Perigo & Upcraft (1989)
They differ with regard to the following variables:
*Credit vs. Non Credit *Housed within a specific discipline
vs. multidisciplinary vs. nonspecific *Focus (study skills, learning styles, life
skills, etc.) *Required vs. Optional *Tied to specific student populations
Student Success Courses come in all shapes and sizes!
Fundamental Assumptions
Source: Hope (2011)
The transition to college is such a major shift that it requires some intervention to ease the passage
Students will not successfully navigate this experience on their own
Curriculum of SSC’s: What Colleges Report
• Study Skills (40.8%)
• Critical Thinking (40.6%)
• Academic Planning (36.7%)
• Time Management (26.8%)
Source: Community College Survey of Student Engagement (2008)
We are here to emphasize the research- and theoretically-based components that should be incorporated in student success courses, and to describe how they are manifested on two different campuses
A Sense of Community and Belonging
• Students have needs beyond the need to study and learn
• Students require a way to transition psychologically into college – Joining the college community– Developing a sense of self as a
student
• When students have negative initial experiences, they develop perceptions that college is threatening, rather thana place to grow
Source: Community College Survey of Student Engagement (2008)
A Sense of Belonging: Documented Success
• Positive relationships with faculty in a SSC create the basis for less intimidating interactions with other faculty (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991)
• Meaningful relationships enhance motivation and learning (Bandura, 1977)
• Student Involvement Theory-as students increase physical and emotional investment, retention increases (Astin, 1984)
Peer & Faculty Interaction
Increased student sense of belonging
Integration into college
community
Persistence and Retention
Cognitive Theory and Study Skills
• Provide students skills they need to enhance success – Note-taking– Time management– Reading strategies– Test-Taking
• Need to consider ways to make transfer of skills a KEY feature
Source: Hope (2011)
Emotion Regulation
• Emotion is a key part of the learning process (Zull, 2004)
• Emotional regulation is key for success in college– Testing and anxiety
• Teaching students that they have what it takes to discover or strengthenthe talents that are needed to achieve– Growth mind-set (Dweck, 2007)
• View effort positively and escalate learning when faced with challenges
Motivation
• Designed to teach students strategies for learning independently (self-regulated learning) (Svinicki, 2004)
• Meta-cognition– Minimizing distractions– Sustaining effort– Using effective learning strategies
• Develop control over thinking and learning
– Goal Orientation– Self-efficacy
Providing Navigational Tools for Success
• Awareness is not enough
• Inspire to seek and use resources
• SSC’s provide an intro to services that promote comfort and familiarity (O’Gara, Karp, & Hughes, 2008)– Counseling– Tutoring– Career Planning
ATD Leader Colleges
Learning Frameworks at Brazosport College and Psychology for Success at College of the Mainland contributed to the recognition of the colleges as leaders in the national student completion movement.
College Level
Active Learning Engagement
Professional Development
Strong Ties to Student
Services
Peer Mentoring
So let’s get right down to it…..
Student Success Course:
*Psychology 1300/Education 1300*Credit (three hours), transferable course*Focus: Teaching students success strategies for
college and in life! *Includes the following topic areas:
College of the Mainland‘s
The On Course curriculum, adopted and integrated into COM’s First-Year-Experience Course, is predicated on the idea that
successful students:
Accept self-responsibility* Gain self-awareness*
Discover self-motivation* Adopt life-long learning*
Master self-management* Develop emotional intelligence*
Employ interdependence* Believe in themselves*
*From Skip Downing’s On Course curriculum
From Humble Beginnings……
Spring 2008• 2 Sections
Fall 2012• 20 Sections
COM requires PSYC 1300 as a corequisite/prerequisite for
courses in all three developmental education areas!
Has the course had a positive impact?
YES!
Fall to Spring Fall to Fall Fall to Spring Fall to Fall Fall to Spring*2008 2009 2010
%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
79%
59%
85%
55%
73%
64%
46%
73%
45%
70%66%
47%
70%
46%
69%
Retention Rates for FYE Students Compared to other Cohorts
FYEAtDCOM
FYE N=100 N=156 N=369AtD N=658 N=670 N=644
COM N=2,469 N=2,504 N=2,632
Students who take the course are more likely to be retained!
Not only are students who take the student success course more likely to stay in college, but students who complete the
course are also much more likely to successfully complete their
developmental education courses!
Discussion Point # 3: Status of PSYC/EDUC 1300
First Year Completion Rates in Developmental Reading Courses for Entering Studentsby Successful Completion of Student Success Course (PSYC 1300)
CohortREAD-0300 READ-0340 READ-0370
N % Comp % Success N % Comp % Success N % Comp % SuccessBaseline 80.8% 47.1% 80.8% 56.8% 82.0% 61.7%2008 Cohort
Completed PSYC 1300 19 89.5% 78.9% 32 93.8% 71.9% 46 97.8% 91.3%Not completed 19 78.9% 63.2% 25 76.0% 56.0% 78 83.3% 75.6%
2009 Cohort Completed PSYC 1300 21 95.2% 81.0% 45 95.6% 91.1% 75 93.3% 90.7%Not completed 38 78.9% 63.2% 22 63.6% 50.0% 49 79.6% 75.5%
2010 Cohort Completed PSYC 1300 28 92.9% 78.6% 56 100.0% 91.1% 101 93.1% 82.2%Not completed 31 71.0% 51.6% 28 60.7% 35.7% 35 74.3% 45.7%
2011 Cohort Completed PSYC 1300 16 100.0% 87.5% 40 97.5% 85.0% 82 95.1% 82.9%Not completed 37 81.1% 48.6% 21 52.4% 28.6% 27 40.7% 11.1%
Source: ATD Data Files, Datatel Student ModuleA successful completion is defined as a grade of C or better.Note: The baseline is the average value for the 2003 to 2006 cohorts.
Discussion Point # 3: Status of PSYC/EDUC 1300
First Year Completion Rates in Developmental English Courses for Entering Students
by Successful Completion of Student Success Course (PSYC 1300)
CohortENGL-0330 ENGL-0360
N % Comp % Success N % Comp % SuccessBaseline 83.3% 53.8% 83.2% 53.1%2008 Cohort
Completed PSYC 1300 6 100.0% 100.0% 70 87.1% 71.4%Not completed 9 55.6% 55.6% 89 78.7% 64.0%
2009 Cohort Completed PSYC 1300 13 100.0% 100.0% 98 96.9% 84.7%Not completed 15 93.3% 60.0% 131 80.2% 59.5%
2010 Cohort Completed PSYC 1300 11 100.0% 100.0% 131 93.1% 87.8%Not completed 16 87.5% 62.5% 93 53.8% 38.7%
2011 Cohort Completed PSYC 1300 9 88.9% 88.9% 132 93.2% 86.4%Not completed 14 85.7% 71.4% 70 54.3% 35.7%
Source: ATD Data Files, Datatel Student ModuleA successful completion is defined as a grade of C or better.Note: The baseline is the average value for the 2003 to 2006 cohorts.
Discussion Point # 3: Status of PSYC/EDUC 1300
First year Successful Completions Rates in Developmental Math Courses for Entering Studentsby Successful Completion of Student Success Course (PSYC 1300)
Cohort
MATH-0303 MATH-0305 MATH-0310 MATH-0320
N % Comp % Success N % Comp % Success N % Comp % Success N % Comp%
SuccessBaseline 71.9% 54.1% 67.4% 51.5% 65.4% 45.1% 64.5% 42.9%2008 Cohort
Completed PSYC 1300 31 90.3% 77.4% 55 80.0% 56.4% 39 82.1% 59.0% 29 86.2% 37.9%Not completed 71 84.5% 76.1% 173 67.6% 48.0% 133 70.7% 54.9% 190 71.1% 44.2%
2009 Cohort Completed PSYC 1300 66 80.3% 53.0% 85 91.8% 60.0% 49 83.7% 51.0% 39 79.5% 43.6%Not completed 88 71.6% 54.5% 156 84.6% 63.5% 141 79.4% 53.2% 151 72.8% 49.0%
2010 Cohort Completed PSCY 1300 85 92.9% 69.4% 153 93.5% 73.9% 150 83.3% 59.3% 98 78.6% 58.2%Not completed 84 64.3% 33.3% 86 62.8% 46.5% 82 62.2% 35.4% 135 71.1% 42.2%
2011 Cohort Completed PSYC 1300 65 92.3% 80.0% 127 86.6% 70.9% 120 84.2% 69.2% 101 82.2% 52.5%Not completed 75 62.7% 36.0% 79 62.0% 32.9% 27 48.1% 22.2% 136 64.7% 29.4%
Source: ATD Data Files, Datatel Student ModuleA successful completion is defined as a grade of C or better.Note: The baseline is the average value for the 2003 to 2006 cohorts.
Letters from students…
“Within the first week I knew that I was indeed getting something out of this class. I was not put in here because I
was a bad student, but to learn how to be a BETTER student.”
“I can honestly say that without this class I
probably wouldn’t have passed my other
classes.”
“A main thing I learned from
this class is that it’s alright
to ask for help…”
A typical day at College of the Mainland in the Psychology 1300 classroom……….
Learning new skills… Building relationships…
Active & collaborative learning…
Rubric: Psychology 1300/Education 1300Course Title: Psychology for Success
Course requirements include:
*Journal writing*Quizzes*Oral presentations with power point
*Group project on study strategies*Campus activities and tutoring
Key components of course:*Orientation to the campus (scavenger hunt)*Involvement of key campus resources
**Advising**Career planning**Library resources**Wellness program**Financial Aid**Success Speakers Bureau
*Success Principles and Practices
Retention is enhanced through the development of success skills plus the engagement of students
with others and in learning…
College of the Mainland Psychology 1300 Students, Fall 2010
And now for a perspective from another classroom on another campus…
Attitudes Skills Behaviors
•Take responsibility for learning•Find relevance and meaning in studies•Cope with stress
Time ManagementWritingReadingTaking NotesResearch SkillsPreparing for ExamsMemoryProblem Solving
•Seek help•Set goals & persist•Transfer skills to other college course work
The Brazosport College Learning Frameworks curriculum is predicated on the idea that college is like a
job. To be successful, college students need a special set of knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes to help
them succeed in school and later in life.
From Humble Beginnings……
Spring 2007• 2 Sections
Fall 2012• 30 Sections
Board of Regents requires ALL first-time-in-college
students to take PSYC 1300
Approximately 6,645 students have taken the course
41
This semester, dual/concurrent students made up 58% of the total
population in Learning Frameworks.
This semester marks the second time Learning
Frameworks was offered to sophomores in their
Spring semester
This semester, sophomores made up
77% of all dual/concurrent students taking Learning
Frameworks
HAS LEARNING FRAMEWORKS MADE AN IMPACT
AT BRAZOSPORT COLLEGE?
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
_____
____ ____ ____ ____
80%
Innovative Course Approval
•TEA approved the innovative course application submitted by Brazosport ISD and based upon Learning Frameworks at Brazosport College
•Applies to every high-school district in the state of Texas
STAR Award Winner
•Learning Frameworks at Brazosport College was recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as the winner of STAR award for demonstrating exceptional contributions toward Closing the Gaps by 2015
Excelencia in Education•On September 27, 2011, the U.S. Under Secretary of Education and CEO of ACT joined Excelecia in Education in honoring Brazosport College’s Learning Frameworks program among America’s top programs that increase degree completion among Latinos at the associate, bachelor, and graduate level. Learning Frameworks was selected from among 195 competitors as one of 16 national finalists for the 2011 Examples of Excelencia recognition
Recent Feature Articles
A typical day at Brazosport College in the Psychology 1300 classroom……….
Learning new skills… Building relationships…
Active & collaborative learning…
Developing a MODEL Student Success Course for GC PASS and Beyond
Scale WIDE and DEEP
Serve MORE students
Improve outcomes
Scaling through NMP
• Development of SSC to support developmental math students
– Role of Subject Matter Experts– Implementation at Co-development Partner Sites– Training Materials– Scaling beyond math
Questions/Discussion?
It’s More than Just a Study Skills Class:Essential Ingredients of
Student Success Courses
Pam Millsap, Ph.D. Dean of General EducationCollege of the Mainland
Lynda Villanueva, Ph.D.Vice President of Academic and Student AffairsBrazosport CollegeData Coach, Achieving the Dream
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