Compare+and+contrast+the+characteristics+of+successful+versus+unsuccessful+CTC+pre-college+students

evidence of four mechanisms by which such supports can improve student outcomes: || 2. Toward a New Understanding of Non-Academic Student Support: Four Mechanisms Encouraging Positive Student Outcomes in the Community College (CCRC Working Paper No. 28, Assessment of Evidence Series) || OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
 * || Characteristics of **Unsuccessful** CTC Pre-College Students || Characteristics of **Successful** CTC Pre-College Students || Citation ||
 * ||  || Self-Regulating Behaviors include: ||   ||
 * 1. ||  || **Sense of Responsibility** - Active participants in their learning, Seeking minimal help, allowing for maximum independence ||   ||
 * 2. ||  || **Goal Orientation** - States a goal, Finds motivation ||   ||
 * 3. ||  || **Resourcefulness** - Seeks assistance when needed, Creates or seeks out an effective learning environment ||   ||
 * 4. ||  || **Determination** - Plans, organizes, and monitors progress toward goal, Effective time management ||   ||
 * 5. ||  || **Cultural Self Identification** - Social connectedness with family &/or friends, Engages in a sense of community with student peers and school ||   ||
 * || The National Audit Office (NAO) (2007) identified seven types of reasons why students withdraw: ||  || The National Audit Office (NAO) (2007) ||
 * 1. || ** personal reasons, ** ||  ||   ||
 * 2. || ** lack of integration, ** ||  ||   ||
 * 3. || ** dissatisfaction with course/institution, ** ||  ||   ||
 * 4. || ** lack of preparedness, ** ||  ||   ||
 * 5. || ** wrong choice of course, ** ||  ||   ||
 * 6. || ** financial reasons ** ||  ||   ||
 * 7. || ** and in order to pursue other opportunities. ** ||  ||   ||
 * ||  || A review of the literature on non-academic support yields
 * 1. ||  || ** (1) creating social relationships, ** ||   ||
 * 2. ||  || ** (2) clarifying aspirations and enhancing commitment, ** ||   ||
 * 3 ||  || ** (3) developing college know-how, and ** ||   ||
 * 4 ||  || ** (4) addressing conflicting demands of work, family and college. ** ||   ||

Through the review of more than 25 articles, the following strategies/programs were repeatedly touted as having a “statistically significant” positive impact on student achievement and retention:

Learning Communities – there are many different versions of this concept, all of which focus on engagement (connecting students with faculty, peers, student organizations, etc.) and integration (tying these engagements with majors). Most learning community programs incorporate an element of peer and faculty mentoring, tutoring, study skill development, integrated developmental education, and in some cases cohorts. Schools that have implemented learning communities have noted that students participating in the program passed more courses, earned more credits, and reported feeling more integrated and engaged in their education than their peers who did not participate. When designed with a holistic approach in mind, learning community programs address each major barrier to student success: lack of motivation and direction, an ignorance of higher education navigation, lack of social support, perceived lack of resources, academic underpreparedness, and lack of engagement.

Mentoring Programs – Different versions of mentoring have been studied, with peer being found to have the greatest impact on student success when done with a holistic approach. Faculty mentoring was also seen as valuable and statistically significant when faculty were fully vested in student’s well-being.

Supplemental Instruction- peer tutoring linked to specific courses.

Study Skills Courses – these courses are becoming more prevalent as studies show that underprepared students/precollege students are deficient in more than just academic skills, but the basic study skills needed be successful in college level coursework.

Integrated Developmental Education (contextualized learning) – developmental courses presented in a format that focuses on acquiring specific competencies and can be applied in related college courses with college credit. This requires that faculty are willing to connect disciplines and coordinate assignments so that students are working on related topics, concepts, or tasks, thus integrating remedial course work with credit bearing classes. IBEST, one such program, has seen higher persistence rates, more credits earned, and certificates achieved. Students can complete pre-college courses and earn college credit in their major/area of interest. For example, at Highline Community College, one of the Achieving the Dream (AtD) interventions combines a writing assignment in English 91 with a presentation by an academic advisor. Each quarter, an academic advisor presents in all English 91 classes on transfer and prof/technical programs, registration policies and processes and campus resources. After providing this intervention for two years, we have positive results (Bernhagen 2011):

1) The percent of at-risk, MP311 students who stay in college for another quarter increased from 79% to 88% 2) The percent of at-risk, MP311 students who earned a 2.0 or higher in English 91 increased from 71% to 90% 3) We have closed the 2nd to 3rd quarter persistence gap. MP311 students in 2009 persisted to the 3rd quarter at about the same rate as non-MP311 students (71% compared to 72%) (it was 55-65% before the intervention)

Accelerated Strategies- bridge programs during summer, combine remedial levels of classes.

The programs outlined above assist student in developing the “self-regulating behaviors” or characteristics that are proven necessary for precollege students to reach the tipping point and beyond.

Self-Regulating Behaviors include:

Sense of Responsibility Active participants in their learning Seeking minimal help, allowing for maximum independence

Goal Orientation States a goal Finds motivation

Resourcefulness Seeks assistance when needed Creates or seeks out an effective learning environment

Determination Plans, organizes, and monitors progress toward goal Effective time management

Cultural Self Identification Social connectedness with family &/or friends Engages in a sense of community with student peers and school