THE IMPACT OF LATE REGISTRATION ON ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND PERSISTENCE OF STUDENTS AT A COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE

1. THE IMPACT OF LATE REGISTRATION ON ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND PERSISTENCE OF STUDENTS AT A COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE NCSD National Conference October 25, 2010 Little Rock, Arkansas Presenter: Keith Cornille

2. Outcomes for the Session Learn something new from the research • Stimulate your thinking around the issue Recipe for research

3. Significance of Study

4. Economy in crisis - January 2008 through February 2009, unemployment increased from 4.9% to 8.1%, which is the highest rate in the past decade Source: (U.S. Department of Labor, 2009) “In a global economy, where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity. It is a pre-requisite.” “…this country needs and values the talents of every American.” Source: President Barack Obama, Address to Congress (February 24, 2009)

5. 2000-2010 job market • 21.6% of all jobs require a bachelor degree, • 32% needing at least an associate’s degree, • 24.1% requiring a postsecondary vocational award or certificate • Source: (U.S. Department of Labor, 2002). • 12 of the 20 fastest growing occupations require an associate degree or higher • Source: VilaCruz (2003)

6. “…three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma, and yet just over half of our citizens have that level of education.” Source: President Barack Obama, Address to Congress (February 24, 2009) The retention and persistence of students in universities and colleges continues to be a problem confronting the institutions. Source: Minding the Dream, (Mellow & Heelan, 2008) Effective retention lies in the development of educational communities that are committed to “the education of all students” Source: (Tinto 1987. p. 3)

7. Assumptions of staff Movement to develop a policy limiting access/enrollment No research/data conducted on the issueFinancial Implications Internal/College Influences

8. Purpose

9. Purpose Explore the impact that a policy of open enrollment has on the persistence and more specifically the success of students who register late for courses.

10. Background: History & Mission of the Community & Technical College

11. Morrill Act 1862 – Established Land Grant Colleges “People’s College” – access limited Limited to Ag and Mechanical Arts 1902 - First Community & Technical College – Joliet Jr. College

12. Significant events impacting movement GI Bill 1942 – Established Financial Assistance Truman Commission 1947 Addressed access to higher education 49% HS graduates could profit from two years of college Proposed network of publicly supported two-year colleges

13. Community & Technical College Mission • Offer comprehensive educational programs, • Serve all segments of society equally, • Provide access to affordable higher education, • Admissions policy of open-access, • Provide teaching and learning, and • Foster life long learning. (Source: Bailey et al., 2004; O'Bannion, 1989)

14. Community & Technical Colleges mission of open access. • Lead to policy of open enrollment • Funding to institutions driven by FTE (Smith, Street & Olivarez, 2002)

15. Open Access/Open Enrollment + Funding to institutions driven by FTE (Smith, Street & Olivarez, 2002) = Policies of late enrollment

16. Guiding Questions

17. Research Question: What is the effect of late registration on the academic success and persistence of students who enroll in community and technical colleges? Practical Questions: What are the relationships between student characteristics and registration behaviors?

18. What are the relationships between student characteristics and academic success outcomes such as GPA, course completion, term completion? What are the relationships between student characteristics and persistence?

19. What are the relationships between registration behaviors and academic success outcomes such as GPA, course and term completion? What are the relationships between registration behaviors and persistence as measured by re-enrollment the following term?

20. What are the relationships between the registration behaviors and academic success and persistenceas measured by re-enrollment the following term?

21. Literature Review:About the Late Enrollee

22. Characteristics of Late Enrollee • Not pursuing a degree, • No articulated academic goal, • Most likely taking classes part-time, • Non-traditional student, • Tend to be working full-time jobs • Immigration, gender, ethnicity weren’t found to be factor. • (Source: Belcher et al., 1990; Windham, 1994; Summers, 2003; Sinclair, 2004; Johnston, 2006; Wang 2007)

23. Defining Late Registrant • Various definitions by researchers • Late registrant defined as • individual who registers for classes either: • last week prior to the start classes • OR • after the first day of classes • Source: Belcher & Patterson (1990) and Wang & Pilarzyk (2007) This study defined late registration as 14 days prior to thru 21 following the first day of classes.

24. Late Registrant Miami-Dade Community College (1990) 32% of students late registrants • 20% registered week prior to classes • 12% registered after classes began (Source: Belcher et al., 1990)

25. Data Set

26. Data Set • First-time credit seeking students @ Madison Area Technical College • Data cleaned for blank fields, students under 17 years old, academic intent in vocational/occupational or liberal arts transfer program • Deleted undecided students

27. Data Set • Fall 2005, 2006, 2007 – considered all one cohort • Result in sample of n=7317 (2,364-fall 2005, 2,542–fall 2006, 2,411–fall 2007) • Of sample – 15.5% considered late enrollees (n=1,132: 326-fall 2005, 385-fall 2006, 421-fall 2007) • Late registrants showed continued increase over 3 years

28. Methodology

29. Methodology • Qualitative Study • Replicated study – Summers, Johnston • Used SPSS to analyze data • (SPSS = Statistical Package for Social Science) • Two major data sets • “Student data” • “Course data”

30. Chi-Square sample tests and multiple regression analysis used to interpret the data • Maximum alpha of .05 for the t-tests in this research

31. Regression Analysis Levels of Impact

32. Theoretical Model Student Characteristics stratified by enrollment status (Full and Part-time)

33. Theoretical Model Date of Enrollment/ Registration Student Characteristics stratified by enrollment status (Full and Part-time) Full-time Part-time

34. Theoretical Model Date of Enrollment/ Registration Student Characteristics stratified by enrollment status (Full and Part-time) Full-time Part-time Late Early/On-time

35. Theoretical Model Date of Enrollment/ Registration Student Characteristics stratified by enrollment status (Full and Part-time) Full-time Part-time GPA Late Complete Course Early/On-time Complete Term

36. Theoretical Model Date of Enrollment/ Registration Student Characteristics stratified by enrollment status (Full and Part-time) Full-time Part-time GPA Persist To the Next Term Late Complete Course Early/On-time Complete Term

37. Data Results

38. Student Characteristics

41. Characteristics & Registration • Age • Ethnicity • Enrollment Status Are all impacted by registration Appears to verify literature • Except ethnicity

42. Summary of Findings

43. Student Characteristics and Registration Behaviors • Relationship between registration behavior and all student characteristics, except gender, when p<.05 (Tables 3-12) • May not be a practical significant difference, because sample was fairly large

44. Multiple regression analysis controlling for each of the characteristics supported the notion of a relationship between student characteristics. • Minimal impact when looking at gender, ethnicity, and academic intent • Moderate impact for age and enrollment status

45. Student Characteristics and Academic Success • GPA • entire sample (N=7,317) 2.55 mean • early/on-time (n=6,185) 2.57 mean • late enrollee (n=1,132) 2.46 mean • Multiple regression analysis - minimal impact for age, gender, ethnicity, academic intent, and enrollment status. (Tables 14-17)

46. Ethnicity – Black/African American student mean GPA, 1.85 for the early/on-time registrants and a 1.73 for the late enrollee, substantially below that of all other ethnic groups. • Enrollment Status – No relationship with GPA mean difference was null.

47. Course Completion • Multiple regression analysis minimal impact for age, gender, ethnicity, academic intent, and enrollment status (Tables 18-23) • Age - nontraditional students completed at least one course at higher rate (13% higher for early/on-time, 20% late enrollees)

48. Ethnicity – Black/African American students completed a rate far below others, 53% early/on-time and 48% late enrollees. Only subgroup below 67% course completion. • Enrollment status - No relationship as mean difference for % of course completed was null.

49. Term Completion • Statistically significant difference for each of the student characteristics, p<.05 • May not be a practical significant difference – generally high completion rate @ 91% • Age and Academic Intent - traditional age and vocational/occupational largest percent of completers and non- completers

50. Student Characteristics and Persistence • Statistically significant difference, when p<.05 for age, ethnicity, enrollment status and academic intent, though not gender • Traditional age, Females less likely to persist regardless of registration behavior