Learning Communities: Qualitative and Quantitative Findings

Learning Communities: Qualitative and Quantitative Findings Mary Allen and Philip E. BishopValencia Community CollegeLearning Conversations ConferenceApril 2007

Francisco Perez Success Coach • Roberta Brown Data Consultant and Math Professor • Christy Cheney Student Success Professor

Your agenda • What do you want to learn or need to know? • Write your answer on an index card • Pass your card

What’s a Learning Community? • Cohort of students co-enrolled in two or more courses • Faculty collaboration and curricular integration • Social and academic support

LC’s at Valencia • LinC (Learning In Community) • Achieving the Dream Initiative • Target AtD “gateway” courses for LinC

LinC-ing Gateway Courses • 2006-07: Developmental math and Student Success • 2007-08: Add Freshman Composition, US Government, College Algebra

LinC components • Summer design program • Success coach • Assessment for improvement (quantitative and qualitative data)

Quantitative Indicators • Successful completion (A, B, or C) • Re-enrollment (persistence/retention) • Progress-to-degree benchmarks

Successful CompletionSLS Fall 2006 All enrolled students earning a “C” or better in Student Success by ethnicity 87% 82% 78% 75% 70% 73% 69% 71% (Includes both FTIC and Non FTIC students)N=app. 195 students in Fall 2006

Successful CompletionSLS Fall 2006 All enrolled students earning a “C” or better in Student Success by mandate level 86% 81% 82% 76% 76% 71% 72% 67% (Includes both FTIC and Non FTIC students)N=app. 195 students in Fall 2006

Successful CompletionDevelopmental Math Fall 2006 All enrolled students earning a “C” or better in developmental math by ethnicity 65% 68% 65% 71% 57% 57% 55% 49% (Includes both FTIC and Non FTIC students)N=app. 195 students in Fall 2006

Successful CompletionDevelopmental Math Fall 2006 All enrolled students earning a “C” or better in developmental math by mandate level 75% 74% 68% 59% 53% 56% 55% 46% (Includes both FTIC and Non FTIC students)N=app. 195 students in Fall 2006

Conclusion Based on 9 LinC courses in Fall 2006 involving SLS and developmental mathematics, students in LinC courses had higher completion rates than stand-alone sections

Qualitative Assessment • Group Informal Feedback on Teaching (GIFT) • CCSSE Course Feedback Form • Focus groups for students and faculty • Faculty self-assessment • Evidence process

CCSSE CourseFeedback Form • Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) • Engagement • active and collaborative learning • student effort • academic challenge • student-faculty interaction • support for learners

What’s important? • Which 5-7 items would you find most informative in assessing the quality of student engagement? Look over the form and highlight your choices. Discuss your choices with a dialogue partner.

CCSSE Course Feedback Form • What did you think?

CCSSE Feedback in LinC • Course feedback form used as student perception of instruction in LinC’s • Results reported to dean and faculty member • Using these findings in summer course design program to improve learning

Items of interest • Active and collaborative learning • Student-faculty interaction

Other LinC Assessments • Group Informal Feedback on Teaching (GIFT) • Focus groups • Faculty self-assessment • Evidence process

GIFT • See packet for GIFT and sample Summary and Response

Faculty Self-Assessment • See packet for sample Faculty Self-Assessment

Focus Groups • Student focus groups in math lab • Faculty focus groups as end-of-term debrief • Student Affairs focus groups

Evidence Process • Generating direct and qualitative evidence of student learning • Promoting evidence-based collegial dialogue about student learning http://www.lasw.org/questions_intro.html

Your questions

What did you learn that’s important to you? • What would you like to know more about?

Mary Allen mallen@valenciacc.edu • Philip E. Bishop pbishop@valenciacc.edu • LinC at Valencia http://valencia.cc.fl.us/linc/

Learning Communities: Qualitative and Quantitative Findings Mary Allen and Philip E. BishopValencia Community CollegeLearning Conversations ConferenceApril 2007

Learning Communities: Qualitative and Quantitative Findings