Achieving the Dream at Durham Technical Community College Fall 2005 Non-returning Student Survey Teaching and Learning Center Presentation September 20, 2006 Presentation Overview Achieving the Dream Survey History/Purpose Fall 2004 Non-returning Students Fall 2005 Non-returning Students Comparison/Contrast Achieving the Dream Student Challenges Durham Tech Supports Students Achieving the Dream at Durham Tech Student centered vision Culture of evidence and accountability Commitment to excellence and equity Durham Tech is committed to increasing the percentage of students who… complete remedial courses and move on to credit-bearing courses. enroll in and complete “gatekeeper” courses such as introductory math and English. complete the courses they take, earning a grade of C or higher. re-enroll from one semester to the next. earn certificates and/or degrees. Survey History Developed and implemented a short phone survey, Spring 2005 Minor revisions, Spring 2006 Purpose To understand why students choose not to reenroll at Durham Tech Ultimate Goal To increase the success of Durham Tech students, particularly those in groups that have been underserved Fall Semester 2004 Cohort 577 new students enrolled at Durham Tech 147 (25%) did not re-enroll (Spring 2005) 56 students surveyed by phone (February/March) Fall Semester 2005 Cohort 604 new students enrolled at Durham Tech 167 (28%) did not re-enroll (Spring 2006) 47 students surveyed by phone (March/April) Non-returning Student Demographics Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Gender of Non-Returning Achieving the Dream Students 100 74 80 60 93 89 58 40 20 0 Male Female 2004 (N=147) 58 89 2005 (N=167) 74 93 Race of Non-Returning Achieving the Dream Students 100 75 80 60 59 81 64 40 20 0 1 1 3 6 2 10 7 5 White Black Indian Hispanic Asian Other 2004 (N=147) 59 75 1 3 2 7 2005 (N=167) 64 81 1 6 10 5 GPA Distribution for Non-Returning Achieving the Dream Students 100 70 80 66 60 40 20 0 29 25 7 7 12 19 11 14 13 2 2004 (N=147) 2005 (N=167) GPA unrecorded 25 29 GPA=0 66 70 0<GPA<1 7 2 1<GPA<2 7 14 2<GPA<3 12 13 3<GPA<4 19 27 GPA=4 11 12 27 12 Top Programs of Non-returning Students Associate in Arts Associate in Nursing Associate in Science Associate in Business Administration Top Programs of Non-returning Students (Developmental Percentages) Associate in Arts (66%) Associate in Nursing (100%) Associate in Science (56%) Associate in Business Administration (67%) Important 100 of the 167 non-returning students were developmental students Students are not returning Why? Reasons Why Survey Students Did Not Re-enroll, Spring 2005 Work related responsibilities Personal/family obligations Financial Transferred to another school Other 24% 22% 16% 10% 28% Reasons Why Survey Students Did Not Re-enroll, Spring 2006 Personal/family obligations Transferred to another school Work related responsibilities Transportation Financial Other 32% 16% 13% 13% 7% 19% National Student Clearinghouse Data 21 (13%) of the 167 students who did not return to Durham Tech transferred to another community college or university. What Students Said… Greatest Challenges, 2006 “Juggling school, child, home life” “Balancing everyday schedule with classes” “Scheduling my work and classes” “Getting my financial aid” “Very challenging taking a full course load” “Understanding course material” “Waiting to pay money for the class” “Homework, not used to doing homework. I’ve been out of school for a while.” “Preparing for classes” “Traveling from Raleigh” “Making class after work on Monday nights” “Going to school at age 60” “I feel I played around a lot, but I want to buckle down now.” Survey respondent who plans to re-enroll “I have a lot on my plate with a baby, job and other personal obligations.” Survey respondent who plans to re-enroll Goal Setting “Some students are so mired in the complexity of staying alive that they may not even be able to understand what goals are and how they could be important.” Glenn Gabbard, Ed.D., Data Facilitator Achieving the Dream Project Question How many of the 47 students surveyed said that Durham Tech deserved an “A” for the support they received during their first semester? Letter Grade for Support Grade from Durham Tech Students A B C D F 19 17 9 0 1 One student did not participate If students feel supported, then why aren’t they returning? Missed Opportunity Many of our Achieving the Dream students do not realize their potential. Instead of seeking help, they choose not to re-enroll. Perspective “Today, pre-collegiate courses are more likely to be populated by students recently out of high school where, in fact, they never mastered these essential skills of English and math.” Rose Asera “Pipeline or Pipedream: Another Way to Think About Basic Skills” “If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Essayist and Poet (1803-1882) Perspective “Many of these students have had years of negative experiences with school and need courses in which they can, in effect, more successfully learn the content and learn to be students.” Rose Asera “Pipeline or Pipedream: Another Way to Think About Basic Skills” A Positive Survey Vibe, 2005 25 students (45%) plan to re-enroll 11 were “not sure” 13 responded they would not be returning Most students referred to Counseling and Student Development indicated an interest in returning A Positive Survey Vibe, 2006 17 students plan to re-enroll 13 were “not sure” 16 responded they would not be returning 1 transferred to another school Durham Tech Supports Students How DTCC Supports Students Early Alert Mentoring program Minority male mentoring Single parent club Campus Learning Center Writing and math labs Student Senate College prep program Student success workshops Accessible instructors “Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.” Samuel Johnson English author (1709-1784)