Community College Survey of Student Engagement
Executive Summary
Spring 2015
Introduction
The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) was administrated to Paul D. Camp Community
College (PDCCC) students during the 2015 spring semester. Survey administration took place from March 23
through April 3. The survey was administered to 62 face-to-face course sections and survey findings are based
on 323 valid surveys. Please note that survey responses were excluded if the respondent did not indicate their
enrollment status, did not answer any of the sub-items or answered very often and never to all sub-items,
reported their age as under 18, or indicated that they had taken the survey in a previous class.
Purpose
The CCSSE assesses effective educational practices at community colleges and assists institutions in promoting
improvements in student engagement, learning and retention. CCSSE results can be used to inform decision
making and target instructional improvements. In addition, CCSSE provides benchmarking, allowing
comparison of performance to like sized institutions, top-performing institutions, and national norms.
CCCSSE Benchmark and Cohort
Survey items are grouped into five benchmarks areas of student engagement which include (1) active and
collaborative learning, (2) student effort, (3) academic challenge, (4) student-faculty interaction, and (5)
support for learners.
CCSSE utilizes a three-year cohort (2013-2015) of participating colleges for all comparison data analyses
including benchmarks. This cohort includes 704 institutions from 47 states, the District of Columbia, three
Canadian provinces, plus Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. Of the 704 institutions, 350 are classified as
small (<4,500), 166 as medium (4,500-7,999), 148 as large (8,000-14,999), and 75 as extra-large (15,000+). The
colleges are also classified as urban serving (135), as suburban-serving (160), and rural serving (409). PDCCC is
classified as a small-sized rural serving institution.
The findings in this summary include benchmark comparisons between PDCCC, top-performing colleges, small
sized institutions and the CCSSE cohort. Although comparing findings to other colleges is valuable it is also
important for PDCCC to evaluate its satisfaction and dissatisfaction with its findings and outcomes.
Key Findings
Part I: Respondent Profile
The demographics of the survey respondents (Table 1) are in alignment with the demographics of the College,
as reported to IPEDS. However it is important to note that an inverse proportion of full-time and part-time
students responded to the survey than actually attend PDCCC. Full-time students are by definition enrolled in
more classes and are therefore more likely to be sampled. To adjust for this sampling biases, survey results are
either weighted or disaggregated on the full-time/less than full-time variable so that the survey findings will
accurately reflect the student population.
Table 1. Respondent Profile
Sex
Male
Female
Race or Ethnicity
Black or African American, Non-Hispanic
White, Non-Hispanic
Age
24 and under
25 and over
Enrollment Status
Less than full-time
Full-time
Percentage of Respondents
PDCCC Population
(IPEDS Data)
23%
76%
32%
68%
36%
53%
38%
55%
55%
43%
63%
37%
34%
66%
69%
31%
In addition to the demographics above, 43.4% of students indicated that neither parent has earned a degree
higher than a high school diploma nor has college experience; accordingly, these students are considered firstgeneration.
Part II: Results Connected to Retention
Overall, students indicated a high level of satisfaction with their experience at PDCCC. In fact, 89.5% of all
respondents evaluated their entire educational experience as good or excellent. Furthermore 94.2% of all
respondents would recommend PDCCC to a friend or to family.
Academics:
 71.4% of respondents stated that they have an overall college grade average of B or higher
 78% of respondents indicated that in the last year they have never skipped a class
 69% of respondents indicated that they had not taken nor plan to take a developmental writing course
and 47.8% indicated they had not taken nor plan to take a developmental math
 34.9% of respondents indicated that they have or plan to take an honors course
 36.1% of respondents indicated that they spend 1-5 hours a week preparing for class (studying,
reading, writing, rehearsing, doing homework or other activities related to their program); 18.1% of
respondents spend more than 20 hours a week preparing for class
Academic Goals: Students were asked to specify their reasons or goals for attending PDCCC (students were
able to choose more than one primary goal); 39.2% selected transferring to a 4-year college or university as
their primary goal and 69.9% selected obtaining an associate degree as their primary goal. More than half
(61%) of respondents selected obtaining or updating job-related skills as a primary goal, while 42.7% selected
self-improvement/personal enjoyment as a primary goal.
Obstacles: When students were asked about five issues that might cause them to withdraw from classes or
PDCCC, students selected lack of finances as the most likely reason they would withdraw. Subsequently, 31.1%
indicated their own income or savings is the major source of funding used to pay for their tuition, with 56.9%
of respondents indicated grants and scholarships as a major source of funding. Not surprisingly 48.3% of
student respondents work more than 21 hours a week and 37.9% of student respondents work more than 30
hours a week.
The table below (Table 2) lists those potential issues, outlined in the survey, and the percentage of students
who responded to each. As you can see, academic unpreparedness and caring for dependents are the least
likely issues students identified as a potential cause for their withdrawal.
Table 2. Potential withdraw factors
Potential cause of withdrawing from PDCCC
Working full-time
Caring for dependents
Academically unprepared
Lack of finances
Transfer to a 4-year college or university
Very Likely
19.1%
10.7%
6.4%
31.3%
23.4%
Likely
13.2%
12%
10.5%
18%
15.6%
Somewhat Likely
22.7%
19.7%
19%
21.2%
17.5%
Not Likely
45%
57.6%
64.2%
29.5%
43.5%
Connectivity: Students indicated having favorable relationships with other students, faculty, and administrative
staff. On a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the most positive, 68.6% of respondents rated the quality of
relationship with students as a 6 or 7 reporting their interaction as friendly, supportive, and having a sense of
belonging. Seventy-five percent of respondents rated the quality of relationship with instructors as a 6 or 7
finding them available, helpful, and sympathetic. Lastly, 65% of respondents rated the quality of relationship
with administrative personnel as a 6 or 7 seeing them as helpful, considerate, and flexible. Despite having
positive relationships within the college community, 73.9% of student respondents reported that they do not
participate in any college-sponsored activities (including organization, campus publications, student
government, intercollegiate or intramural sports, etc.).
Support Services: The table below (Table 3.) highlights those services that students utilized, their satisfaction
with those services, and the importance of each services. The percentages represent those who answered that
they often used the services, those that responded that they were very satisfied with the services and those
that indicated that the service was very important to them. Please note that “Don’t know” and “N/A”
responses were excluded from the figures below.
Table 3. Summary of usage, satisfaction and importance of PDCCC support services
Utilization
Satisfaction
Importance
(often)
(very)
(very)
Academic advising/planning
25.5%
49.2%
73.8%
Career counseling
10.2%
46.5%
60.5%
Job placement assistance
4.2%
30.4%
51.7%
Peer or other tutoring
10.6%
37.3%
43.9%
Skills lab (writing, math, etc.)
35.8%
50.8%
55.2%
Child care
6.5%
25.4%
32%
Financial aid advising
32.1%
53.8%
73.5%
Computer lab
54.1%
55.9%
71.4%
Student Organizations
14.3%
35.7%
35.9%
Transfer credit assistance
16.5%
35.8%
55.8%
Services to students with disabilities
10.3%
33.8%
56.8%
Part III: Benchmark Results
This section includes an overview and description of the five benchmark areas and compares PDCCC results to
other Small-Sized Colleges, the 2015 Top-Performing Colleges, and the 2015 CCSSE cohort. Top-performing
colleges are those that scored in the top 10% of the cohort. PDCCC students report higher benchmark scores in
all five categories of engagement when compared to the Small-Sized College cohort. Equally impressive is that
PDCCC scores were higher, in three out of five benchmarks, when compared to the Top-Performing College
cohort.
90%
80%
70%
60%
56.3%
60.1%
59.4%
51.4%
50.0%
58.0%
51.0%
50.0%
56.0%
50.3%
61.3%
56.6%
60.5%
58.9%
52.4%
50.0%
59.8%
52.1%
50.0%
50.0%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Active and Collaborative
Learning
PDCCC
Student Effort
Small-Sized College
Academic Challenge
Student-Faculty
Interaction
2015 Top-Performing Colleges
Support for Learners
2015 CCSSE Cohort
Active and Collaborative Learning: CCSSE Benchmark Description: Students learn more when they are
actively involved in their education and have opportunities to think about and apply what they are learning in
different settings. Through collaborating with others to solve problems or master challenging content, student
develop valuable skills that prepare them to deal with real-life situations and problems.
The survey items used to measure this benchmark and the corresponding means are below:
PDCCC
Small Colleges
2015 Cohort
Item 4: In your experiences at this college during the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following?
1= Never, 2= Sometimes, 3= Often, 4= Very Often
Asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions
3.25
2.99
2.92
Made a class presentation
2.40
2.16
2.16
Worked with other students on projects during class
2.65
2.57
2.55
Worked with other classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments
2.01
1.99
1.95
Tutored or taught other students (paid or voluntary)
1.36
1.41
1.39
Participated in a community-based project as part of a regular course
1.45
1.38
1.35
Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with others outside of class
2.63
2.55
2.54
(students, family members, co-workers, etc.)
Student Effort: CCSSE Benchmark Description: Students’ behaviors contribute significantly to their learning
and the likelihood that they will attain their educational goals. “Time on task” is a key variable, and there are a
variety of settings and means through which students may apply themselves to the learning process.
The survey items used to measure this benchmark and the corresponding means are below:
PDCCC
Small Colleges
2015 Cohort
Item 4: In your experiences at this college during the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following?
1= Never, 2= Sometimes, 3= Often, 4= Very Often
Prepared two or more drafts of a paper of assignment before turning it in
2.71
2.52
2.52
Worked on a paper or project that required integrating ideas or information
2.97
2.82
from various sources
Come to class without completing readings or assignments
1.70
1.80
Item 6: During the current school year, about how much reading and writing have you done at this college?
1= None, 2= Between 1 and 4, 3= Between 5 and 10, 4= Between 11 and 20, 5= More than 20
Number of books read on your own (not assigned) for personal enjoyment or
2.11
2.03
academic enrichment
Item 10: About how many hours do you spend in a typical 7-day week doing each of the following?
0= None, 1= 1-5 hours, 2= 6-10 hours, 3= 11-20 hours, 4= 21-30 hours, 5= More than 30 hours
Preparing for class (studying, reading, writing, rehearsing, doing homework,
2.29
2.03
or other activities related to your program)
Item 13: How often do you use the following services at this college?
1= Rarely/Never, 2= Sometimes, 3= Often (Don’t know N/A category not included in mean calculations)
2.83
1.83
2.04
2.00
Peer or other tutoring
Skills lab (writing, math, etc.)
Computer lab
1.45
2.04
2.36
1.53
1.81
2.11
1.53
1.75
2.06
Academic Challenge: CCSSE Benchmark Description: Challenging intellectual and creative work is central to
student learning and collegiate quality. These survey items address the nature and amount of assigned
academic work, the complexity of cognitive tasks presented to students, and the rigor of examinations used to
evaluate student performance.
The survey items used to measure this benchmark and the corresponding means are below:
PDCCC
Small Colleges
2015 Cohort
Item 4: In your experiences at this college during the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following?
1= Never, 2= Sometimes, 3= Often, 4= Very Often
Worked harder than you thought you could to meet an instructor’s standards
2.86
2.67
2.64
or expectations
Item 5: During the current school year, how much has your coursework at this college emphasized the following mental activities?
1= Very little, 2= Some, 3= Quite a bit, 4= Very much
Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience, or theory
2.96
2.90
2.93
Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information or experiences in new ways
2.99
2.79
2.80
Making judgements about the value of soundness of information, arguments,
2.78
2.63
2.64
or methods
Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations
2.94
2.74
2.74
Using information you have read or heard to perform a new skill
3.04
2.90
2.87
Item 6: During the current school year, about how much reading and writing have you done at this college?
Number of assigned textbooks, manuals, books, or book-length packs of
3.18
2.93
2.89
course readings
Number of written papers or reports of any length
2.84
2.89
2.88
Item 7
1= Extremely easy … 7=Extremely challenging
Mark the response that best represents the extent to which your
5.03
5.00
4.96
examinations during the current school year have challenged you to do your
best work at this college
Item 9: How much does this college emphasize each of the following?
1= Very little, 2= Some, 3= Quite a bit, 4= Very much
Encouraging you to spend significant amounts of time studying
3.16
3.07
3.05
Student-Faculty Interactions: CCSSE Benchmark Description: In general, the more contact students have with
their teachers, the more likely they are to learn effectively and to persist toward achievement of their
educational goals. Personal interaction with faculty members strengthens students’ connections to the college
and helps them focus on their academic progress. Working with an instructor on a project or serving with
faculty on a college committee lets students see first-hand how experts identify and solve practical problems.
Through such interactions, faculty members become role models, mentors, and guides for continuous lifelong
learning.
The survey items used to measure this benchmark and the corresponding means are below:
PDCCC
Small Colleges
2015 Cohort
Item 4: In your experiences at this college during the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following?
1= Never, 2= Sometimes, 3= Often, 4= Very Often
Used email to communicate with an instructor
3.31
2.95
2.92
Discussed grades or assignments with instructor
Talked about career plan with an instructor outside of class
Discussed ideas from your readings or classes with instructors outside of class
Received prompt feedback (written or oral) from instructors on your
performance
Worked with instructors on activities other than coursework
2.96
2.45
1.93
3.11
2.69
2.24
1.86
2.77
2.63
2.15
1.80
2.74
1.59
1.54
1.48
Support for Learner: CCSSE Benchmark Description: Students perform better and are more satisfied at colleges
that are committed to their success and cultivate positive working and social relationships among different
groups on campus. Community college students also benefit from services targeted to assist them with
academic and career planning, academic skills development, and other area that may affect learning and
retention.
The survey items used to measure this benchmark and the corresponding means are below:
Item 9: How much does this college emphasize each of the following?
1= Very little, 2= Some, 3= Quite a bit, 4= Very much
Providing the support you need to help you succeed at this college
Encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, and
racial or ethnic backgrounds
Helping you cope with non-academic responsibilities
PDCCC
Small Colleges
2015 Cohort
3.23
3.10
3.04
3.00
2.60
2.61
2.34
2.09
2.24
2.30
2.68
2.24
2.59
1.89
1.46
1.83
1.45
Providing the support you need to thrive socially
2.62
Providing the financial support you need to afford your education
2.83
Item 13.1: How often do you use the following services at this college?
1= Rarely/Never, 2= Sometimes, 3= Often (Don’t know N/A category not included in means calculations)
Academic advising/planning
1.96
Career counseling
1.55
Part IV: CCSSE Special Focus
During each CCSSE administration a special-focus is added to the survey to assist participating colleges in
exploring specific areas of student engagement. The 2015 special-focus item sought to elicit information
about students’ experiences associated with assessment and placement practices, such as preparing for a
placement test and enrolling in a developmental education class based on placement test results.
This year’s special-focus questions include:
Before enrolling at this college, I prepared for this college’s placement test in the following way:
 43.5% I did not do anything to prepare for this college's placement test
 27.4% On my own using online or printed materials provided by the college
 21.6% N/A; I did not test a placement test
The results of the placement test I took at this college indicated that I needed to take a developmental/basic
skills/college prep course…
 36.1% In one academic skill area (reading, writing, or math)
 24%
In more than one academic skill area (reading, writing, and/or math)
 19%
N/A; My placement test results did not indicate that I needed to take any of these courses
I enrolled in the English course indicated by my placement test results, and I felt that the course level was…
 20.9% Appropriate for my skill level at that time
 9.5% Below my skill level at that time
 6.1% Above my skill level at that time
I enrolled in the math course indicated by my placement test results, and I felt that the course level was…
 43.5% Appropriate for my skill level at that time
 12.4% Below my skill level at that time
 5.1% Above my skill level at that time
In what range was your overall high school grade point average (GPA)?
 55.6% B
 26.9% C
 13.2% A
 4.3% D or lower