Office of Institutional and Community Planning
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Office of the Vice President of Research and Development
Office of Institutional and Community Planning
Background Information………………………………………….Pg. 3
Rationale………………………………………………………….. Pg. 3
Research Procedures…………………………………………… Pg. 4
Focus Group Schedule…………………………………………. Pg. 5
Focus Group Introductory Statement ......…………………….. Pg. 5
Focus Group Questions………………………………………….Pg. 6-7
Focus Group Telephone Script…………………………………Pg. 8
Student Voluntary Information Release Form……………….. Pg. 9
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Office of the Vice President of Research and Development
Office of Institutional and Community Planning
Course 3-Peat Students Focus Groups
Pilot Test
Summer Session II, 2007
Background:
The Institutional and Community Planning Office at El Paso Community College facilitated the
development of the Course 3-Peat Student Focus Groups Pilot Test as the first step in
identifying in-depth student perceptions of barriers or challenges in completing coursework.
Institutional barriers, preparation factors, and student perceptual concerns were of interest, with
additional research to take place during the fall 2007 semester. Two focus groups were
conducted during Summer Session II, 2007, at the Valle Verde campus on July 26 and 27, with
a total of 30 participants (15 in each group). Generally accepted qualitative research practices
were followed to ensure student confidentiality and sound research practice in the research
design, collection, and use of student data (Attachment A). A facilitator and note-taker were
present, comprised of Institutional and Community Planning staff, with training subsequently
provided to volunteer EPCC facilitators after the pilot test for future focus group research in the
subject area.
Rationale:
A large number of students at El Paso Community College repeat courses
attempted in
previous semesters. This occurs for various reasons, such as difficulties in completing course
requirements, job and family circumstances, or other issues arising during the semester. EPCC
routinely monitors course attrition and completion rates, attempting to intervene with
instructional monitoring and strategies at the instructional discipline level. The Course 3-Peat
Student Focus Groups pilot tests were an attempt to identify factors at the individual student
level that may influence student success in completing courses upon first attempt. Potential
instructional issues, placement testing, registration, and scheduling of courses were discussed.
Factors perceived by students as impacting their course performance and ability to complete
were the focus of this research.
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Office of the Vice President of Research and Development
Office of Institutional and Community Planning
Research Procedures:
Groups of at least 15 students from a sample of 689 students enrolled for Summer
Session coursework were invited by telephone, and offered an incentive of free movie tickets
and lunch if they choose to participate in one of two discussion groups. A telephone script
inviting students was developed and utilized by Institutional and Community Planning staff for
calling purposes and to ensure acceptable protocol with students (Attachment B). Attempts
were made to schedule a diverse representation of students from multiple subject disciplines
and from different EPCC campuses. Students who agreed to participate received follow-up
correspondence confirming their attendance (Attachment C).
The discussion time was scheduled for no longer than one hour and twenty minutes to
provide for appropriate time, while striving to actively engage participants in a focused
conversation. Present at each session was a discussion facilitator and a note-taker. Facilitator
questions in general research areas of interest were prepared in advance and reviewed by the
Institutional Review Board at EPCC to ensure that the use of human subjects in this research
was ethical and met all standards of accepted and ethical research practice (Attachments D and
E).
At the beginning of each session, participants were assured of anonymity and were
given an overview of the session purpose by the discussion facilitator (Attachment F).
Participants were also asked whether they objected to the session being tape recorded for
accurate transcription purposes only. Student identities were not recorded, and student
comments were not individually attributed to participating students. In addition, instructor
anonymity was preserved by recording student comments only by subject matter and discipline,
and not by individual courses.
Subsequent to the initial pilot test focus groups in July 2007, student comment data was
analyzed to determine factors deemed relevant to the participating students. Utilizing generally
accepted practices of qualitative research, comments were transcribed and coded by theme to
discern areas of concern to students and student perceptions of programmatic or supplemental
instructional support issues.
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Office of the Vice President of Research and Development
Office of Institutional and Community Planning
Course 3-Peaters Student Focus Group Sessions
Thursday, July 26th, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Valle Verde Campus, Room. B241
Facilitator: Dr. Dolores Gross
1st Note-taker: Christopher Gomez
2nd Note-taker: Sandy Mejia
Friday, July 27th, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Valle Verde Campus, Room. B241
Facilitator: Christopher Gomez
1st Note-taker: Sandy Mejia
2nd Note-taker: Dr. Dolores Gross
Focus Group Introductory Statement
Thank you for joining us to talk for a few minutes about your experiences at El Paso Community
College. The purpose of our visit is to get information directly from you about what is helpful and
what challenges you’ve faced at EPCC, so we can do a better job for students. This information
will be used to help the College work with students to complete their courses more quickly and
with as little difficulty as possible.
We will be asking you general questions about your testing, registration, enrollment in your
current courses, and any other issues that might involve your coursework.
Your participation is confidential, and your name will not be used in any way. Your instructor’s
name will also not be used. We are interested in your opinions and ideas and will take notes
only to be sure we don’t miss any valuable information. With your permission we will record this
conversation so we don’t lose any good ideas. Your instructor will not hear our discussion. The
note-taker will capture your comments. Please feel free to raise issues and concerns as we talk;
this is your opportunity to share your experiences.
Now let’s talk about when you first enrolled in this course.
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Office of the Vice President of Research and Development
Office of Institutional and Community Planning
Focus Group Questions
Pre-Enrollment-Placement /Testing/Registration
Did registration or course availability effect your decision to take the current course in which you
are registered?
Tell me about the testing process-what was your experience being tested?
Do you feel you were properly placed in this course?
During Coursework-Early Alert Systems
What are some of the challenges facing you in your classes?
Why did you drop the course(s)?
Did you speak with your instructor prior to dropping?
Who initiated the communication between you and your instructor?
Were you aware of your academic progress throughout the semester?
Tutoring/ Supplemental Instruction
Did you seek or receive a referral for out of the classroom assistance? (e.g. –tutoring, other
workshops)
Did you feel the tutoring/workshop was helpful to you? How?
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Office of the Vice President of Research and Development
Office of Institutional and Community Planning
Are tutoring hours of operation adequately meeting your needs?
Do you study with peers from your classes?
Do you find peer study groups helpful?
Are there any alternative methods of instruction that you feel would help you succeed?
Are there certain courses you find more difficult than others?
Are there instructors you find more difficult than others? (Without naming them)
Are the assigned readings in your courses capturing your interest in the subject matter?
Other Pertinent Issues
What else do you feel would help you complete your course more quickly at El Paso Community
College?
(E.g. alternative scheduling of courses, more available course times, being able to “test out” of a
course and enroll in another during the semester, more workshops on course topics, etc.) NoteFacilitator- let students raise these, if they come to mind – use minimal prompts, such as “How
about course scheduling?”
Are there any other issues regarding your coursework at EPCC that you would like to share with
us today?
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Office of the Vice President of Research and Development
Office of Institutional and Community Planning
Course 3-Peat Student Focus Groups
Telephone Script
Hello, my name is _______________:
I’m calling from the El Paso Community College. We’re talking with students on a
confidential basis to learn what we can do to help students finish courses more quickly and
avoid repeating courses.
We’re offering students who come in to discuss the college, our courses, and services 2
free movie tickets and lunch.
Would you be willing to attend a discussion session at the Valle Verde campus on July 26 or
July 27?
The session will include 10-15 students, and focus on courses that many students have
had to repeat. What date would be best for you? (The 26th or 27th?)
The session will be in room B-240, from 1-3 p.m. May I confirm your address to send
you a confirmation letter?
THANK YOU for volunteering to participate. We’ll see you the afternoon of the (26th or 27th).
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Office of the Vice President of Research and Development
Office of Institutional and Community Planning
Student Voluntary Information Release Form
I __________________ understand that my participation in this research is voluntary, and will in no
manner be used in any evaluation of me as a student of El Paso Community College. In addition, I
understand that during my participation as a volunteer, El Paso Community College will protect my
privacy, and my name will not be used in any manner, published, or distributed to anyone. Course
instructor(s) will also not be identified in this research project, and information will be gathered and
compiled only to benefit the general student population at El Paso Community College. At all times my
right to privacy will be respected, and all comments made or information shared by me will be used
solely for the purposes of improving services to students at El Paso Community College.
Date _______________________________
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Office of the Vice President of Research and Development