Compressed Courses and
Student Success
1
KEITH WURTZ
DEAN OF INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS,
RESEARCH & PLANNING
BENJAMIN GAMBOA
RESEARCH ANALYST
Session Objectives
2
 Review the research on the best predictors of Crafton
students transferring to a four-year institution
 Review the Characteristics of high impactful
programs
 Examine the impact of course length on student
success
 Explore implementing compressed courses as a highimpact strategy for student success
Best Predictor of Transferring to Four-Year
Institution is Completing Transfer Level Math
3
 The best predictor of transferring to a four-year
institution is to complete transfer level math
Transfer Rate
80%
58%
327
60%
40%
31%
20%
905
15%
578
0%
Students in
Cohort
Did Not
Completed
Complete
Transfer Math
Transfer Math
Transferring to Four-Year Institution is Related to
Completing Transfer Level English
4
 Students completing transfer level English are more
likely to transfer to a four-year institution
Transfer Rate
100%
82%
277
80%
60%
40%
20%
52%
31%
628
905
0%
Students in
Cohort
Did Not
Complete
Transfer
English
Completed
Transfer
English
Transfer Level Math and Completing 30 Units
5
 Students who successfully complete transfer math in five
years and 30 units in two years have a 72% transfer rate
Transfer Rate
80%
60%
72%
60%
221
347
40%
20%
0%
Completed Transfer
Math in 5 Years…
…and Completed 30
Units in 2 Years
Transferring and Enrolling Full-Time
6
 Students are more likely to transfer if they enroll full-
time
Transfer Rate
80%
60%
54%
248
40%
20%
31%
20%
114
543
0%
2 Semesters or
Less
3 Semesters
4 or More
Semesters
Transferring and First Semester Units
7
 Students who complete 15 units in their first semester are twice as
likely to transfer (60%) than students in the first-time college
student cohort (31%)
Transfer Rate
80%
60%
60%
62
36%
40%
507
20%
17%
336
0%
First Semester
2 or 3
Semesters
4 or More
Semesters
8
Characteristics of High-Impact Practices for
Community College Student Engagement
9
 Whether or not a program is successful depends on…
 How they are implemented (quality)
 How many students they reach (scale)
 How many practices students experience (intensity)
When Considering Strategies
Ask the Following Questions
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Entering students get a strong start
Integrates student support and coursework
High expectations
Encourages learning in context
Accelerates student progress towards completion
Clear pathways
Designed for scale
Strategically focused professional development
Compressed Courses are Related to Students
Successfully Completing Courses
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•
•
Students in compressed courses are statistically significantly more
likely to successfully complete the course (75%) than students in an 18week course (69%).
Students in compressed courses are 1.5 times more likely to
successfully complete the course than students in an 18 week course
when controlling for prior GPA and instructor.
80%
60%
69%
7,599
75%
3,437
40%
20%
0%
Traditional Courses
Compressed
Courses
Students in Compressed English Courses are
More Successful
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 Students in compressed English courses are substantially more likely to
successfully complete the course (88%) than students in an 18-week
course (71%).
100%
88%
80%
71%
60%
256
21
40%
20%
0%
Traditional Courses Compressed Courses
Compressed Courses are a Successful
High-Impact Strategy
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 With a traditional term of 18 weeks, two series of 8-week
course offerings could be scheduled consecutively with a
first set of courses beginning on the same week as
traditional courses and a second set beginning on the
eleventh week.
 English and math courses offered in compressed sequences
provide opportunities for CHC to consider alternative
scheduling, provide clear pathways, accelerate student
completion, and increase transfer rates.
English Courses with Condensed Sequences
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Fall 2014
Spring 2015
Fall 2015
Spring 2016
ENGL 010
ENGL 015
ENGL 101
ENGL 102
ENGL 101
ENGL 102
ENGL
010
ENGL
015
Math Courses with Condensed Sequencing
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Fall 2014
Spring 2015
Fall 2015
Math 090
Math 095
Transferable
Math
Math 943
Math 952
Math 090
Math
090
Math
095
Transferable
Math
Math
943
Math
952
Math
090
Math
095
Transferable
Math
Spring 2016
Math 095
Questions and Discussion
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