Integrated Student Success Plans
In the Quebec College System
Challenges and Reality
By Lyne Boileau , President, Commission des affaires pédagogiques of the Federation of Cégeps in Quebec and Director of Studies at
Collège Ahuntsic and
Stephen Tribble, Director of Studies at Champlain Regional College
September 2009

Quality teaching at the institutional level
 Shared responsibilities in a team
 The College programs: the educational arena for targeted intervention measures
 Student Success Plan: An
Institutional Lever
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Organization of Discussion
I : Student Success (1992-2007)
II : The College Renewal (1992-1999)
III : The first Phase (1999-2003)
IV : Phase Two(2004-2007)
V : Phase Three (2007-…)
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I – Student Success – A Brief Overview of the
Period between (1992-2007)
 The Principle Phases : (1992-1999)
 (1999-2003) (2004-2007) (2007-…)
 Improvement in Success and
Graduation rates: a statistical journey with concrete implications (1992-2006)
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I – Student Success: A brief Overview of the Period between (1992-2007)
First semester success rates for students from the secondary schools
90 110
85
80 78,4
75
77,8
78,7
79,4
77,2
77,8
83,3
81,1
83,8 83,7
82,1
82,4
84,3
83,9
84,4
84,1
83,1 83,0
84,9
84,8
84,8
84,8
84,3
84,3
105
100
95
90
83,5 83,5
70
82,2 82,1
82,6 82,3
82,8 83,0
85
81,4
65
77,0 76,9
77,4 80
60
55
50
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Cohorte
2001 2002
75
Technique
70
Préuniversitaire
65
GLOBAL
60
2003 2004 2005
Source : SRAM, Système PSEP, 2006
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I – Student Success : A Brief Overview of the
Period between(1992-2007)
Graduation rates two years after the expected completion date
80
71,4
68,7 68,7
68,8
70,3
70 65,7 66,4
63,3 63,7 63,6
65,7
60
63,5
64,2
62,5
60,1 60,1
58,9
56,6
57,0
50
120
110
100
90
40 80
30
20
61,2
10
0
1992
60,2
1993
60,7
1994
62,1
1995
62,5
65,1
1996 1997
Cohorte
65,6
66,7
70
65,3
Technique 60
Préuniversitaire
50
GLOBAL
40
2000 2001 1998 1999
Source : MELS, Système CHESCO, novembre 2006
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I – Student Success: A Brief Overview of the Period between(1992-2007)
Key factors
 DES +
 Progressive Increase in
Success and Graduation
Rates
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I – Student Success: A Brief Overview of the Period between(1992-2007)
Characterized by:
 The Colleges assuming leadership
 A common set of convictions
 An established culture of student success and its evaluation
 A definite maturity
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II – Preoccupations in the Context of Renewal –
1992-1999
Mobilization of the Players in the System
 The Program Approach:
Actions Converge
 Program development within the Colleges
 Self-Evaluation of College programs
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II – Preoccupations in the Context of Renewal–
1992-1999
Student Success
 A reform orientation in college teaching
(1993)
 The Estates-General Education (1995-1996) and « Taking the Path for Success » (1997)
 The improvement of Student Success and graduation rates as a dominant preoccupation
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III – The Development of the First Student Success
Plans: The Colleges Mobilize Rapidly – 1999-
2003
Charactarized by
 A Concept Stemming from the
Colleges
 The first publication of « La réussite et la diplomation au collégial: des chiffres et des engagements » by the
Fédération des Cégeps (1999)
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III – The Development of the first Student Success Plans:
The Colleges Mobilize Rapidly– 1999-2003
Commitments Based on Analysis
 Institutional Action Plans to improve Student
Success and graduation rates
 Setting realistic objectives adapted to the local context, the disciplines and the programs
 Institutional means for the follow-up of actions
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III – The Development of the first Student Success
Plans: The Colleges Mobilize Rapidly– 1999-2003
Commitments Based on Analysis
 Focusing on program coherence and effective pedagogical intervention
 Facilitating the transition from secondary school to college
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III – The Development of the first Student Success
Plans: The Colleges Mobilize Rapidly – 1999-2003
Commitments Based on Analysis
 Initiating measures for specific categories of students (student who are weak, students who are unsure of their goals and young males)
 Encourage student engagement, motivation and « ownership » of their education
 Promoting the value of earning a diploma
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III –The Development of the first Student Success Plans:
The Colleges Mobilize Rapidly – 1999-2003
Characterized by
 The creation of the « Carrefour de la réussite au collégial » (2000)
 The summit meetings – Quebec and Youth
(2000)
 Student Success Plans are made mandatory (2001)
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III –The Development of the first Student Success Plans:
The Colleges Mobilize Rapidly – 1999-2003
Characterized by
 Six college programs with low graduation rates are targeted (2000)
 Setting target graduation rates within the college system – from 61% to 75% by 2010 (2001)
 Obliging colleges to have Strategic Plans which include the Student Success Plan (Bill 123, 2003)
 Obliging Colleges to submit their Student
Success Plans to the CEEC, which is mandated to evaluate them
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III – The Development of the first Student Success
Plans: The Colleges Mobilize Rapidly 1999-2003
Student Success Plans: Why are they effective?
 Provide leadership to give direction to
Student Success
 Allows for the development of a wide range of success measures for a diverse population with a variety of complex problems
 The Colleges can Include characteristics unique to their milieu in their planning
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III –The Development of the first Student Success Plans:
The Colleges Mobilize Rapidly – 1999-2003
Student Success Plans: Why are they effective?
 The Colleges focus on the creative involvement of their own participants
 The Colleges can focus on early intervention
 A culture of success and evaluation becomes the anchor for setting goals with targets and indicators
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III –The Development of the first Student Success Plans:
The Colleges Mobilize Rapidly – 1999-2003
Student Success Plans: Why are they effective?
 Working in collaboration with colleges in the system: Carrefour de la réussite au collégial, the CAP committee for Student Success, training (Performa and AQ PC), etc.
 Research in pedagogy expands
 Positive indicators of success
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III – The Development of the first Student Success
Plans: The Colleges Mobilize Rapidly – 1999-2003
Drawing Conclusions
 The Colleges report findings that should be analysed and documented to clarify future actions:
 Researching factors which affect Student Success – obstacles, pedagogy, etc.
 Developing information systems to monitor and track Student Success, and to better evaluate existing success measures.
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IV – The Second Generation of Student Success
Plans: Inspired by Critical Reflection – 2004-
2007
Characterized by
 The Carrefour de la Réussite receives a research – action mandate
 The working committee of the CAP examines challenges, difficulties and proposes directions for Student Success (June 2003)
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IV – The Second Generation of Student Success
PLANS: Inspired by Critical Reflection –
2004-2007
The April, 2004 Report
The Main Findings of the Colleges
 Institutional mobilization and a distinctive culture of student success
 Student Success initiatives and measures demonstrate progress
 Daily and systematic support
 Difficulty in the evaluation of global results due to the specificity of measures
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IV – The Second Generation of Student Success
Plans: Inspired by Critical Reflection –
2004-2007
The April, 2004 Report
The Vision of Student Success
 A complex and multi-faceted phenomena
 The Challenge: to better comprehend the complexity and dimensions of Student
Success
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IV – The Second Generation of Student Success Plans:
Inspired by Critical Reflection –
2004-2007
The April, 2004 Report
A Direction for the New plans
 Integrated and systemic Student Success plans
 Shared responsibilities
 The program as the focal point for intervention
 Improved competency in statistical
 analysis
 The institutional strategic direction
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IV – The Second Generation of Student Success
Plans: Inspired by Critical Reflection –
2004-2007
The April, 2004 Report
Necessary Conditions
 Indicators to permit thorough and precise analysis
 Evaluation instruments and analysis of existing student success measures in order to identify their effectiveness
 An understanding of characteristics of the college student population
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IV – The Second Generation of Student Success
Plans: Inspired by Critical Reflection 2004-2007
The April, 2004 Report
Necessary Conditions
 Recurrent funding targeted for student success
 Accountability for the results
 Stronger links with the Secondary Schools and the Universities
 Collaboration among colleges for the implementation of success measures
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IV – The Second Generation of Student Success
Plans: Inspired by Critical Reflection –
2004-2007
Student Success Plans: Why are they Effective?
 Summary findings of the CAP committee on
Student Success (June, 2006): Student Success has become a priority for all college personnel
 The follow-up from the 2004 Report conclusions
 A more sophisticated knowledge and appreciation of Student Success thanks to research, both within the colleges and through external sources (SRAM, Carrefour,
CAPRES, etc.)
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IV – The Second Generation of Student Success
Plans: Inspired by Critical Reflection –
2004-2007
Student Success Plans: Why are they Effective?
 A clearer conception of indicators: success, perseverance and graduation
 A better evaluation of Student Success measures and their effectiveness
 Sharing of screening tools
 Colleges working together: the development of specialized groups (Information Technology
Specialists, etc.)
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IV – The Second Generation of Student Success Plans:
Inspired by Critical Reflection
2004-2007
Drawing Conclusions
 A better understanding of the obstacles to success
(problematic courses, college orientation and preparation, etc.)
 Identifying the challenges (perseverance, the critical role of the classroom etc.) and how can we be more effective: flexibility, mobilizing external partners, support from the Carrefour de la réussite, etc.
 A College network implication in Student Success
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V – The Third Phase of Student Success Plans:
2007-…
Characterized by
 The second generation of college strategic plans
 The creation of a tripartite committee with the MELS –
Fédération des Cégeps -
ACPQ (January, 2007)
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V – The Third Phase of Student Success Plans: 2007-…
Student Success Plans: making them work
 A continuous evolution: adjusting and refining success measures
 Progress in research
 A better understanding of our students
(learning challenges, multi-ethnicity, etc.)
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V – The Third Phase of Student Success Plans:
2007-…
Student Success Plans: making them work
 Reinvesting in our acquired knowledge while addressing our questions and preoccupations
 The work of the tripartite committee: an opportunity to share a common vision of
Student Success
 A shared institutional leadership
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V –The Third Phase of Student Success Plans : 2007-…
The challenges for our colleges:
 Consolidating our knowledge of
Student Success
 Revitalizing the Strategic Plans
 Renewing our energies and maintaining momentum
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END OF THE PRESENTATION
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