Student Persistence: Running head: STUDENT PERSISTENCE
Student Persistence: The Challenge of Successful Students
Brian R. Zimmerman
Full Sail University Thesis In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Educational Media Design and Technology Master’s Degree 28 July 2010
1
Student Persistence:
2
Abstract This paper addresses the problem of student dropouts at private for-profit career colleges. Sevens-Henager College is the primary focus of this paper, but the research can be generalized to other colleges. This paper examines the effects of pre-admission screening, gatekeeper courses, online education, and student support. A partial solution in the form of pre-admission certifications in basic computer literacy and critical thinking is offered. Remapping the course content of the Basic Computer Skills class is examined. Also examined is the need for cultural change at the corporate level to address the problem of students not completing their degree program.
Student Persistence:
3
Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Table of Contents...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Educational Significance ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Definition of Terms and Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... 5 Literature Review..................................................................................................................................................... 5 Current/Past Solutions to Thesis Problem ................................................................................................... 8 Integration of Proposed Solutions With Current/Past Solutions..................................................... 10 Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................................. 10 Appendices............................................................................................................................................................... 14
Student Persistence:
4
Introduction The decision to attend a university or career college has profound implications for any prospective student. For most students successfully graduating not only means a degree and much better employment opportunities, but also a huge debt for student loans. For students who do not persist to compete their courses of study the lack of degree means reduced employment opportunities and huge debt for student loans. This paper examines the issue of student dropout at career colleges. Thesis Statement Stevens-Henager College (SHC) has experienced a huge growth curve, doubling enrollment each year for the last three years. Unfortunately, the student dropout rate has increased at the same rate as enrollment. Currently the drop rate for online classes is 19% (D. Breck, Director of Admissions, personal communication, March 1, 2010). If a student leaves college without a degree, there is an 85% probability that the student will default on their loans. When this happens, the student is referred for collection and their credit rating is destroyed, making it almost impossible to obtain housing or dependable transportation. Sending these accounts to collection results in approximately 95% of their debt being written off (G. Thomas, Financial officer SHC, personal communication, March 19, 2010). This trend must be reversed or the college’s accreditation is at risk. This study will examine the literature from other campuses across the country to find what is working in other areas. There is no single Web 2.0 solution to address the all phases of the increased dropout rate. Educational Significance The significance of this research is clear and compelling. If this trend is not reversed more students will lose their dreams of bettering themselves, and Stevens-Henager will cease to
Student Persistence:
5
exist due to revocation of accreditation. Without accreditation a college cannot qualify for federal financial aid programs for their students. Current students at the time of accreditation revocation could possibly find their campus locked and shuttered. Definition of Terms and Abbreviations AC:
Admission Consultant.
DDD: Student Dropped, no Degree, huge Debt). DE:
Distance Education, on line asynchronous education.
DOA: Director of Admissions. Elluminate: Virtual classroom software, similar to Wimba Hybrid: A combination of online and synchronous classroom instruction. Classroom may be virtual via Elluminate. SSS:
Satisfied Successful Students. Literature Review
Pre-Admission Screening High school grades are often no longer valid, as Farran (2009) reported. Current practices at many high schools are inflated to allow rural students to be admitted to colleges they chose. Furthermore, students are allowed to take the same courses at multiple schools and report the highest grades on admission forms (Farran, 2009). Many private for-profit colleges have open enrolment policies to make sure all students have the opportunity for education and advancement. At Stevens-Henager many students are first generation college students, who want to gain an education to better their lives by obtaining a career instead of just a job. Unfortunately, “Open admissions policies that provides access to a diverse student body also means that many students arrive poorly prepared academically� (Baily
Student Persistence:
6
& Jackobs, 2009). That lack of preparation has left the students at risk of failure. Pre-admission screening and testing could channel these students into academic preparedness programs to remediate the lacking skill sets required for success. Standardized tests, like the SAT, have come under increasing scrutiny. An industry has grown to prepare students to take college admission tests. Wake Forest University rethought their admission policies. They “looked for the best ways to choose students who would rise to the challenges of our rigorous community and enliven it by their presence” (Tiefenthaller, 2009). By looking for students with a solid record of scholastic achievement, and a passion for excellence demonstrated by a well-rounded background of community involvement, employment, and extra curricular activities, Wake Forrest has increased the overall quality of their student body. Tiefenthaller concludes, “In a complex, high-stakes process like college admissions, constructing a new framework is never easy. But the effort is worth it. In our dynamic world, the nature of the learning community shapes the leaders our students will become, so boldly seeking new answers is the right thing to do. The ways a college chooses from among its applicants should reflect its values.” (p 12)” According to Barney, “We have a moral obligation to honestly assess our students’ abilities to succeed in our colleges. We must not accept or keep in college any student we believe we cannot honestly help.” (2010) This statement provides the foundation for the “False Start” program which gives both the student and college a term to evaluate each other to determine the fit for each other. If either the student of college believes the time is not right for student success, the student will be withdrawn from the college without prejudice and may re-enroll at a later date. Gatekeeper Courses
Student Persistence:
7
At Stevens-Henager College, there is a strong correlation between grades in the first two courses, “Student Success Strategies” and “Basic Computer Skills”, and successful completion of their degree programs. Students scoring lower than C+ in either of these courses stand an 85% chance of not completing their degree. Conversely, students scoring a B+ or higher have a 90% completion rate (C. Bird, Registrar SHC, personal communication, June 10, 2010). Stevens-Henager introduced the False Start Program to allow students to begin college and, if not ready to be removed in their first month of classes. This program operates on a baseball metaphor; three strikes and you are out. Strikes may be assessed for attendance, academic responsibility, punctuality, attitude and behavior, and financial responsibility. If a student has three strikes they are dropped without being charged for the class and can re-enter in the next enrolment period. A student may false start three times. For students re-entering the college the same criteria apply; however, they may not re-enter for the next twelve months if they are dropped as a false start. Selection of faculty for the introductory courses is also a critical choice. According to Bradley (2008), “First-year college students enrolled in introductory-level courses taught by parttime faculty are more likely to drop out of college,” This dropout rate has been shown to be twenty to thirty percent higher then when taught by full time faculty or graduate students. Online Course Delivery With a majority of accredited colleges offering online courses the need for good instructional design becomes critical. New methods of engaging students will be developed (Ebersole, 2008). According to Stolovitch and Keeps (2002, p.14), “One area of research on learning has not varied in its findings for almost 50 years – media and instructional delivery options. To summarize hundreds of studies, the effectiveness of messages aimed at learning is
Student Persistence:
8
not bound up in the delivery vehicle but rather in how the message itself is designed.� Denasi, Hart, & Richards examined distance education (DE) versus traditional face-toface instruction, and established an historical time line for DE. This timeline traces DE from its primitive beginnings in the 1970s to the content-rich delivery methods of today (2008). The section on creating an effective e-learning environment is most relevant to the topic and provides several guidelines. Bugelja (2008) described the role of the professor in a Web 2.0 environment, stressing the need for sound educational principles to help ensure student success. It describes ways of dealing with the distractions of the web and methods of countering those distractions by properly utilizing web tools. The development of critical thinking skills will help students succeed in college, and the utilization of the web as a delivery method can decrease financial pressure on both students and campuses. Student Support First year seminars have spread across the academic landscape in the last several years. According to Goodman and Pascarella (2008), “we believe that these programs are vital for our students' achievement.� Programs that help ease the transition from the culture of poverty and lack of respect for education are a key element in SSS (Steele, 2009). Current/Past Solutions to Thesis Problem Using predictors of student success such as SAT scores has been the norm for college admission. Unfortunately the correlation between SAT and success has not proven to be valid (Geisler, 2009). Gatekeeper course grades provide a solid indictor of probable success, and diverting probable dropouts from programs. Unfortunately the use of gatekeeper courses blocks instead of
Student Persistence:
9
remediating students and supporting them to attain college degrees. According to Barney (2010), “We have a moral obligation to provide the maximum services and assistance to all students.� The False Start program at Stevens-Henager has provided a method of diverting students who lack the emotional or educational readiness. Stevens-Henager now provides tutoring both online and on campus at no charge to the students. In addition Student Success Centers have been established on all SHC campuses to provide students with counseling, computer assistance, and job placement as well as access to community resources. Proposed Solution to Thesis Problem A key missing part of the solution to student persistence and learning is prior knowledge. I have observed students without basic keyboarding and computer skills, writing and creative thinking skills is at a huge disadvantage in entering college. A student lacking these basic skills will spend more time and frustration dealing with ever assignment given than a computer literate student. This thesis proposes that a student must be able to pass basic certification exams in computer literacy and critical thinking prior to being admitted to the first term classes of Basic Computer Skills and Student Success Strategies. The exams in the IC3 Series are available from www.Certiport.com. For the student already having the adequate prior knowledge the certification exams will provide a confidence boost. For those students not able to pass the basic exams, remediation workshops can be held to give them the skills needed for success. Workshop content will begin with training in basic keyboarding skills. Multiple freeware programs exist to help build this critical skill. After demonstrating keyboard skills, basic computer literacy and internet-critical thinking skills will be developed including, email, use of
Student Persistence:
10
learning management and content delivery packages, Internet search strategies, and the ethics and legalities of downloading. Time will also be devoted to Internet safety. These workshops will be student centered and outcome based. This approach will help provide needed prior knowledge to solidify the foundations of learning and help students succeed in college. Content for the Basic Computer Skills course could be increased in rigor and mapped to the Microsoft Office Specialist exams and students will be required to pass at minimum the Word certification prior to moving on to higher course work. (See appendix A) Integration of Proposed Solutions With Current/Past Solutions Requiring basic certification and keyboarding skills will help assure that students enter the college with an important piece of prior knowledge and skills for success. Workshops and practice in keyboarding will assist students by making their work more efficient, and reducing frustrations. Conclusions The success of pre-admission screening has not been proven yet using the current methods of SAT scores and high school transcripts. This is a fertile area for Web 2.0-based research and creating pre-admission support programs to remediate students lacking the requisite skills for success. The success of the False Start Program has been proven, Stevens-Henager College has reduced the number of students that are not prepared to enter college. I believe that by assessing prospective students technological readiness and remediating deficits prior to admission will reduce frustrations for the students and increase student success. If Project Foundation is successful, the next step will be to expanded the Basic Computer Skills course to include a higher level of computer skills. Separate Basic Computer Skills course need to be offered for
Student Persistence:
11
Graphic Arts students who are equipped with Macintosh computers instead of Windows computers. Programs in the student services area need to be expanded. More tutoring, ride assistance, childcare, and housing assistance need to be explored. The comments on increasing student retention as well as reducing costs are particularly helpful. With a majority of accredited colleges offering online courses (Ebersole, 2008) the need for good instructional design becomes critical. New methods of engaging students for both online and face-to-face instruction must be developed. Suggestion for Further Research According to the former Head of the Computer Science program, “there are two basic models of college: a business model that places a premium on profits, and an education model that places the premium on education� (E. Miner, personal communication, January 15, 2010). Like most sales organizations, the DOA has a whiteboard in the office with the sales numbers of all the ACs. This creates friction between admissions and education. ACs are paid on numbers and want to help everyone become a student. The AC looses bonus dollars for every student false started. The instructors receive bonuses based on the percentage of students who successfully complete each class. When students are admitted without prior preparedness everyone looses. If they are false started the AC looses, if they pass Basic Computer Skills and Student Success Strategies and fail to complete their degrees the faculty and administration loose. The solution to the friction between Admissions and Education would be a fertile topic for further research.
Student Persistence:
12
References Bailey, T., & Jacobs, J.. (2009, November). Can community colleges rise to the occasion? The American Prospect, 20(9), A18-A20. Retrieved January 31, 2010, from Social Science Module. (Document ID: 1895865001). Barney, C..(2010). Procedure Directive, 236R. College America Bradley, G.. (2008). Part-time appointments linked to dropout rates. Academe, 94(4), 7. Retrieved June 20, 2010, from Education Module. (Document ID: 1538598721). Bugeja, M. (2008). The age of distraction: The professor or the processor? The Futurist, 42(1), 66-68. Retrieved July 31, 2009, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 1398055111). Bugeja, M. (2008). The age of distraction: The professor or the processor? The Futurist, 42(1), 66, 68. Retrieved July 31, 2009, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 1398055111). Desai, M., Hart, J., & Richards, T. (2008). E-learning: Paradigm shift in education. Education, 129(2), 327-334. Retrieved July 31, 2009, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 1803412731). Ebersole, J. (2008, January). Online learning: An unexpected resource. The Presidency, 11(1), 24-26, 28-29. Retrieved July 31, 2009, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 1567875291) Farran, S.. (2009, November). Can high school grades be trusted? Maclean's, 122(44), 92-96. Retrieved January 31, 2010, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 1916537591) Geiser, S.. (2009). Back to the Basics. Change, 41(1), 16-23. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 1631527521).
Student Persistence:
13
Goodman, J., & Pascarella, E., (2006). First-year seminars increase persistence and retention: A summary of the evidence from how college affects students. Peer Review, 8(3), 26-28. Retrieved July 31, 2009, from Education Module. (Document ID: 1089310231). Pharr, S., & Lawrence, J. (2007). Admission requirements for transfer and non-transfer students: should one size fit all? Quality Assurance in Education, 15(2), 162-177. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from Education Module. (Document ID: 1433375231). Steele, J.. (2009). Whatever it takes: Geoffrey Ganada's quest to change Harlem and America ]. Harvard Educational Review, 79(3), 520-529. Retrieved June 20, 2010, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 1968686111). Stolovitch, D. & Keeps, J.. (2002). Telling ain’t training. Alexandria , VA. ASTD Press Tiefenthaler, J., (2009, September). A student is more than numbers: Proponents call standardized test scores a fair, reliable predictor of a student's success in college. Others say that high school records are just as good as sat scores and that a nuanced admissions process yields a more diverse and academically strong student body. Are the tests necessary? U.S. News & World Report, 146(8), 25. Retrieved January 15, 2010, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 1856422531).
Student Persistence: Appendices Appendix A Microsoft Office Word 2007 exam objectives 1. Creating and Customizing Documents 1.1. Create and format documents 1.2. Lay out documents 1.3. Make documents and content easier to find 1.4. Personalize Office Word 2007. 2. Formatting Content 2.1. Format text and paragraphs 2.2. Manipulate text 2.3. Control pagination 3. Working with Visual Content 3.1. Insert illustrations 3.2. Format illustrations 3.3. Format text graphically 3.4. Insert and modify text boxes 4. Organizing Content 4.1. Structure content by using Quick Parts 4.2. Use tables and lists to organize content 4.3. Modify tables 4.4. Insert and format references and captions 4.5. Merge documents and data sources
14
Student Persistence: 5. Reviewing Documents 5.1. Navigate documents. 5.2. Compare and merge document versions 5.3. Manage tracked changes 5.4. Insert, modify, and delete comments 6. Sharing and Securing Content 6.1. Prepare documents for sharing 6.2. Control document access 6.3. Attach digital signatures
15