Changes to funding model

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Success is a subjective term that is often hard to define, but with the new statewide Student Focus Funding Formula, success has three definitions: milestones, completion and post completion.

Milestones include students completing transfer-level English and math courses and Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses.

Completion pertains to the degrees and certificates students earn while at Pierce. Post completion refers to the transfer rate of students and living wages earned because of job planning at Pierce.

The funding model is changing from the traditional system of receiving funding solely from FullTime Equivalent Students (FTES) completion to include outside factors. These other elements will include a student’s usage of the Pell and California Promise Grant. Also, students’ completion of transfer level math and English courses, degrees/ certificates earned and transfer rates will bring funding to Pierce.

Although parts of the old model will still be integrated into the new finance plan, the incoming model will be more goal-oriented.

“The rest is built around these success parameters,” Interim President Larry Buckley said.

“Now success doesn't just mean that you got a degree or certificate, or even transferred. It means that you participated in things during your time here that increased your likelihood of success.”

This means that the school will receive funding based on students’ achievement.

For example, a first generation college student who is eligible for both the Pell and California Promise Grants, who received a transfer degree and is transferring to a four- year university will bring Pierce increased funding.

“Not all performance based funding modules have equity involved,” Ryan Cornner, the Vice Chancellor of Educational Programs and Institutional Effectiveness, said in a phone interview. “The funding module ensures a focus on students who need the greatest support and making sure you include all students.”

The new model is based on student engagement, completion and enrollment. This means that Pierce faculty and administration need to reevaluate the way they are currently helping students meet their goals.

Another key aspect of this system is the concept of completion.

In light of AB 705, students will have the opportunity to complete a transfer level math or English class within one year. Also, students’ timely fulfillment of academic programs and sequences will soon be assisted by Guided Pathways, will

Affordable resources increased

result in increased funding for the school.

“All of those things have been discussions for years,” Amari Williams, the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, said. “I think what is helpful is to think of things as a shift in paradigm. So, I think what is happening at the state level and trickling down to the colleges, is this idea ‘let’s make sure we have things organized in terms of what can we offer students.”

However, completion and success does not only apply to the degrees students earn. These concepts can also refer to the certificates aquired and the income received because of the certificates.

Career planning falls under the CTE department. Since success is also measured by the career goals one achieves because of Pierce, the school receives funding for enrollment in CTE classes.

The OER initiative is gaining momentum, as the amount of sections providing open educational resources has almost doubled since this past Spring.

This fall there are 41 sections that use free, online materials, otherwise known as open educational resources, whereas in the spring of this year there were only 27 sections available.

Over the years teachers have slowly gravitated to the OER concept and started to implement it in their teaching styles. It isn’t easy for teachers to switch to OER, because they then have to create a new curriculum for the semester based around the new resources.

Not all courses are covered by the OER initiative, mainly because it is hard for some professors to have their concepts translated into a online format, because of material that you can only get by purchasing a certain textbook.

“It’s not that easy for instructors to make the switch over to a free textbook because they have to see how to implement it,” said Clay Gediman, librarian to Pierce College. “Usually Canvas works best but sometimes they need to get extra resources, because maybe the textbook didn’t cover what the old textbook covered.”

Nevertheless, professors are opening up to the long term benefits of the OER system. Professors can pull material from multiple sources, making it easier to cover all the main learning points that they feel apply to the course.

Students can find out which courses are OER compatible when they use the search engine during the enrollment process. Under the Academics Menu bar, there is subtab named Find My Courses, under which is the Search Classes link.

Professor Melissa Gulick expressed how she uses OER as a way to relieve her students from one of the many financial burdens that college students face.