Achieving the Dream at Durham Technical Community College

1
Achieving the Dreamat Durham Technical Community
College
Fall 2004 Non-Returning Student Survey

• Teaching and Learning Center Presentation
• September 14, 2005

2
Presentation Overview

• Background on AtD
• Fall 2004 Non-Returning AtD Students
• Phone surveyFebruary-March 2005
• AtD student challenges
• Decisions not to re-enroll
• Strengthening commitments

3
Achieving the Dream

• A national imperative to enhance the
  opportunities for the growing number of students
  for whom community colleges are the point of
  entry into higher education
• A national effort to increase the success of
  community college students, particularly those in
  groups that have been underserved in higher
  education

4
AtD Helps Students

• reach individual goals
• obtain better jobs
• earn a community college certificate or degree
• attain a bachelors degree

5
U.S. Higher Education

• Close to half of all undergraduates are enrolled
  in community colleges. These community colleges
  attract particularly high proportions of
  underserved students, first-generation college
  goers and students of color.
• In 2002, community colleges enrolled 47 percent
  of all African American students, 56 percent of
  all Hispanics and 57 percent of all Native
  Americans.

6
U.S. Higher Education

• Among students seeking an associates degree or
  higher, only 53 percent earned a degree or
  transferred to a four-year institution within
  eight years of initial enrollment
• Completion rates vary widely by race and
  ethnicity
• Students of color attain degrees at significantly
  lower rates than do white and Asian students

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What does it mean to be involved with AtD at
Durham Tech?

• Student centered vision
• Culture of evidence and accountability
• Commitment to excellence and equity

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Durham Tech is committed to increasing the
percentage of students who

• complete remedial courses and move on to
  credit-bearing courses.
• enroll in and complete gatekeeper courses such
  as introductory math and English.
• complete the courses they take, earning a grade
  of C or higher.
• re-enroll from one semester to the next.
• earn certificates and/or degrees.

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Fall Semester 2004

• 577 new students enrolled at Durham Tech

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Fall 2004 Non-ReturningAtD Students

• 147 (25) chose not to re-enroll (Spring 2005)
• 56 students surveyed by phone(February/March
  2005)

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Fall 2004 Non-Returning Student Demographics
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Gender of Non-Returning AtD Students
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Number of Students By Race and Gender
14
Students With Without Pell Grants by Race
- totals
2
75
3
1
59
7
For Blacks, 67 of females had Pell Grants 54
of males had Pell Grants. For Whites, 27 of both
females and males had Pell Grants no gender
difference.
15
GPA Distribution for 147 Students
42 of 147 students have a GPA between 2.0 and 4.0
14 of 147 students have a GPA between 0.01 and
1.99
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Dropped Courses
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Top 5 Programsof Non-Returning Students

• Associate in Arts
• Associate in Nursing
• Associate in Science
• Associate Business Administration
• Criminal Justice

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Fall 2004 AtD Non-returning Students

• 147 (25) chose not to re-enroll (Spring 2005)
• 56 students surveyed by phone(February/March
  2005)
• 25 of the 56 students surveyed requested
  referrals to Counseling and Student Development
  for follow-up consultations

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Reasons Why Surveyed StudentsDid Not Re-enroll

• Work related responsibilities (24)
• Personal/family obligations (22)
• Financial problems (16)
• Transferred to other colleges (10)
• Other (28)

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Two Distinct Groups

• Non-Traditional Students
• Traditional Students

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Concerns of Non-Traditional Students

• Frustration at registering for too many courses
• Unprepared for academic challenges
• Difficulty adapting to the college environment

22

• I wish someone would have taken into account how
  long ten years I had been away from school.
• Survey respondent

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Concerns of Traditional Students

• Lack of preparation
• Difficulty with attendance
• Sense of failure
• Implicit feeling that they messed up

24

• I feel really badly about this, but what can I
  do?
• Student respondents explanation when her grade
  dropped from an A to an F after missing a number
  of classes

25
Student Scenario

• Role-play from the perspective of an AtD student

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• What can I do?
• What can I do?
• What can I do?

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Positive Answers

• Seek help
• Gain confidence
• Keep trying

28
Missed Opportunity

• Many of our AtD students do not realize their
  potential. Instead of seeking help, they choose
  not to re-enroll.

29

• If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the
  universe against me.Ralph Waldo
  EmersonEssayist and poet (1803-1882)

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A Difficult Question Answered

• These students lacked the self-confidence and
  life skills to overcome their failures at Durham
  Tech.
• Some students are so mired in the complexity of
  staying alive that they may not even be able to
  understand what goals are and how they could be
  important.Glenn Gabbard, Ed.D., Data
  Facilitator, Achieving the Dream Project

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Relief and Gratitude

• The majority of non-traditional and traditional
  students expressed relief that there might be
  another opportunity to succeed.

32
A Positive Vibe

• 25 students (45) stated that they plan to
  re-enroll
• 11 were not sure (most of these students said
  that they would like to return to Durham Tech)
• 13 responded that they would not be returning
• Most students referred to Counseling and Student
  Development indicated an interest in returning

33

• Self-confidence is the first requisite to great
  undertakings.Samuel JohnsonEnglish author,
  critic and lexicographer (1709-1784)

34
How DTCC Supports Students

• New AtD initiatives
• Minority male mentoring
• Single parent club
• Campus learning center
• Writing and math labs
• Student senate
• Regular mentoring program
• College prep program
• Student success workshopstest tips, foreign
  language, time management
• Accessible instructors, willing to help students
  understand materials

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AtD Promotes Success

• The AtD initiative has focused our attention on
  strengthening the colleges relationship with the
  students.
• Bill Ingram, Senior Vice President/Chief
  Instructional Officer