Longitudinal Comparison between Open Option Students and Those Entering into Declared Majors

1
Longitudinal Comparison between Open Option
Students and Those Entering into Declared Majors

• Paula A.Y. Maas, Ph.D.
• John T. Wieme
• The College of New Jersey

2
Introduction

• Longitudinal study designed to answer four
  questions about Open Option students
• Are there differences in pre-college backgrounds?
• Are there differences in undergraduate outcomes?
• How does such a student typically move through
  their college career?
• How has affiliation with a school impacted
  outcomes for these students?

3
Three Cohorts

• 1998
• Pre-school affiliation
• Pre-transformation
• 2001
• First year of affiliation with school
• Transformation in mid-career
• 2004
• Full effect of affiliation with school
• Effect of transformation?

4
Background

• Most students enter into a declared major
• Approximately 20 dont - Open Option
• Prior to 2001
• Open Option students received centralized
  advising
• After 2001
• Open Option students assigned to Assistant Dean
  in school of their interest for advising
• Fall 2004
• Curriculum Transformation

5
Description of Cohorts
18
20
25
6
Description of Cohorts
7
Description of Cohorts
8
Description of Cohorts

• Number and percent of Open Option students has
  increased
• Fewer male Open Option students than declared
  majors in 1998 and 2001, but not in 2004
• Fewer students of color enter Open Option than
  into declared majors in all cohorts

9
Results

• Are there differences in pre-college background
  between those students entering Open Option
  versus into a declared major?
• SAT Math
• SAT Verbal
• HS Rank
• NO!

10
Means by Cohort and Type Pre-college Background
Means with the same letter superscript are not
significantly different.
11
Total SAT Score by Cohort and Major Type
12
Results

• Are there differences in outcome between those
  students entering Open Option versus Declared?
• Retention
• Time to graduation
• Cumulative GPA at graduation
• 1998 and 2001 Cohorts only
• NO!

13
Retention
14
Means by Cohort and Type College Outcome
Means with the same letter superscript are not
significantly different.
15
Means by Cohort and Type College Outcome
4
Degree GPA
3
2
1
Only students graduating in 3, 4 or 5 years
included in analysis.
16
Results

• Are there differences in progression through
  college career between those students entering
  Open Option versus into declared majors?
• Number of major changes
• Fewer
• Declaration of graduating major
• 1998 and 2001 Cohorts only
• Later
• Yes!

17
Number of Major Changes (for those graduating)
Does not include the change in designation from
Open Option to the first non-Open Option major.
18
Number of Major Changes (for those not yet
graduated)
Does not include the change in designation from
Open Option to the first non-Open Option major.
No students in 2004 cohort have graduated yet.
19
Graduating Major Declared
20
Graduating Major Declared
21
Results

• Has the change in advising/affiliation of Open
  Option students made an impact on their
  progression through college career?
• Semester of first major declaration
• Inconclusive
• Graduating major in Open Option School
• It depends
• Maybe

22
First (non-Open Option) Major Declared
Open Option Students Only
23
First (non-Open Option) Major Declared
Open Option Students Only
24
2001 Cohort Percent Graduating in 4 Years
25
2001 Cohort Percent Graduating in 6 Years
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Progress Through

• Higher percentage of Open Option students
  graduate from schools other than then one they
  started in compared to students entering into
  declared majors

27
2001 Cohort Where did they go?

• Art, Media and Music
• n 5
• Business
• n 55

• 80 Did not (yet) graduate
• 20 Culture Society
• 16 DN(Y)G
• 15 Culture Society

28
2001 Cohort Where did they go?

• Culture and Society
• n 71
• Education
• n 14

• 15 DN(Y)G
• 11 Business
• 14 Business
• 14 Culture Society
• All have graduated

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2001 Cohort Where did they go?

• Science
• n 35
• Nursing
• n 1
• Engineering
• None in OO

• 30 DN(Y)G
• 11 Business
• 11 Culture Soc.
• Stayed in Nursing

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Summary

• No difference between Open Option and students
  entering into declared majors
• Pre-college background
• SAT
• HS Rank
• College outcome
• Retention
• Time to Degree
• Degree GPA

31
Summary (continued)

• Difference between Open Option and students
  entering into declared majors
• Number of major Changes
• Fewer for Open Option students
• Semester of Graduating major choice
• Later for Open Option Students
• Number staying within Original School
• Fewer for Open Option Students

32
Lessons Learned

• For those advising Open Option students
• They are just like real majors
• Incoming background
• College outcomes
• Know something about majors in Schools of Culture
  Society and Business

33
Questions?

• Paula A.Y. Maas
• p 609-771-2143
• e maas_at_tcnj.edu

34
A Word About Data and Methods
35
Data

• Data from cohort retention databases
• Maintained by OIRA at TCNJ
• Extracted from SCT SIS via FOCUS
• Compiled in Microsoft Access and Excel
• Recoding and calculation was necessary in Excel
  and SPSS prior to analysis

36
Statistical Methods

• All statistical analyses completed in SPSS
• Comparisons as ANOVA or ANCOVA
• Independent variables cohort year and Open
  Option/non-Open Option
• Covariate (in ANCOVA) - Total SAT score
• LSD used as post-hoc test for mean differences
• Significance assumed at 0.05 level