Where Does It Hurt Redux? Using Coordinating Board Data to Identify and Improve Real Retention Problems

1. Where Does It Hurt Redux?Using Coordinating Board Data to Identify and Improve Real Retention Problems Thomas K. Martin, Ph.D. Collin County Community College District Arlington, Texas February 22 - 25, 2005 27th Annual Conference of the Texas Association for Institutional Research

2. Student Retention Defined • “Retention” has many meanings: e.g., persistence to degree/certificate attainment, persistence to educational goal attainment, persistence from term-to-term, course completion, etc. • For purposes of this presentation, “retention” is discussed within the context of course completion and refers to students who were enrolled in courses on a given term’s census date and who were still enrolled on the last day of the term. • Operationally, “retention rate” refers to the proportion of student contact hours enrolled at the end of a given term relative to the number enrolled on the term’s census date as reported on the CBM-004 and the CBM-006.

3. Inputs 1 1 2 2 Course Completion 3 3 n n Conceptual Model of Course Completion Outputs Examples of Inputs College Readiness (+) Commitment (+) Time Conflicts (-) Quality of Instruction (+) Educational Goals (+/-) Examples of Outputs Program Completion (+) Baccalaureate Attainment (+) Successful Employment (+) Time to Completion (-) Student Satisfaction (+)

4. Coordinating BoardRetention DataatCollin CountyCommunity College District

5. THECBRaw Course Completion Data

6. SPSS Syntax File

7. Fall 2000-2003CCCCD-TexasComparison

8. Soooooo What? Now that I’ve done all this work, what good does it do?

9. CCCCDFive-Year Programand Service Evaluation

10. Internal-Review Task Force: Music

11. External-Review Task Force: Computer Science

12. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 EVALUATION SECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 A. Strategic Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 B. Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 C. Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 D. Faculty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 E. Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 F. Student Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 G. Assessment Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS . . . . . . . 56 OPEN MEETING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

13. Comparison of Music Contact Hour Completion Rates to Statewide Rates by CIP Code

14. Analysis of Contact Hour Completion Rates: The Good News • 500903 (Music - General Performance); 500905 (Musicology & Ethnomusicology); and 500909 (Music Business Management & Merchandising): State and CCCCD averages are similar and are considered consistent. • 500906 (Music Conducting): CCCCD offers one conducting course each year and it has only met once since the data were recorded. Therefore, the sample is small. Still, the statewide and CCCCD averages are very close and considered consistent. • 500908 (Music - Voice & Choral/Opera Performance): CCCCD rates are higher than the state average, and are considered acceptable by the department. Some difference in the statewide and CCCCD rates may be due to the size of CCCCD’s choral program and which may attract more serious students than other institutions.

15. Analysis of Contact Hour Completion Rates: The Bad News • 500902 (Music History & Literature): Over the past three years, completion rates at CCCCD are below the state average despite CCCCD’s trend of increasing course completion rates. The statewide completion rate in this CIP is also increasing, possibly at a faster rate than CCCCD’s. • 500904 (Music Theory & Composition): In music theory and composition, CCCCD completion rates are lower. This may be due to the fact that many music students at CCCCD were not accepted into four-year institutions to pursue their music studies. Since there is no entrance requirement for students wishing to pursue music studies at CCCCD it might be that some were not ready for college-level music theory and composition study. • 500907 (Music - Piano & Organ Performance): CCCCD enrollment is small and volatile. Consequently, completion rates have varied both below and above the state averages.

16. Weaknesses • The most glaring weakness of the Department of Music is in allocation of resources and facilities. As the Department has experienced growth in enrollment and quality the resources available to the Department as well as classroom space, practice studios, equipment and performance space has not been sufficient to sustain the expanding enrollment. • Music Faculty commonly teach courses that are one hour credit courses but require the same amount of preparation and participation as three hour courses. The Music Department faculty is not compensated for these “labs” at the same level as lecture courses. Therefore faculty must teach more contact hours to satisfy teaching load requirements. This is different from other institutions as well as other departments within CCCC. This adds unequal time required of the Music Faculty in relation to their class loads. • The Music Department lack the support personnel for marketing and promotion of events and qualified lab supervision.

17. Recommendations • CCCCD upgraded and allocated facilities for other Fine Arts programs such as Theater and Art. It, therefore, it becomes necessary to do the same for the Music Department. A plan for additional classroom, practice rooms, storage space, labs and performance space for the Music Department needs to be developed with a time line for completion. • The Music Department should review how other departments compensate faculty that teach one hour courses and adopt a method that is consistent with other departments and institutions. Music faculty require more time outside of class for rehearsals and performances as well as individual instruction. A smaller class load will enhance the quality of instructional time. • Budget resources should be allocated to provide personnel for the marketing and promotion of the Music Department or duties within the Fine Arts Division reassigned to aid the faculty with this area of need. Brochures, flyers, tickets and publicity should be available for each function of the department. Qualified lab assistants should be provided for lab activities. Students are not qualified to answer questions or provide direction that is needed in the labs.

18. Comparison of Real Estate Contact Hour Completion Rates to Statewide Rates by CIP Code

19. Analysis of Contact Hour Completion Rates • The completion rate far exceeds the state average.

20. Weaknesses • None. This program has no significant weaknesses.

21. Strengths • The faculty is outstanding, both full-time and part-time. • There has been outstanding program success. This shows up in measuring student enrollment growth; in student success on the state exams and in acquiring employment; student completion rates; student retention; and student satisfaction. • Exceptional flexibility in scheduling of courses and in the variety of course offerings.

22. Recommendations • None.

23. Back toSoooooo What? Never ask a question you don’t want to hear the answer to!

24. . . . but, . . . if you don’t start moving, you’ll never get anywhere.

25. For Questions, Follow-Up, or Copies of any Data Files, SPSS Syntax Files, SPSS System Files, or Summary Data . . . . . . contact Tom Martin tmartin@ccccd.edu 972-758-3817