Student Focus Group Data

1. Student Focus Group Data Persistence: First Semester to Second Semester Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

2. Four Components • What’s Wrong? 25% of TCC’s first-time freshmen were not retained to the second semester. • Why? Student Focus Group Data • Interventions Data-driven Strategies • Assessment Formative and Summative Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

3. The Four Components What’s Wrong? (Quantitative Data) Goals • Persistence (Year 2 – 4 ) • Developmental Reading (Year 3 – 4 ) • Developmental Math (Year 4 ) Revised Interventions New Interventions Policy Changes Questions • How do we revise current interventions to directly address common barriers? • What new interventions can be implemented to address common barriers? • What policy changes need to be made to address common barriers? Assess Impact Assessments Formative: • To what extent did interventions (or policy changes) effectively address common barriers? Summative: • To what extent did interventions increase persistence? Why? (Student Focus Group Data) Top Persistence Barriers/Challenges Qualitative Data Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

4. Student Focus Groups Demographics: Gender Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

5. Student Focus Groups Demographics: Ethnicity Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

6. Student Focus Groups Demographics: Age Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

7. Other Subgroups • 4% African American males in both AtD Cohort and focus groups • 44% Tulsa Achieves students • Mean average age was • 22.7 years for Focus Groups (more 18 year olds with Tulsa Achieves) • 24.5 years for AtD Cohort • Mean average age of non-Tulsa Achieves students was 25.8 years. Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

8. Definition of Terms • Student Focus Group • Barrier/Challenge • Frequency • Cluster Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

9. Student Focus Groups • Three focus groups per campus • 12 total groups • 101 total students • Students volunteered and were accepted if they had completed their first semester in Fall 2007 and had re-enrolled in Spring 2008. Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

10. Barrier/Challenge • Barrier/Challenge “All students experience barriers or challenges as they make their way toward graduation.” • Common barriers include those experienced at TCC and those connected to life circumstances. Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

11. Frequency • Barriers/Challenges - Frequency • By Raw Total • By Group • By Campus Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

12. Cluster • Barriers seemed related to each other. • Data Team classified barriers into larger clusters or categories to provide the best overall picture of the data. Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

13. General Findings • No single barrier was mentioned in every focus group on all four campuses. • Many barriers occurred frequently and were identified on all four campuses. • Barriers specific to individual campuses did not occur frequently overall; College-wide barriers were identified far more frequently overall. Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

14. Most Frequent Barriers/Challenges • Adjusting to college (19) • Balancing school and life (15) • Textbook issues (13) • Tulsa Achieves implementation issues (13) • Communication issues with instructors (12) • Choosing courses (8) All six barriers/challenges were identified on all four campuses. Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

15. Specific Findings 82% of all barriers/challenges fell into one of three clusters: • Academic Barriers (63) • Service Barriers (53) • Adjustment Barriers (48) Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

16. Academic Barriers (63) 63 Academic Barriers were grouped into two types: • Instructional Issues (33) • Student Issues (30) Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

17. Academic Barriers Instructional Issues (33) • Communication issues with instructors (12) • Instructional quality (6) • Understanding instructor’s course requirements (6) • Instructor attitudes (2) Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

18. Academic Barriers Student Issues (30) • Choosing courses (8) • Meeting academic workload (8) • Using Blackboard and MyTCC email (4) • Academically underprepared (3) • Lacking computer proficiency (3) • Course placement (3) • Choosing a major (1) Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

19. Service Barriers (53) • Textbook issues (13) • Poor customer service (8) • Financial Aid service (8) • Confusing enrollment process (7) • Limited times and locations of classes (6) • Finding your way around campus (5) • Parking (5) • Inter-campus communication (1) Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

20. Adjustment Barriers (48) • Adjusting to college (19) • Balancing school and life (15) • Time management (7) • Lack of motivation (7) Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

21. Tulsa Achieves Implementation Issues • 13 barriers/challenges identified These were not included in the three clusters. • Examples: • Paying for textbooks • Financial aid processing • Information about TA changed and sometimes not accurate Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

22. The Four Components What’s Wrong? (Quantitative Data) Goals • Persistence (Year 2 – 4 ) • Developmental Reading (Year 3 – 4 ) • Developmental Math (Year 4 ) Revised Interventions New Interventions Policy Changes Questions • How do we revise current interventions to directly address common barriers? • What new interventions can be implemented to address common barriers? • What policy changes need to be made to address common barriers? Assess Impact Assessments Formative: • To what extent did interventions (or policy changes) effectively address common barriers? Summative: • To what extent did interventions increase persistence? • Why? • (Focus Group Student Data) • Top • Persistence Barriers: • 1. Adjusting to college • 2. Balancing school and life • 3. Textbook issues • 4. Tulsa Achieves implementation issues • 5. Communication issues with instructors • Choosing courses Student Focus Group Data: Persistence

23. Next Steps • TCC’s goal is to achieve a 3% increase in student persistence each year. • Based on the data, major barriers are selected for intervention and improvement. • Intervention and assessment strategies are then devised or modified for the selected barriers. Student Focus Group Data: Persistence