1. Report of Achieving the Dream Data Team November 14, 2007

2. 2 Contents  Comparison of failure rates by instructor position  Comparison of failure rates by instructor  Persistence and Retention by course load  Persistence and Retention by family contribution

3. 3 Methodology  Achieving the Dream (AtD) defines student success in a course as a grade of A, B, C, or S; students earning a grade of D, F, U or W are defined as unsuccessful.  1000-level courses were selected by high enrollment (300 or greater) and high failure rates (30% or greater).  2000-level courses were selected by high enrollment (100 or greater) and high failure rates (30% or greater)  All persistence and retention data is based on the ATD cohort, which includes all students who enter OCCC for the first-time in the fall semester.

4. 4 Comparison of Failure Rates by Instructor Position Methodology  Compared the failure rates by course by instructor position groupings for each semester since Fall 04.  Faculty  Adjunct  Full-time Staff  Part-time Staff  Identified differences and statistically significant differences between position groupings by course.  Used basic ANOVA with pair-wise comparisons  Identified and compared the range of failure rates by groupings for the Spring 07 Semester.  Identified level of standardization of course.  Textbook  Curriculum  Test  Outcomes

5. 5 Comparison of Failure Rates by Instructor Position Zero-Level Course Findings  Statistically significant:  College Writing II - Faculty have lower failure rate than Adjunct group.  Elementary Algebra - Adjunct have lower failure rate than Faculty group.  Ranges of failure rate:  Faculty have a smaller range of failure rates for the developmental courses, except for Elementary Algebra.  Adjuncts have a smaller range of failure rates for Elementary Algebra.  Zero Level course by type of contract Zero Level course by type of contract  Zero Level course by individual instructor Zero Level course by individual instructor

6. 6 Comparison of Failure Rates by Instructor Position 1000 Level Findings  Statistically significant:  College Algebra - Faculty have lower failure rate than Adjunct group.  U.S. History-Pre Civil War - Adjunct have lower failure rate than Faculty group.  American Federal Government - Adjunct have lower failure rate than Faculty group.  Intro to Psychology - Adjunct have lower failure rate than Faculty group.  Ranges of failure rate:  Faculty have a smaller range of failure rates for English Composition I and U.S. History - Pre Civil War.  1000 Level course by type of contract 1000 Level course by type of contract  1000 Level course by individual instructor 1000 Level course by individual instructor

7. 7 Comparison of Failure Rates by Instructor Position 2000 Level Findings  Statistically significant:  Accounting I/Financial - Adjunct have lower failure rate than Faculty group.  World Regional Geography – Is only taught by Adjunct.  Ranges of failure rate:  Faculty have a smaller range of failure rates for Accounting I.  Adjunct have a smaller range of failure rates in Business/Intro to Statistics.  2000 Level course by type of contract 2000 Level course by type of contract  2000 Level course by individual instructor 2000 Level course by individual instructor

8. 8 Comparison of Failure Rates by Instructor Methodology  Removed the names of the instructors as well as other identifiers.  Compared the overall failure rates by course by individual instructor combining all six semesters.  Ordered instructors from low to high failure rates.  Examined the range of failure rates for the total group and for the Spring 07 Instructors.  Examined the mean, median and mode for each course.

9. 9 Comparison of Failure Rates by Instructor General Findings  Ranges of failure rate:  As expected the range for six semesters is much greater than the range for Spring 07.  There is substantial variance in the failure rates of instructors.  Zero-Level courses tend to have a much wider range of failure rates than the 1000 and 2000 level courses.  Mean, Median, Mode  Median is misspelled through out your handouts.

10. 10 Things to Consider  Consider possible reasons for differences between Faculty and Adjunct failure rates and the implications.  What are the possible reasons for the variance in failure rates by individual instructors?  What is the relationship between standardized curriculum and the variance in failure rates?  If there is substantial variance in failure rate, but the course is standardized, what does that mean?  If there is substantial variance in failure rate but the course is not standardized, what does that mean?  Considering the role of the instructors and curriculum in these courses, what can be done to improve student learning and success?

11. 11 Persistence and Retention  Fall 2004 and Fall 2005 AtD Cohorts include all students who enter OCCC for the first-time in the fall semester.  Persistence is defined as a student from a fall cohort attending the following spring semester. (Fall to Spring)  Retention is defined as a student from a fall cohort attending OCCC the following fall semester. (Fall to Fall)  Looking at the demographic profile of the two AtD Cohorts in comparison to all students enrolled at OCCC’s during the same time frame, the following differences can be seen:  AtD Cohorts have a higher percentage of males.  AtD Cohorts have a higher percentage of 18-24 year olds.  AtD Cohorts have a higher percentage in all race/ethnic groups except Asian.

12. 12 Persistence and Retention  Both persistence and retention declined from Fall 2004 Cohort to Fall 2005 Cohort in basically all areas. (Exception: 30-34 age group)  A student in the Fall 2004 Cohort had approximately:  three in five chance of persisting  one in two chance of being successful in spring classes  almost a two in five chance of being retained  less than a one in three chance of being successful in fall classes

13. 13 Persistence and Retention  Full-time students comprise 56% of the Fall 2004 cohort and 48% of the Fall 2005 Cohort.  Full-time students comprise approximately 40% to 42% of the OCCC total student body  Decline of 8 percentage points in full-time students from Fall 2004 to Fall 2005  OCCC total full-time students declined 2 percentage points during same time frame  Full-time students persisted and were retained at a significantly higher rate than part-time students.

14. 14 Persistence and Retention  Family Contribution (FC) is calculated automatically when an individual fills out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  FC of less than $1,500 qualifies a student for Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant (OTAG).  FC of less than $3,950 qualifies a student for PELL.

15. 15 Persistence and Retention  Over half of both fall cohorts (53%) did not apply for financial aid.  Of those who did apply for financial aid, over half had a FC of $1,500 or less.  Students who did not apply for financial aid persisted at a much lower rate than any other group.  Students who did not apply for financial aid and students whose FC was $1,500 or less were retained at a much lower rate.  Fall 2004 students who had a FC of $1,500 or less declined 31 percentage points from persisting in the spring to being retained in the fall.

16. 16 Persistence and Retention  Other income groups that had an approximate 30 percentage point decrease between persistence and retention:  Students whose FC was $10,001 to $15,000 decreased 30.1 percentage points  Students whose FC was Greater than $20,000 decreased 29.6 percentage points  Students who did not apply were less successful in their spring and fall classes than any other group.  Even though students whose FC was $1,500 or lower persisted at a high rate, the success rate in spring classes was lower than other groups with the exception of students who did not apply.

17. 17 Things to Consider  Consider possible reasons for differences in persistence and retention rates between full-time and part-time students.  What are the possible reasons for the variance in peristence and retention rates for students whose FC is $0 to $1,500?  What are some possible reasons that students who did not apply for financial aid are persisting and being retained at a lower rate than any other group.

18. 18 AtD Data Team Members  Alan Stringfellow  Brandi Henson  E.J. Warren  Harold Case  Joyce Morgan-Dees  Stephen Crynes  Yutika Kim