1. Terri Manning, Ed.D. Center for Applied Research Central Piedmont Community College Our Higher Education Reality

2. This Session Combine yesterdays sessions: the millennial generation and improving gatekeeper courses Not so easy when you are already brain dead. Started thinking about our challenges. Community college faculty and staff are driven by their own internal mission..like herding cats. We have many challenges ahead of us. Many things we need to take into account in preparing courses.

3. Changes in Higher Education We have moved from: a culture of unexamined assumptions a culture of implicit, individually held hopes, preferences and beliefs a model of higher education as primarily a quantitative, additive process To: a culture of assessment and evidence a culture of explicit broadly shared goals, criteria and standards a model that is fundamentally qualitative and transformative Source: National Center for Higher Education Management

4. Changes in Higher Education We have moved from: a culture that tends to ignore costs a teaching culture which has, in the past, ignored what is known about human learning a culture that emphasizes and privileges individual struggle for private advantage To: a culture that attempts to realistically account for direct, deferred and opportunity costs one which applies relevant knowledge to improve practice one which encourages collaboration for the common good and individual advancement

5. Achieving the Dream Achieving the Dream colleges will maintain a high degree of access for historically underrepresented groups while working to increase the percentage of students who accomplish the following: successfully complete the courses they take; advance from remedial to credit-bearing courses; enroll in and successfully complete gatekeeper courses; enroll from one semester to the next; earn degrees and/or certificates.

6. Some our greatest challenges….. Higher education is on the verge of a major shift. The culture is changing and transforming. We will probably find more of an environment that allows for individualization of learning. Will look more like an industry, skills-based model. Students will learn, assess skills, prove mastery and then move forward but in small bites – not entire courses. We will modularize certain skills. Traditional courses may not exist – but related skills areas.

7. Our Stakeholders Want something different. Students expect something different Employers want something different Your classroom today doesn’t look anything like college classrooms 40 years ago Students arrive with a lot of baggage and issues. Let’s look at a few….

8. The Challenges that Face Us Today Are greater than they have ever been. The economy Students are needier and not prepared.

9. Students are More Needy Need for remedial courses goes up: Fall 2009 Of the Top 25 Highest Enrolled Courses – Eight were Developmental CourseSectionsSeatsCapacityAvailable% Sold MAT0704311181092-26102.4% RED09039978975-3100.3% MAT08037947936-11101.2% ENG09036910900-10101.1% ENG090A36909900-9101.0% MAT05033830829100.1% MAT06031767764-3100.4% ENG080277017292896.2%

10. NC Unemployment and NC CC Curriculum Headcount Source: State ESC and NCCCS Websites ???

11. Who Are The Unemployed?

12. With Poor Economic Conditions, the Students are More Needy Displaced workers are different than the more traditional community college students A greater need for student services Need for financial aid goes up Number with zero family contribution (family cannot help them at all) rose from 2,891 in 2008 to 4,681 in 2009 (increase of 62% at CPCC). Different brain – must be “turned back on”

13. Major Challenges Students are more diverse than ever Race Gender Language Academic background Age and generation Expectations from students, families, our accrediting agencies and society

14. Boys Issues in K-12 For Every 100 Girls Who….Number of Boys Enroll in Kindergarten116 Enroll in Ninth Grade101 Enroll in Twelfth Grade98 Are Suspended from K-12250 Are Expelled from K-12335 Diagnosed with Learning Disability276 Enroll in the gifted and talented program 94 The Boys Project. http://www.boysproject.net/statistics.htmlhttp://www.boysproject.net/statistics.htmlThe Boys Project. http://www.boysproject.net/statistics.htmlhttp://www.boysproject.net/statistics.html

15. Boys and Their Educational Choices For Every 100 Girls Who….Number of Boys Graduate from High School96 Enroll in College77 Earn an Associates Degree67 Earn a Bachelors Degree73 Earn a Masters Degree62 Earn a Doctorate92 The Boys Project. http://www.boysproject.net/statistics.htmlhttp://www.boysproject.net/statistics.html

16. First Time Freshman Enrollments by Gender 50 Years (numbers in thousands) (45.2%) (54.8%)

17. College Graduation Projections (numbers in thousands) (61% of degrees will go to women) (37.4%) (62.6%) (40%) (60%)

18. How Generational Births Impact Enrollments (Boomers) (Xers) (Millennials)

19. Things Began to Change for This Generation Abortion rates peaked in 1980 - slowly declined. Poverty rate for children peaked in 1983 and began a slow decline (Medicaid began). US divorce rate peaked in 1981 - began a decline. Homicide rate against children peaked in 1982 and began a decline. They were born into a better world, a more optimistic world than the generation before them. Born in infertility era, parents really wanted them.

20. Unique Characteristics Born 1982 – 2002, a civic generation of 81 million Most diverse generation ever Raised with technology and casual communication Raised by better educated older parents Always told why when they asked Know lots about lots of things

21. Unique Characteristics Taught that questioning authority was a good thing Function from the position of “negotiation” and will try to “move you” as much as possible Have lived in an “outcome-based” world and always want to know “what’s in it for me?” Want services and access 24/7. Expect to get what they paid for.

22. Unique Characteristics Major influencing factors Helicopter parents Focus on their self-esteem Customer service that makes them think that everyone cares if they are satisfied (not true in higher education) Gaming and technology Casual community and social networking

23. Unique Characteristics They will dramatically impact “how” education is done before they are through (last enter college 2020) Have re-established the “haves” and “have nots” with the digital divide Class is rearing its ugly head and their competition is fierce (30-50% have low skills) We are supposed to be preparing them for a future that is uncharted, for jobs that haven’t been invented yet

24. Unique Characteristics They live in a 24/7, small international world where all possible content is on the internet What they need to learn are the following (can’t be learned from the internet) Application of knowledge to practice Process skills such as critical thinking and analysis How to collect and organize data and information Information and technology literacy

25. But How are They Coming to Us? The majority of the country probably feels: The K-12 system is doing well for children whose parents get involved, take advantage of the choices they have, guide and direct their children through the system in a rather “savvy” way And it is failing all the rest

26. In Yesterday’s Gatekeeper Session The participants and I had a “collegial, self- reflective dialogue about the continuous improvement of student learning” in gatekeeper courses (WASC language). We created a list of our expectations of the learning outcomes for the gatekeeper classes. We stood back and looked at the list….and We decided that the issues we have with students successfully completing gatekeeper classes was not about their ability to grasp or master the content.

27. What are the issues? Let’s look at the list The key to success is finding a way to address the bottom list while helping student master the outcomes for the courses. So how do we do that?

28. Must Address Strategies for Both Retention and Academic Success (two different animals

29. What Some Others Have Done 1. Support activities a) Offer supplemental instruction, service learning opportunities, tutoring, and study groups. b) Create a series of success workshops (offered through the tutoring center, library or student success center) and require students attend a set number of them as part of their grade c) Create learning communities or linked classes. d) Implement an Early Alert System to ensure that struggling students get help.

30. Others, cont. 2. Curriculum and pedagogy a) Make instruction in gatekeeper courses more related to real life experiences. b) Use techniques such as active/collaborative learning, mini learning communities in the class, and computer-assisted labs. c) Establish learning competencies and share them with students. d) Allow retesting in courses with sequential content so students can master it.

31. Others, cont. d) Institute “class conferencing” in classes – instructors meet with students individually on a regular basis. e) Used grading rubrics for all assignments and give students a copy beforehand. 3. Faculty development a) Offer professional development for faculty who teach gatekeeper courses. b) Let the faculty with great success teach these workshops. 1) Focus on retention techniques, improving academic skills and student engagement

32. Others, cont. 4. Next Steps a) Work with faculty across disciplines to increase the basic skills. 1) How do the paralegal faculty teach students to become better writers? 2) How do the culinary faculty improve computational skills? 3) How do the Nursing faculty improve critical thinking skills in students

33. Gatekeeper faculty teach students the basic skills based on the content of the course. Program faculty should say “thank you very much, we’ll take it from here.” Then continuously and in every course, reinforce those skills.

34. Major Issues A large percentage of students begin and end their college career in remedial or developmental courses – never make it to the gatekeeper classes. Another large percentage of students never make it through the gatekeeper courses and drop out before they complete the entire set of classes. They never get to the majors.

35. Gatekeeper Faculty Are the most critical and important faculty at the institution. Why? Greatest opportunity to improve skills and promote success. Greatest opportunity for engagement and retention. Can help students make the decision … Do I belong here, can I do it?

36. The Challenge… Seeing these courses for the opportunity they represent. Program faculty and gatekeeper faculty should come together and make some decisions: What student skills do we want them to have when they leave the gatekeeper (pre-major) courses? How can we teach/facilitate those skills? By the time students complete gen ed, we have inoculated them 10 times.

37. Caution The Insanity Principle Doing what we have always done but expecting different results.

38. To Contact Me: Terri Manning terri.manning@cpcc.edu (704) 330-6592