Executive Summary 2009 Findings November 16, 2009

CCSSE is a national study designed to provide information about effective educational practices in community and technical colleges and assists institutions in using that information to provide improvements in student learning and persistence. A Tool for Improvement – CCSSE helps us: Assess our educational quality. Identify and learn from good educational practices. Indentify areas in which improvement can be made. A Tool for Accountability – CCSSE: Provides reliable data on issues that matter. Reports data publicly. Is committed to using data for improvement.

CCSSE was first conducted in 2002 and WITC was one of 257 colleges to launch the study. The study has grown in popularity and credibility and now includes over 600 participating colleges with approximately 400,000 students participating. WITC participated in CCSSE in 2002, 2003, 2005, and In 2007, WITC was ranked 7 th best 2-year college in the nation based on results from the 2005 CCSSE study.

CCSSE 2009 Consisted of 663 participating colleges. WITC is one of 331 colleges grouped into a ‘small college’ cohort. Classroom survey administration consisted of 70 classes selected with a total of 667 students participating. Student participation represented nearly 20% of the total program students enrolled at WITC during the FY 09 spring term.

84% of WITC students participating in CCSSE are enrolled full-time. The majority (71%) of CCSSE respondents are between the age of 18 and % of respondents are male.

Education Level and College Experience A high school diploma/GED is the highest level of education attained by 68% of CCSSE respondents. 72% of respondents are starting their college career at WITC.

First-Generation Status Fifty-five percent (55%) of students are first-generation college students. 39% of mothers’ and 40% of fathers’ highest education is a high school diploma/GED. Support Systems Three-fourths of WITC students indicate that their family is extremely supportive of their attendance at WITC.

WITC Students Contend With Multiple Priorities Work Caring for Dependents Nearly three-fourths of students work for pay. Half work 20 or more hours per week. 58% have family that is dependent on their care. Commuting Over one-third of students spend 6 or more hours a week driving to and from WITC. 10% spend 11 or more hours in their weekly commute.

Students’ Educational Goals

Factors Causing Students to Leave

Paying for college. The majority of WITC students are utilizing student loans, grants, and scholarships to pay for their WITC tuition.

Relationships are Strong at WITC WITC students say ….. Other Students are: Friendly, supportive, and help create a sense of belonging. Instructors are: Available, helpful, sympathetic. Staff are: Helpful, considerate, flexible.

WITC Students are Very Satisfied 98% of survey respondents would recommend WITC to a friend or family member. 93% of students rated their educational experience at WITC as good or excellent.

Future Plans Over two-thirds of CCSSE respondents will either return to WITC within the year or have accomplished their goals at WITC. 17% 9%

Service Item Frequency of UseSatisfactionImportance (Often/sometimes)(Very/Somewhat)(Very) Computer lab85%97%73% Financial aid advising67%89%69% Academic advising/planning61%93%55% Skill labs (writing, math, etc.)60%94%51% Career counseling42%86%50% Transfer credit assistance42%82%48% Student organizations38%88%25% Job placement assistance37%78%58% Peer or other tutoring30%85%38% Services to students with disabilities21%82%47% Child Care12%56%27% Student Services

A regular feature of CCSSE allows colleges to dig deeper into areas of student experience and institutional performance that are basic to student success. This year’s Special-Focus questions elicited information from students on their use of social networking tools such as Instant messaging, text messaging, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter for communication with other students, faculty or college staff.

Survey results show that most students use social networking tools on a daily to weekly basis; however, their use of these tools for educational purposes is less frequent.

85% of students surveyed use WITC’s Course Management system, Blackboard, at some time during their educational experience at WITC.

Q. How connected do you feel to WITC when using social networking tools? Almost one-third of WITC students feel more connected to WITC because of social networking tools.

 Active & Collaborative Learning  Student Effort  Academic Challenge  Student-Faculty Interaction  Support for Learners CCSSE uses a set of five benchmarks of effective educational practice in colleges. Benchmarks allow colleges to monitor their performance in areas that are focused on teaching, learning and student success. The five benchmarks encompass 38 engagement items on the survey that reflect a variety of aspects of our students’ learning experiences.

WITC benchmark scores were higher in all five areas compared to the WTCS Consortium and the CCSSE Small School Cohort!

Active & Collaborative Learning Asked questions/contributed to class discussions. Made a class presentation. Worked with other students on projects during and outside of class. Tutored or taught other students. Participated in a community- based projects as part of a regular course. Discussed ideas from readings or classes with others outside of class.

Student Effort Prepared two or more drafts of a paper/assignment before turning it in. Worked on a paper/project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources. Came to class unprepared. Time spent preparing for class. Reading books for personal enjoyed or enrichment. Frequency of use of peer tutoring, skills lab, and computer lab.

Academic Challenge Worked harder than they thought they could to meet instructor's standards/expectations. Applied theories/concepts to practical problems or in new situations. Used information read or heard to perform a new skill. Made judgments about the value or soundness of information, arguments, or methods. Completed exams that challenged them to do their best work.

Student-Faculty Interaction Used to communicate with an instructor. Discussed grade/assignment with an instructor. Talked about career plans with an instructor/advisor. Discussed ideas from readings or classes with instructors outside of class. Received prompt feedback from instructors on performance. Worked with instructors on activities other than coursework.

Support for Learners Providing support necessary to succeed, thrive socially, and cope with non-academic responsibilities. Providing financial support to afford education. Use of academic advising/ planning and career counseling. Encouraging contact with students from different economic, social, racial, or ethnic backgrounds.

WITC benchmark scores were higher in all five areas compared to the WTCS Consortium and the CCSSE Small School Cohort!

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