1. SUMMER
POLICY
INSTITUTE

2. Linda Atkinson-Pettee
Hana Lahr
Research Associate
Community College Research Center (CCRC)
Linda Atkinson-Pettee
Interim Director of Student Success and Transition
Purdue University Northwest
Helen Tate
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
Georgia Southwestern University

3. The Academic and Economic Value of Momentum
Motivation for the study
15 to Finish Summer Policy Institute
June 30, 2016
Hana Lahr
Community College Research Center
@CommunityCCRC
#RedesigningCCs

4. Academic Momentum
Progress towards a degree resulting from early credit accumulation
How does momentum work?
1st semester momentum: attempted 15 credits
1st year momentum: attempted 27 credits in year 1
Tennessee Board of Regents: 13 community colleges, 6 universities
Fall 2008 cohort, tracked for 6 years
Why compare 15 to 12?
Students are encouraged to only take 12 credits
Fear that holding them to high standards will make them leave
That they can’t take more than 12
Federal financial aid only requires 12
Idea that students will pick up the pace; we have found that those who start slow do not in fact, take more credits in later semesters

5. Momentum Benefits: CC Students
In first semester, 28% of CC students were momentum students
In first year, 1/5 of CC students maintained momentum
Source: Belfield, Jenkins & Lahr, 2016.

6. Momentum Benefits: 4-year students
In first semester, 71% of students in four-years were momentum students
In first year, ½ of four-year students maintained momentum
Source: Belfield, Jenkins & Lahr, 2016.

7. Momentum Benefits Additional credits earned 8 22 14 27
CC students
4-year students
1st semester momentum
1st year momentum
Additional credits earned 8 22 14 27
Probability of degree attainment
7pp
(.27/.34)
18pp
(.25/.43)
11pp
(.39/.50)
19pp
(.38/.57)
Tuition and fees
+$650
+$1,740
+$750
+$4,890
Lower cost per degree
-9%
-20%
-19%
Price per credit
-4%
-5%
-14%
Racial/ethnic minorities: Stronger gains for minority students who took 15 credits
Students who take 15 credits are no more likely to pass or fail there courses than students take fewer credits
Lower cost per degree for momentum students – benefit to the college and taypayers
Increased revenue for the college from tuition, fees, and public subsidies because students take more courses and are retained
*Adjusted results, controlling for student characteristics
*After 6 years, or 18 semesters

8. For the complete study, visit http://ccrc. tc. columbia
Please visit us on the web at
where you can download presentations, reports,
and briefs, and sign-up for news announcements.
We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.
Community College Research Center Teachers College, Columbia University 525 West 120th Street, Box 174, New York, NY Telephone:

9. 15-to-Finish Implementation Purdue University Northwest
Linda Atkinson-Pettee, M.S.
Interim Director of Student Success & Transition
June 30, 2016

10. Purdue University Calumet as of Fall 2014
Who We Are
Purdue University Calumet as of Fall 2014
Steady Increase in Admission Standards
Transition from part-time non-traditional to traditional full-time student population
8,491 Total Undergraduate Enrollment
64% First Generation
74% Indiana Residents
35% Minority
Majority Commuter Students

11. What Advisors Said
My students will not be successful if they take more than 12 credits.
This campaign wasn’t designed for the type of students PUC serves.
We will end up with more student on academic probation if they take this many credits at once.
Two of the most respected researchers on student success
Our students won’t be able to financially afford 15 credits each semester.

12. What We Did Standardized 8-Semester Degree Maps
New Student Orientation
Block Scheduling
Advisor Training
Coordinated Messaging
Increased Academic Support

13. It Worked
The average* number of cohort students taking 30 or more hours Fall and Spring semester of their 1st year was 168 compared to Fall 2014 which had 390 students (nearly doubled) while their retention rates remained the same at 85%.  Also notable, the average number of students who passed 30 or more hours in the Fall and Spring was 106 compared to Fall 2014 which had 204 (also nearly doubled) while their retention rates increased by over 7 percentage points.
*4-year average of cohort statistics including Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013

14. It Worked for Minority Students
The average* number of underrepresented minority cohort students prior to Fall 2014 taking 30 or more hours in Fall and Spring was 35 compared to 136 (nearly quadrupled) in Fall 2014 while their retention rates remained in the mid 80% range.  The average* percent of underrepresented minority cohort students passing 30 or more hours in fall and spring was 7% compared to 15% in Fall 2014 while their retention rates remained above 90%.
*4-year average of cohort statistics including Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013

15. It Worked for 1st Generation Students

16. What We Learned Students can be successful in 15 credits
Students rise to the challenge when the expectation is set
Advisor buy in increased once student success was witnessed and data was shared

17. Thank You Linda Atkinson-Pettee, M.S.
Interim Director of Student Success & Transition
June 30, 2016

18. Changing Campus Culture from “Lowered Expectations” to Student Success
Complete College America 15 to Finish Summer Policy Institute Session 3: Myth Busters
Dr. Helen Tate, Associate VP for Academic Affairs
Georgia Southwestern State University
June 30, 2016

19. You want students to do what??

20. Justified Skepticism?
Credit Hours Attempted and Earned by the First-time Full-time Freshmen Cohort *
2009
2010
2011
2012
Attempted 15 (+) credits Fall
15%
20%
17%
Earned 15 (+)credits 8% 9% 7%
% earned 30 (+) credits Fall/Spring 5% 6%
10%
* Rounded to the nearest whole.

21. First-Time Fulltime Freshman Cohort at or above 2.0 GPA Fall Term *
Justified Skepticism?
First-Time Fulltime Freshman Cohort at or above 2.0 GPA Fall Term *
2009
2010
2011
69%
68%
63%
* Rounded to the nearest whole.

22. Changing the Culture of Lowered Expectations
Obstacles
Lacked course capacity
Low expectations of students
Initial Steps
Increase SI
DWF reports
Advisor intervention

23. Interventions Improved Performance
Cohort at or above 2.0 GPA
2010
2011
2012
2013 68 63 74 75
Shared data with campus
Emphasized raising student performance (not lowering expectations)
Demonstrated financial benefit of 15 to Finish for students and institution

24. Results of Efforts
Credit Hours Attempted and Earned by the First-time Full-time Freshmen Cohort *
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Attempted 15 (+) credits Fall
15%
20%
17%
50%
62%
75%
Earned 15 (+)credits 8% 9% 7%
23%
36%
41%
% earned 30 (+) credits Fall/Spring 5% 6%
10%
14%
25%
* Numbers rounded to the nearest whole.

25. Results of Efforts Cohort at or above 2.0 GPA* 2009 2010 2011 2012
2013
2014
2015
69%
68%
63%
74%
76%
75%
80%
*Numbers rounded to the nearest whole.

26. Changing the Culture: Lessons on Raising Expectations
Acknowledge concerns
Put in support before increasing expectations
Share early wins and use them to build momentum
Show the benefits to students and to the institution
Help parents understand the benefits of 15 credit hours a term

27. From Lowered Expectations to Student Success

28. SUMMER
POLICY
INSTITUTE

29. Working with states to significantly increase the number of Americans with quality career certificates or college degrees and to close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations.
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