Student success initiatives continue

By: Mayra Marquez

Posted: 5/4/09

Many students who have benefited from the Achieving the Dream program have probably never heard of it.

In 2004, the Lumina Foundation for Education awarded Brookhaven College a five-year grant to develop projects or programs to help more students succeed, particularly for cohorts of students who traditionally face significant barriers - low-income students and minorities, Daniel Hubbard, director of institutional research, said.

This is the last semester for the grant, and on April 23, Oscar Cerna, research associate, and Melissa Boyton, research analyst, who are both with MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research organization, met with a group of 10 students to discuss their involvement with different Achieving the Dream initiatives.

MDRC asked to keep the students' names anonymous to protect their identity, so students would feel at ease speaking about the different programs.

Dr. Richard McCrary, interim president, said Brookhaven faculty and staff are working to develop a new grant to be funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that would last for three years and continue more specific initiatives in developmental studies, an area that academically prepares students to be successful in the credit program.

"All of us have a stake in improving the success of these students, because without their completion of the developmental sequence, we will surely receive fewer students in our college-level courses," he said.

Hubbard said Brookhaven administrators officially started collecting data in the 2005-2006 school year, and every fall since then are required to submit a report tracking data about the 3,000-3,500 first-time-at-Brookhaven students, comparing Achieving the Dream cohorts to students in traditional programs.

On average, there has been a 5-10 percent increase in passing grades in the past four years among the Achieving the Dream cohorts when compared to the rest of the student population, Hubbard said.

He said, "[Achieving the Dream is] rethinking the way we make decisions in terms of using less gut reaction and anecdotal evidence and moving into a culture of looking at our data in different ways to let research drive initiatives to help student populations."

He said it was important to direct initiatives at specific cohorts of students because if we look at course completions as a whole, the data says one thing, but if you divide it by ethnicity or gender, for example, the data says something completely different.

Marilyn Lynch, associate vice president of career and program resources, said: "The biggest difference is that having the grant allowed us to really focus on some very specific strategies to improve student success. … It allowed us to really provide professional development in a way we couldn't afford otherwise.

"We are now a much more data-informed institution and make more intelligent decisions."

She also said the biggest challenge has been helping advisers realize the benefits of learning communities and the different initiatives, so they can encourage students who would most benefit to enroll.

A student working on basics to transfer to Texas A&M University said the main difference he has seen between regular credit courses and developmental studies and initiatives, such as learning communities, is the professor involvement.

He said developmental studies professors are required to meet one-on-one with the students and discuss the students' progress.

"Professors in outside courses are kind of nonchalant about grades," he said. "You can pass or fail - it doesn't affect whether you can take another course or not. You have to go after grades on your own."

A nursing sophomore said it all depends on the professor; she said she has had a good balance of professors in both developmental and credit courses.

Hubbard said almost half of U.S. undergraduates are at community colleges, and fewer than half (41 percent) of those students meet their educational goals.

"[Achieving the Dream] started in response to that reality," he said.

According to Hubbard, one of the initiatives undertaken first in 2005, which was developed at Brookhaven, were Future Achievers Succeeding Today cohorts, which is an initiative aimed at students who placed into two subjects in developmental studies. They had specific advisers who would address their individual needs in a case management scenario, and they had books and tuition paid.

Another initiative undertaken was the resurfacing of learning communities, when students enroll in courses together. There is more accountability and higher retention rates among these students because of the group mentality, Hubbard said.

An art freshman currently enrolled in a learning community involving a developmental reading and a human development course said she enjoyed the learning community because she felt more comfortable asking her peers questions.

She said some of the people in her class are now her really good friends.

A constructive management sophomore said he felt the learning communities were extremely helpful for student success.

"We're in the fight together, move up together and develop friendships," he said.

A nursing sophomore said learning communities made her feel like she had somebody to connect with.

One last initiative was the extension of linked courses, which, Hubbard said, function like learning communities, only both classes are in the same room and both professors collaborate and coordinate the courses together.

"All of this works to increase engagement and interaction among students," Hubbard said.

Lynch said, "Grants force you to look at things in a very reflective and pragmatic way."

Brookhaven will be notified whether or not it will receive the new grant by late May, but Lynch said initiatives to better prepare students and provide them with a more fulfilling college experience will continue regardless.

She admitted it will be more difficult without the funds for professional development, but the ideas would still be implemented.

An undecided freshman said she is happy with the programs Brookhaven has to offer, but said, in the end, it's a matter of whether or not the student wants to succeed.

"There's not much else the school can do - it's up to the students," she said.

A constructive management sophomore said he is most pleased with the human development course that teaches students study skills and prepares them for overall college success.