October 16, 2006

Achieving the Dream at Lone Star College System:  What the Community College Survey of Student Engagement Tells Us about the Typical Lone Star College System Student

A principal reason for participating in AtD is to develop an organizational culture within Lone Star College System that utilizes data to improve student success.  The first few AtD Updates focused on setting the stage for implementation of AtD.  This week, we will start looking at specific data snapshots that focus on various aspects of student success, beginning with a portrait of the "typical" Lone Star College System student.  

Information for this week's update is drawn from the 2005 Lone Star College System Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE).  Even though only 2100 Lone Star College System students were surveyed, that sample was a randomly, stratified sample, designed to give a statistically valid snapshot of all Lone Star College System students. 

In 2003, Lone Star College System began conducting the CCSSE survey biannually with the next survey to occur in Spring 2007.  CCSSE's survey instrument, The Community College Student Report, provides information on student engagement, a key indicator of learning and, therefore, of the quality of community colleges. The survey asks questions that assess institutional practices and student behaviors that are correlated highly with student learning and student retention.   

We traditionally think of community college students as being mature adults (average age of 29, largely female), frantically juggling spouses, young children, work and school.  With the exception of gender, the 2005 CCSSE data paints a very different picture of the typical Lone Star College System student.

• The ratio of men to women on our campuses is roughly 1 to 2.   Interestingly enough, the ratio of male to female students has remained fairly constant and is validated by other district-produced reports. 
• Our students are getting younger.  From 2003 to 2005, the number of students age 25 or younger increased almost 10 points to 71.2 percent, indicating that in general, Lone Star College System's student body is continuing to get younger.   (Note:  Dual credit classes are not included in the CCSSE survey.)
• Our students tend to be single:  75 percent of the 2005 Lone Star College System respondents were not married.
• Only 33 percent reported they were responsible for the daily care of a child.

• Chart courtesy of Harald Jensen, NHC

  Over 60 percent reported beginning their college education at Lone Star College System and, depending on the college, between 62 and 78 percent indicate their goal was to eventually transfer to a four-year college or university. 

How we choose to answer the questions that these data generate have enormous consequences for Lone Star College System as a whole.  For example,

• In the general population, in the 18-25 age bracket, the ratio of men to women is almost 1:1.  So why are young men not enrolling in college?  Are there strategies which we as Lone Star College System faculty and staff can adopt to better recruit and retain young men?
• Given that younger students tend to be less focused than older students, what are the policy implications?  What academic services need to be developed to better support these younger learners?  How should our technology change to support younger learners?  
• A large percent of our students appear to be free from the burden of spouses and children.  In fact, as a whole, they appear to have a lot in common with the typical four-year college student - and student life is a huge part of the college experience for students at those institutions.  Should student life activities be restructured at Lone Star College System to accommodate the needs of these younger individuals?  If so, what are changes that can be made that will best serve the needs of these younger learners?
• Like four-year college and university students, the majority of our students report their goal for attending college is to earn a four-year degree.  Given this intense interest in transfer among our students, how can we develop better advising and career guidance to help students as they prepare to transition from a two-year to a four-year environment?

The questions above represent only a handful of the questions generated by even these few bits of information.  As we dig into the work of AtD, we encourage you to begin a dialogue about these data with your colleagues and with the students you interact with daily.  While generating questions is Step 1 of the process, generating answers to these questions is where the work of AtD really begins.