Community college trends

In this morning’s Inside Higher Ed:

Community College Surge

In economic downturns, community college enrollments go up, as those who lose jobs … seek to add skills or training, and as some students who might otherwise have gone away for college look to save money by living at home while attending classes. As the economic downturn hit hard last year, this trend was immediately evident, with many community colleges reporting a flood of students.

A survey released Tuesday here at a meeting of the League for Innovation in the Community College suggests that the early anecdotal reports of increased enrollment are in fact correct. Further, community colleges are reporting increases in just about every major type of program they offer – with notable increases online….

The director of LICC suggests that, owing to budget issues, community colleges are at risk of weakening their “infrastructure” (counselors, et al.) and putting themselves in a weak position to compete with for-profit schools:

For-profit higher education tends to be quite efficient at responding to students' information requests, processing forms, guiding people through programs and responding to inquiries, [LICC Director Kenneth C.] Green noted. And when for-profit colleges offer good service, he suggested, they set a standard that community colleges may have difficulty meeting – at least if they continue to cut positions outside the classroom.

These days, Green said, students have the view of "if I have one lousy experience with your college, to hell with you, I'll go to [the University of] Phoenix."

Figuring Out Freshmen

A new report suggests that many incoming community college students do not take advantage of valuable student resources simply because they are not aware of them. It argues that two-year institutions need to do a better job of personally assisting new students, especially within the "make or break" time period of their first few weeks.

The latest findings from the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) were released today….
…
Kay McClenney, CCSSE's director and head of the department of educational administration at the University of Texas at Austin, said the survey’s data show the importance of the first weeks of a student’s college career. By analyzing student engagement at this point, she said community college administrators and instructors can make valuable changes to their approaches, applying proven techniques that make a difference in their students' academic outcome.

Most of the surveyed students reported that they “felt welcome” the first time they arrived on campus and that they were able to get the information they needed to register for class. Still, 76 percent of them noted that there was not a “specific person” designated for them to see if they “needed information or assistance.” The report suggests that more colleges should adopt personalized advising programs, matching students with mentors earlier.

Within this same short time frame, the report notes that most students adopt a number of bad habits that continue to plague them throughout their college career. For example, 32 percent of incoming students reported that they “turned in at least one assignment late.” Twenty-five percent said they “failed to turn in one or more assignment,” 47 percent said they “came to class unprepared” and 29 percent said they skipped class.

“Students do these things, and there are often no consequences,” said McClenney, noting that she believes students will respond to stricter guidelines. “Most of the time, nobody notices that they stop coming to class. If there are no consequences for bad behavior, it’ll continue.”….