Darton State College (DSC) is a four-year access institution located in the southwest region of the state of Georgia. As a leader and advocate for diverse populations and their lifelong-learning needs, the institution is committed to meeting the needs of the southwest region through greater access to postsecondary education and maintaining excellence in instructional delivery. DSC’s vision is to create a more educated community, well prepared for a global, technological society, by providing first-rate undergraduate education and committed public service. DSC strives to sustain its vision and commitment to the students and the community by remaining true to its mission:
Darton, a state college within the University System of Georgia, is focused on providing a diverse constituency access to certificate, associate, and select baccalaureate programs of study. Dedicated to serving as an access institution, our College will empower students by engaging them in a student-centered, caring, and technically advanced environment through innovative delivery systems. Darton is committed to providing exemplary teaching to students in our community, region, and state. As a multi-campus1, residential institution, the College pursues traditional and unique mechanisms to deliver education to its richly diverse student body. In service to the community, Darton State College will offer cultural enrichment experiences, continuing education, and economic development programs.
DSC offers bachelor’s degrees, transfer associate degrees, career associate degrees, applied science degree and certificate programs. The institution’s degree programs are based upon academic disciplines appropriate to higher education and are compatible with its mission to provide “a wide diversity of constituent access to certificate, associate, and select baccalaureate programs of study.[1]
DSC’s student body is primarily representative of students within its 14 county service area: Baker, Calhoun, Crisp, Colquitt, Dougherty, Early, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Randolph, Sumter, Terrell, Turner, and Worth. More than half of the area high school graduates attend DSC, and approximately 45% of the students are from Dougherty County. Additionally, approximately 1% of students are from out-of-state and about 100 are from other countries. Females outnumber males by more than 2 to 1, and Caucasians and African Americans represent 94% of the student body.
A snapshot of the characteristics of the DSC student body is provided below.
RACE/ETHNICITY |
Number |
Percent |
Hispanic/Latino |
183 |
3.3% |
American Indian or Alaskan Native |
12 |
0.2% |
Asian |
93 |
1.7% |
Black/African American |
2525 |
44.9% |
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander |
5 |
0.1% |
White |
2739 |
48.7% |
Two or More races |
47 |
0.8% |
Race Unknown or Undeclared |
19 |
0.3% |
GENDER |
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Male |
29% |
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Female |
71% |
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ENROLLMENT STATUS |
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Full-time |
54% |
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Part-time |
46% |
There were 5,623 students enrolled at the institution during fall semester of 2014, of which 46% (2,580) were enrolled full-time and 54% (3,043) were enrolled part-time. There was a minimal increase in part-time enrollment during 5 of the last 6 years, which indicates the institution’s part-time population is growing. About 57% of DSC’s students are below age 25. DSC has historically maintained a majority enrollment of non-traditional students (25 and older); however, the percentage of students under the age 25 began to increase during fall of 2013 and represented the majority of students enrolled at DSC during the fall of 2013 and 2014.
Part-Time Enrollment 2009-2014 |
Adult Learners (25 and Older) |
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Term |
% of Part-Time Students Enrolled |
Term |
% of Adult Learners |
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Fall 2009 |
51% |
Fall 2009 |
75% |
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Fall 2010 |
53% |
Fall 2010 |
67% |
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Fall 2011 |
52% |
Fall 2011 |
62% |
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Fall 2012 |
50% |
Fall 2012 |
60% |
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Fall 2013 |
53% |
Fall 2013 |
52% |
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Fall 2014 |
54% |
Fall 2014 |
43% |
To increase access to a college education, DSC offers fully online degrees and certificates and partially online degrees. During the fall 2014 semester, 64% of DSC students participated in distance education by taking at least one online class, and 34% of students were enrolled fully online. The online enrollment percentages suggest an ever- increasing need for additional online programs and degree offerings to serve this growing population of distance education students.
DSC experienced a steady increase in enrollment from 2003 to 2013, but since then, has seen a decline in enrollment numbers during 2014-2015, with 9.2% decrease in enrollment in fall of 2014 as compared to its fall semester of 2013 enrollment of 6,195.
While enrollment has increased overall for the University System, it has largely bypassed the South Georgia schools. Several factors triggered the declines in enrollment throughout the southwest region of the state, including state and federal policy revisions. DSC’s 14 county service area has been identified as facing workforce challenges, poverty, and lack of educational training. These challenges have a negative impact on the economic vitality of the community and lead to a low-skilled workforce and lack of opportunities for future growth.
In cooperation with the University System of Georgia and the Complete College mandate, and to sustain its own institutional mission, DSC has developed a plan to increase “on- time” degree completion and retention and graduation rates. The established priorities and goals of the plan coincide with Governor Nathan Deal’s plan to gain an additional 250,000 postsecondary graduates by 2020 so that the state has a more educated workforce.
The combined focus of the institution’s mission and the implementation of the goals and strategies set forth in DSC’s Complete College Georgia Plan will challenge the institution to continue to seek innovative strategies and delivery modes to contribute to increased access and “on time” degree completion rates, while providing students with a breadth and depth of knowledge to prepare them for multiple academic and career pathways.
The CCG Status Report documents the institution’s on-going efforts to increase the completion rates of DSC’s students.
DSC’s key priorities for completion include the following:
These priorities align directly with our mission in addition to reflecting the larger Complete College Georgia (CCG) goals. Our mission to offer education to a “wide diversity of constituents” and to provide “innovative delivery systems and promote exemplary teaching” fostered the continued development of our dual/joint enrollment and online programs. These programs are slated to reach the widest pool of potential college participants by offering several options for course completion. It is our institutional goal to improve student completion through the distance education programs and programs such as dual enrollment for high school students. Further, DSC has instituted the restructuring of its advising and remediation programs to promote a more student-centered environment based on our student body profile.
DSC is pursuing the following Complete College Georgia goals:
Goal 1: Increase the number of undergraduate degrees awarded
Goal 2: Increase in the number of degrees that are earned “on time” (associate degrees in two years and bachelor’s degrees in four years).
Goal 6: Shorten time to degree completion through programs that allow students to earn college credit while still in high school and by awarding credit for prior learning that is verified by appropriate assessment.
Goal 7: Increase the likelihood of degree completion by transforming the way remediation is accomplished.
Goal 8: Restructure instructional delivery to support educational excellence and student success.
DSC has identified and has begun to implement five high-impact strategies that align with one or more CCG goals. The first strategy is to transform advising with the purpose of increasing the overall number of degrees awarded and increasing the number of on-time degrees. Specific to the strategy, DSC has implemented a New Student Orientation to provide specialized advising experiences for new students through the inclusion of one-on-one time with advisors and clarification of institution, as well as program of study, requirements. The role of the advisor has been changed, so that the advisor focuses on advisement. In the past, the process was focused on registration rather than advisement. Lastly, DSC has removed the late registration day, only allowing students to drop/add courses, and has changed the name and structure of “pre-registration” to “spring advising/early registration.”
Strategy 1: Transform Advising
Strategy 2: Fifteen to Finish Campaign
Strategy 3: Transform Remediation
Strategy 4: Restructure Online Learning
Strategy 5: Dual Enrollment
High-impact Strategy: |
Strategy 1: Transform Advising |
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Related Goal |
Goal 2: Increase the number of degrees that are earned “on time” (associate degrees in 2 years, bachelor’s degrees in 4 years) also contributes to Goals 1 & 6. |
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Summary of Activities |
Strategy 1: The previous CCG report detailed the specific strategies of focus related to advising and faculty perception is now positive that the changes have been implemented. With this process in place, students begin classes on time and have quality advising that is much different from the last minute advising experienced during late registration. Changes to advising that were highlighted in the last CCG report are listed below:
While the changes above are still being refined, the primary focus of advising changes during the 2014-2015 academic year was on the New Student Orientation Program, which allowed students to be advised and registered for classes on an earlier timeframe.
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Baseline Status |
Student GPA based on advising and registration timeframe Fall 2013
Results of Independent Samples t-tests and Descriptive Statistics for GPA During the Fall 2014 Semester by Timeframe Registered for Classes. Student GPA based on advising and registration timeframe Fall 2014
N = Number of student |
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Statistical Analysis of Baseline Status |
There are statistically significant differences, at the .001 level of significance, between college students who are advised and register early compared with those who register late with their semester grade point averages (GPAs). Statistically, there is little chance that the higher GPAs achieved by those who were advised and registered early were due to chance. Results show that students who are advised and register early, earn a significantly higher GPA than those who are advised and registered later. |
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Measures of Success |
The percentage of DSC students who are being advised and registering early has increased by nearly 15% since 2012 The mean GPA of those students and the positive difference from those who were advised and registered later has remained consistent. |
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Lessons Learned |
With an obvious GPA advantage to those students who are advised and register early we will continue to push our students to take advantage of this option. With the ability to identify and target a population of our students, those who register later, who are underperforming compared to their counterparts, we can look for other reasons that might be impacting this group of students and work to build services to assist them outside of early advising and registration. |
High-impact Strategy: |
Strategy 2: Fifteen to Finish Campaign |
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Related Goal |
Goal 2: Increase the number of degrees that are earned “on time” (associate degrees in 2 years, bachelor’s degrees in 4 years) also contributes to Goals 1 & 6. |
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Summary of Activities |
Strategy: As a part of the new student orientation experience, incoming students hear numerous presentations from faculty, staff, and administrators about making the transition to college. Incoming students spend one-on-one time with advisors in their designated major who assist with course selection, clarification of institutional requirements, and answer specific questions pertaining to programs of study. The Fifteen to Finish initiative is a focal point of the new student orientation experience, particularly as it relates to the time spent with the academic advisors and during registration. DSC targeted First-Time, Full-Time freshmen participating in New Student Orientation as an audience for the Fifteen to Finish campaign, and is a strategy that relates specifically to increasing the number of degrees earned “on time”. A Fifteen-to-Finish presentation has been part of each new student orientation since fall of 2014. This presentation has captured over 870 new college students and their parents with the benefits of Fifteen to Finish. Also, an additional 122 online students were presented information about the benefits during the online orientations. |
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Baseline Status |
Percent of First Time, Full Time students enrolling in 15 or more credit hours. The Fifteen-to Finish campaign was launched on the DSC campus for all students attending new student orientation in fall 2014, so fall 2013 cohort serves as baseline (32%) Percent of First Time, Full Time students completing 15 or more credit hours in first semester, Fall 2013 baseline. |
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Interim Measures of Progress |
Data results for 2010-2015 are presented below indicating trends for First Time, Full Time freshman taking 15 credit hours or more. Data results for 2010-1015 are presented below indicating the trends for percent of First Time, Full Time freshman earning 15 or more credit hours in first term.
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Measures of Success |
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Lessons Learned |
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High-impact strategy |
Strategy 3: Transform Remediation Transform Remediation by (a) ending the practice of requiring students to withdraw from all collegiate courses when they withdraw from learning support courses and (b) placing students in co-requisite remediation courses with unlimited attempts for success. |
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Related goal |
Goal 7: Increase the likelihood of degree completion by transforming the way that remediation is accomplished. |
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Summary of activities |
(a) DSC ended the practice of requiring students to drop all courses when a learning support course is dropped. The only exception is that students cannot drop a co-requisite course without dropping the attached collegiate-level course. DSC hosted five different training sessions open to the entire campus regarding these new changes to educate them on the initiative and all other learning support changes. (b) In fall 2014, DSC added ENGL 0999 (+ENGL 1101) to the schedule for the first time and allowed students to place directly into co-requisite remediation if they required reading and/or English remediation. In spring 2015, DSC began offering co-requisite remediation for quantitative reasoning (MATH 1001 + MATH 0997), and in fall 2015, will begin offering co-requisite remediation for college algebra (MATH 1111 + MATH 0999). Students will also be able to place directly into math co-requisite remediation in fall 2015, meaning that the program will be at full-scale implementation for all learning support courses by fall 2015. While students in foundations-level learning support courses are allowed only two attempts to exit, students in co-requisite remediation have unlimited attempts to exit. DSC has seen the biggest impact on the number of students who are suspended for learning support attempts. Our numbers over the past few semesters have dropped dramatically! |
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Baseline status |
Number of students who were withdrawn from all courses in fall 2013 after dropping one or more learning support courses:
While this number is not very high, it is also important to note that many students chose to stop attending class and receive an F rather than have all of their courses removed. Of course, not all F grades are reflective on non-attendance, but a significant number certainly are. Students who continued to attend learning support courses and participate in their coursework would receive an IP grade instead of an F. Percentage of students who received an F for a learning support course in fall 2013:
The option to provide co-requisite remediation has helped our students in two ways. First of all, it allows them to successfully complete learning support and their gateway course in one semester. Additionally, the ability to have unlimited attempts cuts down on the number of students who would have been suspended for reaching their max attempts in learning support. Pass Rates for Learning Support Reading and English In fall 2013, 69% of students passed ENGL 0099 and 73% of students passed READ 0099; this includes students who were in their first and second attempts. Suspensions Spring 2012 - Number of students who were suspended for max learning support attempts in reading, English, and/or math: 139 Spring 2013 - Number of students who were suspended for max learning support attempts in reading, English, and/or math: 127 |
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Interim measures of progress |
In fall 2014, all students were able to drop a learning support course without dropping everything. As a W does not count as an attempt for Foundations courses, this gives students an additional chance to complete a course when they feel more prepared. However, not many students have taken advantage of this opportunity. In fall 2014, only 27 students dropped a learning support course. Additionally, the fail rate continued to be high for fall 2014 LS courses:
As was mentioned above, the creation of co-requisite remediation Pass Rates for Learning Support Reading and English Of those who tested directly into ENGL 0989 in fall 2014, 70% were able to successfully pass the course by their second attempt. The pass rate for these students in their first attempt was 62%. In fall 2014, 71 students were enrolled in ENGL 1101 and ENGL 0999. The pass rates for the first semester of co-requisite remediation were not as high as originally hoped. First Attempt
Second Attempt
As we started the math co-requisite in the spring, we do not yet have data for this area. Suspensions In spring 2014, we were able to make large improvements with a pilot which, allowed students to switch their math pathways. This resulted in about 50 fewer students who would have been suspended. With the full implementation of our co-requisite remediation for fall 2015 semester, that number has dropped by 50 more students. Students who had completed MATH 0097 with a C or higher were able to transition into MATH 0997+1001 (if their pathway allowed) or MATH 0999+1111, both of which allow for unlimited attempts. Number of students who were suspended for max learning support attempts in spring 2014: 78 Number of students who were suspended for max learning support attempts in spring 2015: 22 |
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Measures of success |
(a) Prior to completing this report, our institution had not developed measures of success for this strategy, aside from tracking those who were able to drop the learning support courses without deleting their entire schedule, which in itself is a success. However, we are currently writing a report that will pull the semester GPAs for those students who do withdraw from a learning support course to see if they are still successful in their other courses. (b) Overall, 56% of students who tested into co-requisite remediation passed the course by their second attempt. Though this number is not exceedingly high, and even though it is lower than the pass rate for the stand-alone learning support courses, we have seen an improvement in college-level course success. In fall 2013, only 38% of students who had previously been enrolled in a learning support reading or English course passed ENGL 1101 in fall 2013 (this includes students on any attempt of ENGL 1101). This speaks to CCG strategy 7.3: Ensure that all remediation is targeted toward supporting students in the skills they need to pass the collegiate course. Though our students’ pass rates in the stand-alone remediation courses for English and reading were higher before the revamp, their pass rates for their college-level (ENGL 1101) course were not. The new courses are geared toward creating success for ENGL 1101 and not for passing an exit COMPASS test, as is evidenced by the data above. We will also continue to monitor the number of students who are suspended because of maximum learning support attempts, particularly as the new policy for only two attempts in math learning support is implemented at the foundations level. |
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Lessons learned |
(a) Though we provided training campus-wide to address this policy change, we did not see a significant change in those students who did drop the learning support course, and the failure rate for the learning support courses is still very high. To counteract this, the instructors will begin more intrusive advising for their students with the help of our new Transitional Studies and Academic Retention Coordinator. The instructors and the coordinator will work with learning support students to be sure they are aware of their options and the implications of withdrawing from or staying in the course. Of course, it is preferable for a student to take his or her learning support course in the first semester and pass it on the first attempt, but for some very unprepared students, withdrawing from the course and continuing to work on refining skills until the next semester is sometimes the better way to go. We also hope that as the new EPI and MPI indices are put in place that we will have a better way to place students in a way that will allow them to be most successful. Finally, when the math pathways and learning support levels are at full implementation in fall 2015, we hope that this will also assist students to be more successful in their future coursework and not just their learning support courses. (b) Though students are not being suspended any longer, we are still concerned about the pass rates for students in co-requisite remediation. To further help students who are struggling in English 1101, we have established a Supporting Opportunities for Success (SOS) team for our 1101 sections. The SOS team members will specifically provide support to those students in their second attempt of ENGL 1101, so that their second attempt will hopefully be their last. Of course, assistance will be provided to any student requesting support. In addition to students reaching out for support, instructors will also work with the SOS team to create plans of action for struggling students. This team will consist of our Writing Center personnel and our Transitional Studies and Academic Retention Coordinator. They will be placed in the GaView support shells or online courses of our 1101 sections to assist repeating students with any difficulty they may face. The Writing Center personnel can provide specific assistance for essay writing and documentation strategies, and they will direct students to appropriate personnel in the library when needed. The Retention Coordinator will point students toward other campus resources for additional problems they may face including disability services, counseling needs, or help with motivation and time management. The SOS team will begin with pilot sections in fall 2015. The team members will be placed in all sections of ENGL 1101 which are paired with 0999. Finally, as we will be at full-scale implementation of all learning support in math and reading/English in fall 2015, we will continue to track student success not just in learning support but in related college-level courses, as well. |
High Impact Strategy |
Strategy 1: Online Support Strategy 2: Online Content |
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Related Goal |
Goal 8: Enhance instructional delivery and student services to support educational excellence and student success. |
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Summary of Activities |
Strategy 1: During the fall 2014 semester, 64% of DSC students participated in distance education by taking at least one online class, and 34% of DSC students were fully online. To more effectively serve the student population, Online Support Specialists (OSS’s) were assigned to fully online students in each major area of the Institution. These Online Support Specialists provided specialized support to this student population, which included but was not limited to, assistance with admissions, advising, registration, course navigation, and proctored testing. Number of "online only" students
Additionally, in fall 2013 approximately 17% of the total credit hours taken were garnered from students taking classes solely online. The support specialists utilized an ACCESS database to track the number and type of student contacts for the semester. This data was analyzed to assist in identifying potential gaps in student support for fully at-a-distance students. Strategy 2: DSC contracts with select full-time faculty who, as content experts, create MasterShells([2]) for specific disciplines, mentor new and adjunct faculty, and review courses periodically throughout the semester. This online lead designer/faculty program ensures that MasterShells cover all required learning objectives, meet DSC’s standards for academic rigor, and assist student success by providing a well-organized course structure. |
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Baseline Status |
Strategy 1:
Strategy 2:
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Interim Measures of Progress |
Strategy 1: Between September 1, 2014 and December 3, 2014, 2,720 contacts were made of which 1,614 were unduplicated student contacts. Eighty-two percent of the contacts dealt with direct course concerns ranging from advising and proctoring questions to course navigation issues. Only 3% of the contacts were specific to academic services such as online tutoring or other academic support. While 79% of the attempted online credit hours for fall 2015 were successfully completed, the online learning division will continue to take proactive steps to ensure that fully at-a-distance students are aware of academic support services available to them. This will include additional contacts through email, phone calls, and webinar sessions, which should further increase the percentage of successfully completed online credit hour attempts in future semesters. Strategy 2: The online learning division has worked diligently to create MasterShell content for specific core classes and to assign mentors to new online faculty members and online adjuncts. MasterShell content ensures that learning objectives and assessment criteria are included in the course content and that they meet DSC’s standards for academic rigor. Online Learning implemented the use of MasterShells fall 2012. Content has been developed for sixteen courses, which are routinely staffed by adjunct faculty. Full-time faculty members may choose to use the master content, but adjunct faculty are required to use the content as a base shell. During any given fall term, 60 to 130 online sections utilize MasterShell content. DWF rates tracked from fall 2011 (baseline data) through fall 2014 demonstrated a disappointing increase from 2011 to 2013, with a decline from 2013 to 2014. The Online Division is cautiously optimistic that the approach may be demonstrating some benefit. Additional monitoring will need to be done before any firm conclusions can be made. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis should be performed to determine inconsistencies in data, define student characteristics, and identify gaps in curriculum development and delivery decisions. |
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Overall Measures of Success |
Strategy 1:
Strategy 2:
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Lessons Learned |
The Online Learning Division continues to work with Enrollment Management teams to track online student populations. DSC has opted to use parameters other than student course load to assign the student campus code in Banner, which continues to make tracking online only students a challenge. In an attempt to identify online only students, a student attribute code was created and key Admission and Registrar staff were asked to ensure the code was applied correctly to student records. There remains a learning curve regarding the student attribute code, and RPG numbers for online only students remain difficult to disengage from the overall student population. |
High-impact strategy |
Strategy 5: Expand dual enrollment programs. |
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Related Goal |
Goal 6: Shorten time to degree completion through programs that allow students to earn college credit while still in high school (also relates to goal 1) |
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Summary of Activities |
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Baseline Status |
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Interim Measures Of Progress |
Dual Enrollment Fall 2014
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Measures of Success |
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Lessons Learned |
DSC realized the need to develop a customized orientation to help students’ progress and complete programs of study, while simultaneously meeting high school requirements. Students earning dual credit have many processes that are significantly different from first-time, full-time freshmen (admissions requirements and procedures, financial and payment procedures, etc.) DSC created a Dual Enrollment Coordinator position for FY 15, but the institution discovered the need to provide more training opportunities for other members of the admissions team regarding recruitment strategies and assistance with advising and registration |
DSC implemented five high-impact strategies in its Complete College Georgia plan. Although the level of success for each strategy varies, all strategies have shown some degree of promise. DSC will continue to modify the strategies as appropriate to yield results that will impact student success.
DSC’s strategy of transforming advising was particularly impactful regarding the importance of students being advised and registering for classes prior to “late registration” deadlines. Early advising and registration had an impact on student success as evidenced with average GPA’s of early advising students being 0.5 points higher than students that registered late.
Transforming Remediation has increased the number of students eligible for gateway courses, reduced the number of students in foundation level learning support classes, improved retention, and cut cost. Plans for the current year include additional intervention strategies for students that are at risk including more intrusive advising from faculty as well as support from the newly established Transitional Studies and Academic Retention Coordinator. Additionally, the establishment of Supporting Opportunities for Success (SOS) team will provide intervention and support for students in co-requisite remediation.
Enhancing online instructional delivery and student services to support educational excellence and student success has continued to be effective. The use of Online Support Specialists as well as the design and implementation of course MasterShells developed by lead faculty content experts, have been impactful towards student success. It appears that the effective implementation of MasterShells have played a role in reducing the DWF rates in online courses. Further monitoring and analysis will continue to identify gaps in curriculum development and delivery decisions with a focus on comparing courses with and without MasterShell content.
DSC was successful in expanding the number of dual enrollment students and the number of courses taken by each student. The number of students enrolled increased from our baseline of 75 students in the fall 2013 semester to 185 in the fall 2015 semester, a 247% increase. We expect the number of dual enrollment students to increase further with the new Move On When Ready law that was passed this year. This new law will allow us to attract more students due to the addition of summer enrollment, book waivers, and the authorization of new courses. The dual enrollment program is certainly shortening the time to degree completion, as evidenced by the 6 dual enrollment students who graduated with their associate degrees before completing high school after the spring 2015 semester. We currently have spring 2016 graduation applications for 11 students.
DSC’s Fifteen-to-Finish initiative, provided a slow but steady increase in the number of First Time Full Time students attempting 15 or more credit hours per semester since its implementation, but a more static number completing 15 credit hours. To that end additional strategies beyond New Student Orientation must be developed to communicate the importance and benefits of the Fifteen-to-Finish campaign to students and parents.
Despite our successes in areas mentioned in this report, DSC recognizes that we have challenges that need to be resolved during the upcoming year. One area includes improving our data collection and analysis structures to ensure that we have the most up to date and accurate information to make purposeful decisions. Additionally, we will work on fostering a sense of shared commitment across campus with respect to DSC’s CCG plan, by bringing appropriate parties to the table more frequently throughout the year to review data, discuss strategies and initiatives, and to communicate progress more effectively to the campus community.
[1] The phrase multi-campus refers to multiple instructional sites that offer less than 50% of the coursework needed to complete a program of study.
[2] Darton State College creates “master” content for online classes in certain disciplines. This content is then shared to adjuncts teaching in that area. We call the courses that have the master content -MasterShells.