College Profiles

Paul D. Camp Community College

Background

Paul D. Camp Community College serves the rural residents of Southampton and Isle of Wight counties in southeastern Virginia with campuses in Franklin and Suffolk.  In 2008-2009, Paul D. Camp Community College had an enrollment of 2,487 students.

The college’s student body, faculty and staff mirror the racial diversity of the region, however students of color do not succeed at the same level as white students.  While 18.8% of white students in the 2003 cohort graduated within four years, only 10.4% of black students did.

Achieving the Dream Interventions

PDCCC developed interventions that would allow it to improve student success for high-risk students:

Early Alert System

Early Alert is a system for identifying students who are having difficulties in a given course.  An instructor fills out an Early Alert in the fifth week of class on students who are having difficulties in class.  The Early Alert is then sent to a counselor for action and feedback.  Once the notice is received, the counselor contacts the student and apprises them of the situation and the student takes steps to improve their performance in the class.  Students may be identified for Early Alert for a variety of reasons, including absences, lateness, poor test scores, language skills, and writing abilities.  The goal of the Early Alert system is not designed to penalize students, but rather to address academic problems or difficulties early on in the semester so a student can successfully complete the course.

Results

The completion rate of gatekeeper English with a grade of “C” or better increased by 14.7% between 2003 and 2006 for full-time students.