Blinn College
Developmental education students who participated in Learning Communities at Blinn College completed courses at higher rates than their peers.
Results from the two Learning Communities that Blinn College tested in Fall 2010 look promising. Eighteen students who were placed in developmental Reading 0306 took it in conjunction with a college-level U.S. history course. Sixteen students placed in developmental English 0321 took it along with English 1301, a college-level composition course.
- 83% of the students completed the linked reading course and 89% completed the linked history course. This compares favorably with the 82% of the 211 students who completed non-paired sections of the reading course, and 78% of the 1,969 students who completed non-paired history sections during Fall 2010.
- 82% of the students in the linked developmental English course completed it while 82% of 123 students who took the non-linked versions completed it.
- 88% of the students in the linked composition course completed it compared to 83% of the 2,193 students who took non-linked sections of the course.
Blinn College was established in 1883. Its four campuses serve residents of 13 counties.
In Fall 2010, the college enrolled 17,200 students. Fourteen percent were Hispanic, nine percent were African American, two percent were Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander, and one percent were American Indians. Twenty percent of students received Pell grants.
Blinn College was one of six community colleges in the nation to receive the Community Engagement classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2011.
The college has had an extensive service learning program since 2004. Service learning combines community service with classroom instruction and focuses on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility to engage students.
Other interventions which Blinn College is testing include:
- On-campus and online versions of New Student Orientation.
- Early Advising for students in developmental reading and English. Counselors visit students during lab sections to explain the advising process, to help them set goals, and to encourage participation in Learning Communities and summer school.
- Scholastic Probation for first-time, full-time students who are placed on academic probation because their first semester grade point averages are 2.0 or less. Students who volunteer to participate are assigned faculty coaches who advise them on academic success techniques, course scheduling, and career decisions.
The Achieving the Dream Model
Achieving the Dream community colleges commit to our Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement. Based on four principles, the model frames the overall work of helping more students, particularly low- income students and students of color, stay in school and earn a college certificate or degree.
Each college approaches the work differently, but Achieving the Dream’s five-step process provides practical guidelines for keeping the focus where it belongs and building momentum over time. Throughout the process, Achieving the Dream coaches offer customized support and help each college’s core team implement data-informed programs and policies that build long-term, institution-wide commitment to student success.
