Sinclair Community College
Students who took the revamped Student Success course are persisting at a higher rate than the general college population and has thus prompted Sinclair Community College to make it a requirement for most programs.
Prior to Achieving the Dream, Sinclair Community College had discipline- specific versions of its Student Success course (SCC 101). Using student feedback and data collections, the college has revised the course to meet students’ needs. Instructors also received professional development to ensure consistency across sections. Higher term-to-term and fall-to-fall retention rates followed these changes.
In Fall 2010, for instance, 79% of the 1,900 students who took SCC 101 persisted to Winter 2011 as compared with 66% of the overall college population. Fall 2009 to 2010 retention was 46% versus 34%.
When curricula were revised collegewide for the shift from quarters to semesters in 2012, most academic departments added SCC 101 to their lists of required courses. Health sciences programs are the major exception due to external constraints on their curricula.
Sinclair Community College plans to add half-semester versions of SCC 101 to make it possible for more students to complete the course during their first term.
Sinclair serves eight western Ohio counties. In Fall 2009, the college enrolled 22,600 students and of these students, 15% were African American, 2% were Hispanic, 2% were Asian, and 29% received Pell grants.
Achieving the Dream’s core goals permeate the college’s operations and therefore its accreditation projects focus on improving student learning and success. In addition, any justifications for budget requests must address any effects on students’ success and completion capabilities.
The board receives frequent reports about student success data and interventions. Institutional researchers analyze success patterns and use grant-funded initiatives that have increased student success and have also been institutionalized with college funds. Initiatives to improve both the processes of teaching and learning have moved beyond gateway courses.
Sinclair Community College’s ongoing work to improve student success includes:
- New Advising approaches for first-time students with experienced advisors
- Revisions to Biology 141 – Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, the first course in a challenging three-course sequence for nursing students
- The Urban African American Mentoring Program to engage and retain African-American students
- The Center for Teaching and Learning, which provides workshops and learning communities to address persistence and completion gaps
- Math Modules that provide self-paced labs for students in developmental math
- Boot Camps that provide intensive reviews for students who want to retake placement tests
- Pilot tests of the Quantway math curriculum and Accelerated Developmental English
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.
Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges
Leader Colleges are demonstrating the power of the Achieving the Dream Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement. They show us it is possible to raise persistence and graduation rates, close achievement gaps, and change lives. Leader Colleges embody the ultimate goal of Achieving the Dream, and as such, serve as mentors within our community of learners.
To be eligible for Leader College distinction, colleges must show three or more years of improvement on one or more of these five measures:
- Course completion
- Advancement from developmental to credit-bearing courses
- Completion of college-level math and English courses
- Term-to-term and year-to-year retention
- Completion of certificates or degrees
