Valencia College
Learning in Community (LinC) is one of several interventions that contributed to Valencia College’s six percentage point increase in fall-to-fall retention from 2005 to 2010 among first-time-in-college (FTIC) students.
LinC pairs two courses that are teamtaught by instructors who integrate assignments. A Success Coach also works with LinC students. More than 3,500 students have benefited from the unified experience of LinC courses since 2006.
- Fall-to-fall persistence for students in LinC courses increased from 58% in the 2006-07 cohort of 308 students to 76% in the 2009-2010 cohort of 796 students.
- Persistence rates for students in nonlinked courses ranged from 62% to 67% during the four-year period.
- Overall FTIC retention rates improved in most years during this period of enrollment growth.
Valencia College serves a diverse population on four Central Florida campuses and two centers. In Fall 2011, the college had 42,000 students; more than 30% were Hispanic, 17% were African American, 5% were Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 2% were non-resident aliens.
Valencia awarded more than $192 million in financial aid in 2010-2011 to more than 31,600 students, including loans, aid, and Pell grants. The college also provides scholarships from its $56 million endowment.
Valencia connects its Achieving the Dream and Developmental Education Initiative work with its strategic plan using team-based processes that build consensus and collaboration across all campuses. In 2011, Valencia College was named a finalist for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, in part because of the college’s graduation rate which is triple the rate of peer institutions.
As an Achieving the Dream Institution, Valencia College implemented:
Supplemental Learning, which are small group study sessions for the top six gateway courses and other courses with high enrollment and low success rates.
Math Connections, which are learning communities for students in developmental math courses to receive additional academic assistance from their instructors.
Math Fair, which is a time each semester when faculty introduce new students to math support services.
Math Depot, which is a facility on the Osceola Campus that provides online learning modules and one-on-one tutoring for students. Participation in math support services increased from 587 unique users in 2008 to 976 users visiting the Math Depot a total of 4,200 times in one recent semester.
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
