Celebrate Learning
Page 4
Increasing Success Through Strategies, Development, and Gateway Courses
Penny Colglazier
Measures of success have been
cant, there is practical significance in that
College Survival students are equally at-risk
and persisted at a rate 2% better. This
enrolled in ENGL 1003, Strategies for Acameans that we may be on the right track
demic Success, for students who enrolled in but might also need to experiment to
ENGL 0963, College Survival, and for firststrengthen the Survival course.
The increase in student success for
time freshmen who enrolled in neither
those who enrolled in Strategies holds true
course during the 2008-2009 academic
across all age categories. Specifically, in
year. Of these 3,655 students, 1,712 encomparing persistence between Tulsa
rolled in Strategies, 92 enrolled in College
Achieves students and 18-19 year old firsttime freshmen who were not a part of the
Survival, and 1,851 enrolled in neither
2008 Tulsa Achieves cohort, the success
course.
rates were significantly higher for those
Student who enrolled in Strategies who completed Strategies. Older students
persisted from fall to spring at a rate signifi- also experienced increased persistence
during the first year if enrolling in Stratecantly higher than other groups.
gies: 75% of students 20 to 29 years old,
who enrolled in Strategies, persisted fall to
85% fall to spring persistence rate for
spring compared to 57% of those in the
Strategies students
same age group who did not enroll in
Strategies. Further, 72% of students 30 and
66% fall to spring persistence rate for
over, who enrolled in Strategies, persisted
College Survival students.
fall to spring compared to 61% of those in
the same age group who did not enroll in
Strategies. Similar outcomes resulted
59% fall to spring persistence rate for
when comparing fall to fall persistence.
first-time freshmen who took neither
course.
There was no statistically significant
difference in cumulative GPA or semesFall to Spring retention for stuter GPA based upon Strategies enrolldents requiring remediation in Reading but
ment.
who took neither Strategies nor College
Survival was 55%. When compared to the There was a statistically significant
66% retention rate of College Survival studifference in Course in Reflection essay
dents, this is of statistical significance at the
scores between students who persisted and those who did not. Stu99% confidence level, which means that
taking Strategies clearly increased student
dents who scored higher on the essay
persistence.
were more likely to persist.
Student scores for all ten Learning and
61% fall to fall persistence rate for
Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI)
scales increased significantly at the
Strategies students
99% confidence level from the pretest
39% fall to fall persistence rate for Colto the posttest, indicating that student
lege Survival students.
study strategies were strengthened
41% fall to fall persistence rate for first
over the course of the semester with
-time freshmen who took neither
implications for future college success.
course.
Student scores on the Self-testing scale
had the highest mean increase from
Fall to Fall retention for students
pre to posttest. The Information Procrequiring remediation in Reading but who
essing scale resulted in the highest
took neither Strategies nor College Survival
mean posttest score and the second
was 37%. Although not statistically signifiidentified and evaluated for students who
highest increase in pre to posttest,
indicating that the Strategies course
has a significant impact on students’
knowledge acquisition, retention and
future application.
Student scores on the Attitude scale
showed the lowest increase from pre
to posttest and also resulted in the
lowest mean posttest score. This
means that the Strategies course may
have limited impact on student beliefs
that college is relevant or important to
them.
To evaluate student success for
the TCC goals of developmental course and
gateway course success, comparisons were
made between course grades of students
who enrolled in Strategies, students who
enrolled in College Survival, and first-time
freshmen who enrolled in neither course.
Few students from the College Survival
course took college-level course work, and
most significant results are between students who enrolled in Strategies and firsttime freshmen who did not. Strategies
students earned significantly higher grades
than non-Strategies first-time freshmen in:
Basic Math
Writing II
College Algebra
Biology for Majors
US History 1492 to Civil War Era
These results suggest that during
the 2008-2009 academic year, the
Strategies course was effective in
increasing persistence from fall to
spring and persistence from fall to
fall, increasing success in six developmental and gateway courses,
and increasing the efficacy of student self-testing and information
processing abilities.