A quasi-experimental assessment of interactive student response systems on student confidence, effort, and course performance

The interactive student response system (SRS), commonly referred to as ‘clickers,’ is an alternative learning method that has the potential to improve student course (i.e., quiz/examination) performance. Prior SRS studies both within accounting and other academic disciplines have found conflicting results as to its influence on student course performance. This quasi-experimental study re-examines the relationship between the use of an SRS and course performance. We also investigate how using SRS influences student confidence and time spent studying outside of class. Unlike prior SRS related studies, we tested both our SRS class and our control class (with no SRS) in the same academic semester with the same instructor to provide a higher degree of experimental control. Through doing so, we compared the benefit of immediate feedback achieved by SRS to the delayed feedback of traditional assessment formats. Higher in-class performance on multiple-choice quiz items was found for students using SRS versus those who did not use SRS; however, no significant differences in examination performance or overall course performance were noted between the two groups. Students using SRS reported being more confident in their abilities and spent less time preparing for the course outside of class, while maintaining similar overall course performance when compared to those who did not use the SRS. We conclude our study by providing areas of meaningful future research related to the use of SRS

Facilitating College Success among Emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions: Multiple Perspectives Yield Commonly Shared Diversity Goals

Although colleges must have a full‐time Latino student enrollment of at least 25 percent to federally qualify as a Hispanic Serving Institution, colleges with a Latino student enrollment of 15‐24 percent are commonly referred to as “Emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions.” As more community colleges approach such Latino student enrollment percentages, the changing demographic presents opportunities and challenges relative to diversity. It is important to equip community college administrators, all of whom are public administrators, to effectively manage their changing institutions and promote student success. Utilizing a qualitative approach, this article analyzes multiple perspectives on factors related to Latino student success. The central findings of this article suggest that, while multiple perspectives exist, there are common areas of consensus relative to promoting cultural competency and fostering Latino student success. First, many Latino students arrive to campus with limited college knowledge. Administrators and faculty can make important progress in increasing college knowledge through specific formal and informal means. Second, administrators, faculty, and students, identified the need to hire more Latino faculty, increase bilingual staff, and provide cultural competency training for all faculty. Third, engaging Latino families and the broader Latino community is critical in promoting Latino student success. Community colleges need to reach out to Latino students’ families directly and include a family‐based perspective in their recruitment and retention efforts. This article provides guidance for public administrators in community colleges as they align their educational systems to better meet the needs of Latino students

Implementing the Dream: Lessons from the Houston Community College

With a commitment to affordable, open access education, community colleges provide a key access point to higher education, especially for low-income students and students of color. Using a qualitative approach, this report analyzes the experiences of six Houston area community colleges that are participating in Achieving the Dream, a national initiative designed to use data-driven decision-making to promote student success

Facilitation College Success Among Emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions: Multiple Perspectives Yield Commonly Shared Diversity Goals

Utilizing a qualitative approach, this research brief analyzes multiple perspectives on factors related to Latino student success. The central findings of this brief suggest that, while multiple perspectives exist, there are common areas of consensus relative to promoting cultural competency and fostering Latino student success

IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL EQUITY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: HOW COMMUNITY COLLEGES ACHIEVE THE DREAM

Equity is an American ideal, one that is considered the cornerstone to good governance (Gooden, 2011). Achieving equity requires the eradication of racial disparities in opportunities and outcomes, particularly in education. Creating equitable educational experiences at community colleges is the focus of this research. The purpose of study is to examine the issue of social equity within community colleges in an effort to understand: (1) their efforts to promote student success through equity; (2) their commitment to social equity; and (3) the institutional change that is necessary to create an institutional culture that values social equity and is accountable for equitable student outcomes. Social equity is intrinsic for the promotion of student success within community colleges. The primary findings of this study are the: Leadership at the president and senior administrator level is necessary for the conceptualization and communication of an institutional vision of equity. Once leadership direction and commitment has been established, broad engagement across the institution is necessary for implementation of institutional changes needed to achieve equity. Improving student success was defined as the means for achieving equity by Round 1 Achieving the Dream colleges. It is vitally important to have the institutional research capacity that allows for analysis of student progression data, examination of achievement gaps through the disaggregation of student outcome data, evaluation of efforts implemented to improve equitable student outcomes and the overall culture of data informed decision making. Round 1 Achieving the Dream colleges are more comfortable with the “lift all boats” approach to student success versus a targeted approach based on data disaggregation and achievement gaps. To implement equity, it is important for community colleges to respond to outcome disparities on an institutional level by committing to the goal of equity. This study shows that recognizing inequity is the first step toward achieving equity. The pursuit of social equity within our public institutions and those that they serve is imperative to a nation that values democratic ideal of equality

Building a Culture of Evidence for Community College Student Success: Early Progress in the Achieving the Dream Initiative

Achieving the Dream is a multiyear, national initiative, launched by Lumina Foundation for Education, to help community college students stay in school and succeed. The 82 participating colleges commit to collecting and analyzing data to improve student outcomes, particularly for low-income students and students of color. This baseline report describes the early progress that the first 27 colleges have made after just one year of implementation

Bridging the Data Divide: Understanding State Agency and University Research Partnerships within SLDS

This report examines this question through an analysis of state agency-university researcher partnerships that exist in State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS). Building state agency-university researcher partnerships is an important value of SLDS. To examine state agency-university researcher partnerships within SLDS, our analysis is guided by the following set of questions based on 71 interviews conducted with individuals most directly involved with SLDS efforts in Virginia, Maryland, Texas and Washington. The findings from this analysis suggest that each state’s SLDS organization and governance structure includes university partners in differing ways. In general, stronger partnership efforts are driven by legislative action or executive-level leadership. Regardless of structure, the operation of these partnerships is shaped by the agency’s previous experience and cultural norms surrounding the value and inclusion of university researchers

Bridging the Data Divide: Understanding State Agency and University Research Partnerships within SLDS

This report examines this question through an analysis of state agency-university researcher partnerships that exist in State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS). Building state agency-university researcher partnerships is an important value of SLDS. To examine state agency-university researcher partnerships within SLDS, our analysis is guided by the following set of questions based on 71 interviews conducted with individuals most directly involved with SLDS efforts in Virginia, Maryland, Texas and Washington. The findings from this analysis suggest that each state’s SLDS organization and governance structure includes university partners in differing ways. In general, stronger partnership efforts are driven by legislative action or executive-level leadership. Regardless of structure, the operation of these partnerships is shaped by the agency’s previous experience and cultural norms surrounding the value and inclusion of university researchers

Achieving the Dream and Four-Year Institutions: Perspectives from Three Houston Colleges

This report examines the experiences of three Houston area four-year universities that are participating in Achieving the Dream, a national initiative designed to use data-driven decision making to promote student success, especially among low-income students and students of color. Each of these universities is a minority-serving institution, two are Historically Black Colleges or Universities and one is a Hispanic Serving Institution

Technical Assistance: Coach and Data Facilitator Support Among Texas Colleges

The goal of this research brief is to provide an assessment of the relationship among Achieving the Dream colleges, coaches and data facilitators. This brief places emphasis on the coach and data facilitator relationship to the college and how it affects the work being done related to Achieving the Dream initiative