ERIC Number: EJ1224776
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jul
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Improving Completion Rates for Underrepresented Populations
Daniels, Jey; Bowers, Lynn; Cook, Megan; D'Antonio, Mark; Foltz, Amber; McCombs, Carlita; Sound, John; VanCuren, Jenni
Inquiry, v22 n1 Article 8 Jul 2019
Most experienced educators recognize that many students will not complete optional assignments, and often those students who need additional help do not seek assistance. Current research demonstrates that students in underrepresented populations (see definition below) are less likely to seek support than others because they see needing help as a confirmation that they don't really "belong" in college in the first place. Research shows that those who do access currently optional supports such as tutoring are more likely to succeed, so this research group looked for ways to build structured connections between underrepresented students and resources. We found that our peers at various VCCS colleges had programs that were working to build these connections for our students, so in our resource-constrained environment, we chose to focus on what exists that works, is scalable, and could be implemented in stages as resources permit. Our proposal reflects increased resource allocation on both the academic support (tutoring) side and the student support (TRIO, Pathway to the Baccalaureate, Success Coaches) side to increase structured contact between the student and the support to decrease the "stigma" of seeking help. We propose this because in our roles as administrators and faculty we know that often our students need both academic support and holistic support.
Descriptors: Community Colleges, Two Year College Students, Minority Group Students, Disproportionate Representation, African American Students, Graduation Rate, Student Improvement, Improvement Programs, Best Practices, Educational Resources, Resource Allocation, Tutoring, Student Development, Academic Advising, Coaching (Performance), Academic Support Services, Bachelors Degrees, Academic Achievement, Summer Programs, Remedial Instruction, Student Placement
Virginia Community College System. e-mail: info@vccs.edu; Web site: https://commons.vccs.edu/inquiry/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Virginia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A