An Evaluation of the Short Term and Long Term Impact a Student Success Course Has on Academic Performance and Persistence.

N

17

Academic Achievement; Academic Persistence; College Freshmen; Community Colleges; Comparative Analysis; Dropouts; First Year Seminars; Matched Groups; School Orientation; Student Characteristics; Student Needs; Study Skills; Two Year College Students; Two Year Colleges; Withdrawal (Education)

A study was conducted at Sacramento City College (SCC) to determine the effects of enrolling in a first-semester student success course on academic performance and persistence. Matched pairs of students, one who took the semester-long success course and one who did not, were compared in terms of number of college credit hours completed, grade point average (GPA), and dropout rate. Only students who met the following criteria were included in the selection pools used for matching: had completed no college work previously, had completed the assessment process, participated in the standard matriculation process, and were officially enrolled at the beginning of the fourth week of classes. From two equal-sized pools, totaling over 250 students, 40 pairs of students were randomly matched on reading level, writing level, highest math course completed, and number of hours employed. The student success course addressed study skills, life skills, introduction to career planning, and orientation to college. Over the seven semesters of the study, the dropout rate of the treatment group half that of the control group. Students in the treatment group earned a grade of C or better in four times as many math courses, three times as many writing courses, and almost twice as many reading courses as the control group. When the total number of college credits earned was examined, the treatment group completed 326% more units than the control group. After seven semesters, the GPA's of the two groups were almost identical. A position paper, "Making the Case for Student Success Courses: The Importance of Front Loading the Learning Experience," is attached. (ECC)

1994

ED364300