1. Jim Simpson
Florida State College at Jacksonville

2. Keys to How Program Design Can
Increase Graduation Rates
 Maximize Program Design
 Program Length
 Certificate Programs
 Electives
 Synergize Programs
 Strengthen On-Line Courses
 Advising Actions
 LCCC Observations
 Lesson Learned

3. LCCC Model

4. Stopping Short
Source: Theuen, B. (2010), Most Community College Students
Never Graduate, The Texas Tribune

5. Our Students Have Changed
 75% of students are juggling jobs, commuting to class.
 Even when given twice as long, no more than a quarter
of part-time students ever graduate with either a
certificate or associate degree.
 Students are taking too many credits and too much
time to complete.
Source: Complete College America; (2011); Time is the Enemy; Completion
by Design, Washington D.C.

6. Excess Hours = Lower Graduation
• Nationally, students receiving an associate degree
earned an average of 79 credits for programs that
were 60 credit hours in length
• Nationally, Students receiving certificate earned
on average 63.5 credits even though just 30
credits were required to attain a certificate.
Are LCCC students obtaining degree in the
most efficient manner and what is the added
monetary cost to the student and to the state
for attaining a degree with excess hours?
Source: Complete College America, 2001, Time is the Enemy, Washington DC

8. Program Structure
“College students are more likely to persist
and succeed in programs that are highly
structured, with little room for individuals to
deviate from a path toward completion.”
– Judith Scott-Clayton
Source: Scott-Clayton, J., 2011, The Shapeless River: Does a Lack of Structure
Inhibit Students’ Progress at Community Colleges?, CCRC Working Paper No. 25:
A Working Paper in the CCRC Assessment of Evidence Series

9. Contributing Factors
 Community college students
may not have appropriate
college knowledge.
 Many community college
students report that they have
had limited access to advising.
 Scheduling barriers also play a
role.
Source: Zeidenberg, M.; (2012), Valuable Learning or Spinning Their Wheels?
Understanding Excess Credits Earned by Community College Associate Degree Completers:
CCRC Working Paper No. 44; Columbia University: Community College Research Center.

10. Program Length
Core questions to ask in designing
program length:
 Are you required by statute, licensure, or
accreditation to offer a program over 60 credit
hours?
If the answer is no, ask yourself do the
additional hours result in significant
value added for the graduate?

11. Impact of Additional Hours at LCCC
Median Program Length for Associate Degree = 66
hours
 Projected 150% graduation rate for 66 credit hour
program
 27.9% for Full Time Students
 10.2% for Part Time Students
 16.4% Graduation Rate
 Need to recruit 6 new students every Fall to produce 1
graduate

12. Impact of Additional Hours at LCCC
If Program Length for Associate Degree = 60 hours
 Projected 150% graduation rate for 60 credit hour program
 31.4% for Full Time Students (+13% increase)
 12.5% for Part Time Students (+22% increase)
 19.1% Total Graduation Rate (+17% increase)
 Need to recruit 5 new students every Fall to produce 1
graduate
 Reduces time to degree:
 From 2.04 years to 1.86 years for full time students
 8.8% reduction in time to degree
 From 5.2 years to 4.7 years for part time students
 9.6% reduction in time to degree

13. Impact of Additional Hours at LCCC
For every credit hour over 60, a LCCC program
reduces the number of graduates it can
produce by 2.6%.

14. The Value of Certificate Programs
 People earn certificates throughout their
working lives.
 Certificate holders tend to come from
backgrounds of low to moderate family
income.
 On average, certificate holders earn
roughly the same as workers with some
college, but no degree.
Source: Carnevale, A., Rose, S., Hanson, A., (2012), Certificates: Gateway to Gainful Employment
and College Degrees. Georgetown University; Center on Education and the Workforce.

15. The Value of Certificate Programs
Earning Benefit
 In the US, the median earnings is 7% greater for
certificate holders than those who leave without any
credential.
 In the US, certificate holders are 16% more likely to be
employed full time than those who leave without any
credential.
 In the US, certificate holders are 11% more likely to be
employed in a job with benefits than those who leave
without any credential.
 In the US, certificate holders are 36% less likely to be
unemployed than those who leave without any credential.
Source: Ifill, N, Radford, A, (January 2012), Beginning Subbaccalaureate Students’ Labor
Market Experiences: Six Years Latter in 2009, NCES 2012-273, US Department of Education,
National Center for Education Statistics

16. Impact of Certificate
Programs on
Graduation Rates
A student is 33% more
likely to graduate with
an associate degree if
they graduate from an
embedded certificate
program.
Source: Simpson, Jim (2007); Impact of Certificate Graduates on AS/AAS Graduate Rates at FCCJ;
Florida Community College at Jacksonville Internal Study

17. Impact of Certificates at FSCJ
 College credit certificate graduates have a
84% placement rate, earning $36,628 per
year. 55% are continuing their education.
 Non-credit certificate graduates have a
78% placement rate, earning $39,264 per
year. 22% are continuing their education.
Source: Florida Department of Education, Florida College Vocational Report, 2009-2010
Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program, Florida State College at
Jacksonville.

18. The Value of Certificate Programs
“Among policymakers, practitioners, and other
stakeholders, a growing consensus emerged
that certificates requiring less than one year of
study have little economic value. Evidence is
presented that suggests that this option is
overstated.– Dr. Anthony Carnevale”
Source: Carnevale, A., Rose, S., Hanson, A., (2012), Certificates: Gateway to
Gainful Employment and College Degrees. Georgetown University; Center on
Education and the Workforce.

19. Impact of Certificates at FSCJ
 Certificates 1 semester in length (11 to 12 credit hours)
 54% of graduates continue their education
 85% are placed in field, continue their education, or join the military
 Yearly earnings = $52,164
 Certificates 2 semesters in length (13 to 24 credit hours)
 60% of graduates continue their education
 86% are placed in field, or continue their education or join the military
 Yearly earnings = $32,768
 Certificates 3 semesters or longer in length (+24 credit hrs)
 53% of graduates continue their education
 80% are placed in field, or continue their education or join the military
 Yearly Earnings = $42,220
Source: Florida Department of Education, Florida College Vocational Report, 2009-2010 Florida
Education and Training Placement Information Program, Florida State College at Jacksonville.

20. Good Program Design
 Limit Program Options
 FSCJ Practice 1:2 Ratio on Electives
 Limit “Or” Statements
 Remove Hidden and Non-
Enforceable Prerequisites
 Remove Structural Barriers
 Capitalize on Program Cluster
Synergy
Adapted From: D. Jenkis, S. Cho, 2012, Get with the Program: Accelerating Community
College Students’ Entry into and Completion of Programs of Study, CCRC Working Paper
No. 32. Columbia College Teachers College, Community College Research Center

21. Program Cluster Synergy
Take Advantage of Synergistic Opportunities
Accounting (46 to 47 hrs)
Common Core with an Aviation Management (40 hrs)
Embedded Certificate
Business
Administrative Support
(26 to 27 hrs)
Hospitality
Management (43 hrs)
Logistics
Management
(29 to 30 hrs)

22. Strengthen On-Line Courses
What are you doing to bolster and strengthen your
online courses?
 Student are more likely to fail or withdrawal from a fully
online course as compared to a face-to-face course.
 Students who took online coursework in early terms were
significantly less likely to return to college in subsequent
terms.
 Students who took a high proportion of credits online were
significantly less likely to attain an educational award or
transfer to a four-year institution.
Source: Xu, D., Jaggars, S.; March 2011, Online and Hybrid Course Enrollment and Performance in
Washington State Community and Technical Colleges. CCRC Working Paper No. 31. Columbia College
Teachers College, Community College Research Center.

23. Sirius Course Elements
 Infusion of Mastery Learning
 Research based
 Constructivist Approach
 Activities grounded in everyday
content
 Topics with multiple perspectives
 Collaboration
 Cooperative Learning
 Social engagement
 Group Projects

24. Embedded Active Learning Strategies
 Cooperative Learning
 Project Based Learning
 Internships/Coops
 Simulation
 Learning Communities
 Supplemental Instruction
 Technology Enhanced Classes
 “Right Start” Orientation
 On-going Active Teaching
Strategy Training for Faculty

26. Advising Action #1
Talk with Students before they
Withdrawals from a Class
 Nationally, a student who receives a “W” on
20% or more of the credits they attempted
decreases the probability of graduation
within 3 years by 51%.
 In Florida community colleges, a student who
receives a “W” on 20% or more of the
credits they attempted decreases the
probability of graduation within 3 years by
83%.

27. Advising Action #2
57.90% Tell Your Students
60% the Importance of
50% Earning 20 credit
40% hours in a Year
19.40%
30%  A FTIC who earns 20
20% credit hours is 2.98 x’s
more likely to graduate
10% than a student who
0% doesn’t earn 20 credit
Earned 20+ Credits in First year in First Year
Did Not Earn 20 Credits hours.
Source: Colleen, Moore, Nancy Shulock, Jermey Ofenstein, October 2009, Steps to
Success: Analyzing Milestone Achievement to Improve Community College Student
Outcomes, Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy.

28. Advising Action #3
Let Students Know
60%
45%
about the
50%
Importance of
40% Summer Enrollment
30%  A FTIC student who is
20%
14.5% continuously enrolled in
their first year has a 3.1 x’s
10% higher graduation rate
0%
than a student who did not
Earned Summer Did Not Earn earn credits in the summer.
Credits Summer Credits
Source: Colleen, Moore, Nancy Shulock, Jermey Ofenstein, October 2009, Steps to Success: Analyzing
Milestone Achievement to Improve Community College Student Outcomes, Institute for Higher Education
Leadership & Policy.

29. Advising Action #4
70%
Completed Course Did Not Complete Course
Tell Your College
60%
61.10% Ready Students not
51.20% to Postpone CL
50%
English or Math
40%
 Students taking CL Math in
30% first two years have a
22% 21.20%
20%
graduation rate that is 2.78 x’s
greater.
10%  Students taking CL English in
first two years have a
0% graduation rate that is 2.4x
Complete CL Math Completed CL greater.
in 2 Years English in 2 Years
Source: Colleen, Moore, Nancy Shulock, Jermey Ofenstein, October 2009, Steps to Success: Analyzing
Milestone Achievement to Improve Community College Student Outcomes, Institute for Higher Education
Leadership & Policy.

30. Time for Action When:
 Student Misses the First Day of Class. Students who do not
attend the first day of class reduce their chances of
graduating with an associate or certificate by 27%.
 Student is Late with First Assignment. Students who failed
to turn in their first assignment on time or failed to turn in the
first assignment (regardless of the point value of the assignment)
were 72% less likely to complete the course as compared to
students who turned in the first assignment of time.
 Student Earns a “D” on First Assignment. Students earning a
letter grade of “D” or lower on their fist assignment (regardless of
the point value) were 84% less likely to complete the course
as compared to students who scored “C” or better.

31. Early Alert System Reminder
“Early alert is the timely intervention for student
experiencing academic difficulty or exhibiting behaviors
that are counter-productive to student success PLUS a
predictive modeling system that allows preemptive
intervention for likely students in need.”
Source: Entering Student
Success Institute

32. Course Design Principles
 Take attendance.
 “Class attendance is a better predictor of
college grades than any other know predictor
of academic performance.”
 “Mandatory attendance policies appear to
have a positive impact on average grades.”
Source: Crede, M., Roch, S., & Kieszczynka, U.; (2012); Class Attendance in College: A Meta-
Analytic Review of the Relationship of Class Attendance with Grades and Student Characteristics;
Review of Educational Research; December 2012 82: 436-476, first published on November 2, 2012

33. Course Design Principles
 More Frequent Assessments, Starting Earlier in
the Term
 “Student report increased control and voice in the
classroom.”
 “Faculty report that students are more involved in
their own learning.”
 “Students are more or much more satisfied with their
class.”
 “Increased metacognition and improved ability for
students to monitor their own methods.”
Sources:
(1) Steadman, Mimi, M., (1994) Implementation and Impact of Classroom Assessment Techniques
in Community Colleges; University of California, Berkeley, (UMI Microform no. 9528688).
(2) Catlin, A., & Kalina, M., (1993) What is the Effect of the Cross/Angelo Model of Classroom
Assessment on Student Outcome? A study of the Classroom Assessment Project at Eight
California Community Colleges; Research projected funded by the California Community
College Chancellor’s Office. Funds for Instructional Improvement Grant 92-0016.

34. Course Design Principles
 More Frequent Assessments, Starting Earlier
 “Student report increased control and voice in the
classroom.”
 “Faculty report that students are more involved in
their own learning.”
 “Students are more or much more satisfied with their
class.”
 “Increased metacognition and improved ability for
students to monitor their own methods.”
Sources:
(1) Steadman, Mimi, M., (1994) Implementation and Impact of Classroom Assessment Techniques
in Community Colleges; University of California, Berkeley, (UMI Microform no. 9528688).
(2) Catlin, A., & Kalina, M., (1993) What is the Effect of the Cross/Angelo Model of Classroom
Assessment on Student Outcome? A study of the Classroom Assessment Project at Eight
California Community Colleges; Research projected funded by the California Community
College Chancellor’s Office. Funds for Instructional Improvement Grant 92-0016.

35. Course Design Principles
 Incorporate College Knowledge into
the Classroom.
 Gates Foundation funded a $2.5 million challenge
to develop Apps around college knowledge.
Winners to be announced on January 23, 2013
 http://www.collegeknowledgechallenge.org/

36. Battle of the Titians
Lone Star College Harvard University
 65% Part Time Students  70% Full Time Students
 Commuter College  Residential University
 Most Students are  Most Students are Not
Working Working
 50% Pell & Fed Loans  21% Pell & Fed. Loans
 130+ Programs of Study  48 Programs of Study
 Many First Generation  Most Are Not First
College Students Generation Students

38. Time-to-Degree Formula
150% Graduation ( standard)
 (Program Length in credit hours x 1.50)/30 = Years to
complete degree or certificate; or
 Program Length/20
 200% Graduation (Common metric)
 (Program Length x 2) = Years to complete degree or
certificate; or
 Program Length/15
 Part-Time Graduation (Internal tool)
 Program Length / Median credit hours successfully
completed by part-time students
Legend: Red Font = USDOE Formula; Blue Font = Shortcut Formula

39. Associate Median Length = 66 hours
15%
13%
72%
Program Length
60 to 64 65 to 69 70 or Longer

40. Certificate Median Length = 30 hours
45%
26% 5%
24%
Credit Hour Length
12 to 19 20 to 28 29 to 38 39 or higher

41. Observations – Accounting
 Program Length – 66 to 67 Hours
 Program is over 60 credit hours.
 Program has a range of hours.
 2 years to complete. No summer
 Large Number of Courses
 72 courses; 255 credit hours
 General Education “wildcard” electives
 5 courses to support a 2/3 hour technical
elective.
 13% to 15% of total credit hours consist of electives.
 Pluses
 CL English and Math required in the first year.
 College 101 included in the Associate Degree and Certificates

42. Observations – Culinary
 Program Length – 70 to 71 Hours
 Program is over 60 credit hours.
 Program has a range of hours.
 2 years to complete. No Summer
 Large Number of Courses
 110 courses; 317 credit hours
 General Education “wildcard” electives
 College 101 only in 1 Certificate
 CL Math in 2nd year
 15% to 17% of total credit hours consist of
electives. All in general education.
 Pluses
 CL English required in the first year.
 College 101 included in the Associate Degree and 1 of 2 Certificates
 No Technical Electives.

43. Observations – Workplace Relations
 Program Length – 63 Hours
 Don’t know how long to complete
 Large Number of Courses
 159 courses; 500 credit hours
 General Education “wildcard” electives
 35% of total credit hours consist of
electives.
 No semester layout so when CL English and Math is suggested is
unknown.
Pluses
 College 101 included in the Associate Degree.

44. Observations – Supply Chain
 Program Length – 64 to 65 Hours
 Program is over 60 credit hours.
 Program has a range of hours.
 2 years to complete. No Summer.
 Large Number of Courses
 68 courses; 242 credit hours
 Large number of math/science electives
 No certificates
 Pluses
 CL English and Math shown in the first term.
 College 101 included in the Associate Degree
 No Broad Technical Elective Options.
 9% of total credit hours were electives.

45. Florida Sources
 URL for Florida State
Colleges Program
Frameworks:
http://www.fldoe.org/workf
orce/dwdframe.
 Hint for Translating Florida
Edu-speak to English
 PSAV = Non-credit
frameworks.
 Everything else is credit
Source: Destin Chamber of Commerce

47. Impact of Program Design at FSCJ
Total Programs
250
240 236
230
220
218
210
200
190
26% Reduction in Total
180 Programs
173
170
160
150
2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2009-2010 2010-2011

48. Impact of Program Design at FSCJ
Impact on FSCJ Associate Degrees
 3%reduction in the median length of an
Associate degree since 2000-2001
 From 66.5 to 64.5 credit hours in length in 2010-
2011
 17% gain in projected (Theoretical)
graduation rate
 11.4% gain for full time students
 30% gain for part time students

49. Impact of Program Design at FSCJ
Impact on Certificate Programs
 63% increase in the number of certificate
programs since 2000-2001.
 From 60 to 98 certificate programs in 2010-2011
 76% increase in the number of certificate
programs that are 20 credit hours or less in
length since 2000-2001
 From 29 to 51 certificate programs that are 20
credit hours or less in length

50. Quality Trend Lines
35
30 Florida Coast
Career Tech
Division
25
20
Military, Public
Safety, & Security
15 Division
Florida State
College at
Jacksonville
10
5 Florida State
College Division
0
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012

52. Lessons Learned
 Control credit creep by limiting
program length
 Establish model for three-year
and four-year semester-by-
semester road maps for all
programs
 Simplify your Programs (Limit
Options)
Adapted from: Complete College America; (2011); Three Policies to Reduce
Time to Degree: Complete College America: Washington D.C.

53. Lessons Learned
Focus Strategies on Part Time Students
Source: Complete College American (2011) September, 2011 Time is the Enemy: The surprising truth about
why today’s college students aren’t graduating and what needs to change

54. Lessons Learned
Maximize Program Design
 Review your programs for hidden
prerequisites.
 Reduce elective options to no more than 10%
of your program length.
 If you think you have too many embedded
certificate programs you probably don’t.

55. Lessons Learned
Advising for Impact
“The problem of excessive, no
penalty withdraws and numerous
course repeats affects 10% of a
cohort. Institutional policy and
advising can cut the incidence of
withdrawals and repeats by half.” –
Clifford Adelman

56. Lessons Learned
Most Attrition is NOT Caused by Academic Failure
“Over 40% of attrition costs nationwide are attributable
to students who leave with grade point averages in the
A & B range. Attrition associated with poor academic
performance (i.e., students leaving with C averages or
below) accounts for just 15% of attrition costs.” – Delta
Cost Project
Source: Johnson, N., September 2012; Delta Cost Project Research Paper: The
Institutional Costs of Student Attrition; Delta Cost Project, American Institutes for
Research

57. Lessons Learned
Promote Active Learning Strategies
 Patience is the key.
The payoff in higher graduation rates is
three to five years in the future

58. Rethinking College Practices
Connection Entry Progress Completion
From interest to From enrollment to From program entry to From program
enrollment entry into a program of 75% of program completion to
study requirements credential of value for
completed further education and
labor market
advancement
Design (at scale) and align with every stage
Source: Jenkins, D., January 2011, Redesigning Community Colleges for Completion: Lessons from Research on
High –Performance Organizations, CCRC Working Paper No. 24; Columbia University Teacher
College, Community College Research Center

59. Contact Information
Jim Simpson
Associate Vice President of Degree and Career Programs
Florida State College at Jacksonville
501 West State Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
E-mail: simpsonjamesd@gmail.com