Data note on the Complexity of STEM Transfer for Underserved Students

We’re pleased to release a new data note from CCRI’s research on STEM, authored by research scientist, Elizabeth Apple Meza titled, Underserved Community College Students and the Complexity of STEM Transfer.

Abstract
Community college students aspiring to transfer into STEM majors at a four-year institution face a complicated and nuanced admissions process. In some cases, students may be admitted to the four-year transfer institution but face additional requirements to enter a STEM major. This study of community college underserved students of color, women, and first-generation students in a program aimed to help them succeed in STEM finds gaps in knowledge around transfer and STEM specific major requirements. These findings point to the need to build more knowledge about STEM-major transfer requirements and processes among community college students as well as advisors and STEM faculty so they can better inform students of transfer pathways. This research also points to the need to strengthen transfer partnerships between two-year and four-year institutions in support of community college students who aspire to a STEM baccalaureate degree.

Download STEM Data Note 1

This research was supported by grant #1304776 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Education & Human Resource (EHR) through the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP).

Equity workshop in Oregon for guided pathways implementation

Debra D. Bragg. (2019, November 14). Approaching guided pathways with an equity and evaluative lens. Workshop presented for the Oregon Student Success Center at the Oregon Guided Pathways Institute in Eugene, Oregon.

Debra Bragg presented a workshop on using an equity lens for guided pathways implementation in Oregon’s community colleges. This interactive session engages participants in examining how their colleges align their campus work on diversity, inclusion, equity and equity-mindedness with guided pathways. Participants identify action items to address systemic inequities that have been overlooked in guided pathways implementation.

View Slides

ASHE Conference Presentations

Our team’s research was well-received at this year’s Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) conference in Portland, November 13th – 16th, 2019. Learn more about each presentation CCRI was involved in below and click on the titles to open their respective slide deck:

>>Advancing Evidence-Based Policy: Meta-Analysis Findings from TAACCCT<<

Presented by Grant Blume, CCRI Affiliate Faculty; Elizabeth Apple Meza, CCRI Research Scientist; Ivy Love, New America Policy Analyst and Debra Bragg, CCRI Director. The United States Department of Labor’s (DOL) TAACCCT program represented an unprecedented federal investment in community colleges. This study leverages a meta-analysis framework to gauge the extent to which federal grants increased the likelihood of positive academic and employment outcomes at the nation’s community colleges.

>>A Spectrum of Partnerships: Intentional Collaborations to Improve Transfer Outcomes<<

Presented by Theresa Ling Yeh, CCRI Research Scientist and Lia Wetzstein, Associate Director of CCRI. Community college and four-year university partnerships that focus on improving transfer outcomes are critical to advancing equity, as many underserved populations pursue baccalaureate degrees through community colleges. This paper examines qualitative data from a mixed-methods study and proposes a typological continuum of ways in which transfer partnerships can be enacted.

>>An integrative framework for evaluating the impact of career pathways<<

Debra Bragg participated in a research symposium on career pathways policies and programs held at the ASHE conference on Saturday, November 16, titled Career Pathway Programs: Building Connections between College, Employers, and Careers. Sandra Staklis, RTI was chair, Matt Giani, UT-Austin was discussant. Other presenters were Lauren Eyster, The Urban Institute; Laura Foster and Sandra Staklis, RTI; and Myriam Sullivan and Deborah Kobes, Jobs for the Future (JFF).

NSF ATE Project Update

Leveraging statewide longitudinal data to improve technical education pathways

Phase one, in this three-year landscape study of National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) programs funded in Washington in the last ten years, has begun. Our team, consisting of University of Washington researchers, and faculty and administrators from Seattle Central College, Green River College, and Skagit Valley College are working to understand the current use and need for student-level outcomes data in technical programs. This phase of our research will inform phase two, where we work to be the connective tissue that gets relevant data in the hands of technical program faculty. The first advisory committee meeting will be held on January 8, 2020, at the University of Washington. The meeting will provide an overview of the project from the UW team, college co-PIs, and partners and gather input on key aspects of the research plan.

View our STEM page for ongoing information about this study as well as other STEM-focused research and/ or evaluation projects.

Read Project Brochure

Keynote on the Equity Imperative at the NWCCU Annual Conference

Bragg, D. D. (2019, November 20). The equity imperative for higher education. Keynote presented at the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) annual conference, Seattle, WA.

Debra Bragg presented a distinguished lecture for the NWCCU annual conference. The keynote focused on systemic inequities in higher education that detrimentally impact students of color. She spoke about the ways in which higher education perpetuates wealth inequality and disparities in funding and status negatively impact student transfer from community colleges to universities. Her presentation offered insights into equity-minded, data-driven processes that colleges and universities need to adopt to engage in on-the-ground improvement work. She closed her keynote with Eldridge Cleaver, American Writer, and Political Activist (1935-1998) famous quote, “There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem” to emphasize the urgency with which higher education needs to address systemic racism to ensure upward mobility is a reality for underserved students.

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Updating the national landscape: State adoption of community college baccalaureate degrees

CCRI Research Affiliate, Maria Claudia Soler, authors the third data note on the project Scaling Community College Baccalaureate Degrees: The Equity Imperative. The goal of this research is to examine degree-granting policies, institutional adoption and program implementation related to community college baccalaureate (CCB) degrees in the United States. Given the changing policy context across the nation, this data note provides an update on the current national landscape and offers additional information about CCB policy and program implementation. Trends in authorization of CCB degrees and implications for equity and diversity are also discussed.

TRENDS IN STATE POLICY ADOPTION OF CCB DEGREES

Since the turn of the century, the organizational structure of community colleges has changed, mainly in response to the shifting needs of the communities they serve (Townsend & Dougherty, 2006; Vaughan, 2006). Transforming some elements of college curriculum and credentialing at the community college level by authorizing the conferral of baccalaureate degrees is one change that has been unfolding for the past three decades. Bachelor’s degrees offered by community and technical colleges eliminate a student’s need to transfer to a different institution to advance beyond the associate degree. These degrees have existed on a relatively modest level for many years, but recently they have begun to expand to more states. Understanding the prevalence of CCB policies and programs is central to the analysis our team is conducting on the expansion of different forms of baccalaureate degrees conferred at two-year and four-year institutions.

For more information about state policy adoption of CCB degrees, read the full data note below.

Download Data Note 3

Our Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) group at the University of Washington has partnered with New America’s Center on Education and Skills (CESNA) to refresh and expand understanding of AB and CCB degrees nationally, looking again at state adoption and implementation of these degrees in the two- and four-year institutional contexts. With generous support from the Joyce Foundation and Lumina Foundation, our two-year project documents policies and processes; develops a set of consensus design principles and frameworks featuring evidence-based and equity-focused promising policies and practices on state adoption and institutional implementation; and disseminates lessons from past successes and failures.

TAACCCT Meta-Analysis

The Trade Adjustment Act Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant represented an unprecedented investment by the federal government in integrated postsecondary education and workforce training offered primarily by community and technical colleges. Between 2011 and 2018, 256 grants totaling nearly $2 billion were awarded through four rounds of competitive grants. Ultimately, 630 community colleges were represented in the overall group of 729 colleges and universities funded by TAACCCT, with community colleges making up 85 percent of all postsecondary institutions securing these grants (Cohen, 2017). More than any time in their over 100 years of existence, the TAACCCT grant spotlighted the critical role of community colleges in responding to economic downturns and preparing workers for a future in which postsecondary education and credentials are a necessity.

A recent brief published by CCRI researchers Grant Blume, Elizabeth Meza and Debra Bragg, presents results of a meta-analysis of quasi-experimental design (QED) evaluation studies to estimate the average effects of TAACCCT grants on four student outcomes: program completion, credential attainment, post-training employment, and pre- to post-training wage change. Complementing emerging evidence on TAACCCT reported by the Urban Institute (see Cohen et al., 2017; Durham et al., 2017; Eyster, Cohen, Mikelson, & Durham, 2017; and Durham, Eyster, Mikelson, & Cohen, 2017) and forthcoming results from ABT Associates’ national impact evaluation, we hope this brief contributes to a fuller understanding of the impact of TAACCCT on the outcomes of student participants, many of whom enrolled in community colleges to master skills needed to secure living-wage jobs in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

Read the Brief

Upcoming conferences to hear from CCRI!

Competency-Based Education Network’s (C-BEN) CBExchange 2019 Conference, Palm Springs, CA, October 24, 2019. Learning and Leading Forward: Research-based Lessons to Enhance CBE 2.0 for Working Adults at Salt Lake Community College, Eric Heiser, Dean, Salt Lake Community College, Debra Bragg, President, Bragg & Associates, Inc.

This session presents evaluation results from a Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Act Community College and Career Training grant at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). Drawing on the experiences of the SLCC leadership and the evaluation team, this session provides lessons learned on the conversion of over 20 programs to CBE. Implications for scaling CBE throughout SLCC are discussed, including highlighting how the CBEN Quality Framework is being as a blueprint for scaling CBE college-wide.

2019 Annual Applied Baccalaureate Conference at noon on Monday, November 4, Green River College. CCRI Director, Debra Bragg, will give a keynote titled Opening the Door to Baccalaureates: Results of a New National Study on Access, Equity, and Outcomes of Community College Baccalaureates.

ASHE – The 44th annual Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Portland, November 13-16, 2019. We’d love to see you at our sessions! View the program for presentation details.

Congratulations to Kandi Bauman, CCRI Graduate Research Assistant and UW PhD student! Kandi was selected to attend the Graduate Student Policy Seminar at ASHE 2019. The seminar provides graduate students with opportunities to interact with researchers, policy-shapers, and policymakers who are knowledgeable about critical public policy issues related to higher education. The seminar also offers participants an opportunity to engage other advanced graduate students with similar interests and ambitions from universities across the nation.

Advancing Evidenced-Based Policy: Meta-Analysis Findings from TAACCCT. Fri, November 15, 3:45 to 5:00pm, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: Ballroom, Grand Ballroom Parlor A. Grant Blume, CCRI Affiliate Faculty; Elizabeth Apple Meza, CCRI Research Scientist; Ivy Love, New America Policy Analyst and Debra Bragg, CCRI Director will present a paper on the United States Department of Labor’s (DOL) TAACCCT program, which represented an unprecedented federal investment in community colleges. This study reports results of a meta-analysis on the extent to which federal grants increased the likelihood of positive educational and employment outcomes at the nation’s community colleges.

A Spectrum of Partnerships: Intentional Collaborations to Improve Transfer Outcomes. Saturday, November 16, 1:30–2:45 pm, Hilton Portland Downtown, 3rd Forum: Exploring University Partnerships & Collaborations. Theresa Ling Yeh, CCRI Research Scientist, and Lia Wetzstein, CCRI Associate Director will be discussing how community college and four-year university partnerships that focus on improving transfer outcomes are critical to advancing equity, as many underserved populations pursue baccalaureate degrees through community colleges. This paper examines qualitative data from a mixed-methods study and proposes a typological continuum of ways in which transfer partnerships can be enacted.

Career Pathway Programs: Building Connections Between College, Employment, and Careers. Sat, November 16, 10:15 to 11:30 am, Hilton Portland Downtown, Floor: Plaza, Broadway I. As the number of career pathway programs in community colleges has grown, research has examined the effects of pathway models on higher education program development and student outcomes. Debra Bragg, CCRI Director presents this paper as part of a panel summarizing the findings of recent research on career pathways, including two case studies of career pathways programs.

2019 Northwest Commission for Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) Annual Conference at noon on Wednesday, November 20, Hyatt Regency, Seattle, WA. Debra Bragg, CCRI Director, to give a keynote focusing on The Equity Imperative for Higher Education.

Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education in Two-Year Colleges, Faculty as Change Agents

In fall 2015, “Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education in Two-year Colleges (SAGE 2YC) Faculty as Change Agents” was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). This ambitious project focuses on improving two-year college geoscience education at the course, program, department, institution, region, and professional levels. It works through the efforts of two-year college geoscience faculty who act as “change agents” in implementing and sustaining improvements in three areas:

1. Broadened student access to and participation in geoscience education
2. Increased emphasis on the academic success of students
3. Improved career and transfer pathways for students

Since the start of the grant four years ago, SAGE 2YC has formed two cohorts of geoscience faculty at community colleges across the country, with cohort 1 involving 11 teams comprised of 23 faculty change agents and cohort 2 involving 6 teams involving 13 faculty change agents. As the project nears completion in 2020, important lessons are emerging for community colleges and STEM educators nationally, many of which are captured in a blog written on September 12, 2019 by our director, Debra Bragg. Research completed by Dr. Bragg and other members of the evaluation/research team provide valuable insights on the work of faculty change agents nationwide.

For community colleges that are engaged in guided pathways and other reforms focusing on student success, results from this research may provide lessons to help others advance organizational changes to support more equitable student success.

Leadership of the SAGE 2YC project come from two- and four-year colleges and universities across the country. Their names and contact information is available here.

Read Report

Washington Monthly Features Community College Baccalaureate Degrees

Check out the August 2019 issue of Washington Monthly for research from CCRI on community college baccalaureate degrees. In this issue, Mary Alice McCarthy, director of the Center on Education and Skills at New American, and Debra Bragg, director of CCRI, present personal stories, new results on student demographics by program, and other insights into this growing trend.