Building Bridges for Student Transfer Success

 One community college, three universities, three online degree pathways,

a unique program model, and one common goal – seamless and affordable, online degree success.

Today’s Panel

Nancy JonesDean, Instructor, Career and

Technical EducationCoastline Community College

Lauren YehAcademic Counselor

Coastline Community College

Jason WardLearning 1ST Program Coordinator

Coastline Community College

Damon HarrisLearning 1st Program

Student

Joycelyn GrootDean, Contract and Military Education

Coastline Community College

Presentation Objectives

• Provide information about the Learning 1st project

• Discuss lessons learned in planning and piloting a collaborative Associate to Baccalaureate degree program

• Describe future plans for program growth

Project HistoryIn  June  of  2012  the  League  for  Innovation  in  the  Community  College  was awarded a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support and pilot a national consortium of leading community colleges and online universities to support  underserved  and  low-income  adults  in  attaining  a  postsecondary credential  –  in  less  time  and  at  a  lower  cost  –  without  leaving  their  home community. 

The  League  is  an  international  organization dedicated  to  catalyzing  the  community  college movement.  We  host  conferences  and  institutes, develop Web resources, conduct research, produce publications,  provide  services,  and  lead  projects and initiatives with our member colleges, corporate partners,  and  other  agencies  in  our  continuing efforts  to  make  a  positive  difference  for  students and communities.

The  Bill  &  Melinda  Gates Foundation,  guided  by  the  belief that  every  life  has  equal  value, working  to  help  all  people  lead healthy productive lives and seeking to ensure that all people, especially those  with  the  fewest  resources, have  access  to  the  opportunities needed to succeed. 

 The Learning 1st program is a collaboration among: 

Pennsylvania State University,the University of Illinois-Springfield,

the University of Massachusetts Amherst,and 

Coastline Community College

Pennsylvania State University

Penn State World Campus

University of Illinois

Springfield

University of Massachusetts

AmherstUMassOnline

Coastline Community

College

Six-Year Completion Rates: United States

Completion and transfer rates within six years of first enrolling in a CC:

• Some 46% of U.S. community college students attained a credential (certificate or degree) or transferred to a four-year college within 6 years

• Of them, 34% earned a credential, while the other 11% transferred to a four-year institution but had not yet attained a credential

• Of those who attained a credential, 12% earned a bachelor's degree, 14%

earned an associate degree, and 8% earned a certificate

• Of the students who did not attain a credential, 20% were still enrolled after six years, and 46% left community college with no credential.

Source:https://completionarch.collegeboard.org/completion/completion-rates-within-six-years/six-year-completion-rates-us

Initial Grant Goals, Challenges and Successes

• Decreasing the Coastline waitlist by 50%, thus serving approximately 10,000 additional students.

• Following a Contract Education model, as a sustainable, online, model for working students to increase bachelor’s degree completion rates by 20% in 18 months.

• Providing degree completion through concurrent enrollment and consistently reducing the cost of baccalaureate degree attainment to 30 to 40% below for-profit university costs.

• Due to improving economic factors, the waitlist issue in California has returned to pre-fiscal crisis levels.

• A California Chancellor's office advisory opinion advocated the program be operated within the standard state-subsidized framework. This may impact future scalability. CA assembly bill 955 may open the door to lessoning the reliance on state funding.

• The average cost to students in the Learning 1st program is approximately 50% of a for-profit university baccalaureate degree program.

Today’s Program GoalsPrimary areas of focus for L1st: 

• Increase online community college students’ capacity to complete an affordable, prescribed 4-year degree online

• Create unique higher education partnership models

• Decrease time to degree completion from a prominent four-year university using a unique 2+2 online model

• Flexibility and Affordability – to meet the needs of all students: low-income, working adults, re-entry, and traditional

Three Unique Program Pathways

Pennsylvania State University

Penn State World Campus

University of Illinois Springfield

University of Massachusetts

Amherst

Coastline Community

College

           AA Degree – Psychology           BS or BA Degree – Psychology

     

AS Degree – Computer                     NetworkingBS Degree – Computer 

     Science

AA Degree – Business        Administration

BBA Degree – Business       Administration 

What Makes L1st Unique?• Program partners sign a partnership agreement detailing the expectations that

make each transfer partnership unique.

• L1st student receives access to both institution’s online resources, student services and virtual libraries.

• Each student will be assigned a counselor or advisor from both Coastline and transfer university.

• No application fees are assessed upon L1st program admission.

• Students maintaining continuous enrollment are guaranteed a tuition rate freeze.– Partner universities do not charge out-of-state tuition rates.

• Students who meet all university-partner transfer requirements are assured seamless enrollment into their upper division program.

• Each student receives regular academic progress reports.

 

2013 Average Annual Tuition and Fee Rate Comparison (Grant’s goal was to reduce cost by 30-40% of avg. for-profit rates)

Private Nonprofit Four-Year University*  $29,056 

Public Four-Year University Out-of-State* $21,706 

For-Profit University* $15,172

University of California system** $13,200

Public California Four-Year University In-State ***    $9,368

Learning 1st Program $7,367

         Computer Science, BS - $6,500

Psychology, BA - $7,700

Business Administration, BBA- $7,900* http://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/average-published-undergraduate-charges-sector-2012-13** http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/paying-for-uc/cost/*** http://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/state-tuition-and-fees-state-and-sector-over-time 

L1st AdmissionProspective students will apply to the program by completing the L1st online common application.

Partners agree to waive applicable student application fees.

Students will identify their major at the time of L1st program admission & submit official transcripts.

Transcripts reviewed for degree evaluation by 2 & 4 year counselors 

Admitted students will receive a jointly prepared program ‘roadmap’ detailing the specific coursework needed to complete both an Associate and Baccalaureate degree

Baseline L1st Program Admission Criteria

 U.S. High School Graduate or Equivalent

 Student must be degree seeking (2yr and 4yr)

 College-level Math and English skills

 Fewer than 30 degree applicable units     completed at an institution other than     Coastline College (degree seeking with Coastline)

Academic Roadmap• Close collaboration between the academic advisory staffs at the 

community college and the university greatly benefits participants 

• Students receive one jointly-prepared comprehensive education plan that clearly articulates the specific coursework required to meet both the associate and baccalaureate degree requirements. 

• By utilizing this format students are able to organize their schedules with the confidence that all prerequisites are being met, and also are better able to plan and balance their semesterly course loads to meet their personal graduation target dates. 

• The program is also designed to maximize similar coordination among student support and financial aid services among the partner schools. 

 

Our Pilot Success:UIS/Coastline Computer Science Pathway

The UIS/Coastline Computer Science bachelors degree pathway incorporates a unique concurrent enrollment model.

Coastline is offering the first-year general education and lower division prep. courses based on the agreed upon articulation. 

Students also enroll in their first university major course during the first semester of program participation. No additional UIS admissions application or application fee is required. 

Students having completed all prescripted Coastline coursework by the end of the third year will have earned an Associates degree and begin their capstone year (30 units), entirely as a UIS student. 

Online Partner Portal

• Provides means of facilitating the programs administrative needs among the

partner institutions

• Allows for the sharing of student information such as the common

application, course progress/completion & degree completion data, and

advisement materials

• Manages automated student communications, notifications and alerts

• Compiles data for batch reporting and student success tracking

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Phase Two Pilot Launch

PsychologyBS & BAFall 2014

Business Administration 

BBAFall 2014

Future Goals

• Current partners will begin expanding degree offerings

• Expansion of the consortium to include other institutions able to meet the partnership standards