The change in focus across higher education from one almost exclusively oriented toward access, to one paying equal attention to student success, has brought with it many questions about how to evaluate success.
While student success has become equated with institutional quality, there is no consensus about what success means. In comparison, measuring access is relatively non-evaluative: an increase in overall enrollment or in the enrollment of certain types of students.
In this environment, community colleges are applying a variety of student success policies. Increasing completion rates was the top recommendation of the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) 21st-Century Commission, which was formed to identify key strategies for change. For their part, most states have adopted performance-based funding models, allocating at least some of the funds based on student progress or completion. At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has added another accountability measure. In addition to the existing institutional level cohort default rate, there are program-focused gainful employment regulations. And from a consumer perspective, ED created the College Scorecard.
There is broad disagreement, however, about whether any of these approaches faithfully measure institutional quality. So what’s another measure of quality all about? Here’s one based on student views of their education as captured in a survey.
A powerful predictor
Gallup and Strada Education Network turned to the consumers of higher education, namely students, to learn what they valued about their college experience, not only in terms of their work but also their daily lives. Their expansive survey of more than 110,000 working adults between 18 and 65 years of age who had taken at least some college courses revealed that about one-quarter (26 percent) said they strongly agree that their education is relevant to their work and day-to-day life. Respondents ranked relevance of their higher education above factors such as student default rates, average cost of attendance, median alumni income, graduation rate and average math SAT/ACT score. In other words, the more relevant the education, the more likely that respondents viewed their education as high quality.
Two-year degrees score high
According to the report, a higher percentage of two-year degree than four-year degree holders strongly agreed that the education was relevant, although both were exceeded by those who earned postgraduate or professional degrees (29 percent, 21 percent and 43 percent, respectively). Not surprisingly, completion of degrees and educational program mattered with regard to views on the relevance of education. Graduates are more likely than non-completers to strongly agree that their education was relevant.
There was little difference between the percent of associate and bachelor’s degree earners in business, liberal arts and public service fields who strongly agreed that their education was relevant. In the STEM fields, however, a higher percent of associate degree earners than bachelor degree earners felt the same about the relevance of their education, 39 percent and 23 percent, respectively. Again, only the postgraduate and professional degree earners topped that at 51 percent. One explanation for the results is that an associate degree is enough to land certain STEM jobs at one end of the spectrum, but for most of the other STEM occupations a post baccalaureate credential is necessary.
The report of survey findings emphasized that “two-year and four-year degree programs perform similarly on day-to-day life relevance and work relevance. As expected, scores are much lower among those without a degree…. Two-year STEM degrees provide exceptional relevance.”
These findings, according to the report, underscore the importance of using data-driven practices, such as guided pathways, experiential education and increased employer engagement. AACC and many community colleges are ahead of the curve through their student success and workforce development initiatives, such as the AACC Pathways Project and the Right Signals Initiative, to name a few.
