EL CAMINO COLLEGE (CA)
Report submitted by Kristie Daniel-DiGregorio and Juli Soden, El Camino College, CA
Data excerpted from Arata, H.and Graff,
Human Development 10 (HD10) is a three-unit transferable course which provides an exploration of cognitive, psychological, social and physical factors influencing success in college and in life. Every year since Fall 2007, sixteen sections of the course (enrolling approximately 300 students) have utilized the On Course text. In Spring 2009, a study was implemented to the determine the success of students in courses utilizing On Course, relative to those who did not experience the On Course curriculum.
Self-Assessments
In Spring 2009, 152 HD10 students completed the On Course pre and post self-assessments. The results below show statistically significant differences in pre- and post-assessments for all but one domain.
Post and Pre Test Results, (Max = 80, Min = 0)
|
Domain |
Pre |
Post |
Growth |
Sig. |
||
|
Pre |
SD |
Post |
SD |
|||
|
1 Personal Responsibility |
55.44 |
1.70 |
65.98 |
0.63 |
10.54 |
* |
|
2 Discovering a Motivating Purpose |
56.21 |
1.29 |
63.97 |
0.84 |
7.76 |
* |
|
3 Planning and Taking Effective Actions |
52.06 |
0.71 |
58.71 |
0.53 |
6.65 |
** |
|
4 Building Mutually Supportive Relationships |
47.30 |
1.71 |
51.13 |
1.84 |
3.83 |
|
|
5 Gaining Heightened Self-Awareness |
50.02 |
0.33 |
59.77 |
0.23 |
9.75 |
*** |
|
6 Becoming a Life-Long Learner |
45.49 |
0.50 |
59.54 |
0.46 |
14.05 |
*** |
|
7 Developing Emotional Maturity |
49.03 |
1.13 |
55.75 |
1.07 |
6.72 |
*** |
|
8 Believing in Myself |
54.95 |
0.74 |
61.01 |
0.87 |
6.06 |
*** |
|
Total Average |
51.31 |
1.02 |
59.48 |
0.81 |
8.17 |
|
P value less than the significance level of 0.05 (*), 0.01 (**), and 0.001 (***)
Academic Outcomes
More than 1,000 students across four terms of HD10 were studied, with those experiencing the On Course curriculum compared with those who did not. On Course students were slightly more successful in math overall, but less successful at the basic skills and transfer levels (see below). However, On Course students attempted more transfer math classes than non On Course students. On Course students performed best at the college prep, pre-transfer level with success and retention rates 10 points higher than the non On Course group.
Math Success and Retention Rates by With Comparison
|
|
On Course |
No On Course |
Diff. (OC – No OC) |
|||
|
Math |
Success |
Retention |
Success |
Retention |
Success |
Retention |
|
Basic |
48% |
79% |
55% |
80% |
-7 |
-1 |
|
College |
51% |
74% |
41% |
65% |
10 |
10 |
|
Transfer |
65% |
79% |
71% |
76% |
-6 |
3 |
|
ALL |
52% |
77% |
51% |
74% |
1 |
4 |
A similar pattern was found for English but to a lesser degree where On Course students were more successful in English classes overall compared to Non On Course students,but were slightly less successful at the basic skills level. On Course students showed the greatest success at the college prep level whose rate was 11 points higher than the non On Course group; retention was also high at 90% for this level.
English Success and Retention Rates by With Comparison
|
|
On Course |
No On Course |
Diff. (OC – No OC) |
|||
|
English |
Success |
Retention |
Success |
Retention |
Success |
Retention |
|
Basic |
57% |
82% |
59% |
78% |
-2 |
4 |
|
College |
68% |
90% |
57% |
81% |
11 |
9 |
|
Transfer |
69% |
85% |
69% |
81% |
0 |
5 |
|
ALL |
66% |
87% |
61% |
80% |
5 |
7 |
On Course students,overall, had higher rates of passing transfer-level course in math and English than Non On Course students when tracked for two years after the HD 10 course.
Goal Achievement – Percentage Passing Transfer-level Math & English
within Two Years
|
Transfer |
Percent Passed Transfer MATH |
Percent Passed Transfer ENGLISH |
|
On Course |
19% |
52% |
|
No |
16% |
47% |
GPA Changes Over Time
|
GPA |
Pre-HD 10 |
At Last Term |
Difference |
|
On Course |
2.20 |
2.05 |
-0.15 |
|
No |
2.19 |
1.99 |
-0.21 |
|
Both |
2.20 |
2.03 |
-0.17 |
While many factors contribute to whether or not students are successful in their college courses, it is unclear why On Course students outperform non On Course students in only the pre-transfer college prep courses, rather than across the board in all levels of English and math. This issue will be examined more closely in future studies of HD10.
