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Pan-Canadian Study of First Year College Students - Report 1 Student Characteristics and the College Experience - August 2007

14. Conclusions and Policy Implications

This report summarizes the results of the college entry and end of term surveys administered to first semester students in Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) member colleges and institutes in fall 2005. The findings are based on information provided by approximately 29,000 college entry survey respondents and approximately 17,600 end of term survey respondents. While these are large samples for both surveys, it is important to contextualize the results by acknowledging that up to two-thirds of respondents were from Ontario. That said, although the overall project findings should not be considered as representative of first-year college/institute students nationwide, these results are currently the best and most comprehensive available on first year students at Canadian colleges and institutes.

14.1 Meeting the Diverse Needs of College/Institute Students

The college entry survey results provide a first ever profile of students attending Canadian colleges and institutes. The results confirm that colleges and institutes admit students with diverse characteristics, including their demographic and family background and academic, personal and life experiences, particularly since just as many students came to their college or institute from the workforce as from high school.

The Pan-Canadian Study of Exemplary Practices in Learning confirmed that colleges and institutes have different policies, programs and services in place to address the diverse needs of their students. Given the limited resources many colleges and institutes are faced with for the delivery of effective support services, there would clearly be benefits to providing institutions with more opportunities to learn from each other and work collaboratively amongst themselves as well as with secondary schools and school boards in their regions.

14.2 Skills Development Needs of College and Institute Students

Results from both the entry and end of term surveys showed that a significant number of students believed their basic academic and learning skills were weak, in particular for study, test taking and math skills. In addition, an equivalent number reported they could use help in developing these skill areas and would use college services if offered. However, at the end of first term, service use findings showed that a significantly lower percentage of students used services than reported a need.

This could imply that some of the current methods of service delivery are not as effective as they could be to attract students to use these services. One model for colleges and institutes to consider is a more proactive model which involves the assessment of student needs followed by a communication campaign designed to promote the timely use of services by those who could benefit. Preliminary results from jurisdictions in the U.S. indicate this method is much more effective (ACPA/NASPA, 2004). When considering adopting more proactive models, colleges and institutes must also take into consideration that these approaches will likely also require additional resources which may more easily be leveraged with the adoption of an institutional policy framework on student success.

14.3 Career Information and Guidance

In terms of students' educational goals, respondents from both surveys confirmed the labour market focus of college and institute programs as most indicated they enrolled in their program to access a specific occupation or for career advancement. At the same time, significant numbers of students viewed college programs as a stepping-stone to university. Generally, respondent students were decisive in their college goals, were committed to graduating and perceived the benefits of a postsecondary education as many and varied.

Although most students had career-focused goals and reported being moderately engaged academically and socially in high school, a substantial percentage of respondents confirmed that they did not have intensive exposure to career guidance and information prior to beginning their college/institute programs, nor did they spend much time exploring the type of work they would likely be doing upon graduation. Conversations with parents appeared to be the most prevalent activity in this area during the secondary school years. The frequency of these discussions, however, was strongly influenced by level of parental education. Since many attending colleges and institutes are the first in their family to do so, a good proportion has not had this experience either.

This sets the stage for a potential disconnect between student expectations of their college studies and their actual experience and many are surprised by what they learn over the initial few weeks of study. The young woman who abandoned nursing studies shortly after learning that shift work is common in health care is an excellent example. It is then not surprising that, at the end of term, when asked to comment on the one thing they wished they had known better before they began their studies, a large number of the students surveyed cited a desire for more information about their program and eventual work.

Since much of the academic programming offered by Canadian colleges and institutes is career related, students who are not clear about their career direction are at a distinct disadvantage. There is a need for more secondary school-college collaboration and sharing of information to improve students' understanding of career possibilities and selection of college/institute programs. Secondary schools need to become more aware and inform their students better about careers available through college/institute programs. In turn, colleges and institutes need to provide more detail and improve access to information regarding career opportunities. The use of on-line tools is one example of how this might be achieved with a web-savvy generation. Policies and programs at all levels, both institutional and governmental, could be important levers for change in this area. An additional benefit would accrue to governments interested in increasing participation in postsecondary education since one of the main barriers to attending college or university has been shown to be a lack of interest or motivation on the part of high school students (Junor and Usher, 2004).

14.4 Student Engagement

The findings from the end of term survey provide helpful insights into the experiences of college/institute students during their first semester. The results depict the first term experience as one in which the majority of first year students have positive interactions with other students and faculty. Students also considered their academic experiences to be positive and, overall, survey respondents were very satisfied with their college experience and with their specific institution. Indeed, the majority felt they were gaining the knowledge and skills they needed to be successful in the future even though many felt they were weak in a variety of basic academic and learning skills areas and could use the help of corresponding college services.

Despite students' overall satisfaction with their college experience, survey items that examined the social integration of first semester students showed that many spent little time on campus and interacted infrequently with peers and faculty outside of class. These findings also have policy implications. College and institute students would benefit if efforts to promote social integration on campuses were done through more purposeful approaches and activities rather than leaving them to chance. John Gardner (2005) has described a policy framework that recognizes the importance of approaching the first year of college in this way. Activities and events need to be structured and delivered so that students are drawn in early or they are unlikely to be later on. Previous research has shown that in the face of academic difficulties and multiple demands on their time, students who are less socially integrated will be more likely to leave (Tinto, 1975).

A good example of how a social integration activity could be delivered in a more purposeful way is first year orientation which should ideally be delivered college-wide and include events that promote contact with other students, faculty and college/institute services. The inclusion of information regarding the demands of their program and future jobs will also help promote career clarity and academic integration.

14.5 Difficulties during the First Term

While the largest percentage of students reported their greatest difficulty in college was balancing the demands of their studies with those of work and family, many cited specific difficulties that could have a profound influence on their success. For example, one third reported significant difficulty knowing how to improve their grades. This is substantiated by research that has found a very high correlation between mid term and end of term grades (Dietsche, 1990) in colleges that collect formal mid terms. Generally, if a student is failing at mid term they fail final exams as well. This suggests that little changes between these two points in time. Either the college/institute does not change how it interacts with the student or the student does not change their behaviour, or both. The fact that many students in this study reported they do not know what to do to improve suggests the latter makes a significant contribution to the problem. In addition, one in five students reported they had a difficult time knowing who to talk to about a problem as well as knowing how well they were doing in their courses.

A significant proportion of respondent students were also experiencing financial difficulties as many expressed concerned about financing their studies at college entry and even more expressed this concern at the end of the first term. Although most students did not feel that financial difficulties would be a trigger for leaving their program, over the course of the first term, an increasing number of students indicated that they would benefit greatly from assistance in securing financial aid for their education.

This suggests that policies and procedures are required to help students negotiate the 'mazeway' of a postsecondary education, including access to financial assistance and counseling. As confirmed by ACCC studies, including the Pan-Canadian Study of Exemplary Practices in Learning, more structured and holistic approaches to student orientation and programs such as student ambassador and peer mentoring can be very effective in addressing these types of difficulties.

It is important to note that despite students' lack of confidence in their skills and uncertainty about the career they would hold after graduation, the majority of students began college confident that they would succeed in their studies and achieve a postsecondary credential. The greatest difficulties identified by students were balancing the demands of school, family and studies as well as financing their college education. For many, these external demands meant little time was spent on campus engaged in activities outside the classroom. In spite of this, students had positive experiences with peers and faculty and thus remained committed to their college and to the prospect of graduating with a credential. This was due, at least in part, to the strong perception that a college education was a good investment both in terms of increasing career opportunity and promoting personal development.

The findings of both the entry and end of terms surveys point to some ways in which the ACCC and colleges and institutes can enhance capacity in student success. There clearly continues to be a need for the ACCC to offer colleges and institutes opportunities to share exemplary practices and initiate collaborative approaches. There is also value in developing a holistic student success model which colleges and institutes can refer to and adapt to their needs. This holistic model would begin at the recruitment stage which should include collaboration between colleges/ institutes and secondary schools to offer clear career information in addition to program related information. Recruitment efforts would include or would be followed by assessment services including language capacity, prior learning assessment and academic skills. The assessment process identifies appropriate wrap-around support services students would benefit from at program inception, and the college/institute offers a college-wide orientation to ensure students have the information to integrate into college life. The inclusion of work practicum or co-op experience in certificate, diploma or degree programs is an additional element for success at the program level. This must also be supported by a college or institute policy framework and administrative structures that foster student success.

This concludes the first of a series of three reports which will be prepared for joint release by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC). The next report will provide further analysis on the differences in profile and experiences of visible minorities, Aboriginal learners and new Canadians attending colleges and institutes. The third report will provide a longitudinal analysis of the over 6,000 students who completed both the college entry and end of term surveys, as well as an analysis of the determinants of first year outcomes based on grades and other data on these students submitted by participating college and institutes.

Holistic Student Success Model