How to Have a Successful
Weekend College
Objectives
1)
2)
3)
4)
Review history of Weekend College
Discuss why change was needed
Exam current trends of Weekend College
Imagine where the future will lead us
Goals
1)
2)
3)
4)
Review our discussions and decisions made
See where you are now
Decide where you want to go
Have a successful Weekend College program
History
Weekend College was created for the nontraditional student that wanted to take a class
for advancement or personal enrichment.
The actual Weekend College student was ____
The course of study was ___
The amount of students that graduated ___
Weekend College version 1.0
We Need Organization!
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
What classes are we going to offer?
When are we going to offer these classes?
Is there an endpoint?
How do we recruit new students?
Do the students have any clue what you are
doing?
6) Who is managing this?
Shoe Salesman
What We Did
1) Classes were part of the core curriculum
2) Hours would be suitable for the nontraditional student
3) Encourage degree planning and visits with
advisors
4) Visit companies, factories, warehouses, large
corporations and businesses
5) Email students and have a presence on
campus
Results
Enrollment went from unsure to over 3,000
students signed up for at least one class in the
Weekend College at the Northwest Campus.
Two campuses had about 2,000 students, one
had around 1,000, and one had about 700.
Phone calls and office visits increased
dramatically.
Changes, They are a Comin’
Create another campus
Create another “Weekend College”
Review State funding issues
“Make it happen!”
A study by “The Onion”
WASHINGTON—Confirming the conventional wisdom regarding the importance of college
attendance in obtaining a diploma, a study published Monday by the National Education
Association found that individuals who go to college earn more degrees over their lifetime
than those who do not. “Our data suggests, quite convincingly, that those who pursue higher
education invariably obtain more baccalaureates,” NEA researcher Denise Hallinan said,
adding that the study’s findings cut across all socioeconomic brackets and applied to state
and private schools equally. “And the degree acquisition gap only widens further once people
go on to graduate school, with individuals at the Ph.D. level typically earning a full three more
degrees than persons who did not attend college at all.” The study comes on the heels of a
recent Labor Department report that found the nation’s best-paying jobs were dominated
entirely by people who applied for them.
Weekend College, Version 2.0
Offer only core curriculum courses over 18
month course of study to obtain Associate of
Arts degree.
Offer two classes at a time for 8 week sessions
Mandatory Student Development
Mandatory 18 month commitment
All student must be TSI met in Writing, Reading,
and Math
Feed them
Weekend College, Version 2.0
Continued…
Friday evenings: Student Development from 5-6,
English 1301 from 6-10 PM, History 1301
100% online.
Saturday: English 1301 from 9-11 AM and
History 1301 from 12-2 PM. The remainder of
the course would be online (Hybrid format).
Student Development from 11-12.
Feed them during Student Development
Free books
Weekend College, Version 2.0
Problems encountered:
Friday and Saturday cohorts had different forms
of learning.
Feed them during Student Development proved
to be somewhat illegal and not budget
friendly.
Free books – not District text books, not all
subjects had open source textbooks available.
Not all instructors wanted to utilized open
source material.
Weekend College, Version 2.1
Offer only core curriculum courses over 18
month course of study to obtain Associate of
Arts degree.
Offer two classes at a time for 8 week sessions
Mandatory Student Development
Mandatory 18 month commitment
All student must be TSI met in Writing, Reading,
and Math
Feed them
Weekend College, Version 2.1
Continued…
Friday evenings: Student Development from 5-6,
English 1301 from 6-8 PM, History 1301
8-10 PM. The remainder of the course would
be online (Hybrid format).
Saturday: English 1301 from 9-11 AM and
History 1301 from 12-2 PM. The remainder of
the course would be online (Hybrid format).
Student Development from 11-12.
Free books
Weekend College, Version 2.1
Results:
After over a year of planning,
And over 6 months of aggressive advertising,
The classes began in July 2014.
A total of 7 students were signed up for the
Friday and Saturday cohorts – combined.
Back to the Drawing Board
What is wrong with what we did?
Class start time
Class start date
Restrictive entry
Weekend College, Version 3
Offer only core curriculum courses over 18
month course of study to obtain Associate of
Arts degree.
Offer two classes at a time for 8 week sessions
Student Development strongly encouraged
Ability for students to enter and exit as needed
All student must be TSI met in Writing and
Reading
Weekend College, Version 3
Continued…
Friday evenings: Student Development from 5-6,
English 1301 from 6-8 PM, History 1301
8-10 PM. The remainder of the course would
be online (Hybrid format).
Saturday: English 1301 from 9-11 AM, Student
Development from 11-12, and History 1301
from 12-2 PM. The remainder of the course
would be online (Hybrid format).
Weekend College, Version 3
Results:
Two cohorts / learning communities were
started in August 2014 with four classes.
Enrollment: 1st 8 weeks - 24 students enrolled in
cohort, 76 students taking at least one class,
total seat count of 100.
2nd 8 weeks – 30 students enrolled in cohort, 84
enrolled in at least one class, total seat count
of 114.
Weekend College, Version 3
Problems encountered:
16 week, 14 week, 8 week…
Doesn’t work with Weekend College courses.
Weekend College, Version 3.1
Solution:
OTTL: 7 week sessions
Weekend College
Now let’s recruit some student
Offering students the opportunity to earn an Associate’s degree
in only 18 months or less by taking classes on
Friday or Saturday.
• Flexible scheduling and increased access for non-traditional,
busy adults.
• Convenient central location.
• Pathway to completion with core curriculum in about one
year.
• Technology mediated hybrid delivery
Is Weekend College Right for You?
Ready to get your associate’s degree
Up to the challenge of an accelerated program
Self-motivated
Weekend College Options
Blended Option
• Friday night only
• 2 hybrid courses (6-7:50pm; 8-10pm) with balance online
• Saturday only
• 2 hybrid courses (9-10:50am; 12-1:50pm) with balance online
• Each week’s meeting also included one hour of Student
Development. These classes include Learning Styles, Note Taking
Skills, Time Management, etc.
Student Profile
• All students should be TSI compliant in all three
areas.
• All students should be First Time in College.
• All students should be committed to an 18 month
course of study.
• Comfortable with technology (online learning)
• Motivated, independent learner
Learning Community
Each semester two new cohorts are formed: one
on Friday evening and one on Saturday.
Students enroll for two classes in a seven-week
session.
Four classes a semester will allow a student to
maintain full-time status.
Become Core Complete in one year or less.
Weekend College at Trinity River Campus
Weekend College Course Sequence--Begins 8/29/14 (Friday Night Only*) or 8/30/14 (Saturday Only**)
1st 7-Weeks
Fall 2014
2nd 7-Weeks
Fall 2014
1st 7-Weeks
Spring 2015
2nd 7-Weeks
Spring 2015
Summer 1
2015
Summer 2
2015
1st 7-Weeks
Fall 2015
2nd 7-Weeks
Fall 2015
1st 7-Weeks
Spring 2016
2nd 7-Weeks
Spring 2016
ENGL 1301
ENGL 1302
GOVT 2305
GOVT 2306
SPCH 1311
PSYC 2301
HUMA 1301
ENGL 2332
SOCI 1301
PHIL 1301
HIST 1301
HIST 1302
GEOL 1403
GEOL 1404
MATH 1342
MUSI 1306
KINE 1164
BCIS 1305
ECON 2301
ECON 2302
*Friday Night Only meets 5-10pm. Both courses are blended (1/4 face-to-face, 3/4 online). Workshops meet 5pm-6pm. Classes meet 6-7:50pm and 8-9:50pm.
**Saturday Only meets 9am-2pm. Both courses are blended (1/4 face-to-face, 3/4 online). Classes meet 9-10:50am and 12-1:50pm. Workshops meet 11am12pm.
Weekend College, Version 4.0
Changes:
Change the order of classes so every semester
has 12 credit hours.
Add MATH 1314 to be able to offer the Associate
of Science degree.
Sample Degree Plan
Sample Degree Plan
Weekend College at Trinity River Campus
Weekend College Course Sequence--Begins 9/11/15 (Friday Night Only*) or 9/12/15 (Saturday Only**)
1st 7-Weeks
Fall 2015
2nd 7-Weeks
Fall 2015
1st 7-Weeks
Spring 2016
2nd 7-Weeks
Spring 2016
Summer 1
2016
Summer 2
2016
1st 7-Weeks
Fall 2016
2nd 7-Weeks
Fall 2016
1st 7-Weeks
Spring 2017
2nd 7-Weeks
Spring 2017
ENGL 1301
ENGL 1302
GEOL 1403
GEOL 1404
GOVT 2305
GOVT 2306
MATH 1342
MATH 1314
BCIS 1305
SOCI 1301
PHIL 1301
HIST 1301
HIST 1302
PSYC 2301
KINE 1164
SPCH 1311
MUSI 1306
ENGL 2332
HUMA 1301
ECON 2301
ECON 2302
*Friday Night Only meets 5-10pm. Both courses are blended (1/4 face-to-face, 3/4 online). Workshops meet 5pm-6pm. Classes meet 6-7:50pm and 8-9:50pm.
**Saturday Only meets 9am-2pm. Both courses are blended (1/4 face-to-face, 3/4 online). Classes meet 9-10:50am and 12-1:50pm. Workshops meet 11am12pm.
To Be Successful
You need three things:
1) The proper faculty
2) The proper students
3) A dedicated director
To Be Successful
You need three things:
1) The proper faculty
Faculty need to be prepared for an accelerated
program.
Faculty need classroom experience.
Faculty need online experience.
To Be Successful
You need three things:
2) The proper students
Students need to be college ready.
Students need to be self-motivated.
Students should be computer pros.
To Be Successful
You need three things:
3) A dedicated director
You need someone to be the “face” of the
program.
You need to aggressively advice the students.
You need to visit with the students regularly to
push them towards graduation.
Test Question:
What is the number one method used for
retention?
Engagement
•
•
•
•
•
During registration
Student development
Weekly emails
Phone calls
Intrusive advising
Intrusive Advising
When administrators at Zane State University started using a survey instrument to identify students
who were at risk of dropping out, at first they just invited students to meet and discuss ways to
improve their chances of staying in school.
But when those invitations and even pizza parties didn’t work, officials at the community college in
Zanesville, Ohio, started employing a more aggressive approach known as “intrusive advising,”
wherein they would suggest more strongly that students meet face to face with advisers.
It would start with a letter and an e-mail message asking the students to come in for a meeting, and if
students failed to respond, advisers would show up in class and ask the students to meet in person.
“It was implied as a mandatory meeting,” said Stacie Mahaffey, director of the Student Success Center
at Zane State College. “We didn’t say you had to come in, but it was implied.”
Subsequently, retention rates rose — 77 to 82 percent from 2006 to 2009 among at-risk students — and
students in developmental education began to complete their English and math courses at higher
rates as well.
Zane’s success with “intrusive advising” is one of several such experiences featured in “A Matter of
Degrees: Promising Practices for Community College Student Success” — a new report released
recently by the Center for Community College Student Engagement, or CCCSE.
Where are we now?
For Fall 2015 (one year later) we are offering 26
sections.
For Spring 2016 we are offering 46 sections.
Through Summer 2015, 162 students have
joined the Weekend College.
At least 502 different students have taken at
least one class from the Weekend College.
120 sections have been offered.
1025 seats have been filled.
Where are we now?
May 2015 graduation had three students
graduate that had taken at least one Weekend
College course.
December 2015 two students from the
Weekend College will graduate.
May 2016 the beginning cohort / learning
community will complete their education and
receive their associate’s degree.
Where do we going from here?
Other campuses
Specific programs
Increased list of electives
New cohort / learning community every 7 week
session
Conclusion
 Learn from the experience of others
 Have a “face” of your Weekend College
 Recruit the best faculty
 Screen the students
 Engage EVERYONE! (= retention)
 Don’t be surprised by change
For further information:
Contact the TCC Connect
Weekend College at:
817-515-1650 or
[email protected]
For further information:
David R Pearse
Weekend College at:
817-515-1423 or
[email protected]