An experimental grant will pay some community college students in Maryland $50 per month to meet with an academic advisor while they’re enrolled in programs at three institutions. The grant, which will fund primarily part-time students, aims to engage students in academic counseling services. Part-time students often don’t use community college advising services because they’re on campus less often and have less time to schedule counseling appointments.
Students at Baltimore County Community College, Prince Georges Community College, and Wor-Wic Community College may be eligible to participate in the program. The pilot program aims to provide incentives for students to seek academic advice. Students who enroll in credit programs and maintain good standing can apply to participate. The program could reach as many as 750 students among all institutions. Participants will meet with advisors twice monthly and for course registration planning purposes.
MDRC, a New York non-profit organization, designed the program and has operated it successfully at community colleges in New York and Ohio. The pilot program, which may last about a year, will collect data to determine whether the incentives have a positive impact on retention and/or degree completion. Additionally, Maryland Higher Education Commission will determine whether the program is financially sustainable, expandable, or useful for encouraging part-time students to complete a program.
According to the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Columbia University, fewer than half of community college students use academic advisors. Of those who did, about 40% reported that their contacts with academic advisors offered little to no value in terms of developing career goals.
Research by the CCRC shows that good advising can make a meaningful difference for part-time students; however, there is little consistency among institutions or even within institutions.
Part-time students need a variety of additional supports
Academic advisors often have caseloads of as many as 1,200 students, so providing sustained contact and personalized career counseling is virtually impossible. As a result, students often rely on software to tell them what classes to take or avoid. But software can’t assist with other issues that may prevent students from completing classes or remaining enrolled.
Additionally, students’ progress may be frustrated either by their own actions, processes in place (or missing) at the schools they attend, or a combination of both. By itself, improving contact with academic advisors will not likely achieve the goals of the program. However, an approach that offers multiple strategies to engage part-time students (who are most likely to leave without completing a program) may help these students achieve their post-secondary education goals.
Photo Credit: The LEAF Project , via Flickr
