February 22, 2007

Diego James Navarro, Director, Digital Bridge Academy, Cabrillo College

Email: diego@cabrillo.edu Web: www.cabrillo.edu/academics/wdba/Phone: 831 477-3255

The DBA Curriculum-Based Persistence Model: Preparing and Bridging At-Risk and Underprepared Students to Community College

National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center

2

"Education is not the filling of a pail,

but the lighting of a fire!”

-- William Butler Yeats

3

Digital Bridge Academy Mission� Give under-prepared students, many who do not see

themselves as college-bound, a new and unique opportunity to:

reclaim a positive experience of learning in an academic environment

succeed in higher-education

work effectively in knowledge-based careers

4

Typical Academy Student 91%91% Latino and other minorities Ages: 17 – 55 years old 70% ESL backgrounds 63% from parents in migrant occupations (same) 65% 1st in family to attend college Basic Skills Level: 9th Grade to college-level

Do not typically see themselves going to college• Lack success in school; under prepared for college-

level study• Not exposed to the sciences in High School

Do not understand their capabilities – self-efficacy

Unsure of career possibilities and major

5

DBA Curriculum-Based Persistence Model

TechnicianCareer &

Ed. PlanningFeederCourses

13 weeks

TEAM SELF-MANAGEMENT COURSES

Project-BasedCourse

(Theme-BasedScience Course)

FOUNDATION

COURSE

2 weeks

MovementFeederCourse

IT FeederCourse

LiteracyFeederCourse

TIME

6

DBA ModelUnder-Prepared

Students

Under-ServedStudents

Students fromPoverty

Students with Multiple Risk Factors

Digital Bridge

Academy

Transfer to 4 Year University

Prepare for Knowledge-Based

Career TracksFor example:•IT •Engineering•Business/Management

•Allied Health majors •Lab technician careers

•Criminal Justice•Teaching

Normal Community

College Courses

7

Other Courses Towards their Major

at theirCommunity College

(10.5 – 14.5 units)

DBA Bridge to Community College Education

DBA Bridge

Semester(16.5 Units

college-level)

Optional DBA Seminars (1.5 Units)

Under-PreparedStudents

Under-ServedStudents

Students fromPoverty

Students with Multiple Risk Factors

FirstSemester

SecondSemester

ThirdSemester

FourthSemester

FifthSemester

8

Success / Completion Rates – Years 1 Success / Completion Rates – Years 1 & 2& 2

A B C DDemographics: Fall 03 Spring 04 Fall 04 Spring 05

Year 1 Year 2

Students Latinos/Asian/Black/Pacific -Age Median -Age Minimun -Age MaximunFemale At-Risk students High-Risk students

17100%

191741

59%100% 100% 100% 94%

33% 63% 62% 71%

Completion Rate:

-Foundation Course “Light the Fire Within” Passed Course

100% 100% 100% 100%

-Bridge Semester “Accelerate to College-Level”

Retention

Complete at least 12 units

Complete 10 units or more

Complete 8 units or more

93% 100% 92% 76%

89%

89%

89%

92%

92%

92%

81%

88%

92%

65%

65%

71%

2793%191641

52%

1385%231952

62%

2692%191755

50%

(64% out of school; 45%

No HS Dipl.)

9

Success / Completion Rates – Year 3Success / Completion Rates – Year 3

Completion Rate:

-Foundation Course “Light the Fire Within” Passed Course

-Bridge Semester “Accelerate to College-Level”

Complete 8 units or more

Complete 10 units or more

Complete at least 12 units

Retention

100%71%

100%

86%

67%

76%

81%

2492%191733

29%

100%83%

92%

71%

79%

88%

Students Latinos/Asian/Black/Pacific -Age Median -Age Minimun -Age MaximunFemale At-Risk students High-Risk students

100%

2181%231751

52%

E FFall 05 Spring 06

Year 3

10

DBA TeachesProfessional / Knowledge Work Skill Set

� Self-Control and Self-Management

� Managing Action Project management Creating conditions for team self-management Facilitating and recording team meetings Participating in knowledge creation

• Product development process

• Scientific Method

Identifying and managing innovation Using tools of total quality management Participating in sales process – developing and selling one’s ideas Budgeting process – proposal creation Facilitating change

� IT Skills – MS Office Suite

11

Core Program Strategies� “Light the Fire Within”

Build student’s self-efficacy & create learning community cohort Initiate in the Foundation Course and reinforce in the Bridge Semester

� Academic acceleration not remediation One semester to full-time, college-level performance

� Flexible environment of learning and growth in student’s complex lives Their progress is not linear; support shift from student’s current milieu

� Engineer for dissemination Easily adaptable to different ethnicities & careers

12

DBA Persistence Model

INTAKEINTAKE

FOUNDATIONFOUNDATIONCOURSECOURSE

INTEGRATED BRIDGEINTEGRATED BRIDGESEMESTERSEMESTER

(1(1stst Semester) Semester)

DIGITALDIGITALMANAGEMENTMANAGEMENT

SERIESSERIES(Semester 1+)(Semester 1+)

INTERNSHIPSINTERNSHIPS(Semester(Semester 2+)2+)

BEHAVIORBEHAVIORSYSTEMSYSTEM

TIME

13

Piloted Dissemination of Foundation Course� Trained 15 faculty from 6 community colleges – Summer 2006

� Evaluator’s findings: Other Faculty Can Successfully Teach the Foundation

Course Curriculum designed to serve a variety of students,

including age, skill, and gender diversity in the classroom Curriculum was effective with students of all ethnicities

(White, Latino, African-American, Asian) and in urban and suburban areas•“This went from good to great. You could not convince me that this would not work in other parts of the country.” (Faculty trainee).