MetLife Phase 2

Sector Community of Practice

Virtual Session #3 – Persistence Parkway

2

Today’s Emphasis

Introductions (10 min)

Education Expressway (50 min)

What support services are available for

mature students?

How do they know about them?

Are there sector/program-specific services?

Persistence Parkway (15 min)

Your Best Ideas from Today (5 min)

Confirm next COP topics (5 min)

3

Agenda – Virtual Session #3

Services for Mature Students

How are their needs different? Sandwich generation

Disability issues

Health insurance

Financial Aid

PLA

Veterans affairs (Service Member Opportunity College

members?)

Remedial courses

Study skills

Technology assistance

Innovation in Student Services

Financial aid specifically for mature students

Match students with others who can help

Child care/elder care assistance for students

and staff

Transportation solutions Public transportation pass

Parking/Escort to car

Safety workshops

Inter-campus shuttle

Mature Student Officer

Social Networking Sites

• College counselors

– Available to everyone during mass registration. Information

provided ranged from adequate to incorrect. Using them

is like “throwing darts at a board.”

• Program counselors or faculty advisors

– Available to those who have declared a major or completed

a certain number of credits. Information provided was

useful but eligibility was confusing.

• “Casual counselors”

– Available to those who take the initiative. Information

provided was most helpful but available to the fewest

students

Source: Mature Students in the Persistence Puzzle, Canadian Council on Learning,

20086

Sector Program Support??

Orientation

Emails

Faculty and Staff

Messages through online courseware

Bulletin boards- Actual and electronic

Texting

Start Next Quarter - South Seattle CC

7

Getting the Word Out

Start Next Quarter

•Specifying What you Want:

•Self

•Assessment

•Tracking Down Information:

Career Exploration

•Planning for Career Success:

•Doing and Learning

•http://sites.google.com/site/startnextquarter

•Kelly DeForrest

•206-934-7962

•Kelly.deforrest@seattlecolleges.edu

•http://sites.google.com/site/startnextquarter

Persistence = time to degree

Stop talking about 2 & 4 year degrees

Supportive network – Stop Out vs. Drop

Out

Invite people back

Self- Motivation

Knowledge of available resources

9

Keys to Persistence

1. Relationships with professors***** -

2. Supportive institutional infrastructure

http://online.wsj.com/video/EC9B0B5

0-FE11-47A4-B3F2-

42A1AD97D8A6.html

3. Experiential learning opportunities

4. Peer relationships

5. Multi-faceted educational goals

Source: Mature Students in the Persistence Puzzle, Canadian Council on

Learning, 2008

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One Study- Five Top Themes

• Participating in support services was

related to progress toward a degree

– Of students using two or more

services, 80% made progress toward

a degree

– Of students using fewer than two

services, 60% made progress

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Influence of Support Services

“Open access” doesn’t mean all will participate

General advising is less effective than

personalized advising

Savvy students find their own information; the

students who need the information don’t have

the savvy to get it

Word-of-mouth doesn’t reach all students

Students who are part of a network get the best

information; but students who need the

information aren’t part of networks

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Study Conclusions

13

Favorites

Thursday, June 21st 12-1 CST

Job Seeker Junction

What’s hot in job search coaching?

When is the search toolkit complete?

How much counseling is reasonable?

Career Path Court

Ongoing training for workforce

readiness

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Next Session – Combined Sector &

Counselor