An analysis of factors affecting student completion of degree programs at Baton Rouge Community College : perceptions of administrators, faculty and students
Abstract
Leaders of newly established community colleges face many challenges.
In particular, student success and ultimately, graduation are of paramount
importance. Since its inception, Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) has
witnessed a dramatic increase in enrollment while the number of its graduates has
remained low. By determining the perceptions of select administrators, faculty
members and students, a general framework for enhancing student achievement
can be deduced.
The methodologies chosen for this study included case study and
naturalistic inquiry. Transcriptions, notes, memoing and data coding were used
for theme analysis. A respectable ethical threshold was maintained throughout the
study.
The initial findings of this study illustrate that participants did not view
degree completion as the sole indicator of student success. Instead, each student
has their own goals and many do not seek to complete a degree at BRCC.
Additional results between participant groups were more consistent. Appearing
most often was the importance of The Academic Learning Center. Self-motivation,
the ability to understand the student population and small class size were other
common themes.
There was also apparent disconnects among the select participants. For
example, the administrative group discussed various innovative instructional
methods by which faculty members delivered course material. On the other hand,
the faculty participants expressed a lack of institutional priority for instruction.
Another lone theme was community contributions. This theme was exclusive to
the administrative group. A final single theme was class attendance. Mentioned by
degree seeking students, this theme obviously correlates with student success.
In conclusion, this study has provided a detailed view of the factors
associated with degree completion at Baton Rouge Community College.
Participant similarities and differences were shown. It is the researcher’s hope that
the study will assist administrators, faculty members and students in the quest for
excellence in the community, the college and the classroom.
Department
Description
text