scholarly journals The Perceptions and Experiences of Faculty Implementing Florida’s Developmental Education Reform

2021 ◽  
pp. 089590482110584
Author(s):  
Amanda N. Nix ◽  
Tamara Bertrand Jones ◽  
Shouping Hu
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Developmental Education ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
College System ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Main Components ◽  
Florida College

Florida Senate Bill 1720 drastically changed developmental education, beginning in fall 2014. This paper considers affected faculty members’ perceptions and experiences with the passage and implementation of reform, according to focus group data provided by 294 participants at 21 Florida College System institutions between 2014 and 2019. We found that faculty members experienced feelings of powerlessness and meaninglessness—the two main components of policy alienation—related to the passage of SB 1720, with some reported opportunities for discretion and innovation at a local level. Despite feelings of alienation, faculty worked hard to facilitate student success through the changes.

scholarly journals Do Colleges Perform the Same Following Developmental Education Reform? The Case of Florida’s Senate Bill 1720

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinye Hu ◽  
Shouping Hu
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Developmental Education ◽  
White Students ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Institutional Characteristics ◽  
College Level ◽  
Passing Rates ◽  
College System ◽  
Institutional Differences ◽  
Florida College

AbstractDevelopmental education (DE) reform took place among the 28 Florida College System (FCS) institutions in 2014. In this study, we examine how cohort-based passing rates in college-level English and math courses changed at different colleges for pre- and post-policy period and explore what institutional characteristics were related with various institutional trajectories of cohort-based course passing rates in the post-policy period. Employing longitudinal data analysis, we found that colleges performed similarly regarding cohort-based passing rates in both college-level English and combined math courses before DE reform and had a similar elevation in the cohort-based English course passing rates when DE reform took place in 2014. However, colleges experienced different change patterns in the years following DE reform. Specifically, colleges located in rural areas and with more White students experienced relatively lower college-level English passing rates in the post-policy period than their counterparts. Different colleges had slight differences in the trajectory of college-level math passing rates by cohort after SB 1720 in 2014, but institutional characteristics in this study did not adequately capture inter-institutional differences.

scholarly journals Institutional Transformation Reflected: Engagement in Sensemaking and Organizational Learning in Florida’s Developmental Education Reform

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine G. Mokher ◽  
Toby J. Park-Gaghan ◽  
Hayley Spencer ◽  
Xinye Hu ◽  
Shouping Hu
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Developmental Education ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Institutional Transformation ◽  
College System ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Transformation Processes ◽  
Florida College

Abstract Following a major statewide developmental education reform in Florida, we explored institutional transformation among Florida College System institutions. We used statewide survey data to examine lead administrators’ perceptions of challenges encountered during the planning process, ways in which colleges engaged in sensemaking (i.e., social processes for developing shared understanding) and organizational learning, and perceptions of the institutional transformation processes and outcomes following the reform. We found that institutions engaged in numerous types of sensemaking and organizational learning practices to promote change. Yet, despite different approaches taken to institutional transformation, almost all respondents reported that the change process was highly collaborative and involved a broad range of stakeholders.

scholarly journals Equality, Efficiency, and Developmental Education Reform: The Impact of SB 1720 on the Mission of the Florida College System

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-76
Author(s):  
Amanda N. Nix ◽  
Tamara Bertrand Jones ◽  
Rebecca L. Brower ◽  
Shouping Hu
Keyword(s):  
Community Colleges ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Developmental Education ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Community College Mission ◽  
College System ◽  
Democratic Equality ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Florida College ◽  
Florida College System

Objective: Community colleges have long made higher education more accessible to students from diverse academic backgrounds, particularly those who are academically underprepared and require remediation. In light of developmental education (DE) reform, our article answers the following questions: How do campus personnel articulate the unique mission of Florida’s state colleges, formerly known as community colleges? Furthermore, how do they perceive the mandates of reform to have shaped their ability to carry out this mission? Method: This work is based on an embedded case study of 10 Florida College System institutions. Qualitative data were gathered between 2014 and 2018 from 544 college presidents, administrators, faculty, staff through 92 focus groups and 8 interviews. Results: Campus personnel strongly affirmed the mission of the Florida Colleges System as one of democratic equality. However, many were concerned that DE reform, namely Senate Bill 1720, prioritized efficiency over equality in the pursuit of cost savings. Specifically, participants expressed frustration that reforms accelerated DE coursework to an unmanageable pace and ignored the presence of a digital divide. Opinions of DE reform improved in the 4 years following implementation, but some concern persisted. Contributions: Our findings highlight the centrality of democratic equality to the community college mission for campus personnel. They also suggest that equality and efficiency need not always be opposing goals in education reform. Finally, they call into question social policy that universally promotes accelerated and computer-based courses without considering that some students may require accommodations.

scholarly journals Learning from the Ground Up (Full Report): Developmental Education Reform at Florida College System Institutions

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouping Hu ◽  
Tamara Bertrand Jones ◽  
Rebecca Brower ◽  
Toby Park ◽  
David Tandberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Developmental Education ◽  
Full Report ◽  
College System ◽  
Florida College ◽  
Florida College System

scholarly journals Learning from the Ground Up (Policy Brief): Developmental Education Reform at Florida College System Institutions

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouping Hu ◽  
Tamara Bertrand Jones ◽  
Rebecca Brower ◽  
Toby Park ◽  
David Tandberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Developmental Education ◽  
College System ◽  
Florida College ◽  
Florida College System

scholarly journals Meeting the Needs of Students: Site Visit Report of the Fourth Year of Developmental Education Reform in the Florida College System

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouping Hu ◽  
Tamara Bertrand Jones ◽  
Rebecca Brower ◽  
Jamaal Harrison ◽  
Jenay Sermon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Developmental Education ◽  
Site Visit ◽  
College System ◽  
Florida College ◽  
Florida College System

Is It What You Know or Who You Know?: An Information Typology of How First-Generation College Students Access Campus Resources

2021 ◽  
pp. 152102512110681
Author(s):  
Jeffrey K. Grim ◽  
Emma Bausch ◽  
Adan Hussain ◽  
Steven Lonn
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Student Success ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Group Data ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Information Finding

While there has been increased investigation of the enrollment patterns and access to college for first-generation college students (FGCS), less is understood about how FGCS learn and utilize vital information to persist with limited familial knowledge about college success. In this paper we utilize focus group data of 62 diverse FGCS to create a typology of how students utilize information to succeed in college. Using theory from sociology and information sciences we categorize the sources FGCS learn from and how information is utilized. Our findings indicate that FGCS develop complex ways of finding information even with minimal support and those information sources that are most helpful are often connected to pre-existing and informal relationships. We conclude by offering implications for future research on FGCS student success and opportunities for administrators to incorporate information-finding and relationship-building concepts into student success practice.

scholarly journals A Pedagogy of Preparation: Helping Underprepared Students Succeed in College-Level Coursework in Community Colleges

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Brower ◽  
Amanda N. Nix ◽  
Hollie Daniels ◽  
Xinye Hu ◽  
Tamara Bertrand Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Education ◽  
College Readiness ◽  
Educational Philosophy ◽  
State Level ◽  
Academic Preparation ◽  
Underprepared Students ◽  
College Level ◽  
Scaffolded Instruction ◽  
College System ◽  
Florida College

AbstractThis paper presents an overall educational philosophy of working with students underprepared for college-level work, which we term “a pedagogy of preparation.” We consider how instructors scaffolded instruction to foster college readiness in students who were now able to enroll in college-level work regardless of academic preparation after state-level legislation (SB 1720) that dramatically altered the delivery of developmental education in the Florida College System (FCS). We also consider how collaboration increased among campus personnel after the legislation to foster college readiness in students underprepared for college-level work.

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