January 29, 2021
Recent findings at Tallahassee Community College show that student success rates are exceeding expectations during the pandemic due to the College’s “Culture of Care” initiative.
“What a remarkable testament to not only the resilience and perseverance of our students, but also to the hard work of our faculty and staff in implementing virtual coursework, embedded support services and a more purposeful focus on eliminating any unnecessary barriers to our students achieving their goals,” said Jim Murdaugh, TCC President.
Data presented on course success rates, or the percentage of students earning As, Bs and Cs last fall, compared to Fall 2019 shows:
- Overall increase to 75.3 %, compared to 72.4 % in fall 2019
- Black students increased to 65.3%, compared to 61.8%
- Hispanic students increased to 78.1%, compared to 74.6%
- White students increased to 80.7%, compared to 78.1%
- Students classified as “other,” increased to 77.2%, compared to 74.5%
First time in college students’ achievement rates also improved. Figures comparing Fall 2020 to Fall 2019 show:
- An overall passing rate of 78.9%, compared to 70.3%
- Black students increased to 61.8%, from 56.8%
- Hispanic students increased to 80.2%, from 75.7%
- White students increased to 83.8%, from 77%.
- “Other” students increased to 74.4%, from 71.5%
International students also showed improvement in success rates from 73.2% in the Fall of 2019 to 76.5% in the Fall of 2020.
The college algebra success rate is also very impressive. TCC students have improved from about 40% in fall 2019 to 80% in fall 2020. “Anybody who has taken college algebra knows that an 80% success rate is something to feel really good about,” Murdaugh said. “And it wasn’t accidental. We embedded tutoring. It was not just available during class; it was available 24 hours a day to a student. If they wanted to reach out at 10 o’clock at night, it was available to them.”
TCC has implemented the “Culture of Care” focused on the following:
- Connections: Providing early, intentional, and embedded experiences along the pathway to help students feel that they belong
- Academics: Offering clear academic maps, ensuring learning is occurring, and infusing employability skills throughout the curriculum
- Resources: Embedding holistic supports for removing academic and life barriers to student success
- Engagement: Involvement in social and academic enrichment opportunities
“As a result of the pandemic we have reimagined the environment here at TCC, from physical spaces to technology that facilitates learning,” said Murdaugh. “We are creating a more intentional experience designed to make the college student-ready and not making the student college-ready.”
To meet all students’ needs, the College offers students four modalities to fulfill course requirements which include traditional face-to-face course, online and a combination of both through TCC! Live courses. Since the start of the pandemic, the majority of TCC’s 11,448 students chose a combination of remote learning, or 43.4%, with only 6% opting for in-person courses. Most classes, 55.6%, were through TCC LIVE, where classes are taught in real-time.
TCC is one of 10 finalists for the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges.
Awarded every two years since 2011, the Prize recognizes institutions that achieve high and improving student outcomes, selected from more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide. Focused solely on student access and success, the Aspen Prize recognizes community colleges with exceptional achievements in four areas:
- Student learning
- Certificate and degree completion while in community college and after transferring to a four-year institution;
- Employment and earnings rates after graduation; and
- Access for and success of minority and low-income students.