As the state advances toward a performance-based funding model for the Florida College System (FCS), Daytona State officials are embracing the pending new budget paradigm as an opportunity to explore and expand upon strategies that foster student success.Underway is a comprehensive effort that largely focuses on two broad institutional objectives: helping struggling DSC students overcome barriers to staying in school and accelerating those who are doing well toward completion of their academic programs.
“Performance funding is something we welcome institution-wide,” said President Carol W. Eaton. “Daytona State College is always set on a path toward continuous quality improvement and enhancing the overall college experience for our students. No matter how good we are as an institution, there are always opportunities to do better.”
Thirty states have already implemented varying performance funding models, including Florida, which piloted an initiative for the State University System last year. Under a typical model, institutions are awarded additional funds, or in some cases penalized, based upon how well they do in terms of various metrics, which differ from state to state and system to system.
For Florida’s 28 state colleges, millions of dollars are at stake; however, just how much and exactly when performance funding will be fully implemented are yet to be finalized by state leaders.
The FCS has been charged with developing up to 10 performance measures along with appropriate benchmarks and submitting them to the state by Dec. 31 this year for consideration during the spring legislative session. At minimum the measures must include graduation and retention rates, cost per degree and graduate job placement rates. In addition, each institution’s current performance and rates of improvement must be included. Other measures under consideration are associate-of-arts degree transfer rates, time to degree and wages for graduates.
Daytona State is taking a proactive, multi-layered approach to the performance challenge, developing new and revised courses and class materials, more prescriptive advising strategies and renewing its focus on customer service.
A college Retention Committee chaired by Vice President of Academic Affairs Amy Locklear also is researching new ideas and best practices. Among the items being explored or further developed are:
• Creating a two-credit hour course for first-year students that would help them become more comfortable with the college experience, covering such topics as basic computing skills, navigating around the student portal, understanding financial aid and budgeting for college.
• Providing students balanced, prescribed program schedules during the initial stages of their academic experience, complemented by more frequent advising intervention.
• Encouraging students to take full course loads each semester with the assistance of academic advisors. (Research shows students who attend college full time tend to be more successful.)
• Developing an online knowledgebase where faculty and staff can find answers to the most common questions students ask regarding DSC programs and services.
• Providing enhanced customer service and supervisory training to college employees.
• Exploring incentives for students to complete their programs of study successfully and on time.
The college had somewhat of a head start by virtue of having recently earned a 10-year reaccreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. One component of the reaccreditation process requires that institutions develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), a well-defined and focused action plan on a topic or issue related to enhancing student success. Daytona State’s QEP resulted in the creation of a one-credit hour course, College Resources (SLS1101), in which at-risk students learn how to avail themselves of the Academic Support Center, DSC-UCF Writing Center and the library, which research shows increases their chances of passing gateway courses and achieving overall academic success. Piloted last spring semester, initial results have been positive.
Legislation last year that made developmental courses optional for most students also resulted in the college creating new English and math courses that include modular-based labs and a college-credit math course for liberal arts majors.
Retention Committee members also are reviewing course surveys and other data provided by students who have withdrawn from classes to pinpoint common barriers.
