COLLEGE PREPAREDNESS: A Program for High School Education ...

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COLLEGE PREPAREDNESS: A Program forHigh School Education ProfessionalsCullen GilbreathMontana Tech

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COLLEGEPREPAREDNESS:

AProgramforHighSchoolEducationProfessionals

By

CullenGilbreath

AgraduateprojectsubmittedinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeofMastersofScienceinTechnicalCommunication

MontanaTech

2017

CullenGilbreath-CollegePreparednessProjectMetaDocument

1

Acknowledgements

First,Iwouldliketoshowgratitudetomywife,kids,andparentsfortheirsupportand

understandingwiththelatenightsrequiredtofinishthisprogram.Tomywife,thankyouforbeinga

greateditoramongmanyotherthings.IwouldalsoliketothankmygraduateprojectcommitteeDr.

GlenSouthergill(Chair),Dr.CarrieVath,andDr.ChadOkruschfortheirsupportandguidancethrough

thisprocess.Dr.Southergill’sdirectionmadesurethisprojectfoundahomeinTechnical

Communication.Thedevelopmentofthecollegeprepmaterialsandcurriculumaredueinlargepartto

Dr.Vath’sexpertise.Iowepartsofthevisualdesignprocess,curriculumdevelopment,andusability

testingtechniquestothesupportofDr.Okrusch.IwouldalsoliketothanktheMontanaTech

EnrollmentServicesOfficeandDirectorLeslieDickersonfordevelopingthefoundationofknowledge

andinterestincollegeadmissionsandfinancialaidguidance.


2

TableofContents

Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................................1

Abstract....................................................................................................................................................3

Chapter1......................................................................................................................................................4

Introduction..................................................................................................................................................4

LiteratureReview.........................................................................................................................................6

CollegeandMajorExploration.................................................................................................................6

FinancialLiteracy......................................................................................................................................7

HighSchooltoCollegeTransition.............................................................................................................9

VisualInterfaceandInteractionDesignPrinciples.................................................................................10

Chapter2....................................................................................................................................................13

Methodology..............................................................................................................................................13

ContentAnalysisforProgramKeyPoints...............................................................................................13

Deliverable.................................................................................................................................................20

ProgramOutline.........................................................................................................................................22

Chapter3....................................................................................................................................................25

WorkinProgress....................................................................................................................................25

Conclusions............................................................................................................................................27

Appendix1:First-YearRetentioninMontanaandtheUnitedStates........................................................28

Appendix2:EarningsandUnemploymentRatesbyEducationalAttainment...........................................29

Appendix3:StudentDebtCrisis.................................................................................................................30

Appendix4:PreparednessPerceptions......................................................................................................31

Appendix5:FinancialAidNodefromProspectCollegePrepWebsite.......................................................32

Appendix6:ProspectCollegePrepStudentSurvey...................................................................................34

Appendix7:ProspectCollegePrepTeacher/CounselorSurvey.................................................................36


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Abstract

Thisprojectfocusesonbuildingacollegepreparednessprogramforhighschoolstudentswith

theintentionofpreparingeachstudentforsuccessataninstitutionofhigherlearning.Theproject

deliverableisawebsitecontainingacollegepreparationprogramforhighschooleducation

professionalstoimplementinahighschooljuniororseniorlevelclass.ThewebpageURLatthetimeof

thisdocumentswritingis:www.cgilbreath1.wixsite.com/prospectcollegeprep.Theprogramisaccessed

throughthewebsitewiththefollowingcollegeprepmaterial:Acurriculumguide,collegeprep

checklists,presentations,notes,activelearningactivities,andprogramevaluationtoolthatcanbeused

toquantifythesuccessoftheprogram.

Keywords:collegepreparation,curriculum,programevaluation


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Chapter1Introduction

Despitemanyefforts,therehavenotbeendramaticincreasesincollegeattendance,retention,

anddegreecompletioninthepast10years.Thesolutiontothisproblemcanbeeffectivecollege

preparationprogramming(Wyatt,Smith,&Proestler,2014).Studentsthatarebetterpreparedfor

collegearemorelikelytosucceed.Retentionhasbecomeakeyfocusofhighereducationinstitutions

becauseretentionischeaperthanrecruitment.Studentswanttograduateandgetagoodjobwhile

administratorsandfacultywanttomakesurefederalfundinglevelsanddonorsupportremainsteady,if

notincrease(Foss,Foss,&Paynton,2014).ThebargraphinAppendix1:First-YearRetentionRatesin

MontanaandtheUnitedStatesshowsretentionratesfrom2006to2014forMontanaandtheUnited

States.ThedatafromtheNationalStudentClearinghouseResearchCentershowsfirst-yearretentionat

publicfour-yearbachelor’sdegreegrantinginstitutions.Thedatasetincludesstudentsthatstopoutor

transfertoanotherinstitutionofhighereducation.Thetrendnationallyshowsmoderatebutlargely

stagnantgrowthinretention.InMontana,therewasaslightdeclineinthe2014cohort.FortheUnited

Statestobecompetitiveinaglobaleconomy,thereexistsaneedformorestudentstoenrolland

completecollegedegrees.ThedatainAppendix2:EarningsandUnemploymentRatesbyEducational

AttainmentfromtheU.S.DepartmentofLaborillustratestheimportanceofreceivingacollegedegree.

Thechartmakesastrongargumentforthevalueoneducationasafinancialinvestmentinthestudent’s

future.

Existingstrategiesthatfocusonunderrepresentedstudentsareimportant,butdonotgofar

enoughtoaddresstheproblemoflowfirst-yearpersistencerates.Underrepresentedstudentsgetthe

mostneed-basedfinancialassistancefromtheFederalgovernmentintheformoffreemoneylikePell

Grantsandneed-basedscholarships.Studentsfrommiddle-incomefamiliestendtobelefttofinance


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educationthroughloansandendupwithhigherdebtwhencompletingtheireducation.Thefocusof

collegepreparationneedstobeanall-inclusivestrategythatencompassesallhighschoolstudents

interestedinattendingcollege.

Asecondproblemthatdeservesattentionareexcessivestudenttocounselorratiosinthe

country.ThisisascenariothatextendstoMontanahighschools.TheAmericanSchoolCounselor

AssociationreportstheUnitedStatesaveragestudenttocounselorratioat471/1with250/1beingthe

recommendedratio.InformationfromthesamesourceasthenationalfiguresshowsthatinMontana

thatfiguresitsat310/1athighschoolswithover100students.Manycounselorsatsmallerschoolsin

Montanaarepart-timecounselorsandteachsubjectstomakethejobfull-time.Thetimerequiredto

developaneffectivecollegepreparatoryprogramforstudentshasbecomeunmanageablefor

counselorsthatmustmonitorstudentattendanceandacademicperformanceandgiveattentionto

socialand/oremotionalconcerns.ManyhighschoolcounselorsthatItalktoinmyprofessionworkhard

togetinformationtostudentsaboutcollegeaccessandscholarshipopportunities.However,the

pressuretogethighschoolstudentstogotoclassandgraduatemanytimesmakesitverydifficultto

giveequalattentiontocollegepreparation.Also,highschoolcurriculumsrarelyhaveroomto

implementacollegeprepcurriculum.AtButteHighSchool,Iamhelpingdevelopaprogramthat

studentscantakebeforeschoolstartsbecauseofthisissue.AtButteCentralHighSchool,theonlyroom

theyhaveinthecurriculumisonFridayduringSeniorTheology.Infact,findingssuggestthathigh

schoolshaveprioritizedcreditaccrualnecessaryforgraduationoverknowledgeandskilldevelopment

thatwouldpreparestudentsforlifeaftergraduation(Bromberg&Theokas,2016). Highschool

counselorsappreciateanyhelptheycangettobesthelptheirstudentsachieveinhigherlearning.Aline

canbedrawnfromthelackoftimeavailabletohighschoolcounselorstodevotetocollege

preparednessdirectlytolowfirst-yearpersistenceratesatcollegesanduniversitiesintheUnitedStates.

Thisisanissuethatneedstobeaddressedatapre-collegeandcollegelevel.


6

LiteratureReview

Theliteratureoncollegepreparationisheavilyfocusedonunderservedstudents(minority,low-

income,and/orfirstgeneration),whichistobeexpected.Underrepresentedstudentsattendcollegeat

farlowerratesandaremorelikelytodropoutaftertheirfreshmanyeariftheydoattendcollege.The

NationalStudentClearinghousereportedin2014thatonlyabout70%ofallcollegefreshman

(underservedornot),persisttotheirsecondyear.Attentionneedstobegiventoallstudentsthathave

aninterestinsomeformofhighereducationregardlessofrace,familyhistory,orfinances.

Mycollegepreparationprogramhasthreemainareasoffocus:Collegeandmajorexploration,

financialliteracy,andhighschooltocollegetransition.Thereviewofliteraturefocusesonthesethree

mainareasofcollegepreparationandhowtheycanaddressthedecliningpersistenceratesofcollege

freshmen.TheLiteratureReviewwillalsoexploretheconceptsofinteractiondesignandotherregularly

useddesignprinciplesincreatingtheprojectdeliverablewebsiteandcoursecontent.

CollegeandMajorExploration

Gettinginformationinthehandsofhighschoolstudentsabouttheopportunitiesavailableto

thembyattendingandcompletingacollegedegreeiscrucial.Cabrera&LaNasa(2002),outlineathree-

stepcollegeselectionprocess.1)PredispositionstoAttendCollege.Gettingstudentsinterestedin

attendingcollegeisbestaccomplishedasearlyinschoolingaspossible.Thisistrueforallclassesof

studentsinAmerica,butparticularlytrueforunderservedstudents.Infact,studentswhocannot

rememberatimetheywerenotinterestedingoingtocollegetendtobemoresuccessfulcollege

students(Hossler,Schmit,&Vesper,1999).Thescopeofthisgraduateprojectdoesnotallowformuch

informationtobedisseminatedbelowthesecondaryeducationlevel.However,itisimportanttoknow

thatafocusoncollegepredispositionneedstobeappliedtostudentsattheelementarylevel,especially

inunderservedpopulations.2)Search.Thisiswherestudentsstarttodevelopalistofpossible


7

institutions.Thekeywiththisstepistogetthestudenttounderstandtheirambitionsandinterestsand

matchthosequalitiesinauniversity.Thechoicescompiledinthisstagearegenerallydependentonthe

sophisticationandthoroughnessofthesearchprocess.Theamountofsophisticationandthoroughness

tendstobedirectlyrelatedtosocioeconomicfactors(Cabrera&LaNasa,2000).Studentsfromhigher

incomefamiliesusuallyhaveparentsthathavebeenthroughthecollegesearchprocessandknowhow

besttocompleteaneffectivecollegesearch.Again,specialattentionneedstobepaidtounderserved

studentstomakesuretheyareidentifyingqualitycollegeoptions.Whenstudentshaveidentified

possibleinstitutions,theycanmoveontomoreindepthresearchandcampusvisits.3)Collegeand

MajorChoice.Generally,traditionalsemestercollegeswantstudentstomaketheirattendancechoice

byMay1.Thismeansconsideringfinancialaidpackages,scholarships,careerambitions,andacademic

interestsanddecidingwhichinstitutiongivesthemthebestchanceforsuccessfullycompletingtheir

degree.Asmentionedinthecollegesearchsectionabove,themorethoroughthecollegesearchthe

studentperformsthemorelikelytheyaretochoosetheinstitutionthatbestsuitstheirneedsinrelation

totheirstatedchoicefactors.Culturecodes(Rapaille,2007)canbeaninterestingwaytostudyand

understandthethoughtprocessthatshapesastudent’sfuturedecisionmakinginawaytotieallthree

conceptsofthecollegeandmajorexplorationprocesstogether.What“imprints”havebeenbestowed

ontheseindividualsthatmakesthempredeterminedtoattendcollege?Itislikely,perRapaille,that

thesestudentswereimprintedtowanttoattendcollegefromasearlyasageseven.Thedegreeor

majorinwhichtheyareinterestedislikelyalsotheproductofearlyimprinting.Workingwithstudents

thatareseniorsinhighschoolmeansunderstandingeveryone’sthoughtprocessandguidingthemon

thepathwiththegreatestchanceofsuccess.

FinancialLiteracy

Financialliteracyprogramshavegainedgreaterattentioninrecentyears.Thisisbecausemany

highschoolandcollegestudentslackbasicfinancialmanagementskills.Theabsenceoftheseskillscan


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negativelyaffecttheabilityofastudenttosaveforexpenseslikepayingforcollege(Braunstein&

Welch,2007).Manystudieshavebeenconductedtogaugethefinancialmanagementskillsofhigh

schoolstudents.OnestudyconductedbyMandell(2008)foundlowbaselineresultsfortheseskillsin

1997andadownwardtrendinskillstowardtheendofhisstudyin2006.Despiteeffortsoverthepast

twodecadestoprovidestudentswithfinancialliteracyskills,numbersstillshowthathighschooland

collegestudentshaverelativelylimitedfinancialknowledge(Xiao,Serido&Shim,2010).Alater

observationbyMandell(2009)claimsthatanalystsandpoliticiansputtheculpabilityofdeclining

statisticsinfinancialliteracyoncomplexfinancialconsumerproducts,suchascreditcardinterestrates

andcheckingaccountfeestructures.Heproposessolutionsinvolvingmandatoryfinancialeducationin

highschoolandcollegesandsimplificationoffinancialproductsofferedtoyoungadults.

Fromafinancialassistanceperspective,thebestwayforinstitutionstokeepstudentsenrolledis

tocontroltuitionincreasesthatareoutpacingtheamountoffinancialaidallocatedtoeachcampus

(Kane,1999).Kanegoesontosurmisethatincreasingexpensesforinstitutionsisnottheonlyreason

forincreasedtuition,butthatstates’governmentsarecompelledtocutsubsidiestocollegesbecauseof

otherconstraintsontheirbudgets.Formanystudents,FederalPellGrantsarenotenoughtocoverthe

fullcostofattendanceandloansareneededtoclosethegaptomakestayingincollegeareality(Long&

Riley,2007).Furthermore,LongandRileyobservethatmerit-basedaidandeducationaltaxbreaksare

replacingneedbasedaid.Thisnegativelyeffectslow-incomestudentswhilepositivelyeffectingmiddle

andhighincomestudents.However,Ihaveobservedthatthestudentsthattendtobeinthemost

difficultcollegefinancialsituationarethosestudentsfrommiddleincomefamilieswhoseparentsmake

toomuchmoneytoqualifyforaPellgrant,butnotenoughmoneytohavesavedfortheirchild’scollege

expenses.Thesearethestudentsthatareforcedtocompletely,inmostcases,debtfinancetheir

collegeeducation.Whenstudentsarefacedwithaccumulatingmoreandmoreloanmoney,the

decisiontodropoutbecomesnecessaryinmanyinstances.TheinfographicinAppendix3:StudentDebt


9

CrisisfromTheWeek.comshowsindetailthestateoffinancialaidintheUnitedStates.Thegrowing

costofcollegeattendanceisputtingstudentsintohigheramountsofdebtthatarecripplingduetothe

lackofhighpayingjobsneededtocomfortablypayoffdebt.SomeupdatedfiguresfromtheU.S.

DepartmentofEducationonstudentloandebtintheUnitedStatesfromJuly1st,2016showthatthe

totalstudentloandebtintheUnitedStatessitsat$1.35trillionwithanaveragedebtperborrowerat

$28,400.

HighSchooltoCollegeTransition

Essentialforcreatingcollegesuccessopportunitiesarecollegepreparationprogramsaimedat

facilitatingthetransitionfromhighschooltocollegeandimprovingstudyhabitsneededforcollege

success(Hagedorn&Tierney,2002).Manyprogramshavebecomeessentialtoolsinmakingthe

transitioneasier.ArticulationprogramsincludingAdvancedPlacement,dual-creditenrollment,and

InternationalBaccalaureatehelpstudentsgetaheadstartoncollegelevelcourseworkandcandefray

financialcollegeinvestmentbecausetheseprogramsgenerallycostlesspercreditthanactualcollege

enrollment(Bailey&Karp,2003).Tothecontrary,somecollegesviewdual-creditenrollmentandAPor

IBcreditsasinferiortoinstitutionalcollegecreditbecauseitisoftendifficulttogaugethelevelof

instructiontothestudentthatreceivestheequivalentcollegecredit.Howpreparedarehighschool

studentsenteringtheirfreshmanyearofcollege?TheinfographicinAppendix4:Preparedness

PerceptionsfromtheeducationcompanyKnewtonlooksathowhighschoolteachersandcollege

instructorsperceivethesituation.Highschoolinstructorssurveyedthinkthat91%oftheirstudentsare

wellpreparedforcollege,butonly26%ofcollegeinstructorsfeelthatincomingfreshmenarewell

prepared.Thisdisconnectinstudentpreparationillustratestheneedformorecollaborationbetween

highschoolsandcollegestopreparestudentsandimprovepersistenceratesofcollegefreshmen.

Aidingthetransitionfromhighschooltocollegeinvolvesmorethangettingahead-startoncollege

coursework.Inherentincollegepreparationisdemonstratingthenecessaryskillsneededtobecomea


10

successfulcollegestudent(Baumann,Miller,&Sorenson,2005).Focusmustbepaidtonecessarystudy

skills,note-takingskills,andprinciplesofcollegelevelreading.Personalwellnessandtimemanagement

arealsokeyskillsneededtobesuccessfulincollege.Stayinghealthy,mentallyandphysically,are

importantbecausestudentsthatsufferfrompoormentalhealthhaveahigherprobabilityofdropping

out(Eisenberg,Golberstein,andHunt,2009).Depression,anxiety,andhomesicknessarevarying

degreesofmentalphysicalwellnessthatcanbeaspowerfulandphysicalillness.Collegestudentstend

torankgettingsickandmismanagingtimeastwoofthemostcommonreasonsfordroppingout,right

behindfinancialshortcomings,especiallyinthefirst-year(Rumberger,2001).Studentsaregenerallynot

shyaboutsharingthefactthattheyhavetroublewithtimemanagement.Whatmanystudentsdonot

realizeistherelationbetweentime-managementandself-management.Thelatterbeingcriticalin

personalwellnessandstayinghealthy(Daley,2010).

VisualInterfaceandInteractionDesignPrinciples

Mygraduateprojectendeavorstomakeiteasierforeducationprofessionalstogetcollege

preparationmaterialsinfrontofstudentsbyapplyingcommonlyaccepteduserexperiencedesign

principles.EffectivelycommunicatinginformationisonekeyprincipleofTechnicalCommunications.To

effectivelycommunicateinadigitalenvironment,onemustbewellversedintheprinciplesofvisual

interfaceandinteractiondesign.

Interactiondesigncanbeconsideredthecreationofadialoguebetweenapersonandaproduct,

service,orsystem(Kolko,2010).Communicationmustexist,aidedbyproperinteractiondesign,from

theuserofaproductandviceversatobesurethattheproductisusedcorrectlyandasefficientlyas

possible.Furthermore,visualinterfaceandinteractiondesignmustcreateanexperienceofaparticular

emotionandhelptheviewertrulyunderstandthecontentoftheinterface(Kolko,2010).Theusersof


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thecollegeprepprogramwebsitewillfinditdifficulttopassusefulinformationontotheirstudentsif

theyfinditproblematicorunsatisfyingtointeractwiththewebsite.

Thedesignprinciplesusedtocreatethistypeofwebsitedeliverysystemwillfocusheavilyon

first-timeusersandfrequentusers.Entry-pointsandaccessibilitywillconcentrateoncreatingan

effectiveinitialimpression(Lidwell,Holden,&Butler,2010).First-timeusersneedeasyaccessto

informationabouttheprogramandhowtosignup.Frequentuserswillfindmoresatisfactionin

speedyaccesstocurriculummaterial.

Infact,removingbarrierstoinformationwillfreeupanyuser’smovementandincrease

enjoymentoftheexperience.Everytimeauserisrequiredtoclickalinkisanunnecessarybarriertothe

informationtheydesire(Galloway,2004).Strategiesthatcanbeusedtoincreasetheefficiencyofusers

findingtheinformationtheydesireinclude,butarenotlimitedto:Layering,wayfinding,and

understandingfiguregroundrelationships(Lidwell,Holden,&Butler,2010).Theseinterfacedesign

principlesarehashedoutinthemostrecentlycitedbook,UniversalPrinciplesofDesign.Layeringcan

bestbedescribedasaprocessthatinvolvesorganizinginformationintorelatedgroupingsinorderto

managecomplexityandreinforcerelationships.Wayfindingistheprocessofusingspatialand

environmentalinformationtonavigatetoadestination.Particularfocusisgiventoorientation,route

decision,routemonitoring,anddestinationsinbuildinganeffectivepathtoinformationthroughthe

principleofwayfinding.Gestaltprinciplesofperceptionguidetheunderstandingoffigureground

relationships.Humanperceptionseparatesstimuliintoeitherfigureorgroundelements.Figure

elementsbeingthoseobjectsinfocusandgroundelementsbeingunidentifiablebackground.

Whentheseelementsareclearlyidentifiabletherelationshipisstableandthefigureelement

receivesmoreattention,andismoreeasilyremembered(Tidwell,2010).Usabilitytestingisaneffective

meansofidentifyingwhatelementsoncertainpagesreceivethemostattention.Theprinciplesof


12

interactiondesignpairedwithusabilitytestingsupportthecreationofeffectiveusertoproduct

communication.Organizationandvisualstructureareotherdesignprinciplesworthmentioningona

broaderspectrumindesigninganeffectiveuserexperienceonmywebsite.Organizationandvisual

structureprovidevisualpathwaysneededtoexperienceaproductinasystematicway.Most

importantly,thehumaneyecravesstructureandwillseektodoitsownorganizingwhenstructureisnot

apparent.Inthiscase,thedesignerlosescontrolofthemessagetohumanperception(Mullet&Sana,

1995).Losingcontrolininteractionwithauseristobeavoidedatallcosts.


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Chapter2

Methodology

ContentAnalysisforProgramKeyPoints

Acontentanalysiswascompletedandwasappliedincreatingmyprogramcurriculum.Forthe

contentanalysis,myfocuswastobrowsewebsitesofcollegeadmissionscounselorassociations.The

fourassociationwebsiteschosenwereNACAC,IECA,HECA,andWACACastheseorganizationsareset

uptoaidstudents,parents,andadmissionscounselorsthroughtheincreasinglycomplexcollege

preparationprocess.Theseassociationsrepresentthefourlargestandmostrecognizableorganizations

inthefieldofcollegeadmissions.Usingacodeofcollegepreparationcurriculumtermsdevelopedby

Dr.CarrieVathandmyself,thetermsandvariationsoftermswerecountedfromeachassociation’s

entirewebdomain.ThekeytermsfromthedevelopedcurriculumincludedFinancialLiteracy(financial

aid,scholarships,totalcostofattendance,etc.),Major/SchoolExploration(studentinterests&

strengths,institutionstrengths,careeroptions,etc.),andStudySkillsandPreparation(time

management,motivation,personalresponsibility,etc.)Eachtermorphrasewascountedwith

duplicationsfromthesamesentenceorparagraphomittedandtermsorphrasesthatservedasalinkto

anothersectiondealingwiththesametopiccountedonlyonetime.Ifthetermorphrasewasalinkto

anothersectionorotherkeywordsshowedupthoseinstanceswerecountedseparately.

Results

Theideaofthecontentanalysiswastoseeiftheinformationacrosseachassociation’sweb

domaincouldbedisseminatedtoassistbuildingmyowncollegepreparationcurriculum.Ifcertainkey

termsorphrasesshowedupinhighernumbersacrossallwebdomains,itwasasafebetthatthe

contenthasgreaterimportanceandthereforedeservedconsiderationascontentneededforan

effectivecollegepreparednessprogram.


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SurveysandQuizzes

HighSchoolCounselorSurvey

WhatfollowsisabreakdownofthesurveythatwassentinMay2016toeveryhighschool

guidancecounselorinMontana.Ireceived61responsesfromapoolof303.Thiswasamuchhigher

responseratethanIexpectedandis,therefore,averyusefultoolindeterminingthebestmodeof

deliveryandcontentofacollegeprepcurriculum.Theinformationgatheredhasbeenusedtodirectthe

creationofawebsitethathighschoolteachersandcounselorscanusetoimplementacollege

preparationcurriculumintheirrespectiveschools.Figure2.1leadsthisdatasettoprovethatthere

reallyisaneedforapre-createdcollegepreparationprograminthestateofMontana.Themost

compellingdatarelatedtohowtodeliverthedigitalcontentoftheprogramisshowninFigure2.2.I

askedthehighschoolcounselorsinMontanawhattheythoughtthebestwaytoteachtheinformation

intheclassroomwouldbe.ThatvisualizeddatafromtheresponsescanbeseeninFigure2.3.

Figure2.1:Howhelpfulwouldapre-createdcollegepreparationlessonplanbeatyourhighschool?

Figure2.2:Whatwouldbethebestdeliverymethodifyouweretoshowvideolecturesandactivelearningexercisestoyourstudents?


15

Results

Infigure2.1,atotalof57.37%ofrespondentsansweredeither“Very”or“Absolutely”andonly

4.92%answered“NotReally”or“NotatAll”.ThisassuresmethatIamonapaththatwouldhelphigh

schoolcounselorsintheirquesttodelivercollegeprepmaterialtotheirstudents.ImustsaythatIwas

surprisedthattherewerenearly5%ofrespondentsthatansweredthattheserviceswerenotneeded.I

takethistomeanthattheymightalreadyhaveacollegeprepprogramoruseothereffective

sources…namely,mycurrentjobwithReachHigherMontana(formerlyTheStudentAssistance

Foundation).

Figure2.2showswhatmaybethemostoverwhelmingandcompellingdataIreceivedfromthis

survey,itisclearthatcounselor’sfeelthatawebsitewouldbethebestformofdeliveryofacollege

prepprogram.77%orrespondentsindicatedthatawebsitewasthebestdeliverymethodandthatis

themostprevalentanswergivenforanyofthequestionsIaskedinthesurvey.Atonepointthis

graduateprojectinvolvedapaperdocumentastheproductdeliverable,nowIknowthatawebsite

deliveryplatformisabsolutelythewaytogo.

ThemoreIlookatthequestioninfigure2.3,themoreIamdisappointedthatIdidn’tmakea

betterseparationofapre-generatedcollegeprepprogramandcontentthatcouldbeusedtobuild

one’sownprogram.Thisdatastillshowsmethatthesecounselorsdonotnecessarilywanttoteach

theirowncollegeprepclass,theywouldratherhavesomethingpre-generatedtoshowstudents.For

Figure2.3:Whichmethodofdeliverybelowwouldbestservestudentsintheclassroom?


16

thisreason,Idecidedthatrecordedpresentationsshouldbemadeforeachpresentation.Ihave

recordedmyself,usingCamtasia©,threeofthepresentationssofar.Allthe“Other”respondents

repliedsomeformofwantingacombinationofboth.

StudentandTeacherSurveys

Apre-surveywasconductedinthefallof2016withhighschoolseniorsatButteCentralHigh

School.Thepre-surveywasusedtosetastartingpointoftheirknowledgerelatedtothefollowingthree

areas:Collegemajorandinstitutionalexpectations,financingacollegeeducation,andhighschoolto

collegetransition.Aseriesofquestionsrelatedtocollegechoiceandmajorwasaskedtogaugethe

attitudeofthestudentsregardingimportanceofaverageclasssize,degreeoptions,graduationrates,

averagestartingsalaryofgraduates,andthecommunityinwhichtheuniversityislocated.ALikert-like

scalefrom1-4with1beingnotimportantand4beingthemostimportantwasusedtogauge

significance.Next,aseriesofmultiplechoicequestionswasaskedtodeterminebaselineknowledgeof

financialliteracyskillsandcollegefinanceoptions.Thelastpartofthepre-surveyfocusedonhigh

schooltocollegetransition.Again,aLikert-likescalefrom1-4wasusedtogaugethestudents’

knowledgeandattitudestowardstudyskills,timemanagement,andthedifferencesbetweenhigh

schoolandcollege.Ifeltthata1-4scalewasappropriateforthesesectionsasIdidnotwanttogivethe

studentstheoptionforneutralanswersregardingquestionsaboutimportanceandknowledge.

IchosetofocusonstudentsatisfactionwhenanalyzingthedataandFigure2.4showsa

representationofthatdata.ALikert-likescalewasalsousedonthesatisfactionsection;however,the

scalewaschangedfrom1-5togivestudentstheabilitytogiveaneutralanswer.Iheldthatsomelevel

ofneutralitywasnecessaryregardingquestionsaboutsubjectivesatisfaction.Thestudentsurveyand

teachersurveycanbereviewedinAppendixes6:ProspectCollegePrepStudentSurveyand7:Prospect

CollegePrepTeacher/CounselorSurvey.


17

Results

Thepost-surveywasgivento24studentsinthe2016graduatingclassatButteCentralHigh

School.Therewasasectionofthesurveywerestudentswereaskedtoevaluatetheprogram’s

effectiveness.ThisisthemethodIchosetodeterminesatisfactionwiththecontentanddeliveryofthe

curriculum.Ateachersatisfactionsurveywasalsogiventodetermineeffectivenessinthecontentand

deliveryofthecurriculumfromatrainedteacher’sperspective.Theinformationfromthestudentand

teachersatisfactionsurveysareanalyzedindependentlytogetthebestperspectiveonoverall

effectiveness.Studentswereaskedtoratetheoverallcontentdeliveredinthecourse,theperceived

knowledgeoftheinstructor,thehelpfulnessofin-classactivities,andtheiroverallsatisfaction.Iam

happytoreportthattheaveragescoresforallofthesequestionswasatorabove4.0.IdofeelthatI

receivedreliabledatafromthepost-survey;however,Idoacknowledgethatusinga1-7scaletoallow

for“stronglyagree”or“stronglydisagree”mayhaveaddedausefullayerofanalysistogetatthe

students“true”feelings.

Therewasonlyoneteachersatisfactionsurveygiveninthespringof2016,astherewasonlythe

oneteacherforthecourseinwhichIgavemycollegepreppresentations.Theteacherhadthesame

questionsandthesame1-5scale.Shegave5’sacrosstheboard.Thisislikelyduetohersatisfaction

withbeingabletorelayandcollegeprepinformationtoherstudents,ratherthanhertruesatisfaction

Question: AnswerAverage:Howwouldyouratetheoverallcontentdeliveredinthecourse? 4.1

Werethein-classactivitieshelpful? 4.0Wouldyousaytheinstructorofthiscourseisknowledgeableaboutcollegepreparation? 4.5

Howwouldyourateyouroverallsatisfactionwiththiscourseintermsofaidingyourtransitiontocollege? 4.2

Figure2.4:24studentswereaskedtorateonascaleof1-5,with1(leastsatisfied)and5(mostsatisfied).


18

Figure2.4:UsabilityTestTasks

withthecontentanddelivery,maybetherewasanelementofbothinherresponses.Eitherway,more

teachersatisfactionsurveysneedtobecompletedwithawiderpoolofrespondentstogetatruegauge

ofsatisfactionfromateacher’sperspective.

UsabilityTesting

Ichosetodirectaqualitativeusabilitytesttoimprovetheuserexperienceofmywebsite.This

typeoftestallowedforamoreinformaltestwhereIcouldsitwithasingleuserorsmallgroupofusers

andgivethemtaskstocomplete.Userswereencouragedtothinkoutloudtogivefeedbackontheir

experienceinrealtime.ThisusabilitytestwasderivedfromlessonstaughtinthemanualbyRocket

SurgeryMadeEasybySteveKrug.Thisparticularusabilitytestisaliteralexerciseincreatingadialogue

betweenuserandproductassuggestedbyKolkoinThoughtsonInteractionDesign.Nodatagatheringis

necessary;however,somenotesaboutuserexperiencearesharedbelow.Itisworthnotingthatthe

bestpracticeforthismethodofusabilitytestingcallsformultipleiterationsofthetestwithnewtest

subjects.Duetotimeconstraints,onlyoneiterationoftheusabilitytestwillbeperformed.

InthisusabilitytestIhadthreetestsubjectsgothroughtasksorscenariosontheProspect

CollegePrepwebsite.Whiletheynavigatedthetasks,Iaskedforlivefeedbackabouttheirexperience.

Figure2.4liststhetasksorscenariosgiventothetestsubjects.

Task1:Youareahighschoolcounselororteacherthatisinterestedinteachingacollegeprepcourseforyourstudents.Howwouldyoufindinformationabouttheprogram?

Task2:YouarelookingforapresentationtogivetoyourstudentsaboutFinancialAid.CanyounavigatetothepresentationforFinancialAidfromthehomepage?Iftheyareable-giveprompt:Click“SignIn”.AretheyabletonavigatetotheFinancialAidpresentationaftertheprompt?

Task3:StartingfromtheFinancialAidpresentationpage:Youwouldliketoseeanoutlineofthecollegepreplessonplan.Canyounavigatetoalistoftopicscoveredintheprogram?

Task4:Nowyouwanttoteachyourstudentsabouttakingdualcreditcourses.PleasenavigatetotheAP&Jumpstartpresentation.


19

Results

Thetestsubjectschosenforthisusabilitytestallmadeupwhatwouldbeconsidereda

representativedemographicoftheendusersofmyprogram.Testsubject#1wasaformereducator

andtestsubjects#2&#3arecurrenthighschoolcounselorsinMontana.Task1wascompletedbyeach

testsubjectinanidenticalfashion.TheyallwentstraighttotheCurriculumOutlinebuttononthe

homepage.Theyalsoallcommentedthattheoptiontheychosegavethemtheinformationforwhich

theywerelooking.EverytestsubjectwasalsoabletocompleteTask2withoutprompt.Testsubject#1

wenttotheBudgetingpresentationatfirst,butcommentedthattheywere“movingalittletoofastand

clickedonthewrongicon.”Testsubject#1alsogavesomehelpfulfeedbackonthedesignofthe

curriculumcontentpagesthatwilllikelybedevelopedafterthecompletionofthismaster’sproject.The

testermadespecificmentionthattheprogramnodes“lookedgood,butcouldbeevenmoreefficient

andaestheticallypleasingifcompiledindropdownfromthesectiontitles.”Task3wascompletedin

differentwaysbyeachtestsubject;however,eachtestsubjectdidcompletethetaskbecausetheyhad

alreadyfiguredoutwherethecurriculumoutlinewaslocated.Testsubject#2gavethenotethatit

wouldbenicetobeabletonavigatetothecurriculumcontentfromthecurriculumoutline.Thisisa

simpleandsignificantchangethatcanreallyaddtotheoverallwayfindingofthewebsite.Task4was

easyforeverytestsubjectbecausetheyhadstartedtolearnwherethingswerelocatedintheother

tasks.Although,therewassomeconfusionrelatedtotryingtofigureoutwhatheadingAP&Jumpstart

wouldfallunder.Eachusercouldguesscorrectlyorusethecurriculumoutlinetoseewhereitwouldbe

onthecontentpage.Overall,theusabilitytestingprovedtobeveryusefulinclearingupsomeissues

thatIhadnotthoughtofwhenconceptualizingtheuserexperienceofthesite.Manyofthesuggestions

relatedtowayfindingandroadblockswereusedinupdatingthelivesite.Specifically,navigatingfrom

thecurriculumoutlinetotheprogramcontentandmakingiteasiertonavigatebacktocontentfromany


20

page.Ididnotimplementsomesuggestedchangesduetotimeconstraints.Oneexamplebeingthe

recreationoftheprogramcontentpagesusingdropdownsfromsectiontitles.

Deliverable

Awebsitehasbeendevelopedasthemostefficientwaytogetmycollegepreparationprogram

tothehighschooleducationprofessionalsthatdonothavethetimeand/orresourcestodevelopthe

programontheirown.Thisconclusionwasarrivedatbasedonthefeedbackfromthehighschool

counselorsurveydatacollectedinMay2016.Thewebsitehasahomepagethatgivessomeinformation

abouttheprogramandthemainareasoffocus.Interestedhighschooleducationprofessionalswillbe

givenfreeaccesstothecontent.Futureplansmayinvolveafeestructureforaccesstothecontent,but

initiallytheinformationwillbeatnocharge.Itisimportanttocreateasign-upsystemtoseewhois

usingtheproductandtobeabletocontactthemforfeedback.Wheninterestedpartiessignintheywill

haveaccesstolessonplansfocusedaroundCollegeandMajorExploration,FinancialLiteracy,andHigh

SchooltoCollegeTransition.ThelessonplanswillcontainPowerPointpresentations,Prezi

presentations,activelearningexercises,andnotesforeachlesson.Accesstotheprogramalsohas

quizzesforsomelessonsandsatisfactionsurveysforbothstudentsandinstructorstoquantify

effectivenessoftheprogram.

Toeffectivelycontroluserinteractionofthewebsite,Icloselyfollowedtheprinciplesofhome

pagedesignoutlinedbySteveKruginDon’tMakeMeThink(2006).Thefirstgoalinthehomepage

designwastoclearlyidentifythemission.Aquickanswerisprovidedinrelationtothecentralquestion:

Whatisthewebsiteandforwhatcanitbeused?Next,Isetupaclearhierarchyoroverviewofcollege

prepcontentsandfeaturesavailableforhighschooleducationprofessionals.Teasesorhintsastowhat

isavailabletotheuserareimplementedintheformofbuttonsthatleadtocurriculumoverviews,

sectionoverviews,andhelpfulcollegeprepchecklists.Lastly,thewebsiteisbuiltwitha“GetAccess”


21

functiontoallowuserstosetupausernameandpasswordtosigninforaccesstocoursematerials.

Theseconceptsareassembledtogivetheusereasyentrypointstobuildtrustthattheinformation

accessedthroughsettingupauserprofileareofhighqualityandutility.Afullprogramnodecanbe

viewedinAppendix5:FinancialAidNodefromProspectCollegePrepWebsite.Thescreengrabsinthe

followingfiguresillustratepreciselytheprinciplesofdesignusedforthewebsite.

Figure2.5:TopofHomePage

Figure2.6:ScrolledDownonHomePage


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ProgramOutline

Theprogramcurriculumfocusesonthreemainareasofcollegepreparation:Collegeandmajor

exploration,financialliteracy,andhighschooltocollegetransition.Belowisanoutlineofthemain

areasoffocusandthetopicscoveredundereachoftheseareas.Thepresentationsarebuiltforeach

mainareaandcoverallthetopicsmentioned.Undereachpresentationtitlearethelearningoutcomes

foreachpresentation.AfullprogramnodeisavailableforreviewinAppendix5:FinancialAidNode

fromProspectCollegePrepWebsiteandascreencaptureisincludedtoshowhowthecurriculumoutline

relatestotheprogramcontent.Therewasadistinctapproachthroughthemethodologiesusedinthis

projecttodevelopthecurriculumcontentthatfollows.

CollegeandMajorExploration1) TheRightCollegeforYou

a. AcademicGoalsb. PersonalGoalsc. AverageClassSized. CampusEnvironmente. Costf. CampusHousingg. Diversity

2) AcademicMajor

a. MajorAvailabilityb. LearningEnvironmentc. Internshipsd. JobPlacemente. SalaryExpectations

FinancialLiteracy

1) FinancialAida. Grants,Loans,andScholarshipsb. Unsubsidizedvs.SubsidizedFederalLoansvs.DirectPLUSLoanc. FAFSAd. SchoolSpecificScholarshipse. OutsideScholarshipsandOtherFreeMoneyf. AvoidingScams

2) BudgetinginCollegea. WhatisIncludedinaBudget?


23

b. BudgetingToolsc. FinancialGoalsd. CreditCardse. CheckingandSavingsAccountsf. UseStudentDiscounts

3) WorkingWhileinCollegea. Part-timeEmploymentb. WorkStudyc. OddJobsd. Jobvs.GPA

4) LifeAfterCollegea. ExpectedIncomeb. DealingwithDebtc. ManagingMoneyd. PlanningforRetirement

HighSchooltoCollegeTransition

1) APandJumpStarta. LowerCostPrepb. CorrectCoursesforIntendedDegreec. WhatYouMayWanttoWaittoTakeinCollege

2) StudySkillsa. MemoryStrategiesb. CriticalThinkingc. GroupStudyd. StudyingforExamse. TheCollegeLibraryf. DifferentLearningStylesg. KnowYourStrengthsandWeaknesses

3) NoteTakingSkillsa. ActiveListeningb. Guidelines,Outlines,andStrategiesc. TutoringCenters

4) TimeManagementa. Procrastinationb. DevelopRoutinesc. CreatingaSchedule


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Figure2.7:FinancialLiteracyProgramContentScreenGrab


25

Chapter3WorkinProgress

Thisprojectexistsbecauseofmydesiretohelphighschoolstudentspreparethemselves

academicallyandfinanciallyforhighereducation.However,thecurrentdesigncanbeunderstoodasthe

firstphasesofalonger-termprojectthatwillrequireadditionalassessmenttowardsitsarticulated

learninggoals,asIexplaininthissection.Theinterestinthisfieldstartedatthelaterpartofmyfour

yearsworkingintheEnrollmentServicesofficeatMontanaTech.Myinitialgoalwiththisprojectwasto

buildupontheknowledgeandexperiencesofworkinginanadmissionsandfinancialaidofficetohelp

studentsregardlessofthecollegetheyplannedtoattend.MidwaythroughtheMSTCprogramat

MontanaTech,IwasofferedajobwithReachHigherMontana(RHM).Thegoalofthatorganizationis

verymuchinlinewithmyinitialgoaltohelpstudentssucceedincollege.RHMtendstogivemorefocus

tofinancialpreparationandmyprojectspreadsthatfocusacrossthreeareasofcollegepreparation:

College/majorexploration,financialliteracy,andhighschooltocollegetransitionskills.Thedeeper

knowledgeandexperienceacrosswhatIfeelarethemostimportantaspectsofcollegepreparation

haveopenedopportunitiesformetobroadenmyfocuswithRHM.

Therearesomechallengesandprospectsforexpansionoftheproject.Thefirstchallengewill

bemonetizationofmywiderbreadthofexperienceandtheprogramIhavedeveloped.Also,thereis

thechallengeofgettingthemessageoutaboutmyprogram.ButteHighschooliscurrentlyonboardto

makemyprogrampartoftheirnewAPandCollegePrepcoursethatwillbeofferedstartinginthefallof

2017.AsanemployeeofRHM,IfeelobligatedtobrandtheprogramIhavedevelopedtomatchthatof

RHM.Thequestionis,howbesttobroachthemonetarysubjectwithRHMforuseofmyprogram?If

RHMisreceptivetopayingfortheuseofmyprogram,theremayexistanopportunitytogetthe

programintoanyhighschoolinMontanathatwantstoparticipate.


26

Theprogramlikelyneedstobeexpandedtooffercollegeprepservicestofreshmenthrough

seniors.Theprogramasitexistsgivesvaluableinformationtohighschoolseniorsaboutallaspectsof

thecollegeprepprocess,buttobetrulyeffectivetheprocessneedstostartasearlyaspossiblewith

highschoolstudents.Acasecouldevenbemadetostarttheprogramevenearlier(elementaryschool

ormiddleschool)todeveloppredispositiontoattendcollegesomeday.Developingaprogramforthose

agegroups,specificallygearedtowardsettingpre-dispositionsisfertilegroundforanothergraduate

levelproject.

Thisprojectcouldbeextendedpastamaster’slevelprojectwiththeexpansiontomoreage

groupsandbyfollowingstudentsthroughtheirfirstyearofhighereducation.Notfollowingstudents

throughtheirfirstyearofcollegehasbeenalimitationoftheprojectfromthebeginningasitwas

deemedtobebeyondthescopeofthismaster’sproject.Idofeelthatthebestwaytodeterminethe

effectivenessoftheprojectwouldbethroughthesetwoexpansionsoftheprogram.Infact,muchof

theliteraturededicatedtocollegeretentionisfocusedonsurveysanddatacollectedfromcollege

freshmen.Asacountermorecloselyrelatedtomyproject,Iwasnotabletofindanyworkthathas

beencompletedfollowinghighschoolseniorsthatcompletedacollegeprepprogramthroughtheirfirst

yearofcollege.Alltheliteratureisfocusedspecificallyonunderservedstudentsandhighschool

courseworkthatleadstostudentstakingcollegeremediationcourses.BecauseIwasunabletofind

literaturededicatedtoall-inclusivecollegeprepanditseffectoncollegeretentioncreatesaneven

strongercasethatfurtherstudyisneededonthesubject.Thisisakeyelementtoexpandingthe

programtoanotherstudentcontinuingtheworkaspartoftheirmaster’sprojectorthepossibilityof

doctoratelevelstudyincollegepreparedness.

Alongwithexpandingscopeofthisprogramwouldbemoreconcreteassessmentoflearning

outcomes.Ihavelearningoutcomesrelatedtoeachpresentationnotedinthecurriculumoutline;

however,furtherdevelopmentofquizzes,andactivelearningexerciseswouldbeanecessarystepto


27

obtaindataabouttheeffectivenessoftheprogrampaststudentsatisfaction.Also,preandpost-testing

wouldneedtobedevelopedtodeterminewhatlearningoutcomesarebeinggained.Itisdifficultwithin

atwo-yearmaster’sprogramtodoeffectivepre-posttesting.Thespecificchallengethatthisproject

facedwasthatasignificantamountoftimeneededtobededicatedtocurriculumdevelopment.A

studentthatcontinuedthisprojectorpersonalPhDcourseworkwouldallowformoretimetodevelop

thepre-testtobegiveninthefallsemester,thenconductthepost-testinthespringandhavetimeto

analyzethedatareceived.

Ialsolookforwardtotheopportunitiesthatwilllikelyexisttopresentmyprojectanditsfindingsto

statewidecollegeaccess,retention,financialaid,andhighschoolcounselorfocusedconferences.After

that,Ihavesetagoaltopresentonthetopicofcollegepreparednessatnationalconferences.The

informationIpresenttocouldenticeleadersinhighschoolandhighereducationtothinkseriously

aboutimplementingcollegepreparednessprogramsintheircommunities,ifwecanfindroominthe

student’scurriculumordailyhighschoolroutine.

Conclusions

RetentionofstudentsisanimportantissueatmostU.S.institutionsofhigherlearning.Itis

equallyimportanttogethighschoolstudentspastanybarrierstocollegeaccess.Ontopoftheseissues

isthefactthatmosthighschoolcounselorsintheU.S.donothavethetimeand/orresourcesto

dedicatetodevelopingcollege-readyskillsorimpartingcriticalcollegeaccessinformationontheir

students.Effectivecollegepreparationservicescanhelptoalleviatethemanyconcernsofcollege

administrationofficialsandhighschoolcounselors.Thisprogramwasdevelopedtomeetthat

challenge.


28

Appendix1:First-YearRetentioninMontanaandtheUnitedStates

NationalStudentClearinghouseResearchCenter,2016

50

60

70

80

90

100

Montana UnitedStates

First-YearRetention

2006 2010 2014


29

Appendix2:EarningsandUnemploymentRatesbyEducationalAttainment

“EarningsandUnemploymentRatesbyEducationalAttainment[Infographic]”,U.S.DepartmentofLabor,BureauofLaborStatistics,2014


30

Appendix3:StudentDebtCrisis

“VisualizeThis:StudentDebtCrisis”,TheWeek.com,2012


31

Appendix4:PreparednessPerceptions

“PreparednessPerceptions”,Knewton,2009


32

Appendix5:FinancialAidNodefromProspectCollegePrepWebsite

VideoPresentation:

https://vimeo.com/212433590

PowerPointPresentation:

FinancialAid .pptx

PresentationNotes:

FinancialAidNotes.docx

Quiz:

FinancialAidQuiz.docx

VideoScreenGrab

PowerPointScreenGrab


33

PresentationNotesScreenGrab

QuizScreenGrab


34

Appendix6:ProspectCollegePrepStudentSurvey

Prospect College Prep

StudentSurvey

PartI

Pleaseanswerthequestionsbelowtothebestofyourability.Allsurveysarecompletelyanonymousandwillbeusedforeducationalpurposesonly.

1.Withwhatgenderdoyouidentify?� Male� Female� Other

2.Doyouplantoattendcollegeatanylevelnextyear?

Ifyes,wheredoyouplantoattend?_______________________________________

Ifno,doyouplantoattendatanytimeinthenexttwoyears?__________________

3.Pleasecirclethethreemostpersonallyimportanttopicscoveredinthiscourse.

FinancialAid&FAFSA Scholarships StudySkills NoteTakingSkills College-LevelReading

HighSchooltoCollegeTransitionFinancialLiteracyBudgetingPersonalWellnessLifeAfterCollege

4.Howwouldyouratetheoverallcontentdeliveredinthiscourse?(1)Lowest–(5)Highest

1 2 3 4 5

5.Wouldyousaytheinstructorofthiscourseisknowledgeableaboutcollegepreparation?

(1)NotAtAll (2)NotReally (3)Somewhat (4)Mostly(5)Absolutely

6.Werethein-classactivitieshelpful?


7.Werethevideosshownduringthecourseinformative?



35

8.Howwouldyourateyouroverallsatisfactionwiththiscourseintermsofaidingyourtransitiontocollege?(1)Lowest–(5)Highest

1 2 3 4 5

9.Whatdidyoulikemostaboutthiscourse?

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

10.Whatdidyoulikeleastaboutthiscourse?

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

11.Whatsuggestionsdoyouhavetomakethiscoursemoreeffective?

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

PartII

Forthequestionslistedbelowchoosetheanswerthatbestdescribesthelevelofimportanceinmakingyourcollegechoiceusingthescale,(4)VeryImportant,(3)Important,(2)SomewhatImportant,(1)NotImportant.

Majoravailability 4 3 2 1

Location(cityorstate)ofcollege 4 3 2 1

Institutionalacademicreputation 4 3 2 1

Totalcostofattendance 4 3 2 1

Scholarships 4 3 2 1

Financialaidpackage 4 3 2 1

Graduationstatistics 4 3 2 1

Jobplacementstatistics 4 3 2 1

Religiousaffiliation 4 3 2 1

Sizeofstudentbody 4 3 2 1

Averageclasssize 4 3 2 1

Athletics 4 3 2 1

Dormitoryaccommodations 4 3 2 1

Campusenvironment 4 3 2 1


36

Appendix7:ProspectCollegePrepTeacher/CounselorSurvey

Prospect College Prep

Teacher/CounselorSurvey

1. Howwouldyouratetheoverallcontentdeliveredinthecourse?(1)Lowest–(5)

Highest

1 2 3 4 5

2. Howwouldyouratetheoverallinstructioninthiscourse?(1)Lowest–(5)Highest

1 2 3 4 5

3. Wouldyousaytheinstructorofthiscourseisknowledgeableaboutcollege

preparation?

(1) NotAtAll (2)NotReally (3)Somewhat (4)Mostly(5)Absolutely

4. Werethein-classactivitiesappropriateforthegradelevelandcoursecontent?

(2) NotAtAll (2)NotReally (3)Somewhat (4)Mostly(5)Absolutely

5. Wouldyousaythatthecontentdeliverywasagoodvisuallearningexperience?


6. Pleasecheckwhatyouthinkarethethreemostimportanttopicscoveredinthis

course.

� FinancialAid&FAFSA� Scholarships� StudySkills� NoteTakingSkills� College-LevelReading � HStoCollegeTransition � FinancialLiteracy� Budgeting� PersonalWellness� LifeAfterCollege


37

7. Whichmethodbelowwouldbestservestudentsintheclassroom?� Theuseofexistinglecturesandactivelearningexercisestoteachyourowncollege

prepcourse� Videolecturesandactivelearningexercisescreatedtoshowyourstudents� Other,pleaseexplain

______________________________________________________

8. Whatwouldbethebestdeliverymethodifyouweretousetheinformationfromthiscoursetoteachyourowncollegeprepcourse?

� DownloadableLessonPlansfromaWebsite� PrintedGuidebookw/LessonPlans� Bothmethods� Other,pleaseexplain

______________________________________________________

9. Whatwouldbethebestdeliverymethodifyouweretoshowvideolecturesandactivelearningexercisestoyourstudents?

� Website� AppleorAndroidApp� DVD� Other,pleaseexplain

______________________________________________________

10. Whatadvicecanyougiveaboutthecontentdeliveredinthiscourse?Whatelsecould

orshouldbecovered?

11. Whatadvicecanyougiveabouttheinstructiongiveninthiscourse?

12. Whatadvicecanyougiveaboutstudentengagementrelatedtothiscourse?


38

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Braunstein,S.,&Welch,C.(2002).Financialliteracy:Anoverviewofpractice,research,andpolicy.Fed.Res.Bull.,88,445.

Bromberg,M.,&Theokas,C.(2016).MeanderingtowardGraduation:TranscriptOutcomesofHighSchoolGraduates.EducationTrust.Cabrera,A.F.,&LaNasa,S.M.(2000).Understandingthecollege-choiceprocess.Newdirectionsforinstitutionalresearch,2000(107),5-22.Daley,F.(2010).WhyCollegeStudentsDropoutandWhatWeDoaboutIt.CollegeQuarterly,13(3),n3. Eisenberg,D.,Golberstein,E.,&Hunt,J.B.(2009).Mentalhealthandacademicsuccessincollege.TheBEJournalofEconomicAnalysis&Policy,9(1),1-37.Galloway,A.R.(2004).Protocol:Howcontrolexistsafterdecentralization.Cambridge,MA:MITPress.Hossler,D.,Schmit,J.,&Vesper,N.(1999).Goingtocollege:Howsocial,economic,andeducationalfactorsinfluencethedecisionsstudentsmake.JHUPress.Kane,T.J.(2010).Thepriceofadmission:RethinkinghowAmericanspayforcollege.Washington,DC:BrookingsInstitutionPress.

Knewton(2009).PreparednessPerceptions[Infographic].Retrievedfromhttps://www.knewton.com/infographics/college-readiness-2/.Krug,S.(2005).Don'tmakemethink:Acommonsenseapproachtowebusability.SanFrancisco,CA:NewRidersPress.Krug,S.(2011).Rocketsurgerymadeeasy.SanFrancisco,CA:NewRidersPress.Kolko,J.(2010).Thoughtsoninteractiondesign.Burlington,MA:MorganKaufmannPublishers.Lidwell,W.,Holden,K.,&Butler,J.(2010).Universalprinciplesofdesign,revisedandupdated:125waystoenhanceusability,influenceperception,increaseappeal,makebetterdesigndecisions,andteachthroughdesign.Beverly,MA:RockportPress.Long,B.T.,&Riley,E.(2007).Financialaid:Abrokenbridgetocollegeaccess?.HarvardEducationalReview,77(1),39-63.Mandell,L.(2008).Financialliteracyofhighschoolstudents.Handbookofconsumerfinanceresearch,163-183.Mandell,L.(2009,January).Theimpactoffinancialeducationinhighschoolandcollegeonfinancialliteracyandsubsequentfinancialdecisionmaking.InAmericanEconomicAssociationMeetings,SanFrancisco,CA.


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Mullet,K.,&Sano,D.(1994).Designingvisualinterfaces:Communicationorientedtechniques.UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:PrenticeHall.NationalStudentClearinghouseResearchCenter(2016,May)Retrievedfromhttps://nscresearchcenter.org/snapshotreport-persistenceretention22/Rapaille,C.(2007).Theculturecode:Aningeniouswaytounderstandwhypeoplearoundtheworldliveandbuyastheydo.Danvers,MA:CrownPub.

Rumberger, Russell W.(2001). Why Students Drop Out of School and What Can Be Done. UCLA: The Civil Rights Project / Proyecto Derechos Civiles. Retrieved November 11, 2016 from http://escholarship.org/uc/item/58p2c3wpTheWeek.com(2012).StudentDebtCrisis[Infographic].Retrievedfromhttp://theweek.com/articles/469852/americas-student-debt-crisis.

Tidwell,J.(2010).Designinginterfaces:Patternsforeffectiveinteractiondesign.Sebastobol,CA:O’ReillyMedia.Cole,D.G.(2003).IncreasingAccesstoCollege:ExtendingPossibilitiesforAllStudents(review).TheJournalofGeneralEducation52(3),226-232.PennStateUniversityPress.RetrievedNovember12,2016,fromProjectMUSEdatabase.

U.S.DepartmentofLabor,BureauofLaborStatistics(2014).Earningsandunemploymentratesbyeducationalattainment[Infographic].Retrievedfromhttp://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm.Xiao,J.J.,Serido,J.,&Shim,S.(2012).Financialeducation,financialknowledge,andriskycreditbehaviorofcollegestudents.ConsumerKnowledgeandFinancialDecisions,113-128.

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