The Drop Rate Improvement Program is a scientifically based program developed at Odessa College to answer the question “What factors account for the differences in student drop rates between instructors?” Created from research based on faculty feedback, the program has led to the highest in-class completion rates in the nation. Since its implementation in AY 2011, the Drop Rate Improvement Program has been institutionalized across the instructional division, with intentional support from the Division of Teaching & Learning, where success and drop rates are reviewed for each instructor, every term. The results of this program have led to the reduction of achievement gaps and attainment of equity among all major student demographic groups, across all courses, and instructional delivery methods at Odessa College.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format or has both online and in-person components.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Office of Institutional Effectiveness

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Dr. Janice Hicks, VP of Institutional Effectiveness at jhicks@odessa.edu or 432-335-6342

The Integrated Education and Training (IET)- Contextualized Learning allows students seeking a high school equivalency credential or English language attainment the opportunity to participate and complete a credential of value that could ultimately lead to a career advancement and/or 'stackable' higher education degrees. The IET skills training leads to a high wage, high demand occupation and runs simultaneously with the GED and ESL program, additionally including a course that is focused on the reading, writing, verbal, and/or math skills needed to achieve and exceed in the training and career field. The IET program allows a student to accelerate the transition between an academic readiness program into workforce preparation training, which ultimately leads to credential completion and employment. The IET program provides tuition and supplies for those that qualify to help Adult Education students transition to a workforce Credential of Value while providing additional academic support to ensure student success.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 5

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants must apply to enroll in this program

EVALUATION STATUS: No data related to outcomes have been collected from this program

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Adult Education and Literacy

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Dr. Tiffani Price at tprice@odessa.edu or 4323556891

In the Learning Frameworks course, students study the research and theory in the psychology of learning, cognition, and motivation; the factors that impact learning; and how to apply different learning strategies. Theoretical models of strategic learning, cognition, and motivation serve as the conceptual basis for the introduction of the college-level student academic strategies. Students use assessment instruments (e.g. learning inventories) to help them identify their own strengths and weaknesses as strategic learners. Students are ultimately expected to integrate and apply the learning skills discussed across their own academic programs and become effective and efficient learners. Students developing these skills should be able to continually draw from the theoretical models they have learned.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 1000

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants are automatically enrolled in this program if they meet eligibility requirements

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally and externally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Office of Instruction

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Billy Johnson at bjohnson@odessa.edu or 432.335.6712

At Odessa College, we began our OC Cares journey in the fall of 2019 with the opening of our Wrangler Food Pantry. We added a social worker in February 2021 in our Student Support Services department. This helped to facilitate the distribution of acute emergency aid. Since then, students have reported that their primary needs revolve around housing, transportation, tuition/cost of school related expenses and food. In April of 2021, we added a garden on campus that supplies our Wrangler Food Pantry with fresh produce throughout the year. Our food pantry also has a hygiene supply room to ensure that our students are able to access basic hygiene necessities in addition to food.

What we have seen time after time is that students don’t realize that their needs are an emergency. They feel like someone else’s challenges are more severe than their own. We have worked to debunk that myth for emergency aid distribution in our conversations with students.

Through promotion of emergency aid, we have seen an increase in students utilizing other support services such as our food pantry, mental health services and community resource referrals. As a result of our behavioral intervention seeing an increase in reports surrounding basic needs, we created a separate social services report. We have also instituted a college life coach program where coaches are assigned to freshmen to support them throughout their first year with any resources or communication they might require, as well as checking in with students throughout their semester. We have instituted a student experience survey three times during the semester to identify trends on students curricular, co-curricular and basic needs.

Student Support Services also assists with the Perkins grant.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 6591

HOW TO ENROLL: All stakeholders have access to this program. As such, there is no enrollment process

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Student Support Services

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Kristi Clemmer at kclemmer@odessa.edu or 432-335-6865