Best Practices
Central Piedmont Community College
The Integrated Counseling and Advisement Network
(iCAN) is a best-practice, award-winning advising system that includes
faculty, staff, academic advisors, counselors, peer advisors, and technology
in collaborative ways to foster total student development and enhance student
success. Advising plays an essential part in student persistence and success.
If, indeed, advising is viewed as part of a retention and student success
strategy, it cannot be narrowly defined. At CPCC, advising is viewed as
an integrated, developmental process that contributes to a student’s
total college performance. To enhance online advising services for students,
the College has developed a comprehensive website including synchronous
advising and a new student interactive orientation (www.cpcc.edu/ican).
The iCAN has greatly enhanced our ability to impact student success.
Improving Academic and Student Support Services
for High Risk Students (Title III)
With the support of a Title III grant, CPCC has addressed the single, most
significant problem threatening the self-sufficiency of the institution—too
many developmental students are unsuccessful. The program is composed of
three components that relate directly to the success of developmental students,
and should result in a response that integrates student services with classroom
teaching:
- Component 1: Improving Student Services
- Component 2: Improving Faculty Skills
- Component 3: Improving Technology for Student Tracking
At the end of five years, CPCC will have established: an
expanded and improved model of student services for high risk students operating
from Student Success Centers on each of its six campuses; two new assessment
instruments to determine student learning/cognitive styles and personality
types; a comprehensive orientation course for entering high risk students;
a faculty training series to increase integration of student learning styles
and student success strategies into teaching; an online supplemental instruction/tutoring
program for developmental English and reading; and an Online Student Profile
providing faculty and staff with access to demographic and performance date,
student goals, assessment results and an early warning system for student
intervention.
To date, the project has far surpassed expectations in impacting retention.
For more detailed information visit our website at http://www1.cpcc.edu/title3.
Enrollment and Student Services Comprehensive Assessment
Process
Central Piedmont Community College has made the commitment to become learner-centered
and place learning at the core of every effort at the College. As a co-curricular
unit of the College, the Enrollment and Student Services (ESS) area has
spent the past year redefining its role in a learning college environment.
Historically, our assessment processes have focused primarily on satisfaction
of services; however, we have implemented an assessment process incorporating
not only program outcomes, but learning outcomes (see diagram below) as
well. The journey has been quite exciting and enriching and has changed
the way we view our roles in the educational process, and should ultimately
result in improved student success and retention. We have just begun our
website for this process, but I would be happy to share any additional information
needed.
For more information:
Emma Brown, Assoc. Vice President,
Student Success Services
Service-Learning
The Service-Learning Center at Central Piedmont Community College initiaties and supports curriculuar and co-currricular actvities that enhance student learning, promote civic responsibility, and respond to critical needs in the community through collaborative campus and community partnerships. Learn more about the programs of the Center in the Service-Learning Annual Report 2005-06.
For more information:
Mark Helms, Assoc. Dean, Student
Life and Service-Learning
