×

WSCC board approves update of 2018-2020 completion plan

MARIETTA — The Washington State Community College board of trustees approved an update of the college’s completion plan for 2018-2020 at its monthly meeting Monday afternoon after being told by the vice president of academic affairs that seven of the 12 items undertaken had been completed and the other five were in progress.

The plan is mandated by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and must be submitted by the college every two years.

David Scheimann, director of retention and completion at WSCC, said one of the highlights of the plan was implementation of student planning software, which he said is more effective than the previous paper system.

“It’s a major overhaul, a standardized system but also very individualized, moreso than the printed forms,” he said. “The student sets up the plan with a faculty advisor and they nail it down at the first appointment.”

He said introduction of the software, which not only allows students to plan more effectively but also helps the college in class planning, began as a pilot project.

“It started small, with 14 faculty volunteers leading the project,” Scheimann said. “They liked what they saw and became cheerleaders for the system.

“The students also like it. We piloted it in the spring but it has really taken off. We’ll fully implement it in the fall, but the greater part of the student body is already in it.”

Turning to completion rates for individual courses, Scheimann and vice president of academic affairs Mark Nutter told the board they identified seven courses that had the worst completion rates and held analytical discussions with faculty about the way the courses were being presented. As a result of that study and some adjustments made, the completion rates went up in five of the seven courses, they said.

Nutter said they paid particular attention to English Composition 101 because it is a required course for every student.

“We spent an afternoon with the English faculty, looked at the five-year success rate, and examined current practices, how they teach the class,” Nutter said.

Four out of the 10 teachers were not using online material to support their classroom teaching, he said, which made it more difficult for students who missed classes to make up their assignments. The online support material is now mandatory, he said.

“It wasn’t hugely out of line for completion rates, only about 3 percent,” he said.

The other classes with low completion rates were Biology 323 – anatomy and physiology, PC Applications and several industrial courses. All but two of the seven improved, he said.

“Some of it had to do with following up on students who weren’t succeeding, but in the end it’s the responsibility of the student to keep up,” he said.

In a separate report on enrollment, Scheimann told the board he was encouraged by the increasing number of students from West Virginia signing up.

“Last year in the summer semester we had 64 West Virginia students, versus 102 this summer. I expect to see similar increases in the fall,” he said.

He also noted a 7 percent increase in the number of students 25 and older for the summer session.

In other business, vice president of finance Jess Raines told the board seven expressions of interest had been received on a request for proposals to replace the roofs on the library and the arts and sciences buildings. He said the project, which is paid for by the state, will cost about $850,000 and will use rubber membrane roofing systems rather than tarred gravel, which is the system that it will replace.

Bids are to be opened Thursday, and a meeting will be held with the successful contractor Friday, he said.

The board will not meet in July. Its next regular meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 20 in the community board room on the Marietta campus.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today