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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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Dual-enrollment program implementation to address the problem of college affordability as a barrier to student access and a contributing factor toward student debt
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Dual-enrollment program implementation to address the problem of college affordability as a barrier to student access and a contributing factor toward student debt
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Content
Running head: PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 1
Dual-Enrollment Program Implementation to Address the Problem of College Affordability as a
Barrier to Student Access and a Contributing Factor Toward Student Debt
by
Michael Black
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
December 2018
Copyright 2018 Michael Black
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 2
Table of Contents
Introduction of the Problem of Practice 4
Organizational Context and Mission 4
Importance of Addressing the Problem 5
Organizational Performance Goal 5
Purpose of the Project and Questions 7
Methodological Approach 8
The Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analysis Conceptual Framework 8
Review of the Literature 9
Student Services Staff Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences 14
Conceptual Framework: The Interaction of Student Services Staff Knowledge,
Motivation and the Organizational Context 20
Participating Stakeholders: Sampling and Recruitment 23
Data Collection and Instrumentation 25
Results and Findings 26
Recommendations for Practice 42
References 49
Appendix A: Protocols 59
Appendix B: Credibility and Trustworthiness 62
Appendix C: Ethics 63
Appendix D: Limitations and Delimitations 65
Appendix E: Definitions 66
Appendix F: Topic Sentence Outline 67
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 3
Appendix G: Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan 80
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 4
Introduction of the Problem of Practice
The overall affordability of college attendance has declined due to consistent cost
increases since the late 1980’s (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). From 2002 to
2013 college tuition, room, and board increased 39% at public institutions (National Center for
Educational Statistics, 2015). From 2011 to 2012 alone, cost rose by 8.3%, an increase well
above the US rate of inflation for the same year (Orchowski, 2012). In addition, affordability
declines further as a growing segment of students are requiring more time to achieve degree
completion (Orchowski, 2009). Affordability challenges have led to increased borrowing,
resulting in high levels of student debt that negatively affects individuals in both short and long-
term ways (Hauser & Johnston, 2016).
Organizational Context and Mission
Killiann City College (pseudonym) is an institution of public education located in the
Midwest region of the United States. The institutional mission is to provide affordable access to
excellent education. Current college enrollment is just over 9,000 students. The college offers
degree programs to a nontraditional student body with an average age of 28. Most students
receive financial aid in the form of loans and grants. Out of full-time students, over 80% receive
financial aid. Killiann City College is focused on increasing the number of students attending
the institution while keeping cost at a level that is not a barrier to students and families. Killiann
City College is placing emphasis on student debt reduction through a dual-enrollment program
(College Credit Plus) that allows seventh-graders through high school seniors to take college
classes for free, if they test college-ready. The classes would count toward both high school and
college academic credit at the same time.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 5
Importance of Addressing the Problem
As college costs have increased consistently over time and are continuing to increase up
to the present day, the affordability of attending college has declined resulting in financial
barriers to educational access and growing levels of student debt. Evidence indicates that costs
will continue to increase in the future (Brady, 2013). This problem is important to address
because it may have adverse effects on college access for those coming from low-income and
low socioeconomic status backgrounds in a way that is significantly disproportionate to other
segments of the population (McDonough & Calderone, 2006). This problem may also be
adversely affecting the post-college lives of students as they enter the working world with
significant amounts of debt to pay off (Hauser & Johnston, 2016). Failure to address this
problem may result in high levels of student debt and increasing access challenges for students
who are not wealthy.
Organizational Performance Goal
The organization’s goal was that by August 2018, Killiann City College will successfully
increase student dual-enrollment by an additional 10% in comparison to the previous year. The
college will enroll more students with College Credit Plus than through previous dual-enrollment
programs. Killiann City College dual-enrollment will increase by 10%, growing from 700 to 770
students. College leaders selected this goal to offset a recent reduction in the number of students
attending the institution and as part of an ongoing effort to improve college affordability for
students and families. College Credit Plus offers college courses and materials at no cost to
participants, with the intention of improving affordability by decreasing cost leading to student
debt. An increase in the number of dual-enrollment students would mean more participants in
college-level education at a cost that does not add to student debt. Goal achievement will be
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 6
measured through an enrollment audit conducted by the organization in August 2018. Killiann
City College conducts an enrollment audit on an annual basis as a measure of institutional health.
Compliance and successful implementation benefit Killiann City College as it contributes to
higher overall enrollment, resulting in expanded subsidy funding from the state. Students and
their families benefit by gaining access to college at no cost, which improves the overall
affordability of college attendance. The intent of Table 1 is to inform the reader of the
organizational mission and performance goal of Killiann City College and the members of the
Student Services Staff.
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Goals
Although complete analysis would involve all stakeholders, for practical purposes, one
group was the focus of the study. Student Services Staff were chosen due to significant
involvement throughout all steps of College Credit Plus implementation. Success was largely
dependent on their knowledge of College Credit Plus, their motivation to achieve goals, and their
ability to overcome organizational barriers to success. The risks of failure included lower dual-
enrollment, lower overall college enrollment, lower college funding in the form of state subsidy,
Organizational Mission
Provide affordable access to postsecondary education.
Organizational Performance Goal
By August 2018, Killiann City College will successfully implement the College Credit Plus
program as evidenced by a 10% increase of dual-enrolled students.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 7
and failing to achieve expanded access to college for students in a way that reduces overall
college costs. Accountability for achieving goal metrics rested on this team.
The goal was selected in an attempt to improve overall institutional enrollment. Killiann
City College has recently experienced declines in the number of students attending the College,
and a 10% increase in dual-enrollment would improve both dual-enrollment and overall
institutional enrollment metrics. As a State mandate, each college is required to implement
College Credit Plus with all high schools in their designated service area. The successful
scheduling and presentation of informational program events will be tracked using a
departmental calendar viewable to all Student Services Staff. The Student Services Staff at
Killiann City College is small, with a total of 12 full time staff and only two of those staff
members are designated for student recruitment. This team must implement College Credit Plus
resulting in a 10% increase of dual-enrollment students without additional money, time, or
staffing.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to evaluate the degree to which Killiann City College is
meeting its goal of College Credit Plus implementation resulting in a 10% increase of dual-
enrollment students. The analysis focused on knowledge, motivation and organizational
influences related to achieving organizational goals. While a complete performance evaluation
would focus on all stakeholders, for practical purposes the stakeholder to receive focus was the
Student Services Staff.
1. To what extent is Killiann City College meeting its goal of implementing College
Credit Plus resulting in a 10% increase of dual-enrollment students?
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 8
2. What is the Student Services Staff knowledge and motivation related to their ability to
implement College Credit Plus, resulting in a 10% increase in dual-enrollment students?
3. What is the interaction between Killiann City College organizational culture and
context and Student Services Staff knowledge and motivation?
4. What are the recommendations for Killiann City College organizational practice in the
areas of knowledge, motivation, and organizational resources?
Methodological Approach
This qualitative study utilized interviews to collect information from members of the
Student Services Staff who chose to participate in the study. The use of interviews is a common
qualitative approach (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Since the entire sample was 12 people,
interviews were a plausible option for collecting information and data. A sample is chosen
deliberately, to collect the most information from the source most relevant to the research
(Maxwell, 2013). The purpose of using interviews is to gain rich description and understanding
of stakeholder performance from information they share directly with the interviewer. The
interview is intended to provide the researcher with information that cannot be directly observed
and facilitate understanding of interviewee perspective (Patton, 2002). The interviewer can take
note of both verbal and non-verbal communication cues that are difficult or impossible to collect
through other methods. The transcribed information can also be vetted by participants for
accuracy and confidentiality assurance before being used in the study.
The Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analysis Conceptual Framework
Clark and Estes (2008) offer a conceptual framework that utilizes organizational and
stakeholder performance goals to analyze the gap between a performance goal and current
performance. After gap identification, this framework examines stakeholder motivation,
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 9
organization, and knowledge factors influencing performance gaps (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Knowledge types as identified by Krathwohl (2002) can help determine if stakeholders have the
knowledge needed for performance goal achievement. These types are listed in four categories:
(a) factual; (b) conceptual; (c) procedural; and (d) metacognitive (Krathwohl, 2002). Motivation
involves choosing to pursue a goal, continuous work to achieve a goal, and expenditure of
mental effort (Clark & Estes, 2008). Values and goals, attributions, and self-efficacy principles
can provide additional clarity when analyzing a performance gap (Rueda, 2011). Workplace
culture, resources, and work processes are organizational influences that impact stakeholder
performance (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Each gap analysis (Clark & Estes, 2008) element will be addressed regarding Student
Services Staff motivation, organization, and knowledge influences impacting their goal of
increasing dual-enrollment participation by 10% (700 to 770 students) as of August 2018. The
first section will address knowledge and skill influences on Student Services Staff goal
achievement. Motivational influences on Student Services Staff goal achievement will follow in
the next section. Finally, organizational influences on Student Services Staff goal achievement
will be covered. Each assumed performance influence will be examined through methodology
explained in Chapter 3.
Review of the Literature
This section includes a review of literature relevant to dual-enrollment efforts. The
origins and initial rationale of dual-enrollment programs are presented. Research-based
reporting on the performance of dual-enrollment systems follow. Historical and current
implementation challenges are shared. Finally, the specifics of College Credit Plus in Ohio are
addressed.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 10
As leaders in education have attempted to contain costs and expand access, many dual-
enrollment programs have emerged over time (Taylor & Pretlow, 2015). Dual-enrollment
systems have been encouraged since the late 1800’s, when the absence of cooperative programs
between secondary and post-secondary education systems was considered immoral (Hockley,
2013). Dual-enrollment systems have varied depending on the state system and leaders involved
at the time. Additionally, there have been no official sets of best practices or rules for dual-
enrollment systems (Kim &Smerdon, 2012). It was speculated that high school seniors would be
more motivated to perform at high academic levels if dual-enrollment systems were used. The
University of Connecticut and Saint Louis University were among the first institutions to
implement dual-enrollment programs (Hockley, 2013).
Dual-enrollment efforts have been driven by financial, political, and educational interests.
Educators and politicians at the state and national levels have pushed for additional cooperation
between high school and college systems (Hockley, 2013). Different state and federal
government agencies and interest groups have also expressed interest in the increased use of
dual-enrollment systems (Kim & Smerdon, 2012). There has been a growing public demand
from students and families for more cost-effective solutions to college costs that include the use
of dual-enrollment as a method for making college more affordable (Hockley, 2013). Private
foundations have considered involvement in dual-enrollment systems in an attempt to bolster
workforce education, while minority interest groups and social welfare organizations have
viewed dual-enrollment as a potential pathway to college affordability for specific populations of
students (Kim & Smerdon, 2012).
Researchers have conducted studies attempting to demonstrate the effectiveness of dual-
enrollment programs. Hughes (2016) found that students who participated in dual-enrollment
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 11
programs attained their degrees at a higher rate that students who were not involved in dual-
enrollment programs. Additionally, students in dual-enrollment programs required less time to
earn a college degree. According to An (2013), students who have had experience in a dual-
enrollment program tend to have a higher first-year GPA than others students without the same
exposure to dual-enrollment. Less overall money is spent on college by students in dual-
enrollment programs in comparison to other groups of students (Hughes, 2016). Fewer remedial
classes are taken by dual-enrollment students and individuals from lower socio-economic groups
benefit from the reduced cost of collage classes (An, 2013).
Additional research highlights limitations and risks associated with dual-enrollment
programs. Many families seem uninformed of the options available to them through dual-
enrollment programs (Anderson, 2014). All the classes offered in dual-enrollment programs are
not guaranteed to transfer to the college desired by the student or family (French, 2016). Some
high school teachers do not understand the benefits of dual-enrollment programs or see them as
an opponent toward secondary education and choose not to promote them to students (Anderson,
2014). Physical geography can be an issue for some students since access to dual-enrollment
classes may be beyond their ability to travel to the nearest campus and participate in the dual-
enrollment courses offered (French, 2016). Information regarding dual-enrollment options for
students is often poorly communicated to teachers and families (Anderson, 2014). Sometimes,
high school officials and teachers can view dual-enrollment systems as a threat to funding for
high school staffing and job security (French, 2016).
High school students, not college students, have been the primary beneficiary of dual-
enrollment efforts. Dual-enrollment has only been made available to high school students
historically (Norris, 2014). High school students were considered the centerpiece of dual-
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 12
enrollment design from the beginning (Hockley, 2013). Students at the high school level have
viewed dual-enrollment as a privilege exclusive to their age group (Norris, 2014). The desire for
a pathway to higher levels of academic rigor for high school students has resulted in an exclusive
focus on the high school student population (Hockley, 2013). The lower pricing of college
credits and courses has not extended to students once they have completed high school (Norris,
2014).
Students from challenging socio-economic backgrounds and underrepresented identity
groups may benefit from positive dual-enrollment outcomes (Barnett & Stamm, 2010). Dual-
enrollment programs offer access to college courses at costs far below those charged in
traditional fee models (Hughes, 2016). Some women have achieved greater access to college
courses by using dual-enrollment programs (Jakes, 2014). It is possible for students to
accumulate less financial debt in the course of their college career, making financial access to
college more attainable for more people (Hughes, 2016). More women are entering STEM fields
by using dual-enrollment programs to gain earlier exposure to college-level STEM coursework
(Jakes, 2014). Students who are involved in dual-enrollment programs may succeed at a higher
rate than students using the traditional post-secondary approach (Hughes, 2016).
Dual-enrollment success has been described in terms of retention, academic success, and
college preparation. Degree completion is more likely among students who have participated in
dual-enrollment programs (Thacker, 2014). According to Jones (2014), students who participate
in dual-enrollment programs maintain higher grades than their peers. Colleges retain students
from dual-enrollment programs at a high rate (Thacker, 2014). Dual-enrollment students report
experiencing fewer negative transition issues entering into college academics (Jones, 2014).
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 13
Students in dual-enrollment systems tend to complete their college degrees in shorter time
periods (Thacker, 2014).
Student outcomes have been positive while concerns remain regarding class transfer,
access challenges, and disparate use along lines of gender and race. Students can participate in
dual-enrollment systems and discover that the classes they took may not transfer to the college of
their choice (French, 2016). Female students participate in dual-enrollment programs at a higher
rate than male students (Anderson, 2014). Some students find it difficult to travel to physical
campus locations to take college classes (French, 2016). Students from minority groups
participate in dual-enrollment programs at a lower rate than others (Anderson, 2014). Further
challenges occur when high schools may have financial motivation to avoid dual-enrollment
program participation (French, 2016).
Ohio has created a dual-enrollment effort to achieve statewide education goals. Dual-
enrollment is viewed as one avenue by which more residents of Ohio can achieve some form of
college education (Ohio Department of Higher Education, 2017). The program is named
“College Credit Plus” and is intended to improve affordability and access to a college education
for more people living in Ohio according to the Ohio Department of Higher Education (2017).
College Credit Plus offers access to college courses for qualifying students from the seventh
grade up to high school seniors. College Credit Plus operates as a no-or-low cost option for high
school and some grade school students. The classes, books, and other course materials are
offered at no charge to the student or family as long as the classes are passed (Ohio Department
of Higher Education, 2017).
Grades earned in College Credit Plus can impact college and high school academic
records in positive and negative ways. Grades earned in the College Credit Plus program are
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 14
applied to high school transcripts and permanent college transcripts as well (Ohio Department of
Higher Education, 2017). The grades listed on permanent records can have an impact on future
financial aid access for students, and eligibility for extracurricular activity participation at the
high school level can be affected by the class grades as well (Ohio Department of Higher
Education, 2017). Students and families can incur some costs if class drop deadlines are missed
or if a student fails a class. Failure to return textbooks can also result in unanticipated costs
(Ohio Department of Higher Education, 2017).
While College Credit Plus does allow students to accumulate college credit, the
transferability of those credits is not guaranteed at every institution. Both private schools located
within Ohio and institutions outside of Ohio are not required to accept credits earned from the
College Credit Plus Program according to the Ohio Department of Education (2017).
Additionally, the College Credit Plus program is mandated for public colleges in Ohio without
any additional funding at the high school or college levels to offset implementation or overall
program costs. Colleges bill the high schools directly for the cost of credits and books (Ohio
Department of Higher Education, 2017).
Student Services Staff Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences
This section will focus on the Student Services Staff members’ capacity for achieving the
goal of increased dual-enrollment. This capacity will be examined in the form of Student
Service Staff knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences as factors which can work to
assist or hinder efforts to achieve a goal. A systematic approach to understand the gap between
the goals of a group or organization, and the performance outcomes resulting from current efforts
is provided by Clark and Estes (2008). The approach provides analysis of knowledge,
motivation, and organizational factors to understand and close the gap between current
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 15
performance and a goal. Knowledge influences address the information needed by stakeholders
to close a performance gap (Krathwohl, 2002). Motivational influences explore elements that
may provide the desire for stakeholders to achieve a goal (Clark & Estes, 2008). Lastly, the
authors conceptualized organizational factors in terms of the work environment, processes,
culture, and resources available for goal achievement that can impact stakeholder performance.
Knowledge Influences
Knowledge influences assist in understanding the information needed to achieve a goal
(Rueda, 2011). Declarative factual knowledge consists of knowing the basic elements of a
subject, and understanding definitions and terminology would fall under this category per Mayer
(2011). Declarative conceptual knowledge involves understanding different categories of a topic
and the relationships between said categories. Understanding the interactions between different
theories or elements of a system would be considered this type of knowledge. Mayer (2011)
explained that procedural knowledge consists of knowing how to do something. Steps, methods,
techniques, and strategies for completing a task would be included in this knowledge type.
Finally, metacognitive knowledge involves an individual thinking about their own mental
performance (Krathwohl, 2002). Self-reflection and self-assessment leading to a performance
strategy would reflect the exercise of metacognitive knowledge or thinking.
Knowledge of program facts, terminology, definitions, and the organizational goal
related to increasing dual-enrollment. As the Student Services Staff sets out to implement
College Credit Plus with all service area high schools resulting in a 10% dual-enrollment
increase by August 2018, it is important to know the facts and terminology of the program.
Mayer (2011) asserted the need for factual knowledge in goal-achievement efforts. Giving
individuals basic information, including facts and terminology, can lead to performance
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 16
improvement caused by the information alone (Clark & Estes, 2008). Facts, definitions, and
terminology can be utilized to achieve goals without further training and education (Clark &
Estes, 2008).
Factual knowledge will have an impact on program enrollment (Miller & Jablin, 1991) as
Student Services Staff communicate basic information to potential students. Stakeholders must
have basic factual knowledge to be familiar with the program and possess the information
necessary to engage in future problem-solving (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). This kind of
information can be described as declarative factual knowledge. This knowledge will assist
Student Services Staff when seeking to explain the program to potential participants. Student
Services Staff who do not know the basic facts of the program will struggle to communicate the
benefits of participation, such as the free cost to parents and students.
Knowledge of strategies to increase enrollment. Student Services Staff need knowledge
of enrollment strategies. Helpful enrollment strategies include relationship management with
high school staff members and parents (Miller & Jablin, 1991). This strategic knowledge will
assist in achievement of the institution-wide enrollment goal of increasing dual-enrollment
participation by 10%. Student Services Staff need strategic knowledge to achieve goals, and use
of this knowledge to break challenges into parts and develop a problem-solving method is
important per Mayer’s research (2011). As the role of Student Services has changed over time,
new enrollment strategies must be learned and utilized in the field (Mathis, 2010). Strategic
knowledge is a general area of interest to stakeholders across the Student Services profession,
resulting in development of best practices within the field.
Table 2
Knowledge Influences
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 17
Knowledge Type Knowledge Influence
Declarative Factual Student Services Staff need knowledge of program facts, terminology,
definitions, and the organizational goal related to increasing dual-
enrollment.
Procedural Student Services Staff need knowledge of strategies to increase
enrollment in College Credit Plus.
Motivation Influences
This section provides a literature review of motivation-related influences that impact
Student Services Staff ability to implement the College Credit Plus program resulting in a 10%
increase in dual-enrollment students by August 2018. Mayer (2011) described motivation as an
internal state that begins and maintains behavior aimed at reaching a goal, and the primary
precondition leading to meaningful learning through the exertion of effort. Expectations
regarding the likelihood of success can impact individual motivation, which can be influenced by
confidence one has over their ability to complete a task (Eccles, 2006). Should an individual
demonstrate past success with similar tasks or receive positive feedback regarding their
performance, that individual is likely to experience increased motivation (Wigfield et al., 2006).
There are numerous strategies organizations and leaders can use to increase motivation, and
thereby increase performance.
Attribution theory and student services staff attributions. Attributions are the types
of causes individuals assign for success or failure of an effort (Anderman & Anderman, 2009).
Attributions can vary depending on the perspective of an individual, but the authors emphasize
that assigning credit for outcomes to effort, rather than ability, increases performance and
motivation. Motivation increases when individuals believe they have the necessary control
needed to cause positive outcomes, and thereby attribute results to that control (Pintrich, 2003).
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 18
In order to be successful, it is important for Student Services Staff to see program enrollment
numbers as being due to their efforts rather than factors beyond their scope of control such as
statewide marketing efforts or the general allure of free college programs. Attributing success or
failure to individual effort creates a greater likelihood of increased motivation (Anderman &
Anderman, 2009).
Self-efficacy theory and student services staff self-efficacy. High self-efficacy occurs
when individuals expect to be successful in efforts to achieve a specific goal (Pajares, 2006).
Learners exert more effort when they believe their inputs will result in positive results, and
increased effort leads to more positive results (Mayer, 2011). Motivation, therefore, is directly
correlated to self-efficacy. Motivation to engage with a task increases when individuals
experience a strong sense of self-efficacy (Pajares, 2006). Pajares (2006) also asserted that self-
efficacy provides increases in learning as individuals seek to understand information related to
goal-oriented tasks. Albert Bandura (1997) categorized self-efficacy as a kind of self-belief that
is the core foundation of all motivation that effects the day-to-day functioning of individuals as
they perform tasks and learn new information. Self-efficacy beliefs work to enhance an
individual’s sense of their likely success (Bandura, 1986). Student Services Staff need to believe
they can recruit more students into the program. Their personal belief in their capability to
achieve this goal will directly impact their effort and performance. Table 3 provides an overview
of the motivational influences discussed in this section.
Table 3
Motivational Influences
Attributions Student Services Staff need to conclude that successful program
implementation is due to their direct efforts rather than factors beyond
their scope of control.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 19
Self-Efficacy Student Services Staff need to be convinced they can be successful in
implementing College Credit Plus and increase program enrollment.
Organizational Influences
General theory. The study of organizational culture is similar to the study of individual
personality characteristics, which can be explored through the use of various methods (Schein,
2004). Organizational culture analysis is conducted when stakeholders within organizations
identify a need to change something (Kezar, 2001). After need identification, change efforts
must be designed in compatibility with organizational culture (Clark & Estes, 2007). Cultural
settings and models can be useful tools to increase compatibility between change efforts and
organizational culture (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). The authors suggested that cultural
settings are made of concrete elements including employees, tasks, social context, and the how
and why of assigned work, while shared mental models and cultural practices make up cultural
models. Organizational culture can also include the ways in which tasks are completed and the
inferred feel individuals perceive when observing or participating in an organization (Schneider,
Brief & Guzzo, 1996).
Organizational resistance, limited workload, faculty resistance, and lack of trust.
The organizational culture setting for dual-enrollment programs can be unpredictable due to the
various elements, requirements, and interests involved (Haag, 2015). The cultural setting factors
of organizational resistance and limited workload capacity may influence the challenges faced by
Student Services Staff as they seek to implement College Credit Plus. General organizational
resistance toward dual-enrollment programs, due to funding concerns, is commonplace (Johnson,
2017). Student Services Staff are often overwhelmed by current duties and do not know how
they will meet new demands (Hecklau, 2017). College Credit Plus is a mandate from the state
that comes without funding to cover implementation costs or additional staffing needs
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 20
(ohiohighered.org, 2017). Two stakeholder cultural model-related factors may influence
organizational challenges faced by Student Services Staff: (a) On many college campuses there
is a general resistance by faculty toward dual-enrollment programs, due to student development
concerns (Schwartz, 2016), and (b) Student Services Staff at many institutions do not trust
college leaders to provide adequate resources for meeting goals (Hecklau, 2017).
Table 4
Organizational Influences
Conceptual Framework: The Interaction of Student Services Staff Knowledge, Motivation
and the Organizational Context
The purpose of the conceptual framework is to provide a visual representation or model
of the phenomena being studied, how they relate to each other, and to inform later elements of
research design (Maxwell, 2013). Frameworks provide a basic structure that informs the rest of
the study and shapes the methodology of the research design (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). While
the potential influences are presented individually, they do not exist in isolation. Each influence
can impact the others in multiple directions as the phenomenon is studied and data is collected.
The purpose of this section is to illustrate the ways these influences are believed to interact with
each other within the organizational context of Killiann City College and the stakeholder group
made up of Student Services Staff members.
Cultural Model College faculty and leadership need to create a sense of trust by
demonstrating support of Student Service Staff efforts to implement
College Credit Plus and increase dual-enrollment by 10%.
Cultural Setting The Student Services unit must be structured using staffing and time
management strategies to provide support for additional work created
by the implementation of College Credit Plus.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 21
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework.
Figure Narrative
The blue oval represents the organization of Killiann City College. At Killiann City
College, the mission is to provide affordable access to postsecondary education through
achieving the goal of College Credit Plus implementation, resulting in a 10% increase in
program enrollment from 700 to 770 students. Killiann City College provides organizational
factors that may influence the performance of Student Services Staff as they seek to perform
within the organization and assist in organizational goal achievement. Gallimore and
Student Services Staff
-Declarative & Procedural
Knowledge: Need to know
Facts, Terminology,
Definitions, and Org Goal +
Need expertise in Strategic
Enrollment Planning.
-Attribution & Self-Efficacy:
Need to see results as an
outcome of their effort + Need
to believe in ability to achieve.
Organization
-Cultural Models: Need
support from faculty and
college leaders to build a
sense of trust.
-Cultural Settings: Unit
needs to be structured to
provide support for
additional work.
Student Services Staff Goal
- Staff will implement College Credit Plus
resulting in a 10% increase of dual-enrollment
students by August 2018.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 22
Goldenberg (2001) posited that cultural models and settings can assist in organizational analysis
which can reveal potential performance influences. Faculty resist dual-enrollment program
efforts due to student development issues (Schwartz, 2016), and staff do not trust that leaders
will provide adequate resources to meet goals (Hecklau, 2017). These issues represent
challenges within cultural models of Killiann City College. Funding concerns can generate
organizational resistance toward dual-enrollment programs (Johnson, 2017), and Student
Services Staff can already be overwhelmed by current duties (Hecklau, 2017). These elements
represent challenges within cultural settings of Killiann City College.
The green circle represents Student Services Staff as the stakeholder group being studied.
Their task is to assist Killiann City College in reaching the organizational goal through their
efforts while being influenced by knowledge and motivational factors. The two-sided arrow
between the oval and the circle indicate the interrelated nature between Student Services Staff
and Killiann City College. Student Services Staff perform within the context provided by
Killiann City College, and the organization is dependent on Student Services Staff performance
to achieve the organizational goal. The arrow represents mutual dependence and influence.
Mayer (2011) indicated the need for declarative and procedural knowledge to achieve goals.
Student Services Staff must be knowledgeable of program details (Anderson & Krathwohl,
2001), and understand strategies to increase student enrollment (Miller & Jablin, 1991). These
areas represent declarative and procedural knowledge. Pintrich (2003) emphasized the
importance of attributions and self-efficacy as core components of motivation. Student Services
Staff can learn to attribute outcomes to their own effort through leadership strategies (Anderman
& Anderman, 2009), and they can develop confidence in their ability to achieve goals (Pajares,
2006). These areas represent attributions and self-efficacy.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 23
The yellow box represents the Student Services Staff goal of implementing College
Credit Plus resulting in a 10% increase of dual-enrollment students by August 2018. College
Credit Plus is a state mandate that requires all participating colleges to implement College Credit
Plus with each service area high school (ohiohighere.org). The one-sided arrow from the Student
Services Staff circle to the yellow box indicates the origination of the goal directly from Student
Services Staff while interacting within Killiann City College models and settings.
Participating Stakeholders: Sampling and Recruitment
Interview Sampling Criteria and Rationale
Criterion 1: Stakeholders were selected due to relevance regarding the research
questions and the phenomena receiving focus (Johnson & Christensen, 2015). Student Services
Staff were directly involved in Killiann City College efforts to implement and increase dual-
enrollment, and their performance had a significant impact on goal-achievement. Student
Services Staff were the group most relevant to the research questions and the focus of the overall
study since this group did design and implement efforts to promote the program and increase
enrollment. No other group within Killiann City College was as involved in program promotion.
Student Services Staff were the stakeholder group with the most direct knowledge of the
processes they used and the meanings they assigned to their experiences.
Criterion 2: Sample selection needed to include a size that is comprehensive enough to
get the most information and yet small enough to learn about the phenomena in a deep and
meaningful way (Sandelowski, 1995). The group was made up of 12 individual people. This
size made it possible to gain comprehensive information regarding their experience. The small
group size also allowed the researcher to take enough time with each stakeholder and probe for
comprehensive information that provided depth to the study. Student Services Staff were both a
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 24
group with comprehensive responsibility for goal-achievement and a small enough team to study
in detail.
Criterion 3: Since this sample was comprehensive and nonrandom, the participants
needed to be available, nearby, and willing to complete the interview process (Fink, 2013). The
researcher and all Student Services Staff were located within a 30-mile radius. All Student
Services Staff members were invited to participate in the interviews. The interviews were
conducted on-site or over the phone and did not require travel. The researcher did not anticipate
any member of the Student Services Staff opting out of the research process.
Survey Sampling (Recruitment) Strategy and Rationale
The sampling strategy used in this study was nonprobability purposeful sampling. Patton
(2015) suggested that purposeful sampling is best suited to studies seeking in-depth knowledge
of a phenomenon. The goal of the study was to gain understanding of the experience of the
entire staff, not the experience of a particular position or individual within the environment.
Individual results would be far too small to generalize to the population and draw conclusions
needed for recommendations or best practices (Maxwell, 2013). The sample was comprehensive
since all relevant cases within the environment were analyzed in the study (Johnson &
Christensen, 2015). The researcher had sought out all Student Services Staff at Killiann City
College for participation.
All 12 Student Services Staff had been invited to participate in interviews. The use of
interviews is a common approach within a qualitative study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Each
staff member interacted with the researcher for a single, open-ended session. A structured,
standardized interview protocol was used to provide data consistency and reliability due to each
interviewee receiving identical questions and order. Standardization provides data that is
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 25
considered more reliable because it minimizes the potential for inconsistency between
interviews, makes for more user-friendly analysis, and provides the exact instrument used in case
of a request to inspect the protocol questions (Patton, 2002). The interview consisted of 12 open-
ended questions designed to elicit rich description and information regarding Student Services
Staff knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors influencing their goal-achievement
efforts. Interviewing allows for an internal look into the interviewees’ experience and perception
of events and behaviors (Weiss, 1994).
Data Collection and Instrumentation
Data collection for this study was conducted through the use of interviewing. Each
member of the Student Services Staff was given the opportunity to volunteer for an interview.
The team consists of 12 members, making the use of interviews logistically appealing since the
entire population for the study is so small. Qualitative studies often utilize interviews as a means
of collecting data (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The interview is intended to provide the
researcher with information that cannot be directly observed and facilitate understanding of
interviewee perspective (Patton, 2002). Small study rooms consisting of two chairs and a table
are dispersed in discreet locations throughout the campus and served as the interview locations.
A phone interview option was also made available to increase convenience and anonymity for
participants. All participants in the study chose to use the phone interview option. Reliability is
emphasized through the use of a standardized interview process that is identical for all
participants (Patton, 2002). In an effort to capture the organizational, motivational, and
knowledge factors influencing Student Services Staff performance, 12 questions were used in an
open-ended format designed to encourage in-depth description and detail. A descriptive
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 26
exploration of personal experience and event interpretation can be provided through the use of
interviewing (Weiss, 1994).
Results and Findings
This section provides a detailed review of the qualitative findings and reporting of the
institutional data related to the organizational goal. To serve as a reminder, the purpose of the
project was to evaluate the degree to which Killiann City College was meeting the goal of
increasing the number of dual-enrolled students by 10%. The analysis explored how Student
Services Staff motivation, knowledge, and organizational factors influenced Killiann City
College efforts to achieve the enrollment goal. The following questions guided the study:
1. To what extent is Killiann City College meeting its goal of increasing the number of
dual-enrolled students an additional 10% by August of 2018?
2. What is the Student Services Staff knowledge and motivation related to their ability to
implement College Credit Plus, resulting in a 10% increase in dual-enrollment students?
3. What is the interaction between Killiann City College organizational culture and
context and Student Services Staff knowledge and motivation?
4. What are the recommendations for Killiann City College organizational practice in the
areas of knowledge, motivation, and organizational resources?
Qualitative data in the form of interviews was collected in an attempt to answer the
research questions. Interviews were conducted over the phone (due to the preference of the
participants), digitally recorded, and then later transcribed. All information revealing the identity
of the institution or the identity of the study participants was removed to protect institutional and
individual confidentiality and privacy. In order to discover the most common themes within the
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 27
transcript data, the interviews underwent an analysis process. The most common themes within
the interview data are reported in this chapter.
The Student Services Staff was comprised of 12 individuals who were all invited to
participate in the interviews. The invitation to participate was communicated to each member of
the Student Services Staff through a phone call to each potential participant. Of the entire
Student Services Staff, eight individuals chose to participate in interviews. When given the
option to participate in phone-based interviews, all eight of the participating individuals
expressed a preference for the phone-based option. All interviewees chose to decline the option
to meet for a face-to-face interview.
This section will begin by addressing the first research question through the use of an
enrollment audit conducted by Killiann City College. The College conducts a similar audit
during the month of August as a standard check of institutional fiscal and enrollment health for
each academic year. Next, the relationship between Student Services Staff knowledge and
motivation related to meeting the enrollment goal will be discussed. Afterward, the interaction
between Killiann City College organizational culture and Student Services Staff knowledge and
motivation will receive focus. Implications of the study and a summary will serve to close out
the chapter. The final research question will be addressed in Chapter Five, which will provide
recommendations for Killiann City College organizational practice in the areas of motivation,
knowledge, and organizational resources.
Results and Findings for Research Question 1
This section will present data collected and reported by Killiann City College regarding
institutional dual-enrollment in August 2018. Killiann City College conducts an enrollment
audit in August of each academic year as a method of judging institutional health. The
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 28
enrollment audit is based off the number of individual students attending the organization, but in
the case of the College Credit Plus program, the audit is based on the number of students
enrolled in the specific program. This data was collected to answer the extent to which Killiann
City College had met its goal of increasing the number of dual-enrollment students by 10%, from
700 to 770 students. The data was shared on the institutional website and with State officials as
part of the expectations for the College Credit Plus dual-enrollment mandate. The enrollment
data made it possible to investigate the gap between the organizational goal and current
performance achieved by the Student Services Staff, who were charged with goal-achievement.
The enrollment audit compared the number of students enrolled in dual-enrollment classes the
previous year to the number achieved in the current year.
Goal-achievement. The dual-enrollment audit conducted by Killiann City College in
August of 2018 indicated that 805 students were taking dual-enrollment classes as compared to
700 students the previous year. Killiann City College had achieved a 15% increase in the
number of students taking dual-enrollment classes in the College Credit Plus program. The data
collected during interviews with several members of the Student Services Staff provided clues as
to how these results may have been achieved within the relationship of Student Services Staff
motivation, knowledge, and organizational factors interacting to influence goal-achievement
outcomes. The data also revealed challenges that may have hindered mbers of the Student
Services Staff from achieving dual-enrollment metrics far beyond their achieved success. In
terms of the first research question, Killiann City College has achieved and exceeded its goal of a
10% increase in dual-enrolled students by the deadline of August 2018. The change in dual-
enrollment at Killiann City College is shown in Figure 2.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 29
Figure 2. Change in Dual-Enrollment from August 2017 to August 2018 at Killiann City College
Results and Findings for Research Question 2
Student services staff knowledge influences. Each person interviewed on the Student
Services Staff expressed a basic and fundamental understanding of the College Credit Plus dual-
enrollment program. According to one interviewee, “I get the basics of the program. We have
done something similar before.” Another Student Services Staff member provided the following
basic overview, “High school students can take college courses for free that count for high
school and college credit at the same time.” An additional person shared, “If a student is
college-ready then they can take college classes for free and receive both high school and college
credit.” All Student Services Staff who chose to participate in the interviews expressed some
form of the same information regarding what the College Credit Plus program was. A staff
member commented, “These programs have come and gone before. They all have the same
basic parts and steps and we all know them.” The possession of basic information and
terminology can improve performance without the benefit of other forms of assistance (Clark &
Estes, 2008).
640
660
680
700
720
740
760
780
800
820
CCP 2017 CCP 2018
CCP Student Enrollment
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 30
Each person interviewed expressed some familiarity with the program benefits and
requirements. One Student Services Member said, “Students who test college ready can take
college courses that count for both college and high school credit for free. It’s just like a
program we built a few years ago.” According to Mayer (2011), knowledge of the basic facts is
essential for individuals and teams working to achieve a goal. Another interviewee commented,
“It’s simple. Take College classes for free while you are in high school and they double dip at
both schools.” One person added, “We know the basic elements because we just had this
program under a different name a few years ago.” A manager within the group expressed a
feeling of confidence based on the knowledge the group had collectively, “This program is not
all that different from others before it. This group has made worse things work and their
knowledge is probably more than we will need. I think we are over-prepped at this point.”
Out of the group of eight interviewees, six had undergone a multi-day training event
coordinated by Killiann City College to better understand the dual-enrollment program. One
person shared, “The secretary and testing person usually stay back in the office while the rest of
the teams learns whatever new thing we are doing.” A Student Services Staff member
commented, “All of us were in a multi-day meeting to learn about this program. Two people
stayed in the office area to cover any walk-in traffic.” Another member of the Student Services
Staff explained, “Usually for new initiatives we get most everybody in a room and go over the
information which is the same in this case. This is a norm for us.”
In spite of the training, seven of eight interviewees shared a desire to better understand
how the processes of College Credit Plus would work in terms of task order and workflow.
According to one member of the Student Services Staff, “I understand the program, but I’m not
sure how we are going to do the processes. What happens in what order by who.” Another
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 31
interviewee commented, “I know the facts and figures, but I want more details on how. What do
we do when a student comes in the door? What forms and steps are there?” An additional Staff
member expressed a similar sentiment, “What to do is not the issue for me. I need to know how
it is expected to be done.”
The event focused on understanding College Credit Plus and making sure that Killiann
City College was in compliance with the rules provided by the State of Ohio. Two of the
interviewees shared that their supervisor would communicate information from the training
session to them and that is was not necessary to attend the training due to the limited scope of
their involvement in program implementation. A Staff member commented, “My role isn’t
considered essential enough to be in the training. The salaried people get the training and the
hourly people get the instructions.” Another member of the Student Services Staff said, “It’s the
culture here to have some people take part in design and others take care of the details. There is
a pecking order of sorts.”
All interviewees had access to copies of the College Credit Plus program guidelines and
regulations put in place by State legislators. Members of the Student Services Staff also had
access to the program website provided by the State. One person commented, “We have printed
copies of the program information for every person. We may even make a cheat sheet or use the
website.” Another person said, “We all keep a copy handy so we can give out the right
information.” An additional interviewee shared, “Copies of this thing are everywhere. I have
marked the parts that concern my role and bookmarked the site on my browser.”
None of those interviewed expressed concern regarding their understanding of the
College Credit Plus program or their ability to share that information with others in spite of
differing access to training. An interviewee explained, “The team knows the details. This is not
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 32
really a new program, just a re-hash of old ideas.” Another person said, “We have done this
program change many times. It’s a flavor of the month kind of thing.” One person added, “Most
of us have been trained or have seen this kind of thing before, and we will make sure the whole
team understands.” Of the Student Services Staff members who interviewed, 75% had received
formal training on College Credit Plus.
Student services staff motivational influences. The motivational influences explored in
this study included whether members of the Student Services Staff were confident in their ability
to achieve the goal of increasing enrollment (self-efficacy). A Staff member commented,
“Competency is how you avoid micromanagement. We all make sure we know what we are
doing.” All eight members of the Student Services Staff interview participant group expressed a
high level of self-efficacy. One member of the Student Services Staff expressed the idea this
way, “I can’t control anything else but what I am responsible for. I know I can do whatever part
that gets assigned to me.” Another person said, “I can make my part work. When a new
program comes along, we each get a piece of the work and take care of our part.” Another
person added, “You won’t last long if you don’t know what you are doing. We all have been
here for a while.”
Fifty percent of interview participants mentioned the strength of the Student Services
Staff as a team that can achieve goals, expressing a strong sense of team-efficacy. One
interviewee shared, “This team has made programs work with no help many times before.”
According to one member, “We have a pretty good team that is supportive of each other. I feel
supported enough.” Another person mentioned, “I think when something new like this comes
along you just have to jump in with a good attitude and try to figure things out. This group of
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 33
people has done this before.” One interviewee said, “This group has been through many new
programs and mandates. We make it work each time knowing another will come.”
Student services staff attributions. An additional area of focus for this study included
whether Student Services Staff members viewed goal-achievement as a result of their direct
efforts. In other words, the study sought to explore whether the participants make controllable
attributions about goal achievement rather than attributing success at increasing the number of
students enrolled in the dual-enrollment program to external factors. The external factors include
negative parent attitudes toward early access to college for students perceived to be too young,
and the potential importance of sports participation valued as a higher priority than the
advantages of dual-enrollment. One person commented, “Some parents may not be interested.
They may think it’s too early for kids to be in college.” Another member of the Student Services
Staff said, “The homework for college classes may get in the way of practice and that may be too
high a price.” Another interviewee summed up these ideas, “Sports and age appropriateness will
make or break our enrollment. We have to address those issues when we promote.”
All members of the Student Services Staff attributed College Credit Plus program success
to factors beyond their direct control. As one person shared, “It’s really going to be up to the
parents if they want their kids to take college classes in high school.” Another person on the
Student Services Staff commented, “I think the idea of taking college classes might be appealing
to parents and students but I can’t control their decision.” One interviewee expressed doubt
regarding program success due to the priority of sports in the area, “If CCP gets in the way of a
child playing a sport it will lose in this area.” As stated by another member of the Student
Services Staff, “Many people may think the early years of high school are too early to have kids
taking college courses and the homework gets in the way of extras.”
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 34
Members of the Student Services Staff may have had incentive to avoid connecting
program success to their performance. According to 50% of those interviewed, the financial
restrictions of the program did not allow Killiann City College to charge the standard price for
credit hours. Each credit taken by a College Credit Plus student would result in revenue losses
for the college. One member of the Student Services Staff said, “We lose money on every credit
hour a student takes. We are supposed to increase enrollment, but it hurts the college in a weird
way.” Another member of the team expressed concern, “I don’t want the blame for layoffs if too
many people sign up. This is great for kids, but not so great if too many come here.” An
additional participant shared, “It’s a difficult situation. We are required to promote CCP by law,
but it could really hurt the college financially if it’s too successful. Nobody wants to get any
blame on them.” Members of the Student Services Staff may have been understandably hesitant
to connect program success to their individual efforts if dual-enrollment increases would result in
negative financial outcomes for Killiann City College.
Some interview participants discussed how enrollment subsidies from the State would
offset the cost of offering classes and books to dual-enrollment students for free. An interviewee
said, “We do lose money, but the State writes us a check for a certain number of credit hours
taken. This hurts, but the subsidy comes through in the end.” One member of the Student
Services Staff added, “We lose at first and get subsidy in the end. It will take a few years to
know how much we are losing or gaining. Nobody knows yet.” Another person said, “At least
we still get the enrollment subsidy. I don’t know how the numbers will play out, but I just don’t
want cutbacks to staffing.” The potential positive and negative financial consequences of
increasing dual-enrollment through the College Credit Plus program was something mentioned
throughout the data collection process.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 35
According to members of the Student Services Staff, there was significant debate over
how much to charge for books as well. High schools are billed for the cost of credit hours and
the cost of books without additional funding provided. Book cost was considered a potential
route to keeping relationships between Killiann City College and the high school administrators
positive. One participant said, “We don’t want to anger the high schools with how much we
charge. I’m not sure how much the books should cost.” A member of the Student Services Staff
added, “We are losing money, but the books might be a way to keep from losing too much
relational currency with our high school partners.” Another person shared, “The high schools
have to pay for everything. We are out dollars but so are they. Maybe cheaper books could
show them goodwill.” An interviewee expressed ideas in line with the previous comments, “The
high schools can undermine this program through having the guidance counselors discourage
participation to keep their costs down. Cheaper books might show them we know they are
hurting too.”
Additionally, interviewees expressed anticipation of unseen challenges and the groups’
ability to address those challenges with solutions and helpful ideas. An interviewee said, “Every
new program has bumps and unseen needs. We have been here many times before.” One
member of the Student Services Staff added, “Success will take more than we understand at the
moment, but we always figure these things out. This program is similar to others we have done.”
Another person shared, “Challenges and mistakes are a natural part of making a new thing
happen. There is nothing new under the sun.”
There were a few mentions of the way Killiann City College enrollment can impact
continued funding for individual jobs as an incentive to increase dual-enrollment in College
Credit Plus. An interviewee shared the following concerns, “Our enrollment has been going
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 36
down for a long time. We are not making budget, and sooner or later people get laid off. I’ve
seen it several times here.” More of the same ideas came from another participant, “We need
enrollment because I need a job. I’ll do whatever I have to and I think our leadership knows we
are hungry to make this place grow.” One person said, “More enrollment means more job
security. We need to fill our seats.” Another person added, “We experienced layoffs several
months ago. This could help us avoid more.” One other member of Student Services agreed,
“Avoiding layoffs is a great motivator and helps us see this program as a way to avoid them in
the future.”
With a few exceptions related to job security and cost considerations, it seemed as though
the team viewed College Credit Plus as another in a line of programs that needed to be
implemented to improve enrollment. According to one member of the Student Services Staff,
“Well, we have people who are somewhat familiar with the different parts required to make this
program work.” Another person on the Student Services Staff shared, “I think we have the
background knowledge or at least enough of it between all of us.” Anitha (2014) found that
when individuals hold positive views of individual and team cooperative capability, improved
performance outcomes were more likely. One person said, “This is another flavor of the month
for higher education, but we need the additional revenue and we know how to do this.” Another
member of the Student Services Staff summed it up, “All the right pieces are here on this team.
We have everything we need to make it happen.”
In summary, members of the Student Services Staff expressed a high level of efficacy
regarding their individual skills and roles. A majority of those interviewed emphasized their
ability to perform their individual role, and confidence in the ability of their work team to
achieve goals. In contrast to their expressed efficacy with regard to individual and team ability,
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 37
members of the Student Services Staff attributed the likelihood of program success to external
factors beyond their direct scope of control. Interview participants voiced the idea that goal-
achievement would be dependent on parents’ willingness to enroll their children in dual-
enrollment and the overall program appeal of free college access.
The expression of individual and team efficacy stood out as an asset which would
increase the likelihood of achieving the dual-enrollment goal. The primary motivation gap that
appeared was the way members of the Student Services Staff viewed goal-achievement as
something beyond their control, in spite of their individual and team efficacy. Parent decision-
making and the local priority of sports participation were expressed as determining factors that
could prevent goal-achievement. Student Services Staff members did not connect their high
sense of individual and team efficacy to the likelihood that the dual-enrollment goal would be
achieved.
The role of potential positive and negative financial consequences as an influence on
performance was an unanticipated part of the interview feedback from participants. There were
frequent mentions of overall uncertainty regarding the financial sustainability and financial
effects of the program on high school and Killiann City College budgets. Concern was raised
regarding the relationship between the college and the high schools due to the financial rules of
College Credit Plus. These issues may have provided members of the Killiann City College
Student Services Staff incentive to attribute program success to factors beyond their direct
control in an effort to avoid potential blame for negative financial outcomes resulting in reduced
funding or staff cuts.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 38
Results and Findings for Research Question 3
Theme 4: Organizational culture. Student Services Staff reported little confidence in
the ability or willingness of Killiann City College leaders to provide support or resources for
their efforts in implementing College Credit Plus and achieving the enrollment goal. An
interviewee commented, “The President and his cabinet members can always be counted on to
provide pressure, but not much else.” One person shared a sentiment repeated in several
interviews, “Management just wants more students right now. We have been down this road
many times before and they have never front-loaded resources.” Another person added, “The top
folks are not here to help, they only push.” A long-time employee of Killiann City College who
currently worked on the Student Services Staff said, “If our leaders gave us what we need ahead
of time they would be doing something I’ve never seen before. The more we do, the more they
think we can always do.”
Five of the eight interviewees spoke of feeling a low sense of support from the overall
organization or the leaders of the institution as displayed by Figure 6 below. One member of the
Student Services Staff commented, “In some ways there's a little bit of a lack of leadership. We
have the clear charge to get more students, but our leaders aren't really vocal about what they
want specifically other than more students.” Another person said, “They just want more. If we
want our resources to grow, we have to get more students first. Even then, it may not happen.”
One interviewee shared some historical perspective as well, “We have made miracles happen in
the past and then it just becomes the new expectation. More help never comes.”
Financial considerations related to the cost limits on credit hours may have affected the
desire of Killiann City College leaders to provide support for the enrollment success of College
Credit Plus. As a member of the Student services Staff said, “The leaders may not want this
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 39
thing to do well. They have been very tight-lipped about the financials of CCP.” One
participant said, “The absence of support may not have anything to do with us. It could be a cost
thing.” Another person added, “CCP may hurt more than help when this is all over. Who knows
what the leaders might know about the financial sustainability of this program.” An additional
member of the Student Services staff summed it up, “We want to help more kids go to college,
but we want to keep our doors open as well. I don’t know if we can do both with this system.”
Figure 3. Sense of Support from Organizational Leaders Felt by Student Services Staff
Six of eight interviewees mentioned the potential need for additional staff and resources
to achieve the enrollment goal. One person shared, “We are short on staff and time now, but
they think we can just keep doing more.” According to one interviewee, “It would be nice to
have one or two more people and change the way we work in the office so that when people are
on the road things are still getting done.” Another person said, “We are presenting this program
at all of the high schools we work with. That’s around 50. How will we do that and cover the
office?” A supervisor among the Student Services Staff explained, “We have taken on new
initiative after new initiative for several years and our staffing has only decreased. What CCP
62.50%
37.50%
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00%
Low Support from Leaders
Feel Supported
Staff Sense of Support from Leaders
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 40
demands cannot be done on the cheap.” Figure 7 displays the percentage of staff expressing the
need for additional staffing.
Figure 4. Staff Members Expressing the Need for Additional Staffing
Of those interviewed, seven of eight mentioned that faculty members would be a neutral
factor and would not knowingly hinder their efforts to increase enrollment. According to one
person, “The Faculty really aren't all that involved. They probably could be more involved or
more helpful, but I think that they are focused more on simply teaching their classes.” Another
member of the Student Services Staff shared similar thinking, “Faculty are more concerned about
full classes. They may not like students so young in class, but they like job security, so they will
not rock the boat.” Another person added, “Faculty don’t care about the administrative side.
They prefer to avoid us unless numbers are down.”
Members of the Student Services Staff expressed an understanding that implementing
College Credit Plus and increasing dual-enrollment was their task to accomplish with the current
resources they had at their disposal, “The higher-ups just want the system in place. They want
more students and we're the people employed to do it so it's just our job.” One person added,
25%
75%
Staff Views on Additional Staffing Needs
Staffing is Adequate Additional Staffing Needed
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 41
“It’s all on us. There is no help coming so we need to get together and figure it out.” Another
member of the Student Services Staff shared similar thinking, “We have spoiled this place. We
make things work and then it becomes expected that we do it again and again without help.”
Results and Findings’ Summary
In summary, the data collected revealed several important assets and gaps which can
inform organizational practice at Killiann City College. The Student Services Staff were able to
meet the goal of increasing dual-enrollment participation by 10% and exceeded goal-
expectations with an additional 5%. The Student Services Staff did have a basic knowledge of
College Credit Plus that enabled them to communicate program information to others (asset), but
they also reported a low understanding of “how” systems were going to work together (gap).
Staff members repeatedly mentioned their understanding of facts and terminology gained
through reading the College Credit Plus rules themselves and through a training event attend by
most of the team. The area of confusion shared by members of the Student Services Staff
involved the overall order of operation for taking a student from an interested party to an
enrolled participant. They wanted to know the steps of the process and the order of those steps.
Interview participants expressed a sense of confidence in their individual ability to
succeed and the ability of the Student Services team to be successful (asset). While members of
the Student Services Staff expressed a high sense of efficacy with regard to their individual and
team abilities, they did not attribute success to their own direct efforts (gap). Instead, members
of the Student Services Staff attributed potential program success to the decisions made by
parents considering free college access for their children, and to the potential appeal of the
College Credit Plus program as a free option for college courses (gap). Financial considerations
related to College Credit Plus billing and sustainability may have provided motivation for
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 42
members of the Student Services Staff to discourage the connection between their performance
and program outcomes. The data suggests that increasing enrollment in College Credit Plus
could have negative financial consequences for Killian City College.
In addition, the Student Services Staff were able to achieve their goal in spite of
expressing a low level of confidence in anticipated assistance from leadership (gap) and an
expressed need for additional staffing in order to achieve the goal of increased dual-enrollment
students (gap).
There were significant unanticipated findings within the data. These findings included
repeated concerns expressed by members of the Student Services Staff related to financial
sustainability of the College Credit Plus Program, and the potential for strained relationships
with high school personnel due to billing and funding structures built into the College Credit
Plus system. In addition, Student Services Staff members expressed job-security worries should
the program result in less institutional funding in the future. The positive or negative impact of
these issues on Student Service Staff performance is unknown. However, the potential effects of
these concerns reveal interesting areas for further study in other institutional contexts with
similar challenges. Members of the Student Services Staff were able to achieve and exceed the
goal of increasing dual-enrollment by 10%, but their capability may have been far beyond this
initial success.
Recommendations for Practice
Motivation recommendations. The recommendations offered are provided for the motivational
gap that emerged from the interview data. Student Services Staff need to have a more developed
understanding of the way their work has an impact on the likelihood of achieving their
enrollment goal. They need to understand how their effort can lead to improved goal outcomes.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 43
Introduction. The motivational influence represented in Table 3 is based on the most
frequent mentions of motivational factors involved in Student Services Staff
interviews. Anderman and Anderman (2009) suggest the importance of placing the
responsibility for success on individual effort instead of outside factors. Student Services Staff
can increase motivation and learning by assigning goal-achievement success to their own efforts
rather than to other influences beyond their individual selves. Learners can increase motivation
and learning when they expect to be successful in their efforts to achieve a goal (Pajares, 2006).
Student Services Staff can learn more and feel motivated to do more if they assume success will
be achieved. Table 5 displays the assumed probability for influence validation and the
recommendations based in research literature.
Table 5
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Motivation Influence
Principle and Citation Context-Specific
Recommendation
Student Services Staff need to
see that successful program
implementation is due to their
direct efforts rather than
factors beyond their scope of
control. (Attributions)
Motivation and learning
increase when individuals
attribute success or
failures to effort rather
than other factors
(Anderman & Anderman,
2009).
Provide feedback that
stresses the process of
learning, including the
important of effort,
strategies, and potential
self-control of learning.
(Anderman & Anderman,
2009)
Provide formative feedback that
emphasizes the importance of
direct effort to achieve goals and
connect their direct efforts to the
likelihood of goal-achievement.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 44
Attributions. Student Services Staff need to credit successful program implementation
to their direct efforts rather than to factors beyond their scope of control such as the decision-
making of parents and the greater appeal of sports involvement above access to college
courses. When individuals attribute the potential success of their goal-directed behavior to their
own efforts rather than outside factors, both motivation and learning increase (Anderman &
Anderman, 2009). The authors also stress the importance of focusing on the value of effort in
making positive outcomes more likely when individuals are given performance feedback. This
suggests that performance feedback needs to emphasize the value of effort in increasing the
likelihood of goal-attainment. The recommendation is for the organization to provide
performance feedback to Student Services Staff that focuses on effort as the primary determinant
of goal-achievement.
Individuals who can adapt their attributions and see potential results as an outcome of
their direct effort can experience increases in motivation and learning related to goal-
achievement (Pintrich, 2003). An individual who has experienced success with similar tasks in
the past and who receives positive feedback attributed to their effort can experience heightened
motivation (Wigfield et al., 2006). Chen and Wang (2014) also highlight the correlational
relationship between employee attributions and performance outcomes. In light of theoretical
research, encouraging Student Services Staff to develop positive self-attributions through
performance feedback emphasizing the importance of direct effort will cultivate a higher
likelihood of increased motivation leading to goal-attainment.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 45
Organizational Recommendations
Introduction. Table 4 shows the list of assumed organizational influences based on the
most frequent organizational influences mentioned during interviews with Student Services
Staff. Clark and Estes (2008) suggest that perceived misalignment of resources and support
between organizational leaders and working teams can discourage individual performance.
There must be alignment between resources, support, and goals for the benefit of performance
that leads to goal-achievement. Indicated in Table 4, organizational influence s listed along with
recommendations based on principles from theory.
Table 6
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Organizational Influence
Principle and Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
College faculty and leadership
need to create a sense of trust
by demonstrating support of
Student Service Staff efforts to
implement College Credit Plus
and increase dual-enrollment
by 10%. (Model)
When all stakeholders
across an organization show
support for the same goals
and methods, job
satisfaction leading to
improved performance
becomes more likely (Clark
& Estes, 2008).
Encourage Student Services
Staff to communicate CCP
status updates and goal
achievements at all-campus
meetings with all
stakeholders present.
The Student Services unit must
be structured using time
management strategies to
provide support for additional
work created by the
implementation of College
Credit Plus. (Setting)
Alignment between
resources and collaborative
goals can increase
organizational performance
(Clark & Estes, 2008).
Encourage Student Services
Staff to use flexible
schedules that provide office
coverage and meet the travel
needs of CCP recruitment.
Cultural model. Members of the Student Services Staff who participated in the
interviews expressed doubt in the willingness of Killiann City College leaders to provide
additional resources and support necessary for goal-achievement. College faculty and leadership
need to create a sense of trust by demonstrating support of Student Service Staff efforts to
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 46
implement College Credit Plus and increase dual-enrollment by 10%. When all stakeholders
across an organization show support for the same goals and methods, job satisfaction leading to
improved performance becomes more likely (Clark & Estes, 2008). The authors also suggest
that visible support from leaders can serve as an encouragement to individuals who may need an
incentive to perform. This information points to the potential effectiveness of support that is
expressed from across the organization. The recommendation in this context is for
organizational leaders to encourage Student Services Staff to communicate College Credit Plus
status updates and goal achievements at all-campus meetings with a wide range of organizational
stakeholders present.
Organizational leaders can show support for stakeholders in outward ways that develop
momentum within the organizational culture in support of goal-achievement (Clark & Estes,
2008). Leaders need to show a sensitivity to the perceptions held by stakeholders within their
organizations since perceptions of support, or perceptions of a lack of support, can influence
performance (Schneider, Brief & Guzzo, 1996). Trust in organizational leadership is a common
area of concern for groups involved in dual-enrollment efforts (Hecklau, 2017). It appears the
literature would support the use of opportunities to showcase Student Staff successes and elicit
constructive and positive feedback from leaders and others in the organization.
Cultural setting. Members of the Student Services Staff expressed a need for further
resources in the form of time and staffing to achieve the enrollment goal. The Student Services
unit must be structured using time management strategies to provide support for additional work
created by the implementation of College Credit Plus. Alignment between resources and
collaborative goals can increase organizational performance (Clark & Estes, 2008). Included in
the list of potential resources that could prove useful to the Student Services Staff is that of
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 47
time. Entrusting the Student Services Staff with the freedom to schedule recruitment and office
tasks in such a way that adequate coverage is provided in the campus office and enough time is
allotted for College Credit Plus student recruitment could improve performance further. Giving
Student Services Staff the flexibility to design their own schedules may provide better
opportunity to meet enrollment goals. It is recommended that organizational leaders encourage
Student Services Staff to use flexible schedules that provide office coverage and meet the travel
needs of College Credit Plus student recruitment.
Organizational performance can improve when policies and procedures are aligned in a
way that fits the needs of stakeholders who are tasked with a particular goal (Clark & Estes,
2008). Those employed in the Student Services profession are often overwhelmed by the
number of work tasks they face, and they are challenged to complete work in the time allotted to
them (Hecklau, 2017). Organizational leaders can demonstrate a sense of confidence and trust in
their work teams by allowing people to develop their own solutions to problems (Colquitt, Scott
& LePine, 2007). The literature suggests that organizational leaders can allow Student Services
Staff to take ownership of their challenges and be trusted to develop innovative solutions to
problems they face.
Program. A training program will be provided to achieve the learning goals listed
above. The program will cover College Credit Plus policies, procedures, enrollment steps,
program presentation practice, and work schedule design. Rationales for high performance in
these areas will also be developed during the training. Student Services Staff members will be
given the opportunity to engage in collaborative design regarding procedures, enrollment steps,
presentations, and work schedules. This group will also craft a job aid to help with information
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 48
recall. The program will consist of 5, 120-minute sessions over the course of 1 work week.
Each session will be devoted to 1 of the learning goals listed above.
Student Services Staff will design a job aid and digital presentation based on College
Credit Plus policies and procedures. Student scenarios will be provided to test the usefulness of
the job aid information. A College Credit Plus enrollment flow chart will also be included in the
job aid design. Student Services Staff will be given time to practice presenting College Credit
Plus to peers in the training using the digital presentation and job aid. These processes will
pause from time to time to check for understanding and assess efforts through formative
feedback coming from peers and the training leads.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 49
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Appendix A: Protocols
Introduction
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview. I appreciate that you have set
aside the time to answer these questions. The interview should take under an hour.
Before we start, I will provide an overview of the interview and you can ask any
questions you may have. Each person on the Student Services Staff will be invited to an
individual interview with the hope of getting an in-depth understanding of your role with regard
to College Credit Plus implementation efforts. I, Michael Black, am the Principal Investigator
and Doctoral Candidate at the University of Southern California. Do you have any questions?
I want to assure you that everything said here today is confidential. No names will ever
be associated with the findings. None of the data will be shared with your employer. You may
opt out of this process at any time with no penalty for non-participation. Do you have any
questions?
I will use a recorder, so I can capture what you share accurately. It helps me to focus on
the conversation instead of taking notes of every detail. You may request to stop the recording at
any time and all aspects of your participation are voluntary. May I have your permission to
record and start?
Mention date, time, and Student Staff Interview #
Questions
1 – How would you describe College Credit Plus to someone who has no knowledge of it? What
is the purpose of the program?
2 – Please share how students can get involved in College Credit Plus if they have interest?
How interested do you think the students will be?
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What factors might support students getting involved in College Credit Plus?
What are some barriers students might face?
3 – Tell me about your role in this process. What are specific things you are doing to implement
College Credit Plus?
4 – Could you describe the training process you went through for College Credit Plus
implementation? How helpful was the training, if at all?
5 – Please share what strategies you feel would help increase College Credit Plus enrollment an
additional 10% by August 2018?
6 – Let’s talk about the college goals regarding College Credit Plus. What specifics are you
aware of regarding the college’s goal for College Credit Plus implementation?
7 – In what ways is Student Services structured to provide support for your efforts to implement
College Credit Plus, if any? Do you feel supported in your efforts?
8 – Which aspects of Student Services structure hinder your efforts to implement College Credit
Plus, if any?
9 – How do faculty and college leaders show support for your efforts to implement College
Credit Plus, if at all?
10 – What additional resources do you feel you need to implement College Credit Plus, if any?
11 – What elements of College Credit Plus goal achievement do you feel are within your control,
if any?
12 – What elements of College Credit Plus goal achievement do you feel are outside your
control, if any?
Closing
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Thank you for your time. If I have a follow-up question, how may I contact you? Again,
the information you provided has been really helpful. Thanks again. Do you have any
questions?
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Appendix B: Credibility and Trustworthiness
The outcomes of qualitative studies can impact decisions people make about their lives,
which makes credibility and trustworthiness important issues to consider (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). A high level of rigor and ethics are expected to deem a study credible and trustworthy
(Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The interpretation accuracy of the of the study findings also impacts
the perceived validity of a study (Maxwell, 2013). Individuals must have a sense of trust in the
way a study was conducted before deciding to use the findings in application to their own work
(Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Additionally, alternate explanations for study results can occur, and
researchers need to know strategies to address multiple interpretations of data (Maxwell, 2013).
Careful attention to detail design are ways a researcher can increase trust in the study (Merriam
& Tisdell, 2016).
All data collected was given in hardcopy, verbatim transcripts to those interviewed for an
accuracy review. Each individual had the opportunity to overview, correct, add, or subtract any
information they found in error before the data was submitted as part of the study. The process
of allowing members of a study to check the data for accuracy is the single most important
method of ruling out misinterpretation and error within the research (Maxwell, 2013). The
researcher also revealed his position regarding the subject matter of the study. Since the
researcher is the instrument used for data collection, great care must be taken to share any biases,
relationships, assumptions, and worldview elements involved (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Researchers can discuss their personal view of the research, their biases, and elements of their
worldview to assist the reader in understanding how certain research conclusions may have been
reached (Maxwell, 2013).
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Appendix C: Ethics
Qualitative studies focus on understanding and meaning in order to answer the research
questions (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). This study searched for information from Student Services
Staff employed by Killiann City College using the qualitative research method. Ethical choices
are important to emphasize due to the personal nature of the information shared and the need to
ensure the confidentiality of study participants (Glesne, 2011). All individuals who chose to
participate received an information sheet at the beginning of the study process. All forms
relating to the protection of human subjects will be presented at the beginning of the study
process (Krueger, 2009). Informed consent via an information sheet is a necessary part of
research to provide assurance for participants that involvement is voluntary, withdrawal from the
study can occur at any time without any kind of penalty, and that all information will be kept
both secure and confidential (Glesne, 2011). The study was be submitted to the University of
Southern California Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure participant safety and in
accordance with rules and guidelines regarding protections of welfare and rights of study
participants.
All participants received an information sheet that included a request to audio record
interviews. Interview transcripts were provided so participants could double check for any errors
in the recorded information. Confidentiality is important due to the employment status of
participants and any request to withdrawal from the study, at any time, was honored.
Participation incentives were not provided in order to avoid any perception of coercion. At the
conclusion of the study, participants received hand-written cards thanking them for their time
and contribution to the study.
The researcher was employed at another institution and had no professional connection to
the participants. Study results were of interest to the researcher due to the experimental nature of
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College Credit Plus and its implementation without additional resources. The researcher was
assuming that organizational goals would be met, but there was curiosity regarding how Student
Services Staff would meet expectations without additional resources and within a limited time
frame.
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Appendix D: Limitations and Delimitations
This qualitative study involved the use of interviews as the primary method for data
collection. The study sought rich description of Student Services Staff experiences and
perceptions as they attempted to implement College Credit Plus resulting in a 10% increase of
dual-enrollment students by August 2018. Limitations and weaknesses beyond the scope of my
control did certainly exist. Participants chose their level of truthfulness when they answered
questions, and I did not know if they choose to leave out information. The study was limited by
the performance influences I chose as the focus of the study, and factors outside of motivation,
knowledge, and the organization may have been involved.
Due to the small size of the sample group and population, generalizability of the results to
other populations was limited. The institution being studied was unique, and results may not be
as applicable to other institutions. The study only observed a small section of time whereas a
longer study may present more detailed or different results, and data was limited to the
information shared during the interviews. My choice of some questions over others, some
stakeholders over others, and some methods over others limited the potential scope and
applicability of the study. The results will serve to better inform best practices at Killiann City
College and cannot be broadly applied to larger populations.
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Appendix E: Definitions
1. Affordability – The degree to which something is or is not affordable.
2. Compliance – Cooperation with a set of directions.
3. Dual-enrollment – When a high school student takes a college course that counts as
both high school and college academic credit simultaneously.
4. Enrollment – The number of students attending a college.
5. Financial aid – Money loaned or given to students to pay for college.
6. Full-time student – When a student takes a certain number of college course hours.
7. Grant – Money for college that does not have to be repaid.
8. Implement – To put a new system in place.
9. Loan – Money for college that does have to be repaid.
10. Stakeholder – A person responsible for achieving a goal.
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Appendix F: Topic Sentence Outline
This section includes a review of literature relevant to dual-enrollment efforts. The
origins and initial rationale of dual-enrollment programs are presented. Research-based
reporting on the performance of dual-enrollment systems follow. Historical and current
implementation challenges are shared. Finally, the specifics of College Credit Plus in Ohio are
addressed.
Historical Perspective
As leaders in education have attempted to contain costs and expand access, many dual-
enrollment programs have emerged over time.
-Hockley, L. W. (2013). Dual enrollment in times of financial constraint: A community
college perspective (Order No. 3613676). Available from ProQuest Dissertations
& Theses Full Text; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1512411381).
Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1512411381?accountid=14749
-Dual-enrollment systems have been encouraged since the late 1800’s.
-The absence of cooperative programs between colleges and high schools
was considered immoral.
-Dual-enrollment was considered a motivational tool to keep high school
seniors performing at a high level at the end of their high school
education.
-The University of Connecticut and Saint Louis University were the first
institutions to implement dual-enrollment programs.
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-Kim, K., & Smerdon, B. (2012). Dual enrollment: A bridge between high school and
college. In B. Smerdon, & K. M. Borman (Eds.), Pressing forward: Increasing
and expanding rigor and relevance in america's high schools, (pp. 135-149,
Chapter x, 232 Pages) IAP Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, NC. Retrieved
from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1022252315?accountid=14749
-Dual-enrollment programs have varied as different states have attempted
different models.
-There are no standards or rules considered as best practices for dual-
enrollment.
-More studies need to be conducted to understand the overall effectiveness
of dual-enrollment programs.
Dual-enrollment efforts have been driven by financial, political, and educational interests.
-Hockley, L. W. (2013). Dual enrollment in times of financial constraint: A community
college perspective (Order No. 3613676). Available from ProQuest Dissertations
& Theses Full Text; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1512411381).
Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1512411381?accountid=14749
-Educators have pushed for more collaboration between high school and
college systems.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 69
-Politicians have proposed dual-enrollment systems to address taxpayer
desire for more cost-effective college options.
-Students and families are demanding more assistance in paying for
college.
-Kim, K., & Smerdon, B. (2012). Dual enrollment: A bridge between high school and
college. In B. Smerdon, & K. M. Borman (Eds.), Pressing forward: Increasing
and expanding rigor and relevance in america's high schools, (pp. 135-149) IAP
Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, NC. Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1022252315?accountid=14749
-State and Federal Governments have shown interest in promoting dual-
enrollment systems.
-Private foundations have considered involvement in dual-enrollment
programs to boost workforce education.
-Minority interest groups have viewed dual-enrollment programs as a
pathway to greater educational access.
Differing Views Within Research
Research has demonstrated the effectiveness and limitations of dual-enrollment programs.
-Hughes, T. E. (2016). The impact of high school dual enrollment participation on
bachelor's degree attainment and time and cost to degree (Order No. 10195583).
Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text; ProQuest
Dissertations & Theses Global. (1873007768). Retrieved from
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 70
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1873007768?accountid=14749
-Students participating in dual-enrollment programs attain their degree at a
higher rate than students who do not.
-Students use less time to complete their degrees by participating in dual-
enrollment programs.
-Less money is spent on college costs by students who participate in dual-
enrollment programs in comparison to those who do not.
-An, B. P. (2013). The influence of dual enrollment on academic performance and
college readiness: Differences by socioeconomic status. Research in Higher
Education, 54(4), 407-432.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.libproxy2.usc.edu/10.1007/s11162-012-9278-z
-Dual-enrollment students tend to have a higher first year GPA in college.
-Dual-enrollment students take fewer remedial classes in college.
-Students from poorer socio-economic groups benefit from the low cost of
dual-enrollment classes.
Additional research highlights limitations and risks associated with dual-enrollment programs.
-Anderson, E. J. (2014). Barriers and obstacles to participating in high school dual
enrollment (Order No. 3621076). Available from ProQuest Dissertations &
Theses Full Text; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1545674372).
Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1545674372?accountid=14749
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 71
-Many families do not understand the dual-enrollment options available
for students.
-Some teachers are not interested in promoting dual-enrollment options to
students and families.
-Dual-enrollment options are not thoroughly communicated to teachers or
families.
-French, R. (2016, Nov 28). Dual enrollment strings attached. Battle Creek
Enquirer Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1843896537?accountid=14749
-Classes included in dual-enrollment programs are not all guaranteed to
transfer to a student’s college of choice.
-Some students have difficulty using dual-enrollment options because of
geographical limitations.
-High school officials can view dual-enrollment as a threat to funding and
teaching job security.
Dual-Enrollment Population
High school students, not college students, have been the primary beneficiary of dual-enrollment
efforts.
-Norris, S. T. (2014). High school students' attitudes toward enrollment in advanced
placement and dual enrollment programs (Order No. 3642820). Available from
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
Global. (1609406122). Retrieved from
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 72
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1609406122?accountid=14749
-Dual-enrollment has been intended for high school students historically.
-Secondary school students have viewed dual-enrollment involvement as a
privilege exclusive to them.
-Dual-enrollment pricing has not extended beyond the high school years of
students.
-Hockley, L. W. (2013). Dual enrollment in times of financial constraint: A community
college perspective (Order No. 3613676). Available from ProQuest Dissertations
& Theses Full Text; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1512411381).
Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1512411381?accountid=14749
-High school students have been the centerpiece of dual-enrollment
design.
-Dual-enrollment has been considered a pathway to increase high school
academic rigor.
-High school students may see dual-enrollment classes as an opportunity
to excel in new ways.
Low SES and underrepresented identity groups benefit from positive dual-enrollment outcomes.
-Hughes, T. E. (2016). The impact of high school dual enrollment participation on
bachelor's degree attainment and time and cost to degree (Order No. 10195583).
Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text; ProQuest
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 73
Dissertations & Theses Global. (1873007768). Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1873007768?accountid=14749
-Dual-enrollment offers college classes at a lower cost to students and
families.
-Students may accumulate less financial debt through dual-enrollment
participation.
-Dual-enrollment students may succeed at a higher rate than other
students.
-Jakes, P. J. (2014). Dual enrollment as a factor for women transitioning into STEM
majors in Montana two-year colleges (Order No. AAI3597797). Available from
PsycINFO. (1564155887; 2014-99151-090). Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1564155887?accountid=14749
-Dual-enrollment has improved college access for some women.
-More women have entered STEM fields using dual-enrollment programs.
-Gender has appeared to be less of a factor in dual-enrollment program
access.
Success Rates of Dual-Enrollment Students
Dual-enrollment success has been described in terms of retention, academic success, and college
preparation.
-Thacker, K. O. (2014). Graduation rates: A comparison of college graduation success
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 74
rates of dual enrollment versus non-dual enrollment students at the community
college (Order No. 3645790). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
Full Text; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1626388108). Retrieved
from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1626388108?accountid=14749
-Students participating in dual-enrollment have a higher likelihood of
degree completion.
-Colleges retain dual-enrollment students at a high rate.
-Dual-enrollment students complete degrees in shorter time periods.
-Jones, S. J. (2014). Student participation in dual enrollment and college
success. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 38(1), 24-37.
Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1651845191?accountid=14749
-Dual-enrollment students maintain a higher grade point average than their
peers.
-Dual-enrollment students report fewer transition issues into college
academics.
-Students who have participated in dual-enrollment programs are
considered better prepared for college life.
Student outcomes have been positive while concerns remain regarding class transfer, access
challenges, and disparate use along lines of gender and race.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 75
-French, R. (2016, Nov 28). Dual enrollment strings attached. Battle Creek
Enquirer Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1843896537?accountid=14749
-Dual-enrollment class transfers are not guaranteed to all colleges.
-Students must travel various distances to participate in dual-enrollment
classes, and some find the distance prohibitive to their participation.
-High schools may be financially motivated to avoid dual-enrollment
programs.
-Anderson, E. J. (2014). Barriers and obstacles to participating in high school dual
enrollment (Order No. 3621076). Available from ProQuest Dissertations &
Theses Full Text; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1545674372).
Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy2.usc.edu/do
cview/1545674372?accountid=14749
-Male students participate in dual-enrollment at a lower rate than female
students.
-Minorities participate in dual-enrollment at a lower rate than other
students.
-Participation in dual-enrollment programs is inconsistent by school,
district, and state.
College Credit Plus: The Case of Ohio
Ohio created a dual-enrollment effort to achieve statewide goals.
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-College Credit Plus. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2017, from
https://www.ohiohighered.org/ccp/about#background
-The State of Ohio seeks to increase degree attainment through methods
including dual-enrollment.
-Ohio will move to one dual-credit system across the state.
-Ohio wants to increase college education access for all demographic
groups.
-Chancellor John Carey’s recommendations for Ohio’s dual credit program. (n.d.).
Retrieved June 17, 2017, from
https://www.ohiohighered.org/sites/ohiohighered.org/files/uploads/board/NewCC
PlusReport.pdf
-College Credit Plus may help in the pursuit more equitable access to
postsecondary education options.
-College Credit Plus seeks to increase cooperation between K-12 and
Public College systems
-College Credit Plus is designed to lower costs for Ohio students and
families.
College Credit Plus operates as a no-or-low cost option for high school and some grade school
students.
-College Credit Plus FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2017, from
https://www.ohiohighered.org/ccp/faqs
-Public school students may no money to participate in College Credit
Plus.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 77
-Private colleges can participate and charge students a limited amount to
take classes.
-Homeschool students have access to limited funding for participation in
the College Credit Plus program.
-College Credit Plus FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2017, from
https://www.ohiohighered.org/ccp/faqs
-Seventh-graders through high school seniors can participate in College
Credit Plus.
-Students must demonstrate college readiness to participate in College
Credit Plus.
-Colleges and High schools must share the costs of College Credit Plus.
Risks Involved with College Credit Plus
Grades earned in College Credit Plus can impact college and high school academic records in
positive and negative ways.
-College Credit Plus FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2017, from
https://www.ohiohighered.org/ccp/faqs
-College Credit Plus class grades are applied to permanent college
transcripts.
-College class grades have a significant impact on high school transcripts.
-College class grades impact high school sports eligibility.
Students and families can incur costs in cases of class failure or missed program deadlines.
-College Credit Plus FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2017, from
https://www.ohiohighered.org/ccp/faqs
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 78
-School districts can seek reimbursement from students in cases of
students failing college classes.
-School districts can seek reimbursement if a student decides to
withdrawal from a class after the college class withdrawal deadline.
-Students may be charged if they fail to return a textbook after completing
a class.
Implementation Challenges
While College Credit Plus does allow students to accumulate college credit, the transferability of
those credits is not guaranteed at every institution.
-College Credit Plus FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2017, from
https://www.ohiohighered.org/ccp/faqs
-Ohio Transfer to Degree Guarantee mandates transfer of limited courses
but not all College Credit Plus courses are included.
-Private schools are not required to accept College Credit Plus credits
-Out-of-State institutions are not required to accept College Credit Plus
credits
College Credit Plus is mandated without additional funding or resources for participating high
schools and colleges.
-College Credit Plus FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2017, from
https://www.ohiohighered.org/ccp/faqs
-High Schools pay participating colleges for each credit hour and the cost
of books.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 79
-High schools do not receive additional funding for participation in
College Credit Plus.
-Credit hour charges are controlled through the use of a price range.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 80
Appendix G: Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan
Implementation and Evaluation Framework
The model used to design and implement this plan is the New World Kirkpatrick Model
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). This model offers guidance in evaluation plan design that
suggests organizations work backwards from organizational goals so that leading indicators of
progress can be easier to identify and remain connected to the organizational goal. This order
allows for solution outcomes that function to track work behaviors, to identify indicators of
learning during implementation, and evidence that organizational stakeholders are pleased with
the strategies used. This model mandates connections between larger goals and immediate
solutions combined with stakeholder buy in to make success more likely (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2016).
Organizational Purpose, Need and Expectations
By August 2018, Killiann City College will successfully implement the College Credit
Plus program with all service area high schools. The college will enroll more students with
College Credit Plus than through previous dual-enrollment programs. Killiann City College
dual-enrollment will increase by 10%, growing from 700 to 770 students. College leaders
selected this goal as part of an ongoing effort to decrease college costs and student debt. College
Credit Plus offers college courses and materials at no cost to participants, with the intention of
decreasing cost leading to student debt. An increase in the number of dual-enrollment students
would mean more participants in college-level education at a cost that does not add to student
debt. Goal achievement will be measured through an enrollment audit conducted by the
organization in August 2018. Compliance and successful implementation benefit Killiann City
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 81
College as it contributes to higher overall enrollment. Students and their families benefit by
gaining access to college at no cost.
Although complete analysis would have involved all stakeholders, for practical purposes,
one group was the focus of the study. Student Services Staff were chosen due to significant
involvement throughout all steps of College Credit Plus implementation. Success was largely
dependent on their knowledge of College Credit Plus, their motivation to achieve goals, and their
ability to overcome organizational barriers to success. The risks of failure included lower dual-
enrollment, lower overall college enrollment, and failure to achieve expanded access to college
for students in a way that reduces overall college costs and debt. Accountability for achieving
goal metrics rested on this team.
The goal was developed by Killiann City College leaders in an attempt to offset recent
enrollment declines in other student populations. As a State mandate, each college was required
to implement College Credit Plus with all high schools in their designated service area. The
successful scheduling and presentation of informational program events was tracked using a
departmental calendar viewable to all Student Services Staff. Killiann City College leaders
conducted an enrollment audit in August 2018 to assess goal achievement. The Student Services
Staff at Killiann City College was small, with a total of 12 full time staff and only two of those
staff members were designated for student recruitment. This team was charged with
implementation of College Credit Plus resulting in a 10% increase of dual-enrollment students
without additional money, time, or staffing.
The proposed solutions, a program job aid, program presentation practice sessions, and
time management strategies designed by the stakeholders directly, should lead to a 10% increase
in College Credit Plus enrollment at Killiann City College.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 82
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Table 5 displays Level 4 based on the New World Model of Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick
(2016). If internal outcomes are met according to the proposed solutions, then external outcomes
should be achieved in response to internal success.
Table 5
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes
Stakeholder Goal: Student Services Staff will implement College Credit Plus resulting in a 10%
increase in dual-enrollment students.
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes
1. Increase number of
students enrolled in College
Credit Plus.
Number of students
enrolled in College Credit
Plus.
Solicit data to compare dual-
enrollment numbers from
previous year to current year.
2. Demonstrate compliance
with the State mandate to
implement College Credit
Plus.
Number of high school
recruitment visits to
promote College Credit
Plus.
Solicit data on high school visits
made by Student Services Staff.
3. Decrease money spent on
college costs by students and
families.
Amount of money saved
for each credit hour taken.
Tabulate the number of credit
hours taken and the money saved
overall.
Internal Outcomes
2. Increase Student Services
Staff confidence in
understanding College
Credit Plus information.
Number of job aids
utilized by Student
Services Staff.
Check if each member of the
Student Services Staff have been
given the Enrollment Process and
FAQ sheet explaining College
Credit Plus to students.
3. Increase accuracy of
Student Services Staff
presentations of College
Credit Plus.
Number of errors in
presentation practice
sessions provided for each
member of the Student
Services Staff.
Collect data from Student
Services Staff regarding the
number of times each has
practiced presenting College
Credit Plus and received
supervisor feedback.
4. Increase sense of trust and
confidence between Student
Services Staff and Killiann
City College leadership.
Number of team meetings
to schedule work times.
Student Services Staff meet
regularly to schedule office hours
and recruitment visits to high
schools.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 83
Collect data from Student
Services master calendar for
meetings.
Level 3: Behavior
Critical behaviors. Student Services Staff are the stakeholders of focus. They must
correctly guide a student through the College Credit Plus enrollment process. They must present
College Credit Plus to area high school audiences. Finally, they must manage their work
schedule to provide for adequate office coverage and evening College Credit Plus presentations
at service area high schools.
Table 6
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing
1. Correctly guide a
student through the
College Credit Plus
enrollment process.
Number of applicants
who enroll in classes.
Supervisors will track
College Credit Plus
student applications to
class enrollment.
Monthly
2. Present College
Credit Plus to area high
school audiences.
Number of presentations
made to high school
audiences.
Supervisors will track
presentations made to
high school audiences via
a departmental calendar.
Monthly
3. Manage work
schedule to provide for
adequate office
coverage and evening
College Credit Plus
presentations at service
area high schools.
Number of Student
Services Staff working
during regular office
hours and during
evenings to present
College Credit Plus
information to high
schools.
Student Services Staff
will meet and decide
schedule to provide
adequate office staffing
and evening presentation
staffing within the 40hr
work week for each staff
member.
Weekly for
the first
month.
Monthly -
as long as
successful.
Required drivers. Student Services Staff need the support of Killiann City College
leaders and their division supervisors to reinforce learning and provide motivational
encouragement leading to increased College Credit Plus enrollment.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 84
Table 7
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical
Behaviors
Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Reinforcing
Job aid including enrollment steps for new students and FAQ
guide with College Credit Plus information.
Ongoing 1,2
Practice sessions for Student Services Staff to present College
Credit Plus to audiences.
Weekly 1,2
Encouraging
Team meetings to design work schedule. Weekly 3
Rewarding
Continued ability to design work schedule to meet goals and
demands.
Ongoing 3
Monitoring
Supervisors can monitor work schedules to provide assurance
of adequate office coverage and recruitment activities to
organizational leaders.
Ongoing 3
Organizational support. It is recommended for Killiann City College to provide
support for Student Services Staff critical behaviors. Organizational leaders can encourage
Student Services Staff to communicate CCP status updates and goal achievements at all-campus
meetings with all stakeholders present. Organizational leaders can also encourage Student
Services Staff to use flexible schedules that provide office coverage and meet the travel needs of
CCP recruitment. Supervisors are able to track performance and provide formative feedback in
the areas of program content knowledge and presentation accuracy. Supervisors can give
Student Services Staff members opportunities to practice presentations and design work
schedules to provide adequate office coverage and staffing for high school program presentations
in the evenings.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 85
Level 2: Learning
Learning goals. Upon completion of the recommended solutions, Student Services Staff
will be able to:
1. Recall College Credit Plus policies with 100% accuracy, (D)
2. Correctly identify program enrollment steps for prospective students, (P)
3. Confidently present College Credit Plus information to interested groups (SE)
4. Craft a working schedule to provide for office and field work (P)
5. Value the planning of their work in relation to organizational and personal success
(Value)
Evaluation of the components of learning. The application of knowledge to problem
solving often requires the demonstration of declarative knowledge. It is important to use
evaluation to determine learning of declarative and procedural knowledge. Learners need to
place value on the learning as a helpful step in applying the information in their work. Learners
must also maintain confidence in their ability to apply knowledge and skills to their work tasks.
The methods of evaluation and timing are listed in Table 8.
Table 8
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program.
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”
Knowledge checks with periodic multiple choice. At the end of each
session.
Knowledge checks through group process design. Periodically during group
work.
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”
Demonstrating job aid use during scenario questions. During training.
Demonstrating presentation skill to peers. During training.
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”
Discussions on the value of increasing dual-enrollment. During training.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 86
Leader observations of behavior and language demonstrating the
value of these efforts.
During training.
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”
Discussion following practice and feedback. During training.
Pre and posttest confidence assessment item. End of training.
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”
Create a work schedule. During training.
Create a job aid. During training.
Level 1: Reaction
Evaluating involvement in learning is both a summative and formative process
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Areas measured include customer satisfaction, relevance,
and engagement. Summative feedback is collected before and after the training has taken
place. These evaluations are both voluntary and reflective in nature. Table 9 provides a list of
measurement methods.
Table 9
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program.
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement
Attendance at training sessions. During training.
Participation in collaborative activities. During training.
Relevance
Check-in with participants vis discussion. End of each training session.
Customer Satisfaction
Training evaluation. Anonymous survey 3 days after the training.
Evaluation Tools
Immediately following the program implementation. For levels 1 and 2, a brief
survey will be administered to all participants. The survey will consist of 8 questions designed
to capture participant attitudes toward the material and assess understanding of the information
as well. The survey will be administered in each training session.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 87
Delayed for a period after the program implementation. Six weeks after training,
supervisors will administer a training follow-up survey. This survey will provide comparable
data with information previously gathered throughout the training process. The data will be
analyzed to show areas of growth or decline in training relevance (Level 1), understanding of
training information value (Level 2), application of the information to daily work tasks (Level 3),
and the measurable extent of performance regarding College Credit Plus enrollment (Level 4).
Data Analysis and Reporting
Findings will be reported through the use of visual aids to illustrate changes that have taken
place. The primary finding of overall student enrollment in College Credit Plus (as compared to
the previous year) will receive specific focus. Findings related to Student Services Staff
knowledge, confidence, and commitment will also be shared through the use of visual aids. The
information will display changes that have occurred over time, during different stages of staff
training. These items (Appendix D and E) will be shared at an all-campus meeting before an
audience of all stakeholders. The presentation will seek to communicate areas of effectiveness
and future growth improvement opportunity through the training provided to Student Services
Staff.
Summary
The New World Model of Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) has provided the
framework for the design and implementation of a plan to meet the Student Service Staff goal of
increasing the number of dual-enrollment students an additional 10% by August of 2018. During
interviews collected in the summer of 2018, influences and barriers to success involving
knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors became apparent. Recommendations were
designed to address these challenges using research principles derived from other business and
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 88
educational settings. In the case of Killiann City College Student Services Staff, it was shown
that success was more likely if Staff were given time to learn the information regarding the new
dual-enrollment program, job aids assisting in information retention, practice presenting the
information to groups, authority to manage their own work schedules to accommodate new
demands, and visible forms of support from organizational leaders.
The end of the plan is in mind from the start. Metrics were isolated to judge success and
behaviors were identified that lead to desired changes. Drivers were developed to encourage the
identified behaviors while learning and reaction were assessed both in formative and summative
ways. Plan implementation also involves the use of training for Student Services Staff. Team
members would be trained in the information they need and be given time to practice using the
information to grow in comfort and motivation. Student Services Staff would also receive a
degree of authority over the design of their work to best fit the needs of students and the task
structure of their office. Once initiatives are implemented, the model can be applied repeatedly
when new gaps between goals and performance are identified and the need for new initiative
design arises.
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
The cost of attending college has increased at a steady rate for several years. College affordability has become a barrier to students who seek to gain access to college-level learning and a contributing factor to the growth of national student debt. A group of college employees were given the goal of increasing enrollment in a program designed to address the problems previously mentioned. The goal for this team was to increase program enrollment an additional 10% by August 2018. This study explored how knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors influenced performance as the team worked to achieve the goal.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Black, Michael Lee
(author)
Core Title
Dual-enrollment program implementation to address the problem of college affordability as a barrier to student access and a contributing factor toward student debt
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)
Publication Date
10/23/2018
Defense Date
10/11/2018
Publisher
University of Southern California
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Tag
affordability,college,Debt,dual-enrollment,OAI-PMH Harvest,student
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Seli, Helena (
committee chair
), Datta, Monique (
committee member
), Pearson, Mark (
committee member
)
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blackm@usc.edu,mikedotblack@gmail.com
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