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This document reports on the early outcomes of the City University of New York's Accelerated Study in Associates Programs (ASAP). Begun in 2007, the aim of the program was to help students earn Associate's degrees as quickly as possible, with a target of 50 per cent of the students graduating within three years. The initial cohort of 1132 students who were proficient in reading, writing and mathematics skills were joined by a further 319 students who initially required some developmental education. The Associate's degree programs these students were enrolled in were programs aligned to future employability or had prospects of transfer to four-year college programs. The degree programs were also full-time. At the end of the second year, the ASAP program has already had 30 per cent of the initial cohort graduate. The comparison group had a graduation rate of 11.4 per cent. Most of the ASAP students planned to transfer to four-year colleges and work towards the Bachelor's degrees. The remaining students planned to enter the workforce after graduation, but indicated they had plans to continue their education in the near future. Show less

Most postsecondary institutions have historically used advisors to help students select and register for courses, but postsecondary institutions are increasingly asking advisors to play an instrumental role in helping students progress through college. This expanded advising role often involves ensuring students are connected to both academic supports and non-academic supports that enable students to overcome barriers to persistence and completion. In this expanded role, advisors help students formulate personal, academic, and career goals; navigate college requirements and resources; develop study skills; make sound decisions about financing college; balance academic and non-academic obligations such as work or childcare; and overcome other social, emotional, or academic barriers they might face.

This practice guide draws upon studies of effective postsecondary student advising systems and practices to provide four evidence-based recommendations for designing and delivering comprehensive, integrated advising to support students' educational success: (1) Intentionally design and deliver comprehensive, integrated advising that incorporates academic and non-academic supports to empower students to reach their educational goals; (2) Transform advising to focus on the development of sustained, personalized relationships with individual students throughout their college career; (3) Use mentoring and coaching to enhance comprehensive, integrated advising in ways that support students' achievement and progression; and (4) Embed positive incentives in intentionally designed advising structures to encourage student participation and continued engagement.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Community colleges are grappling with low rates of degree completion and transfer. The City University of New York's (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) aims to improve graduation rates by providing a range of comprehensive support services to community college students in select majors. Using student-unit record data, [the authors] employed propensity score matching to examine short-term and three-year outcomes from ASAP's first cohort, as well as logistic regression to identify program factors related to graduation. [The authors] found that ASAP participation was significantly positively related to retention, credit accrual, transfer, and degree attainment. Regression analyses indicated that a key influence on graduation is participation in advisement sessions. This study provides evidence that encouraging academic momentum via structured and comprehensive support can significantly improve community college graduation rates. It also provides evidence that ongoing and intrusive advisement can encourage positive academic outcomes among community college students.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less