A Real-World Education in the Heart of Houston Ignites Transformation and Sparks the Beginning of Improved Learning Outcomes

Houston Community College aims to increase student success outcomes through the Curricular Analytics Community tools and developmental cohorts.

Houston Community College (HCC) was among the higher learning institutions that participated in the original cohort for the Curricular Analytics community. Karen Girton-Synder specifically wanted to leave with new tools that would help leverage data that the college’s Office of Institutional Research previously collected. Her idea would soon begin to mitigate obsolete paths that were being noticed. The creation of a comprehensive dashboard illustrating student success rates would be integrated into the process of creating degree plan options.

Girton-Synder stated, “We always have data, but now, with funding tied to success, we need to delve deeper into it.” She continued, “Firstly, understanding nuanced patterns within student success data allowed for a targeted improvement approach. Secondly, discussions with other institutions made me more aware of the challenges higher education faces…”

The curricular analytics tool has created a new way to view the ongoing assessments and adaptations in a manner that emphasizes academic compatibilities from unique, yet concise angles that would otherwise be difficult to merge without informative insights that the tool predicts.

Tangible enhancements seen in the outcome of student engagement with the redesign in the nursing program have become a new reference point of success. Karen Girton-Synder describes the creation of the dashboards as a “benchmark for curriculum development and continuous evaluation.” One that will indeed measure the success as more majors and concentrations are modified in the same way.

The expected success rate at the HCC will help bridge the gap between dropout and completion rates and will not only inspire more students to enroll but reinforce dedication from faculty to support the students during their academic journeys.

The director of curricular and learning initiatives remarked as one of the final takeaways from her experience, “My advice is to engage actively with collaborative tools provided by the Curricular Analytics Community, foster open communication, and embrace a continuous improvement mindset. Early alignment with stakeholders and clear communication strategies are crucial for contributing to ongoing curricular change.” 

As the curriculum dynamics in high-diversity settings for colleges and Universities shift to make higher education a stronger investment, the community and partnered schools emphasize the rewarding impact of the program. HCC has introduced learning complexity tools so that students can propose new degree plans that might not be offered regularly. Viewing the complexities, transfers, pathways and other elements will begin to pivot the model forward and enable a full implementation of the curricular design by Fall 2024.