Providing the Board of Trustees reports on indicators related to the seven district-wide goals began in January 1995. Since that time, the distance learning goal was added and the career preparation and transfer preparation goals were merged. In addition, various processes have been developed to collect indicator data.

The conclusion of the 1998-99 reporting period marks the completion of four reporting cycles. The following summary is an overview of emerging and continuing trends based on previously reported data covering the early 1990s through 1998. While each District goal is related in some way to these trends, only directly related goals are noted. Furthermore, these observations are based on district-wide data thus individual college trends may differ.

 Emerging Trends

Supporting Data

• Developmental courses (particularly developmental math),

• On-line courses,

• English as a Second Language, and

• Work force training courses offered by continuing education.

• Hispanic and Asian students and

• Certificates awarded.

• Access, Career Preparation, Continuing Education, Basic Skills, Economic Development and Distance Learning

The growth of the county Hispanic population, Texas Academic Skills Proficiency (TASP) regulations, immediate workforce needs and rapid technological advances are just a few variables that contribute to these emerging trends.

Demographic forecasts support continued increases in enrollments of Hispanic students. Developmental enrollments, directly influenced by TASP regulations, are subject to increase or decrease due to changing legislation. Current workforce needs coupled with technological advances support the appeal of short-term certificate programs and on-line courses but would be influenced by a downturn in the economy or aggressive marketing of competitor (non-DCCCD) on-line courses.

 Continuing Trends

Supporting Data

• Course completion rates, and

• Semester to next semester retention rates.

• Access and Transfer Preparation

As noted in the Access Indicator Report, such consistency tends to be the norm for a given institution. In general, the amount a college is able to change its overall retention rate may be somewhat limited due to influential factors (i.e. low-income level, student pre-college educational preparation, etc.) beyond control of the college. Thus, for the District to have a noticeable change in retention or course completion rates, one or more influential factors would need to change substantially or current District retention related processes would have to differ dramatically.

Variable (Uncertain) Trends

 Related District Goals

• Transfer Preparation and Economic Development

The variation in these areas is partially a function of changes in other areas. The decrease in student transfers experienced in the mid to late 1990s may be a lag effect of the credit enrollment decline that occurred from 1992 to 1997. Students complete an average of 34 hours before transferring. Thus, there were fewer students at the "end of the transfer pipeline" ready to transfer by the mid 1990s.

Customized contract training is difficult to compare from one year to the next since the addition of a single high dollar contract can create a large variation from one year to the next. In addition, as businesses shift toward the use of state subsidized dollars for training an off setting decrease is likely to occur in customized training.

Prepared by District Office of Research, August 1999

1998-99 Board Indicator Reports