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News & Events
Northwest
Vista College Recognized for Excellence in Student Engagement
December
16, 2004
Contact:
Maureen Smith, Public Information Officer, Northwest Vista
College
210-348-2011 or msmith@accd.edu
Northwest
Vista College was recently recognized in the Community College
Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), a national survey administered
by the University of Texas at Austin that focuses on institutional
practices and student behaviors that promote student engagement.
Research shows that the more actively engaged students are,
the more successful they will be in college.
According
to this year’s CCSSE results, community college students
reported spending a substantial amount of time working and
meeting outside obligations while attending classes. While
53 percent indicated that transfer to a four-year institution
is their goal, national data show that only about 25 percent
do so. Community colleges are faced with the challenge of
engaging these multitasking students who may feel that abandoning
their education is easier than completing it.
“We’re
pleased to have been recognized in the Community College Survey
of Student Engagement,” says Dr. Jacqueline Claunch,
Northwest Vista College president. “Our top priority
as a community college is to engage students in a learning-centered
environment and help them meet their educational goals. These
survey results demonstrate that we’re on the right track.”
In the
CCSSE report, Northwest Vista College was recognized for using
learning communities to engage students in multidisciplinary
environments. In the Weekend College learning community, three
disciplines are combined in a team-taught atmosphere. For
this year’s final project, the students worked together
both in and outside of the classroom to create four new states
within Texas. Acting as “committees” appointed
by the Texas Legislature, the students established a Constitution
for each new state and determined such issues as structure
and power of the government, geographic boundaries, and allocation
of resources.
For
more information about the CCSSE, please visit
http://www.ccsse.org/survey/findings2.html
Northwest
Vista College, which opened in 1995, is part of the Alamo
Community College District. Located at 3535 N. Ellison Drive,
next to SeaWorld of Texas, Northwest Vista College’s
expanding agreements with business and higher education partnerships
provide a wealth of opportunities for students and the community.
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