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Nuances of Completion: Improving Student Outcomes by Unpacking the Numbers

By Elisa Rassen, Priyadarshini Chaplot, Davis Jenkins & Robert Johnstone
This publication examines the hidden complexity of completion outcome data and offers an approach to teasing out the complex factors that affect student completion in order to boost student success. Measuring completion outcomes is an important part of understanding how well community colleges are serving their students; however, the way in which these numbers are typically understood and used does little to help colleges meaningfully increase the success of its students. This guide explores a more nuanced understanding of what completion means for the wide range of students who are each seeking their own versions of “success” and offers colleges an opportunity to use this broader interpretation of completion to take specific action around boosting student success.
  • Completion by Design

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April 2013

Related Publications

April 2013

Understanding the Student Experience Through the Loss/Momentum Framework: Clearing the Path to Completion

April 2013

Principles of Redesign: Promising Approaches to Transforming Student Outcomes

Additional Resources

For more policy briefs and fact sheets, visit CCRC’s Policy Resources page.

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