Overview
Since 2015, Ascender has been providing a holistic approach primarily for Hispanic/Latino student success, faculty training, and development through institutional involvement with Catch The Next at a national level. The program is created to provide culturally-responsive engagement and a sense of belonging for Hispanic/Latino students. The students participate in learning communities to advance them through entry-level core classes during the first year of enrollment. In the second year students continue to receive support and guidance through case management with the Academic Guidance team members for the remainder of their journey at ACC.
Accomplishments
- In fall 2022, the program filled seven cohorts, totaling 130 students. This includes five cohorts in person and two Virtual Synchronous for Adult Education students.
- Offered one-on-one mentor pairing. ACC is the only community college in Texas that offers individual mentoring to participants.
- Hosted more than 40 events, including orientations, mentor-mentee matching, family nights, classroom visits, live-streamed events, and online events.
- Hosted one informative DACA session in the fall, one immigration event in the spring with a panel of professors, an open forum for students, and a table with collaborators from American Gateways.
- Filmed and co-hosted the second season of the ACCTV show, “Ready, Set, Ascender!,” for the first time in the ACCTV studio, with a new coordinator alumnus of the program.
- Collaborated with the Texas Book Festival to provide free books for students, including a meet-and-greet event with the author of the book, Ruben Degollado, where students were able to ask questions about the writing process.
- Collaborated with Bae-B-Safe, Kind Clinic, Vivent, and Student Life to offer the third sex education session open to all students, faculty, and staff.
- Provided a tour to Texas State University for Ascender students in collaboration with the Transfer Resources office.
Impact
| Term | Students Enrolled in Ascender Courses | Persisted to Spring or Graduated | % Persisted to Spring or Graduated | Persisted to Fall or Graduated | % Persisted to Fall or Graduated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2020 | 105 | 90 | 85.7% | 71 | 67.6% |
| Fall 2021 | 125 | 97 | 77.6% | 69 | 55.2% |
| Fall 2022* | 129 | 103 | 79.8% | N/A* | N/A* |
The data shows that students who are part of the Riverside, Highland, and Adult Ed Ascender programs had higher success rates in their ENGL 1301 course compared to their non-Ascender peers. Additionally, the 2023 New Student Orientation had a significantly higher in-person participation rate compared to the previous year, and 80% of the students requested a mentor, with a higher percentage of students meeting their mentor in person during the mentor-mentee matching day. Although the Noche de Familia participation rate was similar in 2022 and 2023, it still provided an opportunity for families to engage with the college community. These results highlight the positive impact of Ascender programs and supportive initiatives on student success and engagement, indicating that intentional efforts to provide personalized support and community engagement can help students achieve their academic goals.
Next Steps
- Increase the number of students in the program from 120 to 230
- Improve persistence rates of students in each cohort
- Increase attendance to mandatory events
- Support the onboarding process for new students
- Offer online courses for students who are interested in virtual classes instead of in-person
- Collaborate with ACC’s Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) chapter to engage, support, and recruit future students for the program and the community
- Continue increased student engagement to retain students’ completion of the program
- Offer exit interviews to students who complete the program and refer them to Transfer Resources and Adult Career Scholars.
- Track Ascender students after completion of the program to receive data on transferring, graduation, etc.