In 2001, The University of Texas' College of Education established CCCSE as a service and research initiative for community and technical colleges interested in improving educational quality through strengthened student engagement and student success. CCCSE delivers "aha" moments about the community college student experience based on insights that matter through survey research, focus group work, and related services.
CCCSE employs around 20 full-time staff, as well as a large number of undergraduate and graduate students.
In August 2008, CCCSE moved to an off-campus building near The University of Texas to accommodate growing operational needs related to the large numbers of colleges participating in the work.
Since its inception, CCCSE has surveyed more than three million community college students from over 900 institutions. Member colleges represent an overwhelming majority of all accredited, public, associate-degree-granting two-year institutions in the United States.
Today, CCCSE is known nationally for a variety of activities and accomplishments, including the following:
- The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), the original student survey
- The Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE), a companion survey to the original student survey
- The Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE), another student survey that alternatively focuses on the "front door" of the community college experience
- Focus group work through CCCSE's various initiatives
- Research-based national benchmarks of effective educational practice for community colleges and a website that provides interactive data search/ benchmarking capabilities
- Ongoing research and analyses of student and institutional behaviors, perceptions, and practices affecting community college student engagement and success—work that has resulted in numerous publications and journal articles, extensive media coverage, and a growing number of dissertations
- Printed and electronic national reports distributed across the country to community colleges, higher education researchers and organizations, and the media
- A growing online collection of tools and resources for member colleges' use in strengthening their understanding and use of data for institutional improvement, reaffirmation of accreditation, and accountability
- Regional, state, and college-level student success institutes and professional development workshops
Questions about CCCSE or its products and services? Contact us.