How to Encourage College Summer Enrollment: Final Lessons from the EASE Project
Anzelone, Caitlin; Weiss, Michael; Headlam, Camielle (2020). MDRC. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED609309
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examining10,668Students, gradePS
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: June 2021
- Single Study Review (findings for Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Received Certificate - Info + Tuition Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample ;
|
5.60 |
5.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received Certificate - Info Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Info Group vs. Control;
|
5.50 |
5.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received an Associate's degree - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Info Group vs. Control;
|
4.50 |
4.60 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received an Associate's degree - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample ;
|
4.30 |
4.60 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Received Certificate - Info + Tuition Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
1.10 |
0.70 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Received Certificate - Info Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Info Group vs. Control;
|
0.80 |
0.70 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received Certificate - Info Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Info group vs. Control;
|
5.00 |
4.40 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received Certificate - Info + Tuition Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Full sample;
|
5.00 |
4.40 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received Certificate - Info Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Info Group vs. Control;
|
2.70 |
2.60 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received an Associate's degree - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Info group vs. Control;
|
0.20 |
0.20 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received an Associate's degree - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
0.20 |
0.20 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received an Associate's degree - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Info group vs. Control;
|
0.70 |
0.70 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received an Associate's degree - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Full sample;
|
0.70 |
0.70 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received an Associate's degree - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Info group vs. Control;
|
3.60 |
3.60 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Received an Associate's degree - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Full sample;
|
3.50 |
3.60 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample ;
|
38.40 |
26.20 |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Info group vs. Control;
|
31.50 |
26.20 |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
College-level credits earned - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
1.63 |
1.17 |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
College-level credits earned - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Info group vs. Control;
|
1.36 |
1.17 |
Yes |
|
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Hispanic or Latino - Info + Tuition group vs. Control;
|
38.50 |
25.20 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Passed a college course or more - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
31.90 |
21.90 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Hispanic or Latino - Info group vs. Control;
|
35.50 |
25.20 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Black - Info + Tuition group vs. Control;
|
34.40 |
26.20 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Black - Info group vs. Control;
|
31.40 |
26.20 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Passed a college course or more - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Info group vs. Control;
|
25.80 |
21.90 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample - Info + Tuition group vs. Control;
|
19.80 |
16.80 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Cumulative college-level credits earned - Info + Tuition Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Full sample;
|
5.49 |
5.07 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Info group vs. Control;
|
18.20 |
16.80 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College-level credits earned - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample;
|
0.93 |
0.83 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Full sample;
|
55.40 |
54.70 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Info group vs. Control;
|
46.10 |
45.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Full sample - Info + Tuition group vs. Control;
|
45.70 |
45.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Cumulative college-level credits earned - Info Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Info group vs. Control;
|
5.23 |
5.07 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Cumulative college-level credits earned - Info + Tuition Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Full sample;
|
8.75 |
8.44 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College-level credits earned - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Info group vs. Control;
|
0.90 |
0.83 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Cumulative college-level credits earned - Info Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Info group vs. Control;
|
9.39 |
9.24 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Cumulative college-level credits earned - Info + Tuition Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample;
|
9.65 |
9.24 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Percentage enrolled in any college course - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Info group vs. Control;
|
54.80 |
54.70 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College-level credits earned - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Info group vs. Control;
|
3.88 |
3.92 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College-level credits earned - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Full sample;
|
3.87 |
3.92 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Cumulative college-level credits earned - Info Group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Info group vs. Control;
|
8.53 |
8.44 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College-level credits earned - Info group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Info group vs. Control;
|
3.37 |
3.41 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College-level credits earned - Info + Tuition group |
Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment (EASE) Project vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Full sample;
|
3.32 |
3.41 |
No |
-- | ||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Rural, Suburban, Urban
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Ohio
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Race Black 26% Other or unknown 19% White 55% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 5% Not Hispanic or Latino 96%
Study Details
Setting
The study was conducted in a diverse set of 10 community colleges in Ohio, with a sample drawn from all degree-seeking, first-year, Pell-eligible students at these colleges.
Study sample
All degree-seeking, first-year, Pell-eligible students at 10 different community colleges in Ohio were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) an informational campaign group ("Info Group") in which received messages that incorporated principles from behavioral science (tailored to their funding situation, testimonials from other students); (2) a "last dollar" tuition assistance group ("Info + Tuition Group") in which students were offered the treatment of the informational campaign group, plus gap tuition through the Summer Scholar Grant program to cover summer tuition and fees and financial aid; and, (3) a business-as-usual comparison group, where students received messages that the college sent to promote summer enrollment and financial aid. Four colleges participated in the first cohort (2017), and ten (including the initial four) participated in the second cohort (2018). The 2017 cohort included 3,689 students and the 2018 cohort included 6,979 students for a total of 10,668 students: 3,565 students were assigned to the Info Group, 3,550 students were assigned to the Info + Tuition Group, and 3,553 students were assigned to the comparison group. All participating students were eligible for federal Pell Grants. Fifty-five percent of students were White, 26 percent were Black, and 19 percent Asian, Native American or belonged to another racial group. About five percent of students were Hispanic.
Intervention Group
Both the Info Group and Info + Tuition Group interventions were aimed at encouraging students to enroll in summer courses. With the Info Group, researchers sent students personalized funding information about how they could pay for summer courses, some testimonials from other students about the benefits of taking summer courses, some prompts about planning (including registration and course selection tips), and information about deadlines. With the Info + Tuition Group (also called the Summer Scholar Grant program), researchers provided the same information messaging but also offered funding to cover the difference between the financial aid students were receiving (Pell Grant plus Ohio College Opportunity Grant funds) and the summer tuition and fees, essentially bridging the gap in funding.
Comparison Group
The students in the comparison group received the messages that the colleges were already sending, including messages encouraging summer enrollment and information about standard financial aid.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
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Study findings for this report.
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and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).