Creative Sessions Showcase

Are You Really a Two-Year College? Diving Into Completability Data

What does it take to determine if a two-year degree is completable in two years? Our session walks participants through the steps we took to answer this question and create public-facing tools for deans and faculty to schedule courses more effectively and reduce uncertainty and other barriers to degree completion.

These steps included: (1) cleaning our “program of study” data; (2) checking the core and elective courses required for each degree; (3) creating a “Course Availability Pattern” and publishing that in the catalog; and (4) creating a dashboard based on two years of course offerings to determine if a degree is completable or not. We will discuss how each of these things happen (or don’t) at our own campuses. We will then demo our dashboard completability tool and invite others to try it, ask questions, and brainstorm the steps they might take to facilitate similar efforts at their college.

Presenter: Adam Lange, Alcove Insights; Alex Claxton, Cañada College

AVANZA: An RCT-Based Intervention to Increase Persistence for Hispanic/Latine First-Time College Students

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The AVANZA project at Irvine Valley College demonstrates how IRPE can transform data into an evolving student-centered intervention that attempts to address persistence-related equity gaps. Once equity gaps in persistence for Hispanic/Latine students were identified, a randomized call-center outreach, developed with student-centered intentions, unfortunately showed no promising results.

This led our IRPE office and other departments to collaborate and redesign the intervention into what later became AVANZA, a proactive model that integrates basic needs support, academic navigation, and timely outreach through a coordinated triage network spanning EOPS, DSPS, Counseling, ASIVC, Health and Wellness, Food Center (The Spot), and the Veterans Center. Although no increase in persistence was observed, we noticed a high utilization of priority registration among students in the treatment group. The session will share early lessons learned, while inviting participants to exchange approaches from their own institutions and brainstorm refinements that could strengthen the AVANZA project.

Presenters: Joshua Rhee, Irvine Valley College

Data Literacy in Action: Turning Educational Master Plan Goals Into Monitorable Metrics

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Cerritos College is strengthening campuswide data literacy by positioning the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning, and Grants (IERPG) as a continuous improvement partner during Educational Master Plan (EMP) development and implementation. IERPG built shared metric definitions, real-time dashboards, and recurring “data sensemaking” routines so leaders and teams can interpret evidence consistently and use it to monitor EMP priorities in real time.

This research-in-action session shares the steps IERPG used to scale evidence fluency beyond the research office: establishing common data language, aligning key indicators to EMP goals, and creating feedback loops from board/management to operational teams. Participants will gain adaptable strategies for building data literacy at scale, integrating meaningful metrics into EMP work, and sustaining a culture where data is understood, discussed, and used to support institutional effectiveness.

Presenters: Amber Hroch and Eden Ellis, Cerritos College

DataVista Essentials: Data on Demand Files and Structure

This session supports the conference theme, Embracing the Messy Work of Equity & Change Together, by helping practitioners engage with the deeper analytical work that drives equitable decision-making across California community colleges. While DataVista serves as the Chancellor’s Office’s longitudinal data system for monitoring outcomes across programs such as Vision 2030, SEA, and SWP, many equity questions cannot be answered through dashboards alone, particularly when working with data suppression or limited demographic markers. In response to demand, DataVista’s enhanced data download function provides more flexible access to student-level information, creating new opportunities for detailed equity-focused analysis.

Presenters: Erik Cooper and Adriel Garcia, WestEd

Major Revelations: The Disciplinary Roots That Shape the IRPE Field and Can Inform Inclusive Recruitment

Although the trend is shifting, institutional research, planning, and effectiveness (IRPE is still a career that rarely aligns with students’ initial academic plans. Yet, IRPE offers a path that is both fiscally viable and empowering. As we build pipelines into the IRPE field, understanding where our talent comes from can reshape the way future professionals are recruited and hired.

This presentation centers around an analysis of IRPE academic disciplines (i.e., majors), with the goal of informing more inclusive recruitment and hiring strategies. Findings from an exploratory study are presented alongside results from The RP Group’s Demographics Survey of CCC IRPE Professionals and educational journeys of current practitioners. We will share recruitment strategies to help colleges expand candidate pools by reducing bias tied to academic majors. This knowledge can help practitioners transform the IRPE field to better reflect and elevate student voices and experiences.

Presenters: Rachel Miller, Palomar College; Darla Cooper, The RP Group

Measuring the Mess: A Monte Carlo Comparison of Disproportionate Impact Methods

California community colleges rely on quantitative metrics to identify disproportionate impact (DI), yet little is known about how these measures behave under the small sample sizes and uneven group proportions common in institutional data. This poster presents results from a Monte Carlo simulation study comparing commonly used DI measures—such as PPG-1 and the 80% rule—to established statistical approaches, including the two-proportion z-test, Fisher’s exact test, and unconditional exact tests (Barnard’s test with Berger–Boos and Boschloo corrections).

The analysis examines long-run Type I error rates and statistical power across 96 simulated conditions. Visual summaries highlight when different methods are more likely to over-identify disparities or fail to detect meaningful gaps. Embracing the “messy” work of equity means acknowledging that no single metric works well in all situations. Attendees are invited to engage in discussion around interpreting DI results, weighing tradeoffs between false positives and missed detections, and selecting methods that align with their data conditions and equity goals.

Presenters: James Clifton, MiraCosta College

Momentum for All: Early Results From the Summer Momentum Program at Hartnell College

Hartnell College launched its Summer Momentum Program in 2025 to increase access, reduce equity gaps, and strengthen academic momentum for all students. This session will introduce the origins of the Summer Momentum concept, describe how the idea was shaped into an actionable plan, and outline the responsibilities of the cross-functional taskforce that led the work. Presenters will share implementation challenges and how the institution adapted in real time.

Early results from summer 2025 show increased headcount, higher unit momentum, improved retention, and stronger persistence into fall. Participants will learn how IR provides ongoing data analysis, guided decision-making, and supported cross-department collaboration throughout the program design. This session offers practical strategies for colleges seeking to build or refine summer interventions that support equitable momentum and student success.

Presenters: Ramon Serrano and Layheng Ting, Hartnell College

Reaching for the Laureate: Advancing Equity and Economic Mobility Through Community College Bachelor’s Programs

California faces increasing demand for workers with baccalaureate degrees, yet degree production from state systems lags behind workforce needs. Authorized by SB 850 (2015) and expanded under AB 927 (2021), California’s Community College Baccalaureate Degree Programs (CCBDPs) provide affordable bachelor’s degrees in high-demand fields not served by CSU or UC systems.

This study combines policy analysis and program evaluation: (1) recommending strategies to expand degree attainment through the CCC system—such as automated dual admissions, enhanced transfer infrastructure, dual enrollment, credit for prior learning, and intensified student support—and (2) assessing CCBDPs’ impact on equity and economic mobility. Using systemwide COMIS data linked with EDD wage records, we analyze enrollment, completion, and demographics of BDP participants, and labor market outcomes for BDP graduates compared to associate degree completers. Preliminary findings show that BDP graduates earn a significant wage premium, though returns vary by field, underscoring the need for targeted program expansion.

Presenters: Terrence Willett and Rujun Yang, California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office

Rehearsing Equity: Using a Custom GPT to Navigate Power, Politics, and Change

This interactive poster demonstrates how a custom GPT can serve as a confidential rehearsal space for equity-centered leadership communication in higher education. The tool is currently in a pilot phase, and attendees are invited to explore the concept, engage with examples, and offer feedback to help refine its design, guardrails, and practical applications.

Presenter: Viviana Unda, El Camino College

Thriving at Work, Thriving for Students: Research Findings on Workforce Sustainability

This session shares findings from a districtwide research study examining how employee working conditions influence institutional effectiveness and student success. Using a phenomenological, mixed-methods design, the project explored the lived experiences of staff, faculty, and managers to understand what helps them bring their best selves to work—and where inequities limit their capacity to support students. Themes of flexibility, belonging, and manageable workloads emerged as key drivers of a sustainable workforce. The session will highlight how IRPE professionals can translate qualitative insights and human-centered data into actionable strategies that strengthen the people who power student success. Attendees will gain practical tools for identifying small, unit-level changes that do not require new policies, but meaningfully improve the employee experience and the quality of service students receive.

Presenters: Emma Blackthorne and Kristin Rascon, Kern Community College District

Turning Systemwide Data Into Action: Understanding the Student Journey With the CCC Data Warehouse

The California Community Colleges Data Warehouse is a systemwide resource designed to strengthen research and planning through access to consistent, high-quality statewide data. This session introduces new capabilities that allow IRPE professionals to analyze student trajectories across colleges, including the Student Journey dataset and visualizations that reveal cross-institution enrollment, credit accumulation, and matriculation patterns. These tools provide systemwide data that afford individual colleges valuable insight.

Researchers will share how they leverage the CCC Data Warehouse, and how the Data Warehouse now supports their local dashboards and planning efforts by enabling data-delivery options that allow all colleges and districts to integrate valuable datasets directly into their local data warehouse and BI environments. Participants will gain a clear understanding of what the CCC Data Warehouse offers today, future roadmap plans informed by the IRPE community, and how researchers use the CCC Data Warehouse to support their research and planning.

Presenters: Julia Arreguy, Mark Cohen, and Jack Thompson, California Community Colleges Technology Center

What We Learned from DEI Student Focus Groups: Themes Around Equity

At Citrus College, the offices of IRPE, DEIA+, and Student Equity and Achievement partnered to conduct focus groups with disproportionately impacted student groups in spring 2024 and spring 2025. Beginning in fall 2025, the team initiated collegewide dissemination of the findings that revealed actionable strategies to ensure student success.

In this session, we will present the key outcomes and emerging themes from the focus groups, along with lessons learned about coordinating the sessions with an equity-minded approach, communicating the results, and implementing subsequent actions.

Presenters: Anthony Delgado and Ty Thomas, Citrus College