The Power of One More Course
How Different First Semester Credit Loads Affect Community College Student Persistence
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9010022 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrea Burridge (0000-0001-7502-0047, Houston Community College System, corresponding author), Andrea B Burridge (Houston Community College System), Lyle McKinney (0000-0003-4693-2367, University of Houston), Gerald V Bourdeau (Houston Community College System), Mimi M Lee (University of Houston), Yolanda M Barnes (Contraceptive Choice and Access, Arnold Ventures, Houston, Texas, USA) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 95 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 879-916 |
| Publication date | 2023-09-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Higher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-1546 • E-ISSN: 1538-4640 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00221546.2023.2251867 |
| OpenAlex | W4386886558 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 49 |
Establishing early academic momentum via credit accumulation is strongly associated with community college student success. Using data from one of the nation’s largest and most racially diverse community college systems, our quasi-experimental study examined how different first-semester credit loads influenced persistence. For part-time students (less than 12 semester credit hours), enrolling in one additional course (3 more credits) significantly improved their chances of persistence to the subsequent term and next academic year. For part-time students, an increased credit load was significantly and positively related to persistence. However, for full-time students, an increase from 12 to 15 credits was not related to persistence. These patterns were consistent across subgroups by students’ level of academic preparation (developmental education status) and degree objective (workforce credential or transfer associate degree). Moreover, the increased course load did not significantly hinder students’ early academic performance as measured by GPA for any group and in some cases was related to increased GPA. We discuss the implications of these findings for academic advising, course scheduling, and completion initiatives at community colleges
Academic achievement · Academic advising · Affect (linguistics · Community college · Credential · Higher education · Mathematics education · Medical education · Persistence (discontinuity · Political science · Disability Education and Employment · Engineering · Higher Education Research Studies · Medicine · Psychology · School Choice and Performance
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |