Notes on Enrollment Strategies
What the FTES?
Miriam Simpson
Contents
Important Terms
01
Compressed Calendar: more than just extra vacation
02
The Distance Disadvantage
03
04
Sources
05
Formulas for FTES
Important Terms
01
Important Terms
01
How We Get $
CA Community Colleges receive funding per FTES*
* Base allocations and the SCFF are secondary considerations
** this rate is from the 23/24 apportionment memo
Important Terms
01
FTES (full Time Equivalent Student)
FTES assumes one student is enrolled in courses for
3 hours a day, 5 days a week, for an academic year of 35 weeks
1 FTES is roughly 525 hours of instruction
3 x 5 x 35 = 525 hours
a number you will see a lot
Important Terms
01
Contact Hours
Daily Contact Hours (DCH): Meeting time per day �Classes that meet for a fraction of an hour beyond the standard contact hour have a DCH factor Daily Student Contact Hours (DSCH): DCH x # Students.
Weekly Student Contact Hours (WSCH): WCH x # Students
Weekly Contact Hours (WCH): DCH x Class Meeting Days per Week
Important Terms
01
Term Length Multiplier (TLM)
Weeks of instruction in regular fall/spring semesters, including
Cuyamaca TLM
regular 17.0
online 17.5
Calendar Type | TLM |
Standard /Distance Ed | 17.5 |
Compressed | 16.0 - 17.0 |
Quarter | 11.67 |
Important Terms
01
Census
Census: A reporting "snapshot in time" at approximately 20% of a course.
Important Terms
01
Other accounting Methods
Formulas for FTES
02
Formulas for FTES
02
FTES Calculations
FTES In-person
WSCH
TLM
525
17 @ Cuyamaca
Formulas for FTES
02
FTES Calculations
FTES In-person
WSCH
TLM
525
17 @ Cuyamaca
FTES DE Lecture
units
TLM
525
FTES DE Lab
census count
TLM
525
census count
lab
hours*
*hours equivalent to a non-compressed, in-person class
17.5 for all DE
Compressed Calendar:
03
extra vacation from confusing calculations
Compressed Calendar
03
How long is an Hour?
minutes instruction
10 min
Passing Time
50 minutes Instruction
1.0 Contact (Class) Hour
> 50 minutes is 1.0 +
Fractional DCH DCH increased by for five-minute intervals beyond the class hour (50 min)
Contact Hour For in person classes this is 50 minutes instruction to 10 minutes of passing time or break
Compressed Calendar
03
Scheduling Matters
Example 1 �A class with 30 students meeting 75 minutes per day twice a week for a 17.5 week semester. Calculate FTES.
75 min is 50 min (1 DCH) plus 25 minutes (25/50 gives 0.5 DCH)
DCH factor = 1.5
WCH = 1.5 x 2 meetings/week = 3.0
WSCH = 3.0 x 30 students = 90
FTES = 90 x 17.5 / 525 = 3.0 FTES
A class with 30 students meeting 75 minutes per day twice a week for a 17.5 week semester. Calculate FTES.
Compressed Calendar
03
Example 2 �A class with 30 students meeting 85 minutes per day twice a week for a 16.3 week semester. Calculate FTES.
TLM changes can Boost FTES
85 min is 50 min (1 DCH) plus 35 minutes (35/50 gives 0.7 DCH)
DCH factor = 1.7
WCH = 1.7 x 2 meetings/week = 3.4
WSCH = 3.4 x 30 students = 102
FTES = 102 x 16.3 / 525 = 3.17 FTES
The Distance Disadvantage
04
DE disadvantage
04
Units versus hours
Example 3 �A 3 unit lecture class with 32 students with a compressed calendar TLM of 17.
In-Person: 80 minute classes meet 2 times a week
80 min is 50 min (1 DCH) plus 30 minutes (30/50 gives 0.6 DCH)
DCH factor = 1.6
WCH = 1.6 x 2 meetings/week = 3.2
WSCH = 3.2 x 32 students = 102.4
FTES = 102.4 x 17 / 525 = 3.32 FTES
Online, Asynchronous:
FTES = 3 units x 32 students x 17.5 / 525 = 3.20 FTES
DE disadvantage
04
Labs and Lectures
Example 4 �A 4 unit lecture and lab class with 32 students with a compressed calendar TLM of 17.
In-Person: Lecture T, Th 5:00-6:20 PM Lab T 6:30-9:35 PM
80 min is 50 min (1 DCH) plus 30 minutes (30/50 gives 0.6 DCH)
185 min lab is 3.3 WCH
WCH = 1.6 x 2 meetings/week + 3.3 = 6.5
WSCH = 6.5 x 32 students = 208
FTES = 208 x 17 / 525 = 6.7 FTES
Online, Asynchronous:
FTES = (3 units + 3 hours) x 32 students x 17.5 / 525 = 6.4 FTES
side note, a 4 unit lecture would be:
FTES = (4 units) x 32 students x 17.5 / 525 = 4.3 FTES
Sources/Resources
05
Up Next
The Student Centered Funding Formula