GLOSSARY OF EDUCATIONAL TERMS
Academic Year
For most reporting purposes at DACC the Academic Year begins with the summer semester and ends with the spring semester.
Accreditation
Accreditation is a voluntary, independent review of educational programs to determine that the education provided meets specific standards. Being awarded accreditation ensures that an institution has been evaluated and that it meets those standards as determined by the accrediting organization granting the accreditation. There are two types of educational accreditation: institutional and specialized. DACC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities. Accreditation makes it possible to transfer completed courses to most other institutions. Specialized accrediting bodies evaluate particular units, schools, or programs within the college.
Admission Population
Identifies an admission population such as early admit, mature, adult and continuing education, etc., associated with the person and application.
Awards
DACC awards certificates and associate degrees upon successful completion of a course of study:
Certificate – A Certificate of Achievement is awarded for a program of study that is between 16 and 30 credit hours in length.
Associate Degree – The associate degree is offered to a student completing a two-year program of study. DACC offers Associate in Arts (AA) degrees, Associate in Science degrees (AS),
Associate in Applied Science (AAS) and Associate in General Studies (A GS) degrees.
Dual Credit Student
Public or tribal high school juniors or seniors enrolled in college-level courses offered by a postsecondary institution that may be academic or career technical but not remedial or developmental, and simultaneously to earn credit toward high school graduation and a postsecondary degree or certificate.
Early College High School
Dual credit students compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college.
Campus Enrollment Capacity
Total seats occupied divided by Maximum seats available of any class offered to any student at a DACC campus or center. Includes online courses, but excludes courses that have a maximum of zero or are offered offsite of DACC.
First Generation Student
A student is defined to be first generation if the student indicated on the FASFA application than neither parent attended any college or did not know the status of both parents.
Full-time Student
Any student enrolled in 12 or more credit hours per semester within the NMSU system is considered to be a full-time student. A student enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours is considered to be a part-time student.
FTE (Student)
Full-time Equivalent is a unit of measure calculated by totaling the student credit hours for a specific time period and divided by standard full study load.
Semester FTE – calculated by totaling the student credit hours for a semester and dividing by 15.
Annual FTE – calculated by totaling the student credit hours for an academic year and dividing by 30.
FTE (Instructor)
Full-time Equivalent is a unit of measure calculated by totaling the average student credit hours for all courses taught by an individual instructor for a specific time period and divided by standard full teaching load.
Semester FTE – calculated by totaling the average student credit hours for all courses taught by an individual instructor for a semester and dividing by 15.
Annual FTE – calculated by totaling the average student credit hours for all courses taught by an individual instructor for a semester and dividing by 30.
Gender
The state of being male or female, typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones.
Graduation Rate
The percentage of first-time, degree-seeking Fall students at DACC who complete their program within 150% of the published time for the program. DACC 150% for certificates would be three consecutive fall and spring semesters and for associate degrees it is three consecutive years.
Headcount or Head Count
The unduplicated count of individuals enrolled in credit courses at DACC during a specific time period.
Major
A field of study designated by a prescribed set of courses needed to complete a certificate or degree program. May also be referred to as the program of study.
Online Student
For the purposes of the Institutional Student Success Report, an Online Student is defined any DA degree-seeking student enrolled in at least 6 credits of online courses in a given academic semester..
Part-time Student
Any student enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours per semester within the NMSU system is considered to be a part-time student. A student enrolled in 12 or more credit hours is considered to be a full-time student.
Pass-rate
For DACC reporting purposes a pass-rate is the percentage of credit students who complete courses with a grade of C or better.
Race/Ethnicity
Categories developed in 1997 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and adopted by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) in 2007 that are used to describe groups to which individuals belong, identify with, or belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote scientific definitions of anthropological origins. The designations are used to categorize U.S. citizens, resident aliens, and other eligible non-citizens. Individuals are asked to first designate ethnicity as Hispanic or Latino or Not Hispanic or Latino; and second, individuals are asked to indicate one or more races that apply among the following: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White
Retention Rate
The percentage of first-time credit students who continue their studies the next semester or year. The DACC retention rate focuses on first-time students enrolling from fall-to-spring or fall-to-fall.
SCH
Student credit hour is a unit of measure calculated by totaling the course credit hours for students enrolled in credit courses at DACC.
Seatcount or Seat Count
Also referred to as duplicated headcount, it is the total number of DACC credit courses enrolled in by all students.
Student Population
Student population or type for reporting purposes. These populations might include new freshman, transfer, continuing, etc.
Student Primary Campus
The student’s home campus to which the student has been admitted to or the campus designated in the primary field of study. The four primary campuses are: AL=NMSU-Alamogordo; CA=NMSU-Carlsbad; DA=NMSU-Doña Ana Community College; GR=NMSU-Grants; and MA= NMSU Main.