Step 3: Conduct a Deep Dive
Conduct a mixed-methods deep dive.
The third step is to develop targeted research questions and employ both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis to thoroughly assess the programs you selected. This requires the use of a variety of data sources to capture not only numerical trends but also insights on the lived experiences of learners and the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, leading to a well-rounded understanding of a program’s strengths and areas where it has room for growth.
To conduct this analysis, college teams should collect:
- Institutional data: This includes records of learner enrollment and academic performance within the programs you’re focusing on. It’s also important to gather demographic information about learners in the programs to get an idea of who might be facing barriers limiting their access to or success in the programs.
- Qualitative data: This includes insights and opinions that learners, faculty members, and other stakeholders share in focus groups and surveys. Qualitative data will help you understand learners’ motivations, identify program highlights, uncover barriers to access and success, and identify opportunities for improvement. Likewise, qualitative data collected from other key stakeholders, including program directors, learner support staff, and faculty members, will provide additional perspectives and what is and isn’t working. As a whole, this data provides a rich array of insights that can complement and perhaps clarify the quantitative data.
After collecting the data, college teams should thoroughly analyze the information and identify key findings for each research question, ensuring that the recommendations are grounded in both quantitative evidence and qualitative insights.
Examples From North Carolina
At all three colleges, key themes emerged from the quantitative data that were supported by the qualitative findings. In the table below, the left-hand column describes quantitative findings and the right-hand column offers explanations of those findings based on insights gleaned from the qualitative research.
| What the quantitative data showed | What the qualitative insights revealed about that finding |
|---|---|
| Black learners are underrepresented in many high-wage, high-growth technical pathways, especially engineering and advanced manufacturing. This is especially true for Black women. | Awareness of a particular field or occupation plays an important role in determining whether an individual will choose that career path. Black learners may be less likely to choose IT pathways because they have had limited exposure to technical careers and therefore have narrow perceptions of what those careers involve. Also, Black learners who do enter IT pathways may feel a sense of isolation due to the lack of representation, which can undermine their sense of belonging and their willingness to persist in technical studies. “When I first started, I was one of the few Black women in the program. We need more representation and mentorship opportunities” — IT Student, Stanly Community College |
| Black learners are more likely to enroll in programs that lead to lower-paying or entry-level occupations and less likely to access advanced pathways. | Barriers such as enrollment caps and competitive admissions processes limit access to advanced programs. “[The program gets] over 200 applicants each semester and only around 70 seats are available.” — Nursing Student, Forsyth Technical Community College |
| Black learners earn fewer credits over time than their peers. They also have lower rates of completion, particularly in advanced technical pathways. | Fast-paced coursework and lack of targeted academic and wraparound supports lead students who are juggling personal responsibilities on top of school to stop out. In particular, learners and staff members recommended increasing supports to help students build math skills and providing hands-on work-based learning opportunities wherever possible. “A lot of individuals have to go to work just to try to survive. . . . School is sometimes on the back burner.” — IT Student, Stanly Community College |
| Mean GPAs for Black learners are lower in most programs. | Classroom dynamics and bias affect learning experiences and confidence, including peer interactions during group work. Students said that with few Black students in their programs, their “thoughts [and] ideas” can be “discredited or . . . overlooked” and that they feel they are only “representation for the Black students,” which felt burdensome. |
Students in multiple programs identified caring, engaging instructors and hands-on learning experiences as key strengths that supported engagement, confidence, and persistence—especially in rigorous, technical coursework.
“The instructors we have are very caring. They really care about the students and help navigate problems.”
— Mechatronics Student, Forsyth Technical Community College
“[The course] was engaging because the teacher was really open to questions. She involved students in the way she taught the course. It was hard to sink into the background.”
— IT Student, Durham Technical Community College
Many learners reported that the hands-on learning components of their programs were the most valuable—but access to these types of experiences varied from program to program.
“I like that it’s hands-on as opposed to just reading textbooks or watching videos. It’s easier for me to translate the virtual labs into real-life experience.”
— IT Student, Stanly Community College
Why This Matters
Even in programs with persistent disparities in access, outcomes, and student experience, strong instructional relationships and applied learning models are working. These strengths provide a solid foundation to build more equitable supports around advising, academic scaffolding, and wraparound services.