Dual Enrollment,Community Colleges,and Baccalaureate Degree Attainment

This study examines baccalaureate attainment by a cohort of 2004 Virginia high school graduates who enrolled in a minimum of one dual enrolled course while high school seniors. Results of the logistic regression analyses indicate that students who began their postsecondary education at community colleges were significantly less likely to earn a baccalaureate degree when compared to students who began directly in four-year institutions. Minority students, though more likely to enroll directly in a four-year institution, were less likely to earn a baccalaureate degree than their White counterparts. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.     

The Process of Transition for Community College Transfer Students

This assessment considers the sustainability of initiatives begun as a result of participation in the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI). Case studies were conducted at eight community colleges, and quantitative data was gathered from the U.S. Census, the Department of Labor, and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Elements that helped the colleges sustain initiatives beyond the funding cycle are discussed.     

Successful Community College Transfer Students Speak Out

The community college as the entranceway into the baccalaureate degree is becoming a prevalent choice for students. This study was a qualitative approach to understanding attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge acquisition by successful community college transfer students. University students who transferred from a community college and were making successful progress toward completing the baccalaureate degree participated in focus groups to answer questions about the transfer process. Successful transfer students are highly motivated, persistent, engaged, believe they were well prepared by the community colleges for university junior level studies, and have recommendations for community colleges and universities in improving the transfer process.     

Early Integration and Other Outcomes for Community College Transfer Students

The purpose of this study was to explore academic and social integration and other outcomes for community college transfer students. The study used Tinto’s (Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition, 1993) Longitudinal Model of Institutional Departure and Deil-Amen’s (J Higher Educ, 82:54–91, 2011) concept of “socio-academic integrative moments” to inform the selection and organization of potential predictors. We developed regression models for relationships between demographic and background variables of interest and perceived academic and social integration following the first six weeks at the receiving university. We also included these perceived integration scores in regression models for six outcomes (first and second semester grade point average, first and second semester earned hours ratios, and second and third semester persistence). Academic and previous college background explained the greatest amount of variance in predicting early integration and academic outcomes.     

Articulation and Transfer for Career and Technical Students: Best Practices for Dealing with Real and Perceived Barriers to Baccalaureate Degree Attainment for Applied Science Students

ABSTRACT

Community colleges produce large numbers of high quality graduates from career and technical programs. These programs are often of high academic rigor and quality. However, most universities view these Applied Associates of Science (AAS) as being terminal associate's degrees that are not appropriate for transfer. Regional accrediting standards are often cited as the reason for this differentiation. The reality is that institutional policies often simply dismiss AAS courses by their prefix to simplify the process. This study and presentation will explore the reality of what is allowed by accrediting bodies in transferring AAS courses and best practices for facilitating the maximum allowable course transfer.     

The Effect of Loans on the Persistence and Attainment of Community College Students

This study informs public policies regarding the use of subsidized loans as financial aid for community college students. Using logistic regression, it analyzes the National Center for Education Statistics’ Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS 90/94) data to predict persistence to the second year of college and associate’s degree attainment over five years. During the period under study, loans did not contribute to higher persistence and attainment rates. Loans are observed to have a negative effect on persistence and no effect on degree attainment. Estimates of the interaction effects of borrowing and income status are insignificant but demonstrate the need for further testing. The findings are attributed to a combination of the high uncertainty of degree completion among community college students and the negative affective component of indebtedness. Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the American Education Finance Association Annual Meeting (Austin, Texas, March, 2000) and at the AIR Forum (Cincinnati, Ohio, May 2000). It has also appeared as a working paper of the Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance at the University of Houston, Texas (IHELG Monograph 01–07).This paper is based upon work supported by the Association for Institutional Research, the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Science Foundation under Association for Institutional Research Grant No. 99-128-0.     

Fulfilling the Transfer Mission at an Urban Technical College: How a Transfer Center Mediates Baccalaureate Aspirations for Students

This article examines transfer center practices at a historically vocational community college to understand how transfer to four-year institutions happens. By focusing on the transfer center, this study explores the practices that could support transfer goals in a vocational and technical environment. Drawing on concepts of organizational culture, we framed the ‘invisible’ factors that impact transfer practices and outcomes. An ethnographic case study approach was used to gather over 70 hours of observations and interviews with staff, faculty, and senior administration. This data were analyzed to assess how transfer practices supporting baccalaureate-aspiring students were shaped by a vocationally dominant environment. The experiences and practices of those responsible for the transfer center are highlighted. Results indicate that the culture of trades at the campus constrained the transfer resources available to the center, which led to an adaptation of trade-oriented practices by center staff, and ultimately, an attempt to preserve the transfer purpose for those seeking four-year institution. This study contributes to a paucity of research that examines transfer in historically technical community colleges, particularly in a transfer center setting.     

A National Survey of Community College Baccalaureate Institutions

This study utilized original survey data and a national sample of community college baccalaureate (CCB) institutions to examine how offering baccalaureate programs impacts these colleges and the students they serve. An increasing number of these colleges plan to offer their baccalaureate programs online, and programs in technology are projected to experience the greatest growth. The data suggest that student needs, and not institutional revenue or prestige, are the primary motivation for offering bachelor's degrees. The challenges experienced when establishing the CCB programs were more likely to come from external than internal factors. Collectively, thousands of students have already graduated from these programs. Results from this study can be used by policymakers and college administrators to make data-driven decisions regarding baccalaureate programming at the community college.     

少数民族预科生信息素养的培养

信息素养是信息化社会对公民能力素质的基本要求,培养民族预科生信息素养是民族预科教育面临的新课题。分析加强预科生信息素养对于民族教育的紧迫性与重要性,总结宁夏高校民族预科教育学院培养预科生信息素养的一些具体做法。     

高校辅导员如何做好通知信息的传达

网络时代信息传播越来越快,辅导员能否及时准确地把通知信息传达给学生,成为衡量辅导员素质高低的一个标准.关键是培养辅导员自身和学生的信息素养,主动把握有用信息并且内化,拓宽班级信息交流的平台,建立现代信息系统.     

高校图书馆与大学生信息素养教育

信息素养教育注重对大学生信息意识教育、信息道德教育及信息能力的提高,高校图书馆历来具有良好的用户教育传统和教育优势。高校图书馆不仅是信息提供中心,也是信息教育中心。本文就大学生信息素养教育目前存在的问题及针对该问题高校图书馆应采取的对策进行了探讨。通过图书馆多种途径的信息素养教育,帮助大学生成为具备良好信息素养的人才,使他们将来能在信息社会中扮演重要角色。     

Transfer Student Success: Exploring Community College,University, and Individual Predictors

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates community college transfer success by exploring the relationship between individual and institutional-level characteristics at students’ two- and four-year institutions. Using statewide administrative data from North Carolina, this study employs a cross-classified multilevel model to investigate the impact that a student’s community college and four-year transfer institution have on post-transfer success. Our findings offer important and compelling insights into the relationship between transfer students, the community college they attended, the four-year transfer institution, and educational outcomes. While individual effects were small, we find several institutional factors associated with student success. Attendance at a large community college or having a public university in the same county as their community college is positively associated with student success, whereas size of the university is negatively related to grades during the first year and persistence to the second year. While the four-year institution’s selectivity is negatively related to many of our outcomes, transferring to a Historically Black College or University is positively associated with GPA, college persistence, and degree completion.     

Metacognitive Enrichment for Community College Students

Recent research was conducted to explore how introducing metacognitive enrichment into courses containing implicit or explicit critical thinking goals would affect the students' personal epistemological maturity. At the beginning of a fall semester at a moderate sized community college in the southeastern United States, 733 students were divided into two groups: one in which faculty members taught subjects as they had normally done in the past, and the other group was taught by faculty members who had received training in adding metacognitive enrichment into the classroom. Students were administered Schommer Epistemological Questionnaires (SEQs) at the beginning and at the conclusion of the 16-week semester. Of the 469 acceptable posttest questionnaires, only 188 that could be properly positively matched pretest to posttest were analyzed. While the expectation was that those receiving metacognitive enrichment in the classroom would exhibit maturing in their measured personal epistemologies, this was true in only one of four measured factors. In fact, both groups showed statistically significant decreases in measured epistemological maturity levels. However, the group receiving metacognitive enrichment showed far less de-maturing than the control group. This research proffers insight into the need to not only introduce metacognitive enrichment into the community college classroom, but also the need to ensure faculty members are trained to do so.     

美国社区学院授予学士学位现象分析

美国社区学院作为其高等教育体系中极具特色的教育形态,在高等教育大众化、普及化的历史进程中发挥了重要作用.社区学院是以转学教育和职业教育为主,其授予的学位以副学士学位为主.随着经济和科技的迅速发展,美国当代社会对高层次、高学历人才的需求不断加大.美国部分社区学院开始在其校内通过各种方式实施学士学位课程并授予学士学位,此举在改善和提升社区学院的学术质量、自身形象和地位上初见成效,为社区学院的未来发展探索出了一条新路.