Student Characteristics That Predict Persistence in Community College Online Courses

Abstract

This study examined the student characteristics of learning style, locus of control, computer experience and access, and online course experience on persistence of community college students in online courses. An online survey instrument based on the Barsch Learning Style Inventory (1996 Barsch, J. 1996. Barsch learning style inventory, Novato, CA: Academic Therapy Publications.  [Google Scholar]), the Abbreviated Measure of Internal–External Locus of Control (1974), and a computer experience scale that was developed by the researchers was completed by 225 students enrolled in online courses at five Florida community colleges. Logistic regression analysis identified a three-variable model (auditory learning style, grade point average, and basic computer skills) that was significant in predicting online student success. Academic and student support interventions are suggested for community college students who may be affected by these predictors.     

How Community College Faculty Members May Improve Student Learning Productivity in Their Online Courses

Eleven experienced community college faculty members were interviewed to elicit examples of how they improved student learning productivity in their online courses. The 11 faculty members represented eight different states, nine different fields or disciplines, and all were permanent or full-time faculty members at community colleges in the southern or western states. Based on a thematic analysis of the examples given, improvement in student learning occurred by (a) emphasizing seven approaches to increase student engagement, (b) using six different structuring tactics to focus student attention on learning, (c) using assessment techniques to improve learning, and (d) pursuing a personal passion for online teaching. These findings suggest that faculty can and do find ways to use different tools in different ways to improve student learning productivity in community colleges.     

Online and Hybrid Water Industry Courses for Community College Students

ABSTRACT

The Water Quality Management Technology department at Red Rocks Community College in Denver, CO received a National Science Foundation grant and converted 24 courses from a face-to-face format to online and hybrid formats. The courses were converted to meet a growing employment need within the water industry. The online and hybrid options gave incumbent industry professionals, who may have a difficult schedule, the ability to keep their certifications current. In the future, the department will continue to evaluate curriculum modalities to ensure optimum student learning and cultivate more partnerships between industry and other colleges to create multiple pathways for students.     

Factors Influencing Completion and Noncompletion of Community College Online Courses

Abstract

This study investigated the differences between demographic, enrollment, academic, and self-directed learning characteristics of completers and noncompleters in online courses at one community college. The study also obtained students' self-reported reasons for not completing their coursework. No significant differences were found in the characteristics of age, gender, ethnicity, financial aid eligibility, grade point average, and total hours enrolled; significant differences were found in gender, academic readiness, and completers enrolled in more online courses than noncompleters.     

The Impact of Online Assessment on Grades in Community College Distance Education Mathematics Courses

Abstract

This study compared the impact of proctoring on the final course grades of community college students enrolled in distance education mathematics courses. The goal was to determine whether distance education students who are evaluated entirely online, in environments that are not proctored, receive grades that differ from distance education students who take proctored exams. In an analysis of 850 grades from a variety of distance education mathematics courses, 406 were given to students who were evaluated in a proctored environment, and the remaining 444 were a result of assessment that was conducted entirely in the online setting and was not proctored. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the grades that were earned in any of the individual courses. Also, no significant difference was found when the grades of the 406 students who took exams in person were compared with the 444 who were assessed entirely in an unsupervised online environment.     

Chickering's Seven Principles of Good Practice: Student Attrition in Community College Online Courses

As online enrollments escalate, so does concern about student attrition rates. There is an abundance of literature addressing student success in online courses, particularly using constructivist learning theories to create engaging learning experiences. Also emerging from the literature is the Seven principles of good instructional practice by Checkering and Gamson as an accepted rubric for evaluating effective online instruction. This study focused on whether the use of instructional strategies as measured by the seven principles had an effect on student attrition rates in online courses. Full and part-time faculty at three community colleges in Virginia who taught online course(s) in the last three semesters completed an online survey to determine the extent to which they used instructional strategies reflecting the constructivist-based seven principles in their online courses. Scores from the survey were then compared to the attrition rates in their courses. Results indicated both groups strongly used instructional strategies reflecting the seven principles of good practice in their online courses with full-time faculty scores ranging a bit higher. When the results for the principles were examined individually rather than as a set, both groups scored lower on principles reflecting innovative instructional strategies. No relation between the extent to which faculty reported using those instructional strategies and student success as measured by attrition rates were found. However, a moderate relation was found with the third principle, “encourage active learning.” This indicated that faculty who made strides toward actively engaging students found some success in reducing student attrition.     

Differences in the Performance of Male and Female Students in Partially Online Courses at a Community College

ABSTRACT

Many scholars argue that female students are more motivated than their male counterparts. This study examines evidence from 435 students, 237 males and 198 females, in 19 partially online Introduction to Marketing and Marketing Research classes taught by this researcher at an urban community college. The study spans 10 semesters from fall 2012 to spring 2017. In this retrospective study, female students outperformed male students on the following measures: (a) Students’ final course grades adjusted to remove extra credit grades, (b) Students pre-semester cumulative Grade Point Averages adjusted to remove extra credit grades, and (c) Scores on three early semester extra credit assignments assigned to all students. The data suggest that female students are more likely to be self-regulated learners – more disposed to adopt a proactive disposition to their studies – than male students. But, this study does not include psychometric data. Consequently, the proposition that female students are more self-regulated learners than male students is only a hypothesis that emerges from this analysis. Given that the data are not normally distributed, the analysis was conducted using nonparametric test: Chi-Square and Kruskal–Wallis H.     

Impact of Early Alert on Community College Student Persistence in Virginia

ABSTRACT

Early alert systems have promised to be an integral component of a student success solution. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the use of the early alert system and persistence for students taking developmental education courses and students taking college-level courses in the Virginia Community College System. A quasi-experimental, nonrandomized research design with matched-control groups was used to evaluate impact on student persistence. Data analysis was conducted using multiple binary logistic regressions. The results indicated the early alert system had a substantial and positive impact on developmental mathematics students, with minimal to no impact on developmental English and college-level students. Students enrolled in developmental English courses, experienced a positive, but much more modest impact. Finally, students in college-level courses experienced a very mild impact, in some instances positive and others negative.     

网络课程内涵及其建设的核心要素

网络课程建设不应简单地理解为资源的建设,而应从教学过程的角度去思考。基于网络课程内涵、形式及网络课程资源特征的分析,网络课程建设应该包含6大核心要素：课程资源、教学设计、在线学习活动、学习过程支持、学习评价与反馈以及技术支撑手段。     

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.     

在线教育发展下的高校课程与教改研究

网络时代的到来,使得在线教育获取迅猛发展,对我国高等教育教学改革产生深远影响,推动人们开始考虑怎样基于信息技术发展教育事业。现阶段,较多的高校教育管理者、教师在课程改革与教学实践方面,依旧以传统教育理念、模式为主,存在较多不足亟待改进。因而,有必要对在线教育发展下的高校课程与教改予以探究,从而契合新时代课程与教改的要求。     

Online Career and Technical Education in the Community College

ABSTRACT

Very little empirical research has been conducted about online career and technical education (CTE). Despite the continuing enrollment growth in online education (Lokken, 2016) and the national emphasis on CTE as a means of boosting the economy (D’Amico, Morgan, Katsinas, & Friedel, 2014), relatively little is understood about the scope and impact of online CTE at the community college. In this article, I briefly summarize existing empirical literature about online CTE.     

Pedagogy and Curricular Choice in Community College Accelerated Writing Courses

To improve students’ outcomes and retention rates, community colleges have implemented acceleration strategies which hasten the completion of educational requirements (Edgecombe, 2011). The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of an accelerated freshmen writing course on teachers’ curricular decisions and pedagogical practices at a large urban community college. We conducted semi-structured interviews with the 11 faculty members teaching different sections of this accelerated writing course. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, coded, and analyzed. Our findings reveal that while instructors embrace the structural changes that come with accelerated courses and demonstrate a new appreciation for struggling students in their traditional English 101 class, they report on significant challenges in teaching due to the students’ lack of academic and personal maturity, as well as a need to lower their expectations and simplify the curriculum. This research raises questions about the unintended positive and negative effects of accelerated courses on teaching. More qualitative research is needed that focuses on the teachers’ experiences and their capacity to help students benefit from an accelerated course.     

普通高校体育课程改革的探讨

普通高校体育课程改革 ,要树立“健康第一”的指导思想 ,对普通高校体育教学、课程体系的改革作进一步的探讨和研究 ,旨在培养具有创新精神、创新意识、终身锻炼意识和实践能力的高素质复合型人才     

Comprehensive Cocurricular Support Promotes Persistence of Community College STEM Students

ABSTRACT

Despite good career prospects in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, persistence of students in STEM fields of study at the community college and transfer to universities to pursue STEM majors is often quite low. Theories of persistence emphasize the importance of engagement, integration, validation, and financial assistance. The DCCCD STEM Institute is a comprehensive cocurricular program for community college STEM students. It illustrates the application of persistence theories in a multicollege urban district with a diverse student body. The STEM Institute uses a student/faculty cohort model with mentoring, professional skills programming, and scholarship support to transform student perceptions of themselves, integrate them into a STEM educational community, and validate their membership within that community. Institute membership also reduces isolation and financial concerns as potential barriers to persistence. STEM faculty also participate in professional skill development through a cross-college and cross-disciplinary cohort. Data on students who participated in the DCCCD STEM Institute from 2010 through 2014 show that 92% remain in a STEM educational or career pathway. Important practice implications for community college professionals include (1) forming student and faculty cohorts, (2) facilitating the development of mentoring relationships, (3) providing adequate centralized staffing, and (4) integrating resources and opportunities into a unified cocurricular program.     

大学英语分层次教学排选课实践研究 ——以大连交通大学为例

根据《大学英语课程教学要求》,针对刚入大学的学生英语能力差异较大问题,从教务管理角度,提出基于专业需求的大学英语分层次排课设计方案.结合学校师资、教室资源和学生英语基础等实际条件,以2016级学生的《大学英语读写译与视听说Ⅰ》为例,从分层次教学排课分班、选课分班、选课调班、成绩评定(教考分离)等方面进行了实践研究,以期...     

基于“大学—社区”合力的社区大学课程建设研究

课程建设是社区教育的"中心问题",是建立现代社区教育体系的"中心环节"。把社区作为社区教育的立足点,把大学作为课程建设的支撑点,以"大学—社区"合力模式来进行课程建设,从思想观念、组织架构、制度保障三个方面制定措施,形成推进社区教育课程建设的合力。     

农村社区发展学院:高等教育通往农村的有效选择

本文分析了创建农村社区发展学院的必要性,并对农村社区发展学院的组织结构、运行机制、课程设置等问题提出了若干设想与建议。     

高校实验教学中引入在线开放课程的探讨

高校实验教学是人才培养的重要环节,是培养学生创新创业能力和综合实践能力的关键。本文从高校实验教学面临的问题出发,分析了在线开放课程融入高校实验教学工作的优势,并从加强实验类在线开放课程建设、构建适于实验教学的混合式教学模式、提升在线开放课程建设与使用的保障条件、推进实验教学考核方式改革等几个方面给出建议。