Capacity and Flexibility in Community College CTE Programs: Program Offerings and Student Success

Research in Higher Education - This article asks whether small changes to community college courses and programs can help improve student outcomes. We use administrative data from the California...     

Community College Student Success Programs: A Synthesis,Critique, and Research Agenda

A narrative review was developed to add to the discussion and dissemination of research on community colleges. The review adds to existing work by synthesizing and critiquing the empirical research to date specific to three of the most prevalent programmatic efforts presently seen on community college campuses: (a) learning communities, (b) student success courses, and (c) supplemental instruction. Empirical investigations or evaluations of student success programs from academic journals, conference presentations, dissertations, unpublished policy reports, and book chapters were identified, summarized, and critiqued. The review concludes with a proposed research agenda to advance research on program effectiveness at community colleges and implications for practice.     

Part-Time Faculty and Community College Student Success

With the Completion Agenda taking such political prominence, community colleges are experiencing even more pressure to find ways to promote and improve student success. One way that has been suggested is to limit the reliance on part-time faculty under the premise that the employment status of faculty has a direct influence on student success. The tacit assumption is that full-time faculty are more engaged with their home institution, and this engagement translates into the engagement of the students taught. The present study examined employment status of faculty on the success of students enrolled in four, two-course sequences. Using Pearson chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses, it was concluded that employment status of the faculty has no statistical influence on student success as has been previously claimed. These results suggest that community colleges should not assume that hiring more full-time faculty will improve student success and, instead, should possibly consider utilizing funds otherwise allocated to hiring new full-time faculty on the development and compensation of part-time faculty.     

Toward a Predictive Model of Community College Student Success in Blended Classes

This retrospective study evaluates early semester predictors of whether or not community college students will successfully complete blended or hybrid courses. These predictors are available to faculty by the fourth week of the semester. Success is defined as receiving a grade of C- or higher. Failure is defined as a grade below a C- or a withdrawal. Method: Seven variables available to faculty are considered: gender, degree sought, students’ academic level, attendance for the first 4 weeks of face-to-face classes, scores on orientation extra credit assignments, grades on the first quiz, and grades on an early semester reflective essay. Logistic regression is used to evaluate the power of seven variables to predict successful course completion in 15 sections of two business courses: Introduction to Marketing and Marketing Research. Three hundred forty-three students were included in this study. Results show that completion of optional extra credit assignments offered during the first 2 weeks of the semester and performance on the first quiz are significant predictors of successful course completion. These results suggest that students’ self-regulation skill or learning presence in the community of inquiry model is a strong predictor of student success. A faculty-based model like the one presented here can help faculty to enhance their students’ chances of success by highlighting factors that predict successful course completion early in the semester.     

Community College Study Abroad: Implications for Student Success

The aim of this research is to explore whether participation in study abroad by community college students impacts levels of engagement and if there is a connection between studying abroad and academic achievement. While university-level studies have a history in exploring these questions, the same is not true for community colleges. The California Community College Student Outcomes Abroad Research project (CCC SOAR) uses a mixed methods design to examine data that evidences how participation in study abroad programs not only has implications for personal development and global learning, but also has a range of indicators of academic success variables. Data show that there is a range of positive outcomes that occur as a result of studying abroad for all students across an array of early, midstream, and terminal outcomes due to engagement-enhancing components such as shared common experiences, nurturing behavior from faculty, and increased student interaction in collaborative activities.     

The use of Peer Nominations as a Predictor of Academic Success in College

The peer nomination technique was investigated as a predictor of academic success among members of a college freshman class. The technique provided scores which were reliable and which were valid against a grade point ratio criterion. The peer nomination scores were shown to tap variance independent of SAT scores and, therefore, their applicability was suggested in academic counseling as a predictor which can be used to identify students who may face academic difficulties.     

Student Development Among Community College Participants in Study Abroad Programs

For decades, institutions of higher education have provided study abroad opportunities for college students wishing to increase and expand their intellectual and social skills. While many universities around the country have supported successful international exchange and study abroad programs, there is little research on community college study abroad programs and their impact on student development. Therefore, this article examines specific vectors that impact student development before and after study abroad participation in nine community colleges using Chickering's Theory of Student Development and SAS statistical methods.     

Content Validation of the Community College Student Success Program Inventory

This study reports on the content validation of the Community College Student Success Program Inventory (CCSSPI), a structured interview protocol for program personnel, designed to serve as a tool for researchers and practitioners alike to account for critical features of various types of student success programs in detailed and comparable ways across multiple sites. In all, 20 subject matter experts (SMEs) rated the relevancy and clarity of each item to ascertain essential program features. Content validity index (CVI) and scale-level index scores (S-CVI) were calculated. Results showed high to moderately high validity for items related to course goals, logistics, skills-focused curricular items, and academic and student services. Other contingent facets—collaborative and contextualized learning, co-curricular and community activities, ancillary instruction, and instructor role—were rated as less valid, depending on program goals. The instrument is recommended for use in multisite qualitative or mixed-methods research and institutional improvement.     

Factors Influencing Enrolment in Community College Career and Technical Degree Programs

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study explored the factors influencing community college career and technical degree program enrollment. Participants for this multi-site study included currently enrolled community college career and technical students with at least 30 credit hours completed and alumni. The researcher coded the participant’s phenomenological data, which revealed four themes. Principal themes included employability, family educational background, denied enrollment to a four-year college or university, and socioeconomics. The findings of this study could be used by governing bodies to develop a better understanding of the importance of the community college system. Community colleges could use the findings of this study to ensure that their organization offers students a conscious teaching and learning environment.     

Collaboration as a Predictor for Success in School Reform

Although school reform has captured the attention of this country, considerable controversy exists regarding the feasibility of reform, appropriate strategies for implementing reforms, and the adequacy of preparation of school professionals who will work in reformed schools. We propose that collaboration is the theme which unites the various dimensions of school reform and that the potential of school reform success can be analyzed by examining the extent to which the conditions needed for collaboration can be created in schools. We apply this notion to three key reform issues: (a) professionalism; (b) empowerment; and (c) restructured schools, specifically as recommended in special education. We conclude that educators should more carefully deliberate the conditions required for collaboration, should more directly address the preparation of school personnel for collaborative activities, and should call for realistically matching expectations for reform with implementation opportunities and constraints.     

Uncovering Scientist Stereotypes and Their Relationships with Student Race and Student Success in a Diverse,Community College Setting

A number of studies have identified correlations between children’s stereotypes of scientists, their science identities, and interest or persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Yet relatively few studies have examined scientist stereotypes among college students, and the literature regarding these issues in predominantly nonwhite and 2-yr college settings is especially sparse. We piloted an easy-to-analyze qualitative survey of scientist stereotypes in a biology class at a diverse, 2-yr, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–Serving Institution. We examined the reliability and validity of the survey, and characterized students’ comments with reference to previous research on stereotypes. Positive scientist stereotypes were relatively common in our sample, and negative stereotypes were rare. Negative stereotypes appeared to be concentrated within certain demographic groups. We found that students identifying nonstereotypical images of scientists at the start of class had higher rates of success in the course than their counterparts. Finally, evidence suggested many students lacked knowledge of actual scientists, such that they had few real-world reference points to inform their stereotypes of scientists. This study augments the scant literature regarding scientist stereotypes in diverse college settings and provides insights for future efforts to address stereotype threat and science identity.     

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.     

Transactional Presence as a Critical Predictor of Success in Distance Learning

This paper argues that, apart from interactive activities, the perceptions of psychological presence that distance education students hold of their teachers, peer students, and the institution can be significant predictors of their learning. The "perception of presence" in this paper is defined as the degree to which a distance education student senses the availability of, and connectedness with, each party. This form of presence is designated here as "Transactional Presence" (TP). In this study, distance education student learning was assessed in the light of students' perceived learning achievement, satisfaction, and intent-to-persist. An analysis of student survey data indicates that a distance student's sense of institutional TP predicts all the selected measures to do with success in distance learning. While a sense of peer student TP is significantly related to satisfaction and intent-to-persist, the effect of teacher TP is found to relate only to student-perceived learning achievement. Implications of the TP construct are discussed with respect to the theory, research, and practice of distance education, along with recommendations for future research.     

Student Affairs Professionals in the Community College: Critically Examining Preparation Programs From a Social Justice Lens

ABSTRACT

To support the success of community college students, the role of student affairs professionals is critical. Therefore, adequate preparation of student affairs professionals who work in community college settings is paramount. However, literature focused on the intersection between the community college, student affairs, and graduate preparation is sparse, suggesting that too little is known about the preparation of student affairs professionals exiting graduate education and entering a community college setting. We frame this dearth of literature as an issue of social justice. The lack of focus on community colleges within student affairs preparation programs further reinforces a systemic cycle of oppression related to the perception that community colleges are not an integral part of the higher education landscape. We point to potential entry points for the exploration of this topic through systematic inquiry. The goals of this work are to bring awareness to the paucity of literature on this topic, ask scholars to join us in adding to what is known about this topic, and encourage readers to think critically about this topic.     

Community College Employee Wellness Programs

This paper describes the prevalence and characteristics of employee wellness programs in public community colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). A random sample of 250 public community colleges accredited by SACS was mailed a 46-item employee-wellness program survey. The survey solicited program information regarding funding, activities offered, program administration, participation rates, and incentives. The results indicated that the majority of the employee wellness program administrative bodies were either the health and physical education departments or wellness committees. The main coordinators of the wellness programs were either part-time directors within the institutions, wellness committees, or full-time directors within the institutions. Of the institutions surveyed, 27 out of 64 (42.2%) offered employee wellness programs. The findings indicate that the prevalence of employee wellness programs in public community colleges accredited by SACS is below previous research findings in community colleges and universities and do not meet the national health goals of employee health promotion prevalence set forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.     

Austin Community College Video Game Development Certificate

The Video Game Development program is designed and developed by leaders in the Austin video game development industry, under the direction of the ACC Video Game Advisory Board. Courses are taught by industry video game developers for those who want to become video game developers. The program offers a comprehensive approach towards learning what's needed to be successful in video game development through three tracks. The tracks are programming, art, and design.     

Community College Student Success Inventory (CCSSI) for Men of Color in Community Colleges: Content Validation Summary

This study reports on the content validation of the Community College Student Success Inventory (CCSSI) for Men of Color. The CCSSI was designed to be used by community colleges to assess their effectiveness in addressing success outcomes for men who have been historically underrepresented and underserved in education, particularly men of color. A panel of subject matter experts (SMEs) rated the instrument and provided qualitative feedback on additional areas for consideration. Content validity index (CVI) and scale level index scores (S-CVI) are reported. The instrument illustrated strong CVI and S-CVI scores. SMEs suggested several additional areas for consideration that were added to the CCSSI. The instrument is recommended for use by community colleges interested in enhancing outcomes for men of color.     

Examination of the Relationship of Community College Opticianry Student Outcomes with Instructional Delivery Methods and Student Age

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine whether student outcomes are a function of participation in different modes of delivery and student age in an Opticianry program at the community college level. The three instructional delivery methods were traditional face-to-face instruction, online delivery, and a hybrid format where students take theory courses online and attend face-to-face laboratories on campus. Student age when entering the Opticianry program was classified in three categories: Young Adults (18–24), Middle Age (25–33), and Older Adults (34 & >). A nonexperimental explanatory research design relying on survey data collection strategies were used in the study. Data collection was conducted using an online survey. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the relationship between independent variables (delivery method and age) and a dependent variable (GPA [grade point average], national certification score, workplace preparation score, and quality of instruction score). A total of 112 graduates completed the survey, representing a response rate of 39%. The results indicated no significant differences in student outcomes, suggesting that students in the Opticianry program should achieve similar outcomes whether they complete the program online, on campus, or in a hybrid format. The results of the study provide support for the idea that it is possible to provide equivalent technician preparation using a variety of instructional delivery methods.