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.     

Age as a Predictor of Student Success in Community College Technical Certificate Programs

ABSTRACT

This study was initiated to help determine if there was an associated probability between a student’s age relative to persistence and retention leading to the completion of a Technical Certificate at the community college level. The research model used in this study is based on a quantitative binary logistic regression model, whereby the dependent variable was completion versus non-completion of a Technical Certificate program. The study’s findings showed that there were statistically significant relationships between the various student’s age groups and completion of a Technical Certificate program. The baseline age group for this study was traditional age students as defined by those students who were between 16 and 21 years old. The age groups of 22 to 27, 28 to 34, 35 to 39, and students over the age of 39 were compared to the baseline group to determine if there was statistical significance between the graduation rates accordingly.     

Community College Faculty Development Program and Student Achievement

Community college administrators look for strategies to help students. GRASP (Gaining Retention and Achievement for Students Program) is a semester-long faculty development program that coaches community college instructors about simple, effective teaching strategies that promote student academic achievement. GRASP is founded on the belief that academic achievement is based on good teaching, which begins with faculty development. The major assumption for GRASP is that faculty are the single most important factor for student success. GRASP was offered at Doña Ana Community College (DACC). Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, just 40 miles from the border of Mexico, DACC has a student population that is 70% minority. Results for GRASP indicate that overall student success improved by 7.9%, and that overall student retention improved by 4.0% for students participating in GRASP.     

Content-driven Faculty Development in Community College Early Childhood Education Programs

Community colleges are key providers of early childhood teacher and paraprofessional education, and their programs include content knowledge that helps future educators work effectively with young children with and without disabilities in inclusive environments. In this article, we describe the Advancing Community College Efforts in Paraprofessional Training (ACCEPT) Project, a multi-year collaboration to infuse special education content into four North Carolina early childhood workforce education associate degree programs. The goals of the project included creating a climate that fostered and encouraged ongoing community college and university faculty collaboration around the planning, delivery, and assessment of special education content infused within multiple early childhood program courses. Project objectives are presented within the framework employed by Murray (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000) that includes climate, structure, connections with rewards, faculty ownership, colleague support, and perceived value by administrators. Implications for practice include the importance of content, project standards, and faculty ownership.     

Nature and Status of Community College Leadership Development Programs

This study was conducted because of the paucity of research on community college leadership development programs. A mailed survey was used to gather data from a national sample of incumbent community college presidents with 286 out of 389 responding for a return rate of 74%. Of national and regional programs, the Chair Academy, the Executive Leadership Initiative, and the Future Leaders Institute had the highest percentages of participation by top-level community college administrators. Nearly 70% of presidents believe that there is a need to expand in-house development programs.     

Community College Economic Workforce Development Programs and Financial Insecurity

The financial cost of economic workforce development programs for community colleges is becoming unsustainable. Economic workforce development programs are experiencing changing demands from the community, declining government support, debates over function and purpose, and escalating competition from for-profit higher education institutions. Three models are proposed to policymakers as a potential policy response to this issue: Differential tuition, reallocation of resources, or funding from grants development and each were judged using two evaluative criteria: efficiency and political acceptability. It is recommended that community college policymakers and stakeholders utilize differential tuition as a policy strategy for managing the high cost of economic workforce development programs. Nevertheless, it is recommended that state community college policymakers and directors conduct a thorough and research-based policy study before moving forward considering any of the three most policy strategies mentioned here. The context and situation for all 50 states is likely unique, making this an excellent topic for a 50 state national study.     

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 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.     

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.     

The Role of Community College First-Year Experience Programs in Promoting Transfer Among Latino Male Students

ABSTRACT

A qualitative case study approach was used to examine Latino male students and First-Year Experience (FYE) programs aimed at promoting student transfer. Two FYE programs at two community colleges in California were studied: Bridgetown Community College and Portlake Community College (pseudonyms). Study participants included four groups: Latino male FYE students, Latino male FYE alumni, FYE counselors, and FYE coordinators. Data collection strategies included semi-structured interviews, site observations, and document analysis. Analysis of data involved both deductive and inductive approaches, and resulted in identification of four findings critical to the success of FYE programs and their work with Latino males: (a) the need to support help-seeking behaviors, (b) the need to address the “long journey” to transfer, (c) the need to support students’ work burden and financial constraints, and (d) the need to incorporate approachable and culturally responsive practices. Overall, the study offers insights into how community colleges might strengthen transfer support for Latino males through FYE programs.     

Ethical Issues Affecting Human Participants in Community College Research

Reverse transfer students, those students who matriculated at four-year colleges and then transferred to two-year colleges, have been enrolling in community colleges since at least the 1960s. Consisting of both undergraduate reverse transfers and post-baccalaureate reverse transfers (individuals who already have at least a bachelor s degree), these students represent at least 16 % of community college enrollments nation-wide. A concern about the admission of reverse transfers is that they may take enrollment spaces, particularly in selective programs, at the expense of potential students with no previous college experience and with weaker academic backgrounds. Analysis of documents written about reverse transfers indicates that their enrollment has been justified under a variety of rationales, including providing a second chance for these individuals in school and in the job market.     

North American Christian Study Abroad Programs: Wheaton College and Whitworth University

Study abroad programs are in vogue today, especially among Christian colleges and universities. It is, therefore, appropriate to ask tough questions of these programs. Do they help our students become more mature followers of Jesus? Are they respectful of people in the target culture? College and university leaders must focus in particular on how study abroad programs are framed to take advantage of the cultural interface between students’ sending culture and their receiving culture, the partnerships that are built between institutions and communities, and some of the key learning experiences we ought to seek and provide for all involved. How can Christian colleges and universities best engage with the opportunities and demand for studying abroad without turning them into glorified tourism experiences? How can institutions set up study abroad sites that are mutually beneficial to the sending institution as well as the host institution and their immediate communities? These questions are addressed by examining the effectiveness of two study abroad programs, one at Wheaton College and the other at Whitworth University, to see how well they embody four operating principles implied in relevant passages of the Bible: radical equality, deep immersion, transforming conflict, and respect for global Christianity.     

Fostering Community College Leaders: An Examination of Leadership Development Programs

The study reported in this paper identifies leadership development practices within community colleges by surveying North Carolina community college presidents and evaluating an individual North Carolina community college's leadership institute. The results of the study indicate these community colleges indeed have an interest in leadership development activities for its employees, and the examined leadership institutes are quite effective and beneficial for its participants. Based upon these findings, two sets of recommendations are offered for fostering leadership initiatives within community colleges, namely, a focus on more significant topics for community college employees and developing a leadership learning community within a community college.     

Psychological Factors in Community College Student Retention

This study explored psychological factors in the context of a community college population purported to impact decisions to remain in college from one semester to another. Researchers examined results from 1191 responses from students attending a community college in the Mid-Atlantic United States. The study further explored the predictive power of four factors—career decision self-efficacy, career locus of control, education-employment connection, and intent to return—on both intent to return and on actual return to the college. Results indicated that intent to return was significantly predictive of actual return among this community college population. Additionally, age and gender differences, along with differences in the various psychological factors had differential impacts on each other, as well as on intent to return and subsequent return. Implications are discussed.     

Minor Hassles in Community College Student Life

Over the past several decades, academic stress—the pressures, frustrations and hassles associated with all aspects of college life—has gained increased attention in the literature. In this grant-funded study, a group of 161 students at an urban Northeastern community college took a comprehensive survey. The survey included questions about their academic stressors, their reactions to the stressors, and their coping strategies. In this survey, minor hassles emerged as the most prominent stressor experienced by these students. This paper describes the minor hassles experienced by the students, relates the findings to current and past literature on stress, and presents implications for community college administrators.     

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.     

Student Engagement: A CCSSE Follow-Up Study to Improve Student Engagement in a Community College

This qualitative case study at a two-year community college investigated the reasons behind a persistent gap in the college students’ engagement level in several key areas such as active and collaborative learning and student-faculty interaction as demonstrated in the longitudinal Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and the Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE) results. Using the maximal variation purposeful sampling method, 63 students participated in the study. Results suggested that students’ own perception and behaviors, faculty’s expectations and characteristics, the course characteristics, and institutional level support all played an important role in engaging students. There was a disparity between students’ high perception of the importance of engagement and low level of effort and a disparity between faculty’s perception of student engagement and students’ own perception of engagement. Community college students welcomed high expectations and high standards from their faculty and also desired more challenging courses despite all the obstacles in their lives. Discussions and recommendations for strategies to close the gap in the two disparities and, thus, improve student engagement level are provided.     

Success in Algebra Among Community College Students

College algebra is a required course for most majors, but is viewed by many as a gatekeeper course for degree completion by students. With almost half a million students taking college algebra each year, faculty are experimenting with new course lengths of time that might result in higher success, completion, and retention rates for college algebra students. This article reports on a study of the traditional 16-week versus an 8-week course length in college algebra at a two-year Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in the United States. The study was to determine which course length of time, 8 weeks or 16 weeks, results in a higher proportion of students successfully completing the college algebra course. Also investigated were success rates among ethnicities, genders, and age groups. The study included 231 students in college algebra. Data were analyzed on four sections of the traditional 16-week courses and four sections of 8-week courses. In this study, success was measured as earning a grade of A, B, or C in the course. Understanding more about course lengths of time for college algebra can aid in increased understanding of time as a factor and, ultimately, may determine if students are more successful in 8-week or 16-week courses of instruction.