Online learning has grown exponentially within higher education in the past decade, especially at community colleges. As online course offerings expand community colleges need to assess student learning in order to ensure quality learning experiences for students and for accreditation purposes. The purpose of this study was to compare the...
Baccalaureate attainment represents an important goal among educators and policymakers. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education has stated that affordability and transfer are critical to increasing baccalaureate attainment, and that community colleges have a critical role in this transfer process. On the other hand, some researchers disagree...
Corporate universities (CUs) have been in existence in the United States since the early 1900s. They are increasingly providing educational and developmental opportunities for workers; however, there is little empirical research on these types of organizations. This study examined a specific electrical distributor's CU using a theoretical framework as a...
The field of accounting has experienced dramatic changes in the past 20 years. Advances in technology and workplace requirements have changed the responsibilities in the accounting position of a historical recorder to a functioning manager within the organization. The curriculum used by accounting instructors has not changed or kept pace...
The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine the role a rural community college plays in the development of its community, using a holistic, community-based lens that considered college and community context, interactions and results to answer the question: How does the rural community college impact the development...
The purpose of this study was to determine the congruency between the teaching beliefs and the teaching behaviors of adult educators as well as the factors that may affect this congruency. A qualitative study was conducted using seven adult educators. The participants were interviewed, observed, and then interviewed again. The...
Community college and university faculty members changing their practice of teaching have reported benefits to participating in peer support within communities of practice that offer an online knowledge sharing space. The ability of such online knowledge sharing to provide opportunities for collaborative knowledge building has made fostering a viable online...
This dissertation demonstrates how Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986,
1997) can be successfully applied to Counselor academic advising interventions, in
order to increase students' self-efficacy and self-regulated learning (Zimmerman,
2000) in academic planning as learned outcomes. This was accomplished by (a)
reviewing the academic advising literature and showing the current...
More than half of students in Washington state community colleges enroll in developmental mathematics, but a relatively small percentage of these students persist to the second year. Many students place into these courses and never enroll; others enroll at some point after the first academic term, even when faced with...
The topic of student success is beginning to grow in popularity throughout the United States. Student success has a wide variety of definitions ranging from a direct definition of graduation to an indirect definition of a student setting a goal of finishing a class successfully. Now there are stakeholders such...
Higher education is faced with ever-increasing challenges, which require fundamental changes in order to ensure its relevance in the future. Business leaders and academic scholars urge organizations to continuously reshape and renew through learning and innovation to assure viability and sustainability. Organizational climate serves as a foundation that can promote...
As the number of international students continues to increase on campuses throughout the world, many institutions are turning to pathway programs (college preparation programs) to ensure that these students are able to successfully transition into the host culture and campus environment (Andrade, 2006; Dooey, 2010; Hanover Research, 2010; Perez-Pena, 2014,...
Research on higher education during the period 1990 to 2013 has suggested that U.S. higher education institutions were significantly impacted by a number of global forces, including an increase in the movement of goods, information, and people across borders. During the same period, a measurable increase occurred in the number...
The purpose of this study was to explore the issues involved with implementing and using pedagogies of engagement in community college STEM courses. The rationale for this study was based on current and emerging STEM education policy directives calling for an updated approach to teaching undergraduates, focused on student engagement,...
This qualitative study seeks to gain knowledge about the motives and barriers of rural adult women students and how these factors impact their decision to pursue postsecondary education. As more adult women choose to enter or return to higher education, it is important to examine the factors that influence their...
The purposes of this phenomenological inquiry was to examine the challenges faced by administrative leaders of Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) at California community colleges (CCC) from the perspectives of current practitioners. This study was undertaken for the following reasons: (a) the increasing number of students with disabilities accessing...
The community college baccalaureate movement has shown strong growth across the country as a strategy to meet workforce shortages. A variety of forces are driving the movement including (a) employer demand for higher credentials; (b) geographical access to education; (c) lower cost education; (d) a trained workforce to compete in...
Background: The United States has been under-producing college graduates since at least 1980, with many challenges suppressing students’ self-efficacy. One approach to improving student outcomes is through mentorship. This dissertation applied Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Kram’s Mentor Relationship Development Theory (MRD) to discover whether students’ campus mentorship experiences...
The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of faculty-to-faculty mentoring programs on the experiences of both mentors and first-year instructor protégés in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs with an emphasis on practitioner-educators in nursing and in welding-fabrication. The study was undertaken for four reasons: (a) increases...
Retention literature has shown that student retention is impacted when economic factors are considered when selecting a college. Students who are low income typically choose colleges that are closer to home and rely on financial aid to pay for college. Further, financial aid is generally a positive indicator of retention...
Developmental mathematics and the completion of degrees have been at the forefront of community colleges in recent years. Positive psychology has given rise to the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions. The purpose of this study is to study the relationship between positive emotions and developmental mathematics achievement at the community...
Latina/o student enrollments in community colleges in the United States are rapidly growing, yet Latina/o student success rates have not matched this growth. There is a need for community college programs that serve Latina/o student populations more effectively and that incorporate multicultural educational practices into college programs. The purpose of...
The role of community colleges as open-access institutions that bring racial diversity to careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is essential (Musante, 2012; Reyes, 2011). Yet, the opportunity to attend postsecondary institutions is not enough to guarantee the success of People of Color as they navigate...
The purpose of this qualitative research study was to address the experiences and perspectives of those who have grown up with and raised males who have Fragile X syndrome. The methods used in the study included surveying and interviewing the family members of adult individuals with Fragile X, reviewing resources...
The nursing profession has long sought more diversity in registered nurses (RNs) to reflect the populations served. One way to enhance RN diversity is through diversity in community college (CC) associate degree in nursing (ADN) programs.
Since ADN programs lead to professional employment with middle-class wages, they form an important...
At the intersection of higher education and politics, there is demand for an easily understood measure of student success. Graduation rate is the current measure of choice, but the definition of graduation rate excludes many categories of students and types of success particularly applicable to community colleges. The purpose of...
Understanding the relationship between motivation, academic achievement, and persistence may help higher education administrators develop plans for increasing student engagement and student success. Prior research on higher education indicated connections between motivation, academic achievement, and persistence, but there has been limited research that relates these concepts to the rural community...
Literature on U.S. higher education includes a historical and consistent debate over adequate funding in relation to the ever-increasing challenges which require U.S. colleges to embrace change as a constant. As change continues to challenge all aspects of our society scholars and organizational leaders recognize innovation as imperative in addressing...
Background: Prior research has shown that distance learning courses have higher failure rates at community colleges then equivalent face-to-face to courses. There are a few programs and courses, however, that consistently achieve completion rates as high as or higher than their equivalent face-to-face courses. The research to date has not...
The student-loan market has surpassed 1.3 trillion dollars; rising student-loan cohort default rates are a growing concern among educational institutions. Many colleges are implementing financial-education programs for students to help increase their knowledge, aptitude, and skills so they may become informed consumers. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: The purpose of this...
In 2004, the Transition Mathematics Project (TMP), funded by the state of Washington and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was established to create projects to help high school students gain the necessary skills to become college and work-ready. Aligned to TMP's College Readiness Mathematics Standards, a fourth-year capstone mathematics...
A utilitarian approach, “greatest good for the greatest number”, in higher education has been common practice for a very long time (Alexander, 2000). This approach, while effective for many, is incomplete when exploring solutions to shifting demographics and larger achievement gaps based on these factors. Customized educational programming and less...