Education Commons^™

Table Of Contents

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Front Cover (Spring 2024), Tina Geissler

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Tina Geissler is a graphic design student at Tidewater Community College.

Development Of A Novel Biology Laboratory Course For Incarcerated Students, Elsa H.K. Spencer, Joanna R. Vondrasek

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Federal second chance Pell grants were recently made widely available to incarcerated students in the United States to fund undergraduate education. Piedmont Virginia Community College was a pilot site for this expansion and began full scale implementation of transfer-oriented associate degrees at three correctional centers in its service area. The college did not have a biology laboratory curriculum that would meet general education requirements and be feasible in a correctional center, where students do not have internet access or even reliable computer (word processing or spreadsheet) access and where materials are restricted for entry. This paper will serve to introduce …

True Story: The Hyflex Experience Across Disciplines, Kenyada Mcleod, Pradnya Patet, Crystal Miller, Steve Carlisle, Latoya Reynolds

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Brightpoint’s HyFlex Pilot Program was a year-long project funded by the Online Virginia Network (OVN) to support faculty in the design and delivery of an actual HyFlex course. The cohort consisted of faculty who teach in the biology, architecture, early childhood, and web design disciplines. Participants worked in collaboration with one another and the Center for Teaching and Learning. In the following essay, members of the 2021-22 pilot cohort will reflect on their experiences learning and implementing a HyFlex approach in their courses. Each author will share challenges and successes as well as conclusions with implications for practice by colleagues …

Teaching College In The High School: Unique Features And Challenges Of Site-Based Dual Enrollment, Paul Williams

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

After a sharp decline associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023 marked two consecutive years of increase in the number of freshman and high-school dual enrollees, with under-18-year-olds driving a disproportionate share of this growth. The rising importance of this latter student group presents new opportunities for colleges as well as underappreciated challenges rooted precisely in the high-school locale of concurrent Dual Enrollment courses. While some known stumbling blocks to effective college-level instruction for high school students are inherent in the age and lower maturity levels of the dominant age cohort, others stem from matters beyond the control of students and …

Utilizing Autosomal Dna Testing To Identify Common Ancestry To Promote Inclusion Instead Of Division On College Campuses, Yosef A. Gil Karo

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

This Notes in Brief contribution explores the use of autosomal DNA to engage college faculty and staff in a different approach to diversity and inclusion discussions, including antisemitism, on campuses. The author provides results from DNA testing and how he has used his results to discuss his common ancestry with students to build bridges as a former chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Council on his campus.

Editor's Note

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Get Skilled, Get A Job, Give Us More: An Early Review Of G3, Melissa R. Colangelo, Melanie Graham, Bhavika Sicka

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

If community colleges are to remain relevant, they must be future-oriented, and responsive to demographic and labor force shifts. The Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back initiative (G3) was implemented during the 2021-22 academic year to retain economically disadvantaged students, improve community college completion, and help students graduate into productive jobs with the ultimate goal of boosting Virginia’s economy. G3 is an attempt to make postsecondary education and workforce development systems in Virginia more capable and successful in preparing Virginians for available jobs. The aim of this policy review is to examine the current details of the …

Breaking Point: An Exploration Of The Mental Health Crisis On Campus, Melissa Wood

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

In the past several decades, the number of college students who experience mental health concerns has increased astronomically. During that time, acts of campus violence have increased as well. Unfortunately, many colleges have been unable to effectively meet the needs of students with mental disorders. This article explores the challenges surrounding the mental health and wellness of college students. It also analyzes the impact of such challenges on students and the institution. Additionally, this paper examines best practices that colleges may implement to assist students in distress and discusses implications for higher education leaders.

Book Review: Remembering And Forgetting In The Age Of Technology, Ashley Pratt

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

This review critiques Michelle Miller's Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology. Miller, a cognitive psychologist and professor at UCLA, provides a balance of theory and application to instructors wishing to better understand the role of memory in their classrooms. She provides strategies and examples of implementation in the classroom as well as a strong justification for why instructors should be aware of how memory impacts learning and incorporate instruction that promotes improved learning.

Full Text

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

How Can A Culturally Responsive Discussion Of The Five-Paragraph Essay Help Asian American Students Write Well?, Yuemin He, Catherine M. Gaiser

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

The five-paragraph essay is highly controversial, and yet it has also been a useful format for composition. In this essay we explain why, despite its limits, students need to go along with the format to make what use and get what advantage of it. We then demonstrate that valuing the philosophical, historical, cultural, and educational backgrounds of our students can help navigate away from the restrictive nature of the format and lead to equitable learning for all students. Finally, we introduce a few curriculum designs and instructional practices to expand the epistemological and pedagogical frontiers of the format. In short, …

Denial On Campus: How Antisemitism Affects College Faculty And Students, Sarah H. Hall

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

The article explores instances of Holocaust denial on college campuses and addresses issues of academic freedom for faculty as well as students. The author explores questions regarding how we teach the Holocaust and how to better decrease denial and antisemitism.

Table Of Contents

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Supporting English Language Learners In The Era Of Direct Enrollment, Breana Bayraktar

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

In the spring of 2021, the Community College System in which the author works was in the middle of a planned three-year pilot of math and English self-placement (“Direct Enrollment”) procedures. Concerns about the significant English language learner (ELL) population at one institution led to the development of a corequisite support course designed to support English language learners as they enrolled in first-semester composition. This course is considered a “gateway” course, with success rates hovering around 60% for traditional students, dropping to under 35% for students age 25 and older. As the planned pilot of Direct Enrollment was underway, faculty …

Community College Presidents And Campus Safety: Perspectives On Critical Issues, Chad C. Sartini, Dennis E. Gregory, Kim E. Bullington, Mitchell Williams, Joshua Howell, William L. Nuckols, Minghui Hou

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Community college presidents must understand the phenomenon of campus safety. For this mixed-methods study, community college presidents in one state were surveyed, and three presidents from the same community college system participated in in-depth interviews. Descriptive statistics measured the levels community college presidents’ knowledge and perceptions on campus safety. The in-depth interviews provided a deeper understanding of the connections between community college presidents and campus safety.

Overall, the results show that campus safety is important to community college presidents, who believe that, overall, their institutions are safe. We found that community college presidents believe they should be proactive and reinforce …

Use Of A Clinical Skills Training Center To Supplement A Distributive Model Of Education In A Veterinary Technology Program, Megan Taliaferro

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

A distributive model of education has recently become a popular method for training veterinary technicians in the United States. Although this model has significant benefits, such as decreased cost of program infrastructure, there are significant challenges in managing students and their clinical skill acquisition using private veterinary hospitals. A clinical skills training center was implemented at Tidewater Community College to address a main shortcoming of the distributive model, namely the lack of specialized training models at outside hospitals. Based on survey findings, both students and clinical mentors found the veterinary technology clinical skill training center to be a beneficial addition …

Vcca 2022 Convention Keynote Address: The Mission Of The Community College, Jim Mcclellan

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

The community college is an attempt to realize the promise of the Declaration of Independence: the ideal that all are created equal. It is to higher education what universal suffrage is to the ballot, voting rights for all, higher education for all. The mission of the community college is to provide access to education for those to whom it has traditionally been denied.

Full Text

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Front Cover (Spring 2023)

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Molly, who is a photography major, mostly takes portraits and product photography.

Editor's Note

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Virginia's Challenges Underscore The Community College Mission, Glenn Dubois

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Remarks For The House Appropriations Committee, Glenn Dubois

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Letter To The Editor Of The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Glenn Dubois

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Virginians With "Some College" Earn National Attention, Glenn Dubois

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Commencement Address At The Apprentice School, Glenn Dubois

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Virginia's Community Colleges "Make It Work", Glenn Dubois

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Remarks At The Vccs Chancellor's Annual Planning Retreat (2012), Glenn Dubois

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.

Remarks At The Vccs Chancellor's Annual Planning Retreat (2013), Glenn Dubois

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

No abstract provided.