Education Commons^™

Accuplacer Placement Cutoff Scores As Predictors Of Freshman Performance: A Correlational Analysis, Lulani Tomaszewski

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

There is uncertainty on how to maximize freshman performance in an English course when students have competing placement scores. Students who have scored above the cutoff score on one of the English placement tests (either reading or writing) and scored below the cutoff score on the other are not systematically placed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ACCUPLACER placement cutoff scores in reading and writing predicted performance in first-semester English courses and first-semester cumulative GPA among incoming students at a community college in the Pacific Northwest during the 2015−2016 and 2016−2017 school years. Two research questions guided …

First-Generation Latinas’ Perspectives Of College Involvement: A Phenomenological Study, Melissa E. Aponte

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this study was to understand how first-generation Latinas define college involvement and how they feel this involvement contributed to their successful graduation from a community college. Because more Latinas are successfully completing college than their male counterparts (Latinos), this study sought to better understand the validating and student involvement factors that allow Latinas, who are also first-generation college students, to graduate from college. Community colleges are the primary entry into higher education for this student group; therefore, the study sought to explore college involvement at this type of institution. This study utilized a phenomenological approach to describe …

Dreamers And Values: An Urban And Suburban Community College Comparison, David A. Caicedo

Publications and Research

Although previous research on the role of post-secondary education in the lives of undocumented youth has offered insight regarding demographics, educational achievement, measures of well-being, and generational trajectories, less is known about these young immigrants’ values and beliefs regarding themselves, their relation to others, their futures, and the potential influence of their social surroundings on these values. The intersecting perceptual beliefs between self and higher education were investigated among 7 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) participants in 2 U.S. community colleges and were hypothesized to reflect two social environments: an urban (New York) and a suburban (New Jersey) setting. …

Pronouns (Slides), Angela Gulick

Style and Mechanics

These slides identify when to use pronouns and provide a list of frequently used pronouns Also covers indefinite pronouns, pronoun agreement, with a note on "it" and "they." Lastly, the slides provide instructions for how to monitor pronoun use in Microsoft Word.

Psychology 101: Introduction To Psychology Syllabus 8 Week Fall 2018, Sarah Grison

Psychology Courses

No abstract provided.

Psychology 101: Introduction To Psychology Syllabus Fall 2018, Sarah Grison

Psychology Courses

No abstract provided.

The Impacts Of A Multimodal Assessment Project In General Biology I At A Southwestern Community College, Larchinee Turner

Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice (DiP) uses an action research (AR) methodology to answer a research question pertaining to the impacts of implementing a multimodal-based assessment project in the introductory, General Biology I (BI 114) classroom at East- State Junior College. A mixed-methods approach will be utilized to ascertain the impacts on student learning as well as student perceptions of the project. Chapter One provides a justification of the relevance and importance of the research question regarding student learning, the post-secondary science landscape, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and the challenges of providing positive learning opportunities and experiences to those students. A concise literature …

Social Construction Of Power In Policymaking: A Case Of Cybersecurity Articulation Agreements In Virginia, Michael Paul Moore

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Existing research into the creation of articulation agreements focused solely on the functional aspects of these documents, such as maximizing transfer credit. However, little is known about the experiences of faculty and administrators at the community colleges and universities who create articulation agreements and how their experiences affect partnerships between institutions. This is especially important for high-stakes articulation agreements in industries that are under-employed, as institutions are expected to enroll large numbers of students to meet the demands of the market. Who takes charge in the creation of such articulation agreements is of interest for leaders of institutions seeking to …

Community College Discipline Faculty Perceptions Of Role As Literacy Educators, Kristen H. Gregory, Monique Colclough

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

Approximately a quarter of community college students are entering college-level courses underprepared for the literacy and critical thinking skills required to be successful in discipline courses (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2013). Discipline faculty are considered experts in their content area and are often not trained in pedagogy and literacy instruction, yet they are faced with meeting the diverse literacy needs of their students while still maintaining high content-focused expectations within their courses. This phenomenological case study investigated community college discipline faculty’s perceptions and practices regarding integrating literacy instruction within their disciplines. Data were collected from community college faculty through …

Creative ‘Class’: Leading Innovation With Digital Pedagogy In Cultural And Creative Industry (Cci) Programs, Dana Morningstar

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Leaders of cultural and creative programs (CCIs) in Ontario community colleges are key to realizing potential in higher education related to digital pedagogy, creativity, industry partnerships, entrepreneurship and innovation. In this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), the role of an academic leadership group is considered from Ontario-centric creative industry and innovation policies and college processes. The problem of practice is the gap of harmonized leadership strategy between higher education classroom practices and regional and provincial overarching educational strategy to increase innovation through digital pedagogy. Colleges have collective capacities in innovating with digital pedagogy in creative industry programs and providing graduates with …

The Persistence Of Community College Students: A Single Site Case Study, Michael K. Blanchard

All Theses And Dissertations

Only 22% of all students who enroll in community colleges complete an associate degree within three years, and only 16% of students at urban community colleges earn a degree in the same time frame. Community college administrators recognize that a majority of their student population desires to earn a degree, but many lack the knowledge, skills, and support to complete college. The purpose of this single site qualitative case study was to understand how community college students perceive wraparound services and how these services impact students’ persistence. Deil-Amen (2011) was used as the theoretical underpinning for this study. The setting …

Temperaments And Learning Styles Vs. Academic Performance Of First-Semester Physics Students, Shel Randall

Shel Randall

Increasing Stem Participation And Student Success Of Developmental Mathematics Students At An Urban Community College, Vanessa A. Hill

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed method, quantitative and qualitative, study explores the effects of a curriculum with an emphasis on scientific, technological, and engineering focused problems and careers on student success and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The setting is an urban community college where in the spring of 2016, 71% of the students tested into developmental mathematics (STCC, 2017). The course of study was Algebra one, a developmental, non-college credit bearing, mathematics course. Students had the option of two paths for the subsequent course, a terminal college level mathematics class, or a STEM pathway developmental algebra two course. Pass …

Transitional Challenges For Students With Disabilities During A Period Of Systemic Imbalance, Cindy Clemson Ed.D., Ben Littlepage Ed.D.

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

The present study explored how student support service administrators responded to the observed transitional challenges of students with disabilities during a period of systemic imbalance. Administrators at four community colleges in Tennessee, responsible for the coordination of student disability services, participated in a multi-site case study. Analysis revealed students with disabilities had unrealized expectations of postsecondary education, sought the same individualized attention experienced in secondary school, and misunderstood administrative processes, especially those associated with securing accommodations, upon entering college. Although the transitional challenges were not unique, increased enrollments and an inadequate infrastructure added difficulty to administrators’ ability to respond. Administrators …

The Impact Of The Number Of Dual Enrollment Credits On Racial Minority Students’ Completion Time At Five Virginia Community Colleges, Elizabeth Gardiner Dingess

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The five-year college completion rate for students of color can be 15-20% lower than it is for White students (Fink, Jenkins, & Yanaglura, 2017). Dual enrollment courses have been researched as a predictor of college completion (Taylor, 2015), but fewer racial minority students enroll in dual enrollment courses; this enrollment disparity affects their college preparedness skills and may lead to lower college persistence and graduation rates (Evenbeck & Johnson, 2012). Despite the benefits dual enrollment courses could provide to racial minority students, few studies have examined the differences in college completion outcomes between racial minority and majority dual enrollment students …

A Multi Case Study Of Community College Discipline Faculty’S Participation In A Disciplinary Literacy Professional Learning Community, Kristen Howell Gregory

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Many students enter college with inadequate reading, writing, and critical thinking skills to successfully navigate discipline-specific college-level coursework (Duff, 2010; Hyland, 2006; Lea & Street, 1998; Tsui, 2002). As such, college faculty, and specifically community college faculty, are challenged to meet the multiple literacy needs of their students while still maintaining high expectations within their discipline-specific courses. One option is for discipline faculty (e.g., history) to integrate disciplinary literacy instruction within their courses. As discipline faculty are deemed experts in their content area and often not trained in literacy, professional development focused on disciplinary literacy could provide the knowledge and …

Progress For Low Income Students, Johann Ducharme

The William & Mary Educational Review

This essay argues in favor of Mike Rose's assertion that funding cuts to education have a detrimental effect on numerous factors, including stunted job growth in America, not remaining innovative and competitive in global markets, as well as attaining the college graduation goals set by Department of Education. In agreeing with Rose, the author provides comprehensive reasoning and data from numerous national centers: Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, American Council on Education (ACE), The College Board, and American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The author also examines the weaknesses of Rose’s arguments as he neglects to define …

The Lived Experience Of New Community College Student Affairs Professionals, Eric L. Mullen

Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the experiences of new student affairs professionals who have begun their careers at community colleges. Research in the field of higher education has examined the preparation and socialization of new professionals within the field of higher education student affairs. However, this body of research has primarily focused on the experiences of those who go on to work in four-year colleges and universities. Little has been examined regarding those who graduate from these programs and whose first professional role is in a community college setting.

Through this phenomenological inquiry, the participants share rich details about their socialization …

Understanding The Language Learning Strategies Of English Language Learners In The Community College System, Steven Kean

Theses

This study focused on English language teaching and learning through the lens of language-learning strategies, and how strategies-based instruction is implemented within the community college system. The intent of this study was to determine the extent to which language-learning strategies are taught to second-language learners in a community college district, the specific strategies that language-learners use, and whether improvements to strategies-based instruction in the community college system are needed. This research used a customized version of Rebecca Oxford’s Strategies Inventory for Language Learners. It also queried instructors who teach English as a Second Language (ESL), and it analyzed ESL course …

Latina Community College Leaders And The Role Cultural Intelligence Plays In Their Leadership: El Líderazgo Inteligente De Administradoras Latinas., Patricia Avila

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover and describe how Latina community college administrators utilize the four elements of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) to provide leadership in their organizations.

Methodology: The phenomenological qualitative approach was used to describe the utilization of cultural intelligence of ten Latina community college administrators to provide effective leadership in their organizations. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews to gain insight into participants’ leadership behaviors outlined in the study’s purpose. An examination of the data collected revealed patterns and themes.

Findings: Examination of study participants’ interviews resulted in ten themes and 411 frequencies among the …

Effective Teaching Techniques And Study Strategies For English Language Learners In Esl Community College Classes, Dorothy M. Steiner

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this field project, Effective Teaching Techniques and Study Strategies for English Language Learners in ESL Community College Classes, is to provide guidance to the busy instructors who work with adult ESL students, particularly in non-credit programs. This field project can also be used by instructors of credit community college ESL classes, Adult schools, or (Community Based Organizations) CBOs. The handbook is designed to be a resource on the many areas that present common challenges in the ESL classroom such as diverse needs, low literacy levels, building academic rigor and vocabulary, communicative language teaching, increasing engagement and …

From Providing Access To Promoting Success: Transforming A Community College System’S Advising Services, Staci L. Grasky

All Theses And Dissertations

The economy of the early twenty-first century endured the Great Recession, demanded an increasingly skilled workforce, and saw technological advancements that enabled new levels of scrutiny and accountability. Within this environment, institutions of higher education felt the impacts of recession and recovery, changing workforce demands, and heightened scrutiny. For community colleges, student demographics shifted and challenges grew as they admitted high numbers of students who faced obstacles to attaining their academic goals, such as a lack of preparation for college level work, low socioeconomic status, unclear goals, and first-generation status. With little ability to control these factors and mounting pressure …

A Qualitative Approach To Examining The Rules Of A Community College And Industry Partnership., Cara Dimattina-Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the governance structure of a successful community college and industry advisory board that collaborate to improve regional workforce development initiatives. The institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework was used as a lens to describe the partnership. The results determined that there were many informal rules that governed the relationship between the community college and industry partners, which led to successful implementation of decisions. The community college leaders created the informal rules with the purpose of encouraging involvement among industry stakeholders, sharing power among all the participants, and facilitating communication. The findings …

Predictive Validity Of Florida’S Postsecondary Education Readiness Test, Alisa Murphy Žujović

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The role of the community college is constantly evolving. At its inception in the early 1900’s, the community college’s broad focus was to provide quality, affordable education to the members of the community the college serves. Today, that focus remains the same, but has also morphed into one that meets the specific needs of its students. One of these needs that is a critical issue for community colleges relates to developmental education.

The assessment of developmental education has been a contentious subject among higher education institutions. Defining college readiness, methods describing how to measure it, and instruments with which to …

The Effects Of Perceived Learning On Open Sourced Classrooms Within The Community Colleges In The Southeastern Region Of The United States, Amanda Carpenter-Horning

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the perceived learning of students using open educational resources in face-to-face and distance education courses at nine community colleges in the southeastern region of the United States. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine if students using open educational resources perceive learning differently from those using traditional textbooks as measured by the Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor (CAP) Perceived Learning Scale (Rovai, Wighting, Baker, & Grooms, 2009). Students at nine community colleges in the southeastern region of the United States completed the CAP Perceived Learning Scale following the successful completion of a first-year seminar course. The …

Access With Progress: A Comparative Analysis On The Co-Requisite Model Of Developmental Acceleration, Christopher Sean Wikstrom

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Students who are required to progress through a developmental education program face substantial barriers in the way of annual retention and program completion. A multitude of models exist on college campuses to improve these outcomes, one of which implements an on-time remediation approach. This co-requisite method is designed to reduce the time in developmental sequencing and stop-out points and accelerate students who are placed into preparatory classes to their gateway courses. As a form of developmental acceleration, students can concurrently enroll in their on-level and remedial courses in the same semester. A comparative analysis was performed between three student subgroups …

Predicting First-Year Mathematics Success At The Community College: Modifications On High School Grade Point Average And The Impact Of High School Quality, C. Caleb Marsh

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, student completion in the first-year college mathematics curriculum has become a significant barrier to student success and retention. Many states, such as North Carolina and Virginia, have been innovative in developing new strategies for placing students into an appropriate mathematics curriculum. A centerpiece of these strategies is to use student performance in high school, as measured by high school grade point average, as a predictor of course success and completion. However, in each system, what is largely absent from their placement models is an attempt to account for the quality of the institution that issued the …

Nontraditional Community College Students' Motivational Regulation In A Blended Core Technology Course, Jennifer Hart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a lack of empirical research on the motivational regulation and reactions of higher education students enrolled in blended courses. Studies that target this focus with nontraditional adult learners enrolled in the community college are even more difficult to locate. In this mixed-methods exploratory case study, I explored in what ways nontraditional adult learners' motivational regulation and their motivational reactions to course design relate to their perceived learning experience in a blended technology course with a flipped design. Specifically, I investigated how nontraditional community college students described their goals for participating in a blended course prior to the start …

Factors Used To Determine The Teaching Load For Chairs In Public Community Colleges, Mandel Samuels, James O. Hammons

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

After a 10 minute presentation of a recently completed national study of the practices used by public community colleges to determine chair teaching load, attendees will be provided a framework and procedure for determining chair teaching load on their campus, and will then engage in a spirited but structured discussion of the factors to be considered and a process for assigning weights to each.

The Relationship Of Self-Regulated Learning And Academic Risk Factors To Academic Performance In Community College Online Mathematics Courses, Jim E. Dunnigan Dr.

Education Dissertations

Completion of required mathematics courses in a community college program of study can be a critical factor in a student’s academic success and degree completion. Underprepared, nontraditional students who take mathematics courses online in a community college face barriers to success that are different from those found in traditional face-to-face courses in four-year universities. Research suggests that motivation and self-regulated learning skills are potentially related to student success in online learning. The preponderance of research on student academic success in online courses is predominantly conducted with traditional, better-prepared students in four-year universities. Yet, there is little research on the effectiveness …