Education Commons^™

Persistence Differences In Community College Courses Taught In Classrooms And Through Alternative Formats, Andrew A. Runyan

Faculty Dissertations

While distance education programs continue to expand, the occurrence of higher dropout rates in those programs as compared to the same courses offered in lecture/lab settings remains a point of contention between supporters and detractors of non-traditional forms of education. This study used a foundation of research on dropout in higher education as the basis for an investigation of dropout rates in non-traditional forms of instruction in a community college setting. Course delivery formats studied included videotape-based courses, Internet-based courses, and courses offered in a self-paced laboratory environment. For each of these formats, the same course, offered in a lecture/lab …

Both Sides Of The Looking Glass: Librarian And Teaching Faculty Perceptions Of Librarianship At Six Community Colleges, Devin Feldman, Susan Sciammarella

Publications and Research

Librarians and teaching faculty often have different perceptions of the roles of the library and the librarian in undergraduate education. A study surveying six community colleges reveals that there is much room for improvement in the interrelationship between librarians and teaching faculty. More effective communication and mutual respect would enhance the educational experience for students and provide a richer learning environment.

Policy And Practice Concerning Essay-Grading Criteria In Developmental English And College-Level English Programs In Tennessee Community Colleges., Walter Paul Wolford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The criteria used to grade college essays have been the subject of research for over three decades. Using quantatative data, this study investigated the differences in essay-grading criteria and essay-grading policy among full-time faculty members who teach English composition in Tennessee's community colleges.

This study revealed beliefs about the importance of essay-grading criteria and beliefs about written and unwritten essay-grading policies among those who teach developmental English, college-level English, and those who teach both levels of English. This study hypothesized that there were no differences among the English composition teacher's beliefs about the importance of the twenty essay-grading criteria nor …

A Living Skills Curriculum For Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Patricia Merz Ubelaker

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a living skills curriculum for adults with developmental disabilities. It will present many of the necessary skills for succeeding at living independently in the community. This curriculum was designed to be taught in a community college setting, using the ten week quarter system. To accomplish this purpose, a review of current literature and research was conducted. The review found few curricula available for teaching living skills and none on the postsecondary level. The research established a need for a curriculum ofliving skills for adults and this project is offered in partial fulfillment …

Identification Of Noncognitive Factors As Predictors Of Freshman Academic Performance And Retention In A Community College Setting, Mark Fallon Freeze

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study identified noncognitive factors (via the use of discriminant analysis) that impact freshmen academic performance and retention in a community college setting. The study used a modified version of the Freshman Survey, that had been validated for use at an urban four-year institution, to determine the predictive validity of the instrument for use with first semester freshmen in a two-year college setting. Existing research suggests that cognitive factors can, at most, explain 10 to 20 percent of the variance in student retention and academic performance. The remainder (approximately 80 percent) of the variance in student academic performance and …

Pre- And Post-Matriculation Correlates Of Student Retention Within A Community College Setting, Pamela E. Goodman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the 1990s, due in part to declining enrollment numbers and prolonged budget constraints, student retention became a primary focus in higher education. Aligned with the nationwide interest, this longitudinal, archival study focused on the correlates of student retention at Walters State Community College, located in Morristown, Tennessee. The population involved 17,497 students enrolled from the fall semester of 1992 through the fall semester of 1997. Four sets of variables were investigated--demographic variables, pre-matriculation variables, post-matriculation variables related to grades, and post-matriculation variables related to enrollment. The data were collected through the use of a computer program written to access …

Perceptions Of Tennessee Community College Leaders Regarding External Mandates, Institutional Effectiveness Practices, And Institutional Performance, Gary J. Skolits

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of academic and administrative community college leaders regarding the relationship between select external mandates and associated institutional effectiveness practices, institutional performance, and the use of assessment results for institutional improvement in Tennessee community colleges. Tennessee community colleges were selected for this study due to their decades long history with institutional assessments through the performance funding program. A primary assumption underlying this study was that Tennessee community colleges provide a historically unique assessment context for this study. The researcher developed a specific survey instrument for this study. The design of the …

An Evaluation Of An Urban Community College Single Parent And Displaced Homemaker Program, Linda Myers Rice

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of an urban community college Single Parent and Displaced Homemaker program composed primarily of minority women, many of whom were receiving public assistance. The critical dimension of mattering (Schlossberg et al., 1989) formed the conceptual framework for the evaluation.

Program effectiveness, impacts, efficiency and participant needs were assessed. The primary methodology was survey research. A descriptive and a causal comparative study were conducted to determine if there were significant differences in the number of semesters completed and the number of credits taken by program participants when compared to students …

A Study To Determine The Attitudes Of Full-Time And Adjunct Faculty Members Of The Business Division At Southwest Virginia Community College Toward Technology Training, Loretta Beavers

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the attitudes of full-time and adjunct faculty members of the Business Division of Southwest Virginia Community College toward technology training. The following goals provided direction in this study: 1. What skills do faculty members feel they need to be more effective in using computers to supplement instruction in SVCC's Business Division? 2. What is the individual faculty member's attitude concerning technology training in specific computer software programs? 3. What technology skills do the faculty members think the students of the Business Division's curriculum programs should acquire? 4. What recommendations do Business Division …

A Study Of The Relationships Between Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Computer Ethics Among Computer Users In The Tennessee Community College System, Qing .. Yuan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to obtain information about the knowledge and attitudes of students, staff, faculty, and administrators in the community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) system about the ethical issues relating to the current policies and laws regarding the use of computers and software; to compare the knowledge and attitude of these users and to investigate any relationships that may exist between users, knowledge and attitude toward computer ethics. A total of 700 students (280), staff (140), faculty (140), and administrators (140) from the 14 TBR community colleges were surveyed. The total responses was …

Mexican American Women Who Transfer From A Community College To A Four-Year University: Participatory Research On Persistence, Deborah Ramirez Lango

Master's Theses

Digitized thesis

The Educational Needs Of Welfare Recipients And The Role Of The Community College As An Agent Of Social Change, Carolyn L. Browning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate two underlying questions related to welfare reform and its impact on participants in the Cumberland Plateau Region: (1) What are the training and other noneducational needs of the participants in the VIEW program? and (2) What is the projected success of the impact of the training on the lives of the participants? The research study included 47 interviews with four distinct groups of individuals--VIEW participants, case managers, administrators, and trainers. Three focus group interviews were conducted with individuals who were participants in the VIEW program or professionals actively involved in the administration …

Spring 1997 Sabbatical Leave Report, Sally Wallace

Sabbaticals

I propose to investigate the ways that basic English composition is taught at various colleges throughout the country and to use my findings to design a Parkland-specific English 101 instructional model that integrates composition into some of our transfer and career programs, so that students would write about topics relevant to their goals while enhancing their understanding of the academic discipline they're writing about. My research would involve the League for Innovation community colleges, Alverno College, Macomb Community College, the University of Illinois at Urbana, and the National Council of Teachers of English.

A Descriptive Study Of The Trends And Issues In Vocational And Technical Education In The Virginia Community College System, Angelia M. Comstock

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

With the purpose of determining the current issues and tends in vocational and technical education at Virginia's community colleges, this study was developed with three research questions (goals) in mind. They are: 1. To research the historical foundations of curriculum offerings in Virginia's community colleges; 2. To research national issues and trends affecting vocational and technical education in community colleges; 3. To compare the issues and trends in Virginia's community colleges as perceived by division chairs and selected deans with national issues and trends as identified from a review of the literature.

Grading Teaching: An Evaluation Of Teaching Techniques Used By California Community College Introduction To Sociology Instructors, Lynette Ann Osborne-Estes

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Research on teaching techniques used in higher education report that instructors who use a mixed repertoire of styles promote optimal student learning. However, previous research also indicates that many college professors continue to use the less effective traditional lecture instead of implementing more student-centered methods of instruction. This thesis investigates two general research questions. (1) To what extent do community college instructors utilize teaching techniques that have been shown to promote optimal student learning? (2) What factors, if any, increase the probability of an instructor using the teaching techniques that promote optimal student learning? In order to address these questions …

Perceptions Of Classroom Social Environment Held By Virginia Community College Students And Instructors In Developmental Courses, Ann C. Bartholomay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine students' classroom social environment needs by identifying characteristics of actual and ideal classroom environments as perceived by students taking developmental math or English courses in Virginia community colleges, characteristics of the actual classroom environments as perceived by their instructors, and characteristics of actual and ideal classroom environments as perceived by subgroups of students. The subgroups were formed by gender, race, age, type of developmental course, size of college, and whether students were first generation college students. The Adult Classroom Environment Scale was administered to students and instructors in developmental studies classes in …

“Knowledge Utilization” Universities: A Paradigm For Applying Academic Expertise To Social And Environmental Problems, Abraham B. Bernstein

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

Promoting the utilization of knowledge is an important mission for institutions of higher education. The "knowledge utilization" university should stand alongside the research university, the professional school, the liberal arts college, and the community college as one of the five archetypes of higher education institutions.

Environmental problems typify a class of social problems that require the utilization of existing knowledge in a trans-disciplinary manner just as much as they require the creation of new knowledge through research. These problems are characterized by their multiple dimensions-- they have scientific, technical, social, political, economic, and ethical aspects, all of which must be …

An Analysis Of The Attitudes Of Area Secondary Business Teachers And Guidance Counselors Toward The Secretarial Programs At Paul D. Camp Community College, Carolyn Wall Crowder

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This study sought to answer the following questions: 1. How do area high school business teachers and guidance counselors perceive the Secretarial Science programs and course offerings at Paul D. Camp Community College? 2. How can the relationship of high school personnel and the Secretarial Science faculty at Paul D. Camp Community College be strengthened? 3. How can the transition of high school graduates to the community college Secretarial Science programs be made more efficient? 4. What programs, activities, etc. would be of interest and value to the secondary teachers?

0216: William A. Harper Manuscript, 1977, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Original manuscript for the book "Community, Junior and Technical Colleges: A Public Relations Sourcebook" with proofreader's marks.

A Plan For The Development Of An Ideal Learning Resource Center At Crowder College, Barbara Lou Farrar

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the personnel, hardware, software, and space requirements for an ideal learning resource center at Crowder College and to prepare a written plan for reaching this goal. The achievement of this plan would be spread over a five year period.

The existing learning resource program at Crowder College is shown to include well-established library services and very limited media services. A full description of the existing learning resources program is given and its relationship to the rest of the college is shown.

Several methods were used to determine what an ideal learning resources …

Higher Education: The Black Professional, Donald H. Godbold, Andrew Goodrich, William Moore, Jr.,

IUSTITIA

The black professional in the community college is a catalog of contradictions. His or her condition can only be described as tragic; and his or her plight is a travesty on the philosophy of the two-year college. The preliminary findings of one study in progress note that nearly half (409 or 47 per cent) of the 865 two-year institutions included in the sample do not have a single black faculty member or administrator. Eighty-nine of the remaining 456 colleges have only one black staff member. Similarly, there are a number of community colleges located in areas heavily populated by blacks …

A Comparison Of Two Methods Of Teaching A Remedial Mathematics Course At The Community College, James C. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Problem

This study was concerned with the effectiveness of two different programs for teaching remedial mathematics to community college students. An individualized instruction program, making use of independent study and the small group setting, was compared with the traditional lecture-textbook instruction program to determine if there existed significant differences in (a) the rate of attrition, and (b) mathematics performance. A secondary objective was to determine if significant differences existed between students enrolled in remedial mathematics classes at 9 AM and those enrolled at 12 Noon.

Method

The target population consisted of all students in fourteen community colleges in the Los …