Education Commons^™

How Orientation Programs At West Virginia Community Colleges Affect Mid-Level Administrators' Perceptions Of Adjunct Faculty Quality, Gina M. Taylor

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the relationship between the presence of orientation programs for adjunct faculty at West Virginia community and technical colleges and mid-level administrators’ perceptions of adjunct faculty quality. Using data obtained through an Internet-based questionnaire administered to 91 mid-level administrators at West Virginia community and technical colleges, the study resulted in several notable findings, many of which reinforced similar findings uncovered in the review of the literature. Most researchers agree that the results of high-quality orientation programs can be a tremendous asset to adjunct faculty, leading to an adjunct group that knows what …

A Study To Determine Whether A Relationship Exists Between Attending A Public, Two-Year Community College In The United States With Or Without Campus Housing And The Retention Of First-Year Students, John F. Yaun

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Student retention is a growing and common concern among community college administrators across the United States given the low retention rates at two-year institutions. With little change in the retention rates of first-year students at community colleges, administrators are searching for successful strategies and models within these heterogeneous educational environments to address the costs and consequences associated with low retention rates at two-year institutions.

The purpose of this study was to determine what relationship existed, if any, between attending a public, two-year community college in the United States with or without campus housing and the retention of first-year students. This …

An Analysis Of Institutional Policies And Practices Critical For Effective Leadership In Developmental Education Programs, Carolyn Gaughan Sizemore

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to identify the most critical institutional policies and practices deemed essential for the effective development and governance of systemic, effective developmental education programs in community colleges through the perspective of community college administrators. This study ranked community college leaders’ ratings of what policies and practices should be implemented to improve developmental education programs. Expert opinion by the participating developmental education administrators and college presidents were compared and ranked to identify priorities for change. The results could serve as guidelines for the improvement of developmental education programs for student success in community colleges. This non-experimental, …

Teacher Perspectives On Performance Based Student Assessment In Career And Technical Education In West Virginia Public Schools, Brenda L. Tuckwiller

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate career and technical education teachers’ level of knowledge and use of performance based student assessment practices in West Virginia’s secondary and post-secondary career education centers. In addition, this study sought to determine what relationships, if any, exist between levels of knowledge and use of performance based student assessment practices. Finally, this study described factors identified by respondents as supports or barriers to implementation of performance based student assessment. A researcher-developed survey was used to collect data. The study population consisted of engineering, hospitality and health occupations teachers in career and technical education …

Creating Pathways For Low-Skill Adults: Lessons For Community And Technical Colleges From A Statewide Longitudinal Study, Carol A. Perry

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the educational experiences and outcomes of low-skill adults in West Virginia’s community and technical colleges, providing a more detailed profile of these students. Data for the variables were obtained from archival databases through a cooperative agreement between state agencies. Descriptive statistics were utilized to examine momentum point attainment, milestone achievement, persistence, and pre- and post-educational mean wages of first-time students age 25+ who enrolled in a West Virginia community and technical college over a five year period beginning with the 2004-2005 academic year. Chi-square tests for independence were used as well as …

A Study Of Prior Learning Assessment In Degree Completion, Jean Marie Chappell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of prior learning assessment (PLA) in postsecondary degree completion for adult community college students at Mountwest Community and Technical College (MCTC). The study group consisted of 339 MCTC graduates, who applied PLA credits toward degree completion between the academic year 2006 and 2011. A comparison group was comprised of 321 MCTC graduates from the same time period, who did not apply PLA toward degree completion. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis found statistically significant relationships between time to degree completion and the application of PLA from military credits and institutional …

Enrollment Management Administrators’ Perceptions Of Community College Student Retention Practices, Merle Dempsey

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was three-fold: (a) to determine the retention practices most frequently used by community colleges to retain full-time, associate degree-seeking students from their first-to-second year of enrollment as perceived by enrollment management administrators; (b) to determine the level of importance placed on these practices as perceived by enrollment management administrators; and, (c) to determine if differences exist between those practices most frequently used and those considered to be the most important when the enrollment size and campus geographic setting of the institution are considered. An online survey, developed by the researcher, was distributed to a sample …

A Study Of Persistence Factors Of Nontraditional Students Enrolled In Noncredit Information Technology Programs In The Advantage Valley Community College Consortium, Steven L. Brown

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As continuing education divisions of college’s noncredit programs assume a greater role to help develop workforce job skills, it is important to understand what factors affect student persistence. There have been no studies on nontraditional student persistence in noncredit information technology training programs. This study examined non-traditional students enrolled in noncredit information technology (IT) programs in the Advantage Valley Consortium in the state of West Virginia. The study was conducted to determine if the demographic factors that were identified in the literature as adversely affecting non-traditional students pursuing credit programs of study also affected students enrolled in noncredit IT programs …

The Influence Of Organizational And Governance Structures On The Frequency Of Management Skill Utilization Of Community College Chief Executive Officers In The United States, Timothy R. Oxley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Community colleges are purported to be in the midst of a leadership crisis due to the impending retirements of chief executive officers (CEOs) and senior administrators over the next several years. Concurrently, the demands upon CEOs to effectively and efficiently manage their institutions are more critical now in an effort to balance the demands placed upon them by public policy and institutional stakeholders. The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of institutional context, governance and organizational structures, on the frequency with which CEOs utilized certain management skills. The study population was community college CEOs as identified by …

Employment Success Of Community And Technical College Program Graduates As An Indicator Of Economic Development In West Virginia, Kristin L. Mallory

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to analyze existing wage data to quantify the employment success of community and technical college graduates by program as an indicator of economic development in West Virginia. Data for the variables were obtained from archival databases and a cooperative agreement between state agencies. Descriptive statistics were utilized to examine employment rates, range of earnings, and employment in-industry of community and technical college graduates from 23 programs from 1997 to 2002. Graduates in the health fields demonstrated both the highest and lowest ratios of employment, with the mean employment rate for all programs of 68.12 …

Predictors Of Employer Satisfaction With Workplace-Based Contract Training Programs At Community And Technical Colleges In West Virginia, Mark Edward Davis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Workplace-based contract training for employers is a growing area of the mission of community and technical colleges across the nation, and determining what factors predict satisfaction for sponsoring organizations may help ensure the success of such programs. This is especially important in West Virginia, where higher education legislation in 1995 and 2000 mandated such programming as essential. State institutions that fail in this area may lose their status as independent colleges. Community and technical colleges, therefore, that use data from this study may be able to design and deliver workplace-based contract education and training programs, using limited existing resources, efficiently …

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.