Community College Leadership Commons^™

Outcomes Of Professional Development For Rural Community College Leaders, William Thompson Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

To mitigate the loss of experienced administrators, community college leaders create internal grow-your-own (GYO) leadership development programs. Although the purpose of these programs is to ensure institutional efficacy by developing a pipeline of administrative and faculty leaders, little attention has been given to learning about the participants' post-program career advancement over time. Consequently, the value of GYO leadership training for participants is not well known. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the post-program professional development of a group of participants 2 years after completing a rural community college GYO leadership program. The conceptual framework was guided …

A Fiscal Model Program Theory Proposal For Training Reentry Citizen Ex-Convicts To Remodel Abandoned Houses, James A. Hanson

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to develop and examine a fiscal program theory model and proposal for training reentry citizen ex-convicts to remodel abandoned houses. A sustainable program theory model describes ways that training and employing these citizens to remodel abandoned houses may be expected to have benefits to a community. The recently released ex-convicts will learn a construction trade, earn a sustainable wage, and the once-abandoned houses will be returned to the city tax rolls. Vocational education and workforce training are key to this program. The literature indicates that national jobless rates for recently released inmates is well …

A Mixed-Methods (Quantitative-Qualitative) Study To Identify The Perceived Level Of, Zeky Zardo

Dissertations

Different approaches to developing leaders have been established through various forms of self-assessment, action learning, and education and training activities (Smither et al., 2005). The existing body of research on the impact and success of college and university leadership development programs focuses heavily on undergraduate leadership programs and not graduate-level programs such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) or the doctorate. The purpose of this mixed-methods (quantitative–qualitative) study was to identify the perceived level of transformational leadership skill development by students enrolled in a doctoral program in organizational leadership. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to …

Then And Now: An Analysis Of Broad-Based Merit Aid Initial Eligibility Policies After Twenty Years, William K. Ingle, Jason R. Ratliff

Kentucky Journal of Higher Education Policy and Practice

Using Hall’s framework of policy changes, we sought to document and classify changes in initial eligibility and award provisions of broad-based merit aid scholarship programs at inception and present day. Our analysis revealed five first-order changes, two second-order changes, and only one third order change. Although the policy settings, instruments, and goals remained static in five states, the scholarship dollars in four of them have not kept up with increases in overall cost of attendance.

Assessing The Relationship Between Student And Faculty Perceptions Of Student Engagement At Central Mountain College, Brandi R. K. Atnip

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study compared the perceptions of students versus faculty at Central Mountain College with regard to the issue of student engagement. Central Mountain College participated in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement and the Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement during the spring semesters of 2009, 2011, and 2013. The institution was provided with aggregate results from these survey administrations by the Center for Community College Student Engagement. Prior to this study, the survey results had not been accumulatively evaluated by the institution.

The study aimed to determine areas where there was congruence and incongruence between the students …

Race For Completion: Success Courses Components Fostering Successful Community College Completion, Brenda Roland

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify the components of first-year first semester college success courses specifically designed to foster student success in single campus Illinois community colleges. The study provides a historical background of community colleges as it develops a context for the need for college success courses. A qualitative case study approach was used. The research conceptual framework encompassed Alexander Astin’s Theory of Student Involvement (IEO), Stufflebeam’s Theory of Course and Program Evaluation (CIPP), and The Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) seven key principles for student success to analyze the findings.

To generate qualitative data …

“Warming Up” In The Developmental Sequence? Upward Transfer Conditional On Dependency Status, Cody Davidson, Kristin B. Wilson

Kentucky Journal of Higher Education Policy and Practice

The purpose of this study was to determine predictor factors of upward transfer for Kentucky community college students enrolled in a developmental algebra course. For independent students, a mother with a college degree, a declared major, a federal work-study position, greater adjusted gross income, and a higher grade point average was positively correlated with upward transfer. For dependent students, a father with a college degree, a declared major, and a higher grade point average was positively correlated with upward transfer.

Evidence-Based Teaching And Learning: Putting The Results Of Psychological Research To Work In Our Classrooms, Sarah Grison

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Workshops

If our pedagogical solutions are based on research they will have a high impact on student learning! Using evidence-based teaching methods will help student read and comprehend text, engage students in the classroom and with course materials, and improve student performance on tests. Methods addressed include assigning reading activities, repeated testing, and student response systems.

Solving Real World Problems With Alternate Reality Gaming: Student Experiences In The Global Village Playground Capstone Course Design, Mary J. Dondlinger, Julie K. Mcleod

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

The Global Village Playground (GVP) was a capstone learning experience designed to address institutional assessment needs while providing an integrated and authentic learning experience for students aimed at fostering complex problem solving, as well as critical and creative thinking. In the GVP, students work on simulated and real-world problems as a design team tasked with developing an alternate reality game that makes an impact on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Researchers employed a qualitative case study approach to evaluate what aspects of this problem-based, hybrid, course design students found most and least beneficial to their learning. Findings suggest strategies …

Generational Differences In Transfer Student Capital Among Community College Students, Michael J. Rosenberg

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

“Transfer student capital” refers to the learned ability of a student to successfully navigate the process of transferring from a community college to a four-year school. Transfer student capital is accumulated by gathering information about potential destination schools and programs, gaining an understanding of requisite academic skills, campus engagement, and weighing personal concerns surrounding eventual transfer. The more transfer student capital an individual accumulates, the more likely they are to be academically successful and persist to graduation.

This quantitative study examines whether a student’s age cohort may affect the transfer process from community college to a four-year school. The study …

Each One, Teach One: A Blackprint For Mentoring Postsecondary “Twice Exceptional” Student Scholars In “Search Of Education, Elevation And Knowledge”, Selena T. Rodgers, Tiffany Cudjoe

Journal of Research Initiatives

Through the prism of a faculty-student mentoring relationship, this article highlights best practices to gain insight into resources for “twice exceptional” student scholars. Practical application stands at a position of intersecting domains—changing the tapestry of scholarly service and undergraduate research mentoring, and as an Each One, Teach One black-print model for mentoring. The article concludes with recommendations for best practices for post secondary mentors, educators, and counselors invested in developing student scholars in Search of Education, Elevation, and Knowledge.

Student Engagement And Academic Achievement In Technology Enhanced And Traditional Classroom Environments, Tomeko Johnson-Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which student engagement and academic achievement were associated with exposure to different modes of instruction; specifically technology enhanced environments vs. traditional FACE-TO-FACE environments. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in October 2013 at a local community college in Charlotte, NC. The Class Level Survey of Student Engagement (CLASSE) was administered to collect valid and reliable variables relating to student engagement from a convenience sample consisting of 80 volunteers enrolled in the Medical Science and Science divisions. Other variables were collected using the Demographic Questionnaire, and the Instructional Environment Questionnaire. The …

“What The Hell Is Revise?”: Student Approaches To Coursework In Developmental English At One Urban-Serving Community College, Stefan A. Perun

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The primary objective of this dissertation was to help illuminate why most students who enroll in developmental English at community colleges never make it to a college-level course. The extant literature suggests that students’ learning experiences in a course largely account for success or failure, yet few studies have uncovered how students experience content and pedagogy in developmental English at community colleges, and how these experiences shape students’ success or failure in their course. To remedy this gap, I conducted a semester-long, classroom level, qualitative study of three sections of developmental English at one community college. I primarily relied upon …

The Effect Of Delayed Enrollment, Regional Wealth, And First-Generation Status On Community College Student Success, Sunita Etwaroo Hines

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

For many students, the path to earning a postsecondary educational degree is often met with personal and social obstacles, but first-generation students are less likely to even enroll in postsecondary education and they have a higher probability for attrition when compared to their counterparts. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between delayed enrollment, regional wealth, and first-generation status on community college student success. This study analyzed differences in student success for students who enrolled at the community college immediately after high school graduation, for those who delayed enrollment up to two years, or delayed enrollment more …

Students' Perceptions And Experiences Of A Diversity And Inclusion Training Program At A Community College, Norma I. Corral-Chandler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A community college developed a diversity and inclusion training program, Maximizing Our Strengths as an Inclusive Community (MOSAIC), to address the lack of diversity training for students and staff. However, the program had not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to learn about students' perceptions and experiences of the MOSAIC program. Guided by theories of constructivism and components of critical race theory related to critical studies in Whiteness, social identity theory, and best practices for diversity and inclusion training, this study explored how students described the effectiveness of the program. Interview data for this responsive program evaluation using …

The Fifth Function Of University: “Neutrosophic E-Function” Of Communication-Collaboration-Integration Of University In The Information Age, Florentin Smarandache, Stefan Vladutescu

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The study is based on the following hypothesis with practical foundation: - Premise 1 - if two members of university on two continents meet on the Internet and initiate interdisciplinary scientific communication; - Premise 2 - subsequently, if within the curricular interests they develop an academic scientific collaboration; - Premise 3 - if the so-called collaboration integrates the interests of other members of the university; - Premise 4 - finally, if the university allows, accepts, validates and promotes such an approach; - Conclusion: then it means the university as a system (the global academic system) has, and it is, exerting …

Exploring Faculty Adoption And Utilization Of Blackboard At A Community College In The Kentucky Community And Technical College System, Brent A. Eldridge

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

The study explored the faculty adoption and use of a Blackboard at a community college in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. A cross-sectional survey design was constructed through the lens of Rogers’s Perceived Attributes of Innovations and Chickering and Ehrman’s Implementing Seven Principles: Technology as a Lever to investigate perceptions and opinions on faculty members’ use of Blackboard in their courses. The survey was piloted, modified and deployed to a population of 932 central Kentucky community college faculty who were recruited to participate in the online survey. Descriptive demographic items (gender, age, highest degree attained, years of teaching …

Articulation Agreements: Academic Success, Persistence And Graduation From Online And Face-To-Face Degree Completion Programs, Darnette Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal-comparative study is to examine whether differences exist in the retention and persistence of articulation participants based on face-to-face or online degree completion. The study will determine the rate of completion of articulation participants who transfer from a North Carolina Community College to a state university in North Carolina and enroll in traditional face-to-face classes versus articulation participants who enroll in online degree completion. There is considerable literature on articulation from the perspective of student satisfaction and an administrator's perception. Substantial research on policies and procedures as well as comparison to native and transfer students. There …

A Correlational Analysis Of Course Retention And Faculty Status In A Community College Setting, Pamela Hutto

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Colleges are under pressure to educate a growing student population, while economic resources in higher education are diminishing. One measure of success for colleges is the ability to retain students. Due to the varied nature of the community college population, measuring student retention is particularly challenging. One facet of student retention is course retention, defined as the successful completion of a course with a grade of C or higher. Course retention is associated with the likelihood of degree completion; therefore, it served as the measure of student retention used in this study. Theoretical models, supported by research, show a link …

Improving Assessment Practice At The Course And Programmatic-Levels In Community Colleges: Developing The Guidebook For Student Learning Outcomes & The Assessment Loop, Steven George Beining

Dissertations and Theses

This project-based dissertation described, in detail, a seven-step research and development (R&D) process used to create, and bring to operational use, an educational tool that supported the academic use of the assessment loop: the Guidebook For Student Learning Outcomes & The Assessment Loop. The dissertation established the problem that this product solved, provided relevant research, including a literature review, and the process and methods that led to the development of this useful product. It described the purpose of this specific guidebook and for guidebooks in general.

This project was informed by research of instructional design of text-based teaching materials, R&D-focused …

Online Attrition At A Community College In Rural Appalachia: A Phenomenological Approach, Victoria Sue Ratliff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The education attainment level of residents in rural Appalachia has consistently ranked below the remaining populous of the United States. Although distance education initiatives have attempted to bridge the disparities between rural Appalachia and the rest of the nation, online community college students in this region are likely to drop out or fail their classes. To understand the phenomenon of online attrition in rural Appalachia, a phenomenological study was conducted to determine what students experienced from the time they chose to enroll in online classes through the point of failure or withdrawal from their courses. This triangulated study utilized surveys, …

Developmental Education Repeaters: Stories About Repetition, Jade J. O'Dell

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Developmental education students make up almost half of the community college population in the United States (Bettinger & Long, 2005). Approximately 42% of first-time freshmen at community colleges must enroll in at least one developmental education course in English, reading and/or math (NCES, 2010). Many developmental education students are unsuccessful in passing a developmental education course in their first and second attempts and retake the course sometimes five times before passing. There is substantial research on persistence among college students, but the research fails to link persistence to developmental education repeaters. My study sought to explore community college developmental education …

Women In Leadership: Factors That Affect The Achievement Of Women In Higher Education Administration At Four-Year Public And Private Universities In Texas, Dawn Liguez

Theses & Dissertations

Women in Leadership: Factors that affect the Achievement of Women in Higher Education Administration At Four-Year Public and Private Universities in Texas

By: Dawn Marie Ramirez

Dissertation Chair, Absael Antelo, Ph.D.

University of the Incarnate Word, 2012

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the factors that affect women administrators in higher education at four-year public and private universities in Texas. By comparing private and public universities, the research provided an assessment of similarities and differences of the factors impacting achievement of women in higher education. This study surveyed (N = 288) female administrators in higher education, …

Student And Instructor Perceptions Of Factors Important For Student Success In Online And In-Person Algebra Classes At Somerset Community College, Richard S. Matika

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Online mathematics courses at Somerset Community College (SCC) have traditionally had a lower retention rate than their in-person counterparts. This study looked at online and in-person students at SCC in the courses Intermediate Algebra and College Algebra. Beginning of semester student demographics were considered to determine whether or not the online and in-person student populations were comparable. End of semester student demographics, retention rates, and grades on the final exams were examined to determine whether or not there were patterns among completer students. Finally, a survey was administered to students and instructors to determine their perceptions of several factors …

Promoting Success In Developmental English: Student Life Skills Courses A Mixed-Methods Case Study, Richard Anthony Greene

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to describe the impact the SLS courses had on the retention and success rates of students who were taking developmental English courses at FSCJ-Kent Campus, (b) to explain how students taking developmental English felt the SLS courses impacted them, and (c) to find out what elements of the SLS program were most and least valued by students.

In order to understand how the SLS program impacted students in the developmental English program at FSCJ-Kent Campus, I conducted a mixed methods case study using FSCJ–Kent Campus as the research site. The case study …

A Study Of Organizational Structures Impacting Noncredit Workforce Education And Their Effects On Determining Workforce Development Strategies In Louisiana's Community And Technical Colleges, William S. Wainwright

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Lumina Foundation (2007) indicates that 54 million adults in the workforce are seeking noncredit education opportunities in a credit course/program delivery system designed to meet the needs of traditional college students. Working adults seeking continuing education coupled with dislocated workers as a result of changing economic situations represents this growing population. Community and technical colleges in Louisiana benefit from a for-credit formula funding model and do not benefit from a formula funding mechanism that supports noncredit education enrollments. As Louisiana’s community and technical colleges face continuous budget challenges resulting from economic recession, college leaders are making critical decisions in …

Caring, Interaction, And Active Teaching Strategies: Factors That Contribute To The Success Of The Associate Degree Nursing Student, Penelope Sue Logsdon

Dissertations

This exploratory study examined successful associate degree nursing students’ perceptions regarding the importance of caring by the nursing faculty, nursing faculty/student interaction, and faculty use of active teaching strategies. Participants completed a researcher developed survey instrument that measured both the importance and frequency of the caring, interaction, and active teaching strategies. The survey instrument measured six demographic factors and 30 statements regarding caring, interaction, and active teaching. Participants rated the statements for both importance and frequency on a four-point Likert scale. Five community and technical college associate degree nursing programs participated in the research with a total of 270 successful …

Effectiveness Of Introduction To College Ge-100, Charles E. Johnson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In 2008, the excitement to teach the class, Introduction to College to new students who are beginning college, was greatly accepted with much reservation. Numerous memories reflected back to that special period when the writer was faced with those daunting decisions of where to attend college. Those memories of excitement and fear of being away from home the very first time, starting college life, meeting new friends, and what career path to choose, were difficult decisions during that transitional time. Orientation class back then consisted mainly of a half day spent touring the college campus and listening to various speakers; …

Brief Report: 30th Anniversary Survey Results, Paige Asawa

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Mini-Computers And E-Books On The Success Of At-Risk College Students, Aaron W. Hughey, Charlene Manco

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

Academically underprepared college students; i.e., those identified as needing developmental (remedial) English, mathematics and reading courses in order to maximize their potential for academic success at college-level studies, were provided with the opportunity to rent, for a minimal, subsidized fee, mini-computers bundled with digital course materials (e-books). The academic aptitude of the students who participated in the study was assessed when they entered the program, and their academic performance was assessed at the conclusion of the semester in which they were provided with these resources. The aptitude, performance and retention of program participants were then compared to those of similarly …