Community College Education Administration Commons^™

Improving Community College Faculty Effectiveness Through Technology-Based Learning Communities, David Mark Peter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

College faculty members are often inadequately prepared to use technology in their classrooms. They often learn technology without institutional support, and without understanding technology's impact on student learning. As a result of these shortcomings, the use of technology in the college classroom is often not systematic or focused on improving learning. This study used a conceptual framework based on Wenger's learning community or community of practice idea. This study examined a Midwestern university where faculty made only limited use of classroom technology and did not demonstrate contemporary approaches to student learning. The study set out to determine the impact of …

The Impact Of Self-Efficacy And Motivation Characteristics On The Academic Achievement Of Upward Bound Participants, Brenda Leigh Brown

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of self-efficacy and motivation characteristics on the achievement of at-risk students. Seventy-nine Upward Bound program participants completed self-efficacy, motivation, and demographic questionnaires. The relationship between GPA and self-efficacy was significant, negative, and low in strength. High GPA was associated with high self-efficacy (as shown by lower numbers on the survey). Gender, length of time in the Upward Bound (UB) program, length of participation in the UB summer program, college sponsor (community or four-year college), self-efficacy characteristics, and motivation characteristics significantly predicted academic achievement as measured by GPA. The relationship between …

Student Perceptions Of Campus Safety Within The Virginia Community College System, Robert Chad Patton

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This research examined Virginia community college students' perceptions of campus safety. A survey of 11,161 students revealed the crimes students most feared being a victim of while on the community college campus and the areas in which they felt the most and least safe. The research also demonstrated the effect certain variables had on students' overall perception of campus safety. The variables studied included student demographics, the presence and type of security personnel, and the rurality of the campus setting. The campuses with the highest and lowest degrees of perceived safety were then further studied via case studies to gather …

Where Next? A Study Of Work And Life Experiences Of Mature Students (Incl. Disadvantaged) In Three Higher Education Institutions, Aidan Kenny, Ted Fleming, Andrew Loxley, Fergal Finnegan

Other Resources

This study explores how graduates who entered college as mature students, and ‘disadvantaged’ mature students, view and value Higher Education after graduating with a primary degree. The study highlighted the limited usefulness of the concept of disadvantaged mature student and the findings of the research were not significantly different whether one was a mature student or a disadvantaged mature student. The rationale given by the state for supporting mature students in Higher Education (HE) is that it will yield economic and social benefits for both the students and society. As a consequence a wide range of access policies has been …

Moderator Effect Of Financial Aid On Predictors Of Community College Graduation Rate, Richard Wilt

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the resource allocation decisions community colleges make in order to gain insight into the relationship of those decisions to graduation rate and whether those relationships were influenced by the percentage of students at the college receiving financial aid. Much of the literature on persistence and graduation rate in higher education is based on student characteristics such as SAT scores, high school GPA, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, or on college selectivity. This study switches the focus to the characteristics of the college rather than the student.

The relative lack of literature on community college graduation rates and the …

A Phenomenological Study Of Leader Experiences And Reactions To Transformational Change In A Multicampus System, John E. Cech

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on organizational change theory confirms the importance of leaders' ability to establish a sense of urgency, create institutional support for change, develop a vision, communicate the vision, empower others toward action, generate results, and ultimately create change in the organizational culture. Organizational change in nested systems, in which CEOs of individual units report upward through a state, regional, or corporate hierarchy, has not been extensively studied. To address this gap in the literature, this phenomenological study explored perceptions of college leaders who in 2002-2003 participated in the transformation of seven 2-year technical colleges into a community college system. The …

The Relationship Between Campus Climate And The Teaching Of Critical Thinking Skills In Community College Classrooms, Thomas C. Simon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although critical thinking skills are important for all citizens participating in a democratic society, many community college students appear to lack these skills. This study addressed the apparent lack of research relating critical thinking instruction to campus climate. Critical thinking theory and Moos's organizational climate theory served as the theoretical foundation. The relationship between faculty's perceptions of three campus climate factors and their use of five critical thinking instructional techniques in the classroom was analyzed in this quantitative study. An online instrument based on the School-Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) to measure campus climate and a researcher-designed measure of critical thinking …

Technical College System Of Georgia Announces Mergers

Georgia Library Quarterly

The article reports on the merger of the nine colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia into four colleges. The merged colleges are the Chattahoochee Technical College, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Southeastern Technical College, and West Georgia Technical College. A noted result of the mergers is the increase in intra-library loans among the colleges. Additional schools are also expected to consolidate in 2010.

Successful Community College Alumni Programs, Monica S. Boyd, Mitchell R. Williams, Kevin Pennington

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

As state funding for community colleges continues not to keep pace with programming needs, more community colleges are taking the initiative to seek funding from private sources. Four-year colleges and universities have long used alumni programs as major outside sources of funding. Since a high percentage of today's students embark on their higher education experience at the community college, it is natural for more two-year institutions to begin alumni programs. Based on in-depth interviews with directors of successful community college alumni programs, this article suggests "best practices" for community colleges that are considering the development of an alumni program. It …

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 …

The Impact Of A First -Year Learning Community On Student Persistence: Perceptions Of Community College Students, David Gerkin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This descriptive case study explored the perceptions of former community college first year learning community participants on aspects of their learning community experience that affected their persistence in college using Astin's student involvement theory and Tinto's student persistence model as a conceptual framework. Learning communities have been shown to increase student persistence, but little is known about how they do so. A better understanding of how learning communities contribute to increased student persistence would improve learning community practice and gain administrative support for learning communities. This study used a mixed methods research design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative …

An Examination Of The Use Of Portfolios For Faculty Evaluation At Community Colleges, Becky Sain, Mitchell R. Williams

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study provides community college leaders with insights regarding how administrators and faculty members perceive faculty portfolios as an evaluation tool in two-year colleges. Utilizing a qualitative design, this study focused on perceptions of administrators and faculty members regarding the use of portfolios as the primary instrument for faculty evaluation. Overall, faculty and administrators found portfolios useful when the process encouraged and allowed for faculty self-reflection and honest feedback from administrators.

An Examination Of Differences Between Online Learning For Hispanic And Caucasian Community College Students, Edward J. Beyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hispanic students are enrolling in community colleges at an increasing rate, and they do not succeed in community college online courses at a rate comparable to Caucasian students. Increasing Hispanic success in online education could potentially enhance their socioeconomic status. Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of andragogy and constructivism, the purpose of this case study was to examine differences between Hispanic and Caucasian students in online learning and identify factors that might contribute to the reported differences in success across Hispanic and Caucasian online students. Research questions contrasted the impact of course design, Internet access, learning preferences, and motivation on …

Predisposition Factors Of Career And Technical Education Transfer Students: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Study, Warren Glen Hioki

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Various econometric, sociological, and combined research models (e.g., Hossler and Gallagher's preeminent Three-Phase Model on College Choice) provide help in understanding high school students in their decision-making stages and college experience. Many studies that utilize these models on college choice strongly substantiate and perpetuate the long-standing dichotomy between students who aspire to attend college in pursuit of upward mobility through the traditional baccalaureate pathway versus a community college Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway. High school students' aspirations to attend a 4-year institution, and more recently, the community college, are a focal point.

A review of the literature as it …

Nontraditional Physical Activity Courses: Perceptions Of Community College Leaders, Long B. Nguyen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Innovative physical training practices and concepts such as yoga, Pilates, tai chi, cardio kickboxing, cardio spinning, and step aerobics have emerged to provide college students with alternative fitness exercises. However, due to unavailable research, community college administrative and curriculum leaders may perceive nontraditional physical activity courses as unrelated to the values of physical education. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the perceptions of chairpersons/deans and faculty in physical education regarding nontraditional physical activity courses as compared to sport-related courses offered in community college physical education programs. Educational change theories of beliefs, values, and decision-making structures provided the …

A Survey Of Community College Faculty, Their Teaching Methodologies, And Congruence With Student Learning Needs, Susan J. Campbell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

National movements for greater quality in education have increased concerns about student learning and the effectiveness of teaching for the community college. Faculty are responsible for student learning, yet criticized for using ineffective teaching methods despite limited data on community college teaching practices. The purpose of this study was to gain a descriptive understanding of current teaching practices in three community colleges. This single-phase study used a concurrent mixed-method exploratory research design. A purposeful sample of 185 community college faculty across three colleges in the southwestern United States were surveyed about what methods they use, how they perceive their teaching …

The Influence Of Career-Technical Student Organizations On Non-Traditional And Traditional Community College Students, Suzanne Lee Johnson

Dissertations

Student organizations have been contributing to adult education for years. The need to recruit non-traditional students and retain them is very important to the financial support of the career and technical program. If a career-technical student organization (CTSO) can encourage retention and completion of traditional and non-traditional students in a field of study, the state might realize the need to increase the funding provided to the advisers/instructors of the CTSO and the financial support of the CTSO. This study investigated what motivates a student to become an active member in a CTSO and to what extent the CTSO contributed to …

Understanding And Application Of Learning College Concepts Among Community College Support Staff Employees, Laura E. Weidner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on the Learning College indicates that everyone in the college must support learning. There have not been previous studies that centered on whether or not support staff, a major constituency group in community colleges, participates in supporting learning. This adapted phenomenological study examined staff in a Learning College to determine their understanding and application of the Learning College concept. Three research questions addressed how these employees understand the concept, perceive their roles, and apply Learning College principles. The study was conducted in a theoretical framework combining Learning College, change, and organizational culture theories. Data were collected from a purposive …

Student Satisfaction With Online Learning Effectiveness At A Connecticut Community College, Alina R. Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, institutions of higher education have dramatically increased the number of online courses and degree programs offered to students, and yet it remains unclear what factors determine student satisfaction with online course and instructor effectiveness. Accordingly, the purpose of this exploratory correlation study was to examine how factors related to courses and instructors contributed to student perceptions of course quality (CQ) and instructor effectiveness (IE). Six stepwise regression procedures assessed the effects of specific course and instructor characteristics on perceptions of CQ and IE across one year of course evaluation data collected in a northeastern 2-year college. Results …

The Impact Of Participation In A Virginia Community College Orientation Program Course On Student Engagement, Satisfaction, Academic Achievement, And Retention, Wendy L. Tighe

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Participation in an orientation program course and several student engagement and satisfaction factors have been identified as positively related to desirable student outcomes. This study explored student engagement, satisfaction, academic achievement, and retention for students based on their enrollment in an orientation course at Tidewater Community College (TCC) in Virginia. This study used a cross-sectional, static group comparison secondary data analysis approach to explore four research questions. The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) data used for this study came from the TCC spring 2005 Community College Student Report (CCSR) this study determined whether or not participation in an …

Illinois Public Community College Department Chair Roles And Role Conflict, Kristine M. Young

Vice President for Academic Services Scholarship

This research had two purposes: to determine community college department chair roles and to determine whether role conflict exists for the status of Illinois public community college department chair. The research was divided into two phases. In Phase I, community college department chair role factors were determined. Using ratings of importance reported by a sample of Illinois public community college department chairs on a modified version of Carroll and Gmelch’s (1992) department chair duty questionnaire, principal components analysis was employed to determine an underlying factor structure. Five factors were determined and interpreted as department chair roles: Department Leader, Resource Manager, …

The Preferred Classroom Environment Of College-Level Business Administration Students In Urban Community Colleges, Thomas J. Cox

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

Intimate Partner Violence Among Male And Female U.S. Community College Students, Shakiera Benson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence affects a significant portion of college-aged individuals, but researchers know little about how the intersection of age, race, class, and gender influence intimate partner violence among community college students in the United States. In this quantitative correlational study, I examined the relationship between intimate partner violence and gender, race, age, class, marital status, and past abuse among community college students using the intersectionality theory. I used the Abusive Behavior Inventory and a demographic survey to collect data via a convenience sample of the target population of men (n = 220) and women (n = 330) attending a …

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 …

Missouri A+ Students: How Are They Doing?, Jeffrey Jochems

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if students receiving assistance through the A+ Program exhibited higher academic performance (measured by college cumulative GPA, number of remedial courses taken, and graduation rates) at OTC than two comparison groups of non-A+ students with similar background characteristics. A secondary purpose of the study was to determine if students receiving assistance through the A+ Program (categorized by gender, size of high school, and degree sought) exhibited higher academic performance at OTC than two other comparison groups o f non-A+ students with similar background characteristics.

The A+ Program was established in 1993 …

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 …

Organizational Persistence And Change: A Case Study Of A Community College, Paula L. Welmers

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This longitudinal case study examined the origins, growth, and development of one community college in Michigan, North Central Michigan College (NCMC). The purpose of the study was to understand organizational persistence and change through learning how one organization formed and developed over time.

Five eras between 1958 and 1995 were described, and a conceptual frame considered three levels of organizational responsibility: national, state, and local environments; core technology activities; and leadership activities. Core technology activities were further analyzed using eight indicators of centrality and marginality: a) policy, b) number and type of employees, c) dedicated facilities; d) funding source, e) …

Strenghtening The Academic Quality, Community Presence And Institutional Power Of The Two-Year Community Colleges In New Jersey, Jennifer R. Hopek

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

Constructing A Public Community College Presidency: A Retrospective Study, Annabel Brooks

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This retrospective, qualitative case study examined the complexities of leadership in a community college setting under a single, long-term president. Six critical events were identified by 16 key informants as a basis for reflection on their views of the 23-year presidency of Dr. William Seeker at Florida Keys Community College.

The researcher found a highly participatory leadership model and a college that functions in a less hierarchical manner than is traditionally encountered in community colleges. The study further revealed that the president of Florida Keys Community College expanded the role of president by giving priority to the construction of a …

Comparison Of State Appropriations By Function And By Program To Actual Expenditures For The Two-Year Institutions In The Tennessee Board Of Regents System, Rosemary Y. Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to determine the extent to which the 14 two-year institutions of the Tennessee Board of Regents system expended funds in functional categories equal to the amount of funds provided by the appropriations funding formula for the same functional categories. The second purpose was to determine the extent to which the 14 two-year institutions expended funds for direct instructional purposes for each academic program equal to the amount of funds provided by the appropriations funding formula for direct teaching purposes for each academic program. Using an archival research design, appropriations …