In May 1985, a survey was conducted by Napa Valley College (NVC) to determine the salary and personnel practices of the 48 single-campus community college districts in California and compare them with personnel practices at NVC. The survey focused on salary and benefit allocations in school budgets, estimated reserves or ending balance in 1984-85,…

Presents the findings of a study investigating student and teacher perceptions of the academic abilities of students enrolled in liberal arts courses; students' need for and use of support services; and course attrition rates. Suggests alternatives to promote student success. (WL)

Describes the methodology and findings of a study conducted to determine: (1) the percentage of students who considered themselves weak in an academic area and who took advantage of college assistance programs addressing that deficiency; and (2) student reasons and faculty perceptions regarding lack of participation in remedial programs. (DMM)

The Post-Education Employment Tracking System (PEETS) is an automated system for tracking employment rates and earnings of community college program completers and leavers, linking state Employment Development Department (EDD) unemployment insurance (UI) records with student data from the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges. A…

Designed to assist staff at Napa Valley College (NVC) in their efforts to develop short- and long-range plans for the institution, this report reviews recent reports by the Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding trends in the labor force. Following introductory material, the report looks at occupations with the largest job growth, the 20 fastest…

Examines the status of humanities curricula in community colleges nationwide. Data gathered on course offerings and enrollments from 178 two-year colleges in 1975 and 1977 showed that humanities enrollments decreased while total two-year college enrollment increased. (DR)

Discusses the growth of the assessment movement, reviews the different measures of student performance being requested by state agencies, and describes institutional responses to state mandates. Offers guidelines for implementing an effective assessment program. (DMM)

In November 1984, all administrators, classified staff, and faculty at Napa Valley College (NVC) were surveyed concerning a wide range of topics related to working at the institution. The survey, which was completed by 17 administrators (71%), 60 classified staff members (42%), 71 full-time faculty members (63%), and 79 part-time faculty members…

Analyzes the findings of a study conducted to: (1) identify the type of history courses offered by community colleges; (2) compare the relative strength of history enrollments in relation to total humanities and total college enrollments; and (3) identify, on the basis of enrollments, the most popular history courses. (JP)

A study was conducted to determine the earnings made by students while enrolled at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) in California, and during their first and third years after leaving SBCC. The study, which compared employment status and earnings by occupational field, and outcomes for associate-degree completers and those earning 12 or more…

A review of recent major studies of two-year college developmental mathematics programs shows that there has been much experimentation in curricular offerings, course formats, and instructional approaches, including expanded content related to the students' major fields, and the use of short courses and mini-courses. However, while many…

Community college students are dropping courses at increasing rates at substantial costs to their institutions and themselves. Subsequently, numerous studies have been conducted to investigate this trend, the factors that influence it, and ways of reversing it. A recent study revealed that the most frequently cited reason for course withdrawal was…

In fall 1983, Napa Valley College fully implemented its Student Orientation, Assessment, Advisement, and Retention (SOAAR) program, which consisted of assessment of first-time students' math and reading skills, advisement about enrolling in regular or developmental courses based on scores, course advisement, and the provision of information on…

Examines and evaluates three approaches used by community colleges to provide academic assistance to educationally underprepared students: offering compensatory programs and services as electives; requiring certain students to participate in skills courses; and offering basic skills instruction as part of regular courses. (DMM)

The transcripts of 8,873 students, representing 7% of the enrollments in the Los Angeles Community College District, were examined to determine course participation and completion rates in science. Six curricular areas were investigated: (1) agriculture; (2) biological sciences; (3) engineering; (4) mathematics and computer science; (5) physical…