Community college students may become more vulnerable to food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may eventually impact their health, shape their interpretations of food insecurity and injustice within their lives, and cause them to reevaluate the support that they need from their community college. This study analyzes the food security…

Objectives: Nationally, community colleges provide academic instruction to 5.6 million students annually. However, sexual health services, are often lacking. This pilot study was developed to assess the feasibility of implementing screening for sexually transmitted infections in community college settings in New York City where approximately…

Navigating the landscape of higher education takes more than just attending classes, passing, and graduating. It requires a set of skills known as "college fluency." Libraries play a pivotal role in helping fluency flourish, training their employees and other faculty and staff members across their institution to adapt to the needs of…

Navigating higher education requires more than attending classes and completing assignments; it requires "college fluency," a set of skills that enables students, faculty, and staff to effectively locate and utilize institutional resources. College fluency can empower students, faculty, and staff to navigate the complex culture and…

Community college career and technical education (CTE) represents one potential way in which students can receive important postsecondary education and training. Yet, existing research suggests rural community college students experience stratified access to CTE. Using a joint human capital theory and geography of opportunity theoretical…

Community college students' success in required gateway courses plays a key role in their academic progress toward credential completion. Focusing on students who earned a D, F, or W grade in their first attempt at a required gateway course, this study investigated if students' initial attempt course modality is related to their later choice to…

This dissertation is composed of three studies linking general education astronomy to student performance, course-taking, graduation, and identity. The first study examined demographic and academic predictors of astronomy performance among a cohort of N=1,909 community college students enrolled in astronomy courses in a large suburban community…

The implementation of California Assembly Bill (CAB) 705 has impacted how students enroll into Physics courses. This paralleled anecdotal evidence of a decline in student mathematical abilities. The goal of this research study was to determine the existence of a relationship between CAB 705 and student success in specific Physics courses. This…

A distributive model of education has recently become a popular method for training veterinary technicians in the United States. Although this model has significant benefits, such as decreased cost of program infrastructure, there are significant challenges in managing students and their clinical skill acquisition using private veterinary…

Community college (CC) students interested in medical school may lack the resources to be successful. CC students represent diverse backgrounds and often more closely reflect underserved populations' demographics than traditional University students. Yet, there is a negative association between attending a CC and being accepted into a medical…

Community colleges are trending toward a decrease in full-time faculty and an increase in adjunct faculty. Using 2019-2020 IPEDS data from 853 community colleges, researchers explored the relationship between full-time faculty and community college student retention, and combined graduation and transfer rate. Results demonstrated that proportion…

Background: Instructors often use a point-based system for grading students (e.g., 100 or 1000 total points). This system can impact student outcomes. Objective: The purpose of this research was to examine the implications of different point value courses for student emotions, perceptions of courses, and classroom performance. Method: The…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of a voluntary walking program that combined moderate physical activity and student interaction on student retention at a community college. Methods: A sample of 69 students at a suburban community college voluntarily joined a walking program and logged the number of minutes they…

Community College Reentry Programs (CCRPs) are campus-based programs that serve formerly incarcerated students by providing targeted services attuned to their needs. Currently, there are 62 community colleges in California that have CCRPs. While emerging research has begun to examine the experiences of students in these programs, little is known…

Random call has been proposed as an inclusive and equitable practice that engages students in learning. However, this inclusion may come with a cost. In some contexts, students experience anxiety and distress when being called on. Recently, focus has shifted to critical components of random call that may mitigate this cost. We examined how…