Online learning provides students greater access to higher education opportunities when regular, on-campus options are not viable. However, for administrators and educators, online learning can be difficult to assess and ensure quality, which leads institutions to use quality assurance frameworks such as the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program…

This dissertation conducts an evaluative case study on a community college's Career-Technical Education (CTE) Cultural Resource Management (CRM) technical certificate program to bridge the CRM workforce gap. The study assesses the program's design and development quality by aligning the program theory with stakeholders' needs, including…

This article introduces "dual enrollment equity pathways" (DEEP)--a research-based framework for rethinking à la carte dual enrollment as a more equitable on-ramp to college programs of study that lead to high-opportunity careers for students historically underserved in dual enrollment. Using interview data collected from six sites (six…

The Evaluating the Quality of Instruction in Post-secondary Mathematics (EQIPM) is a 14-item instrument that uses videos of teaching to investigate the quality of instruction in college algebra courses taught at community colleges. We hypothesize that quality of instruction can be characterized along three distinct factors, the interactions…

The Accountability Plan is an annual report that is closely aligned with the Board of Governors' 2025 System Strategic Plan. This report enhances the System's commitment to accountability and strategic planning by fostering greater coordination between institutional administrators, University Boards of Trustees and the Board of Governors regarding…

The increased demand for online courses correlates to increased workloads for faculty, staff, and leadership. Hiring, staffing, and other logistical matters often trump the emphasis on course quality. This paper introduces a strategic framework for creating and sustaining a successful distance education model. Tarrant County College Connect Campus…

This paper provides an overview of the United States higher education system. It gives readers introductory information about the size, scope and governance model of US higher education. This is a challenging task because higher education in the US is highly decentralized with no single 'system' coordinating all institutions of higher education…