Student affairs practitioners often rely on anecdotal evidence when asked to demonstrate their contributions to the community college, but their future may depend on their ability to become more data-based and outcomes-oriented. This chapter discusses the need for a culture of evidence in student affairs, describes how to build such a culture, and…

This chapter identifies eleven factors that, when present in a community college, substantially increase the probability that student affairs professionals will be able to create programs that matter to the institution's core mission. The chapter also provides student affairs practitioners with tools to assess the climate in student affairs as…

This article presents an excerpt from the book "Reflections of Engagement." The book is a tribute to the thousands of individuals, who have participated in service learning programs, and a challenge to all individuals in making their communities a better place to live. This article presents the reflections of students and faculty on the…

"Which textbook?" is a question nearly as old as the Gutenberg printing press. Although faculty have always tailored curricula according to their own goals and classroom needs, it remains true for most that the textbook defines the platform around which courses are designed. In today's classroom, the traditional textbook may have been replaced by…

"FACTC Focus" is a publication of Faculty Association of Community and Technical Colleges (FACTC) with the purpose of presenting diverse views on faculty issues. Included in this issue are: (1) Shooting In The Dark: Evaluating Distance Learning Instruction (Stephanie Delaney); (2) Trust Who? - Trust and Learning: Crafting a Conversation That…

The "Student Evaluation of Instruction" (SEOI) was administered to all full-time and part-time faculty. Approximately 97,984 surveys were sent out in 4,917 envelopes; 57,978 surveys were returned to the Office of Institutional Research. The return rate for the paper surveys was 59% including late submissions. Instructors' reports were…

The "Student Evaluation of Instruction: (SEOI) was administered to all full-time and part-time faculty. Approximately 96,055 surveys were sent out in 5,040 envelopes; 48,153 surveys were returned to the Office of Institutional Research. The return rate for the paper surveys was 50% including late submissions. Instructor' reports were provided…

The Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEOI) was administered to part-time faculty and to some full- time faculty upon request. Because of the small number of the full-time faculty surveyed, their ratings were not included in the means in this report. However individual reports for the full-time faculty members were sent to the faculty through…

This fact sheet summarizes data gathered in the 2008 survey of National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant recipients. Conducted by The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University, this was the ninth annual survey of ATE projects and centers. Included here are statistics about the program's grantees and…

Community colleges have traditionally received funding based on student enrollment, which is usually considered an input in the educational process. Recently, however, legislation enacted at the federal and state levels specifies that funding is to hinge, as least in part, on student performance--an output measure. Performance standards improve…

This explorative data mining project used distance based clustering algorithm to study 3 indicators, called OIndex, of student behavioral data and stabilized at a 6-cluster scenario following an exhaustive explorative study of 4, 5, and 6 cluster scenarios produced by K-Means and TwoStep algorithms. Using principles in data mining, the study…

Online learning has entered the mainstream of American higher education. Millions of students are taking online courses, and enrollments are projected to triple over the next several years. Although its rapid growth and increasing acceptance has somewhat muted the once-loud voices of its critics, online learning still struggles with lingering…

"The 2009 Legislative Briefing" is a topical summary of actions during the 2009 legislative sessions that affect education in the 16 SREB states. Topics include: state budgets and the economy; tax and revenue; teacher and faculty pay raises; retirement systems; issues affecting teachers and education leaders; health and safety;…

Higher Education is a vibrant, changing field of study. With roots in multiple disciplines, these degree programs prepare the administrators, faculty, and policy makers who direct the current and future higher education enterprise. At a time when higher education is changing rapidly, these programs are poised to frame the future of an educated…

This seventh in a series of investigations of the basic communication course at 2- and 4-year colleges and universities that began in 1968 has as its purpose to gather longitudinal data on the nature of the course. This latest study differs somewhat from past studies. The survey instrument from 1999 was revised to include timely concerns such as…