Reacting directly to the fact that even the best syllabus is worthless to the student who does not read it, this essay draws inspiration from research of the past decade, especially from the learning-focused syllabus concept that was introduced by three researchers at the University of Virginia, and uses a questionnaire to gauge our community…

In 2013, Chancellor DuBois convened a Task Force on Diversity with the aim of making the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) a model for diversity by "increasing the demographic diversity of the VCCS so that teaching faculty and leaders look more like the communities we serve" (Chancellors Diversity Task Force, 2014, p. 3). The hard…

This report investigates communication and data sharing between K-12 and community colleges to identify best practices. This wide-ranging topic encompassed many efforts that impact student recruitment, retention and success in their postsecondary education. To prioritize the most pressing issues, this report focuses on recent system-wide findings…

12.5 million secondary and postsecondary students are currently enrolled in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in the United States ("Career," 2019). CTE programs provide students with the academic skills, technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners…

The plagiarism detection programs SafeAssign and Turnitin are commonly used at the collegiate level to detect improper use of outside sources. In order to determine whether either program is superior, this study evaluated the programs using four standards: (1) the ability to detect legitimate plagiarism, (2) the ability to avoid false positives,…

This article presents a study that compared the success rates of students in Arithmetic (MTH 02), Algebra I (MTH 03), and Algebra II (MTH 03) when they were offered at Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC) for three credits versus five credits. The authors' findings showed no significant differences in the success rates of students who were…

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is increasingly offering more Web-based, online orientation courses to students. Since the fall semester of 1999, the community college campuses throughout the VCCS have offered over 100 sections of online orientation courses. However, no assessment data or research for these courses or students exists.…

The degree of difficulty in students making the transition to a four-year institution after graduating from a two-year college is illustrated by two vignettes, one demonstrating a moderately difficult transition and the other showing an easy transition. Discusses in the conclusion the importance of establishing a niche at the transfer institution…

Examines the extent of credit and non-credit offerings in entrepreneurship and small-business management in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Indicates that entrepreneurship training and education is not a priority at all Virginia community colleges. Finds that there is strong demand for such offerings from students enrolled in the…

Examines key factors influencing how faculty have integrated technology into classrooms at the Loudoun campus of Northern Virginia Community College. Reveals potential barriers impeding this effort. Finds significant differences between the perceptions of full- and part-time faculty in terms of developing a comfort level with technology and having…

Today's community college serves as the entry point to well-paying technical jobs as well as the entry point to the baccalaureate degree and beyond. What, then, can be done to ensure that low-income students have access to and success in community colleges? Research, both theoretical and empirical, shows that there is no one student characteristic…

Based on an analysis of student success rates in developmental math courses and the results of a survey of math programs at other community colleges in Virginia, the math faculty at Southwest Virginia Community College increased the number of credit hours for developmental mathematics courses to allow students more time to master fundamental…

Reveals that field-dependent (oriented toward social activities) and field-independent (oriented toward solitary activities) cognitive styles were not significantly related to the successful completion of asynchronous distance-education courses at Southwest Virginia Community College. Includes information explaining distance education,…

Laird studies the relationship between two computerized nursing tests and finds a relationship between the two sets of scores. (Contains 2 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to assess how well the ASSET, COMPASS, and in-house readiness tests actually do in their placement of students into the algebra developmental courses. Specifically, the author collected and analyzed student data from these placement tools and the core final exams for MTH 03 and MTH 04 to determine how well these…