Although higher education institutions may be described as forward-thinking in areas such as research, their teaching practices are often perceived as lacking in innovation. This disjunction has led educators, researchers, and policymakers to question the role and implementation of change in higher education contexts and the factors that affect…

Students are transferring from community colleges to four-year institutions in increasing numbers, yet transfers are persisting and graduating from four-year institutions at lower levels than students who had begun at the institution. Research suggests that transfer students feel less connected to a four-year institution, and fostering transfer…

Women now comprise the majority of the higher education workforce; yet they still experience workplace aggression at alarming rates. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate workplace aggression among women colleagues at a small, rural community college. The study also sought to create a more supportive work environment for…

Community colleges have a long history of providing entrance to higher education to minority students who enroll in these institutions underprepared and deprived of basic needs. With limited resources, community college leaders are expected to assist students in academic pursuits. The Center for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Center for EDI)…

Community colleges play a fundamental role in higher education. They are open-access institutions, providing higher education services to individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Community colleges also provide important workforce development and training opportunities to help develop the local economy. Today, states and the federal government…

The purpose of this study and question was to find out if age, gender, or student residency predicted the success in college credit-bearing courses when using the corequisite model. Student residency was defined, for the current study, as where the student lives, such as does the student reside on-campus or off-campus. The research questions for…

Literature shows students with disabilities do not meet student success measures (academic performance, retention, and graduation) the same as their non-disabled peers (Brackin, 2005, p. 13). Students with disabilities are among the fastest growing populations enrolling in post-secondary education in America (Hitchings et al., 2010; Norton &…

The relational mixed methods study assesses success of a college-wide critical thinking program to the academic success of community college students. The research compared the pretest and posttest results of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) given to associate degree graduates during their first semester and last semester of…

This dissertation presents a qualitative case study of students enrolled in online courses and how they perceived the orientation program they completed before starting these courses. The study was based on the perspectives of students enrolled in a fully online program at a small community college in western Maine. They were interviewed…

There exists much debate in the area of hybrid and online developmental mathematics. Researchers believe that the best method of delivery of developmental mathematics is the traditional, instructor-based classroom setting. This study examined the success of developmental mathematics students in traditional, hybrid, and online classroom…

The problem facing many higher education institutions is the ability to engage freshmen students during the first semester of college in order to sustain their enrollment. This study assessed the effectiveness of a freshmen learning community as a retention strategy at a small, rural, and public community college. The purpose of this ex post facto…

This research examined how two decidedly different groups of community college presidents from across the United States viewed the competencies, characteristics, and professional skills identified by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) (2005) as important for effective community college leadership. The two groups participating in…