Although competency-based education (CBE) has existed since the early 1970s adult-focused degree programs, interest in CBE has spiked in recent years due to the increased attention on higher education affordability and accountability. This article reviews the extant literature on CBE to address the following questions: (a) What are the definitions…

This article explores how a composition program at a minority serving, Midwestern university used an accelerated learning approach in its general education composition course sequence. Using research in the area of literacy theory and developmental education, as well as assessment data, the program designed a two-course general education…

This paper explores the teaching loads of faculty in the University of North Carolina (UNC) system. Salaries for faculty members are the single largest cost of higher education in the UNC system, accounting for approximately half of expenditures. The system's funding formula for its 16 college campuses is largely dependent upon the number of…

This study explores through descriptive analysis the similarities of structured group learning experiences such as first-year seminars, learning communities, orientation, success courses, and accelerated developmental education programs, in terms of their design features and implementation at community colleges. The study takes as its conceptual…

More states are considering what kinds of policies or processes can be put in place to successfully improve the degree attainment of their postsecondary students, and one popular option is a reverse transfer policy. Reverse transfer policies usually involve authorizing community colleges to award a degree or certificate to students that have…

This article documents the patterns of White-Black and White-Hispanic enrollment gaps in Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE) programs across thousands of school districts in the United States by merging several data sources. We show that the vast majority of districts have racial enrollment gaps in both programs, with wider gaps in AP…

This document contains the technical appendices for the report "Dual Enrollment in California: Promoting Equitable Student Access and Success." Appendices include: (1) Data and methods; and (2) Additional tables and figures. [This report was written with research support from Bonnie Brooks and Gabriel Gutierrez Aragon. For the full…

The "2021 Fall Enrollment Report" contains the following tables, charts, and figures: (1) System Duplicated and Institutional Headcount Enrollments; (2) Full Time and Part Time Headcount; (3) High School Students Enrolled in College Courses, Beginning Freshmen and Transfer Students, Developmental and Collaborative Course Enrollments; (4)…

This report for Success Boston, The Boston Foundation and the Boston Opportunity Agenda explores the many reasons why students at two institutions, Bunker Hill Community College and UMass-Boston, "stopped out" of their learning without a degree, and the reasons they did (or did not) return. The report also discusses ways in which other…

Across the United States, more than half of entering freshmen discover they are ineligible for college-level coursework each year, most commonly in math. The readiness gap is widest when considering students at nonselective two-year colleges, and students who are black, Hispanic, or from low-income families. It often spells disaster for students…

Education sectors worldwide have been pressed to re-evaluate admission and credit transfer policies to enhance higher education (HE) qualifications access and career mobility. This study presents the case of a technical institute's re-development of its vocational programme to facilitate academic credit transfer and establish accessible, efficient…

Objective: This study examines the characteristics, course enrollment patterns, and academic outcomes of students who started their college careers in noncredit courses. Method: Drawing upon a rich dataset that includes transcript and demographic information on both for-credit and noncredit students in multiple institutions, this study explores…

This research examines factors that contribute to persistence of sophomore students. It builds a model to predict the likelihood of leaving the institution by third year and explores whether the concept of transfer receptivity can be used to explain differences in persistence between continuing and transfer sophomore students. Results indicate…

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting financial crisis are forcing millions of students to reconsider their educational plans--a development that's likely to increase the number of students transferring among institutions in the years ahead. Affordable and close to home, community colleges in particular are now poised to attract more students…

Colorado, like other states across the country, utilizes dual enrollment as a strategy to cultivate seamless P-20 pathways and increase credential completion. Dual enrollment programs provide high school students with the opportunity to enroll in college-level courses, simultaneously earning both high school and college credit, often at greatly…