State policymakers and the public at large have a vested interest in the successful governance of their higher education institutions. The citizens who are appointed or elected to serve as board members of a state's colleges and universities oversee valuable public assets that they hold in trust for the state and for current and future…

While online course offerings have steadily risen over the last decade and it is estimated that 32% of college students have taken an online course (Allen & Seaman, 2013), the process of preparing students for blended and online courses has varied and is inconsistent across institutions. Attrition rates for online courses have been…

Part-time faculty teach approximately 58% of U.S. community college classes and thus manage learning experiences for more than half (53%) of students enrolled in community colleges (JBL Associates, 2008). Often referred to as "contingent faculty," their work is conditional; the college typically has no obligation to them beyond the…

An alarmingly high percentage of recent high school graduates are not prepared to succeed in college-level courses, and the impact of this educational shortcoming is substantial. Underprepared college students incur a monetary cost of enrolling in remedial courses, and states and taxpayers subsidize much of the overall cost of developmental…

The community college as the entranceway into the baccalaureate degree is becoming a prevalent choice for students. This study was a qualitative approach to understanding attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge acquisition by successful community college transfer students. University students who transferred from a community college and were making…

The purpose of this study was to (a) determine the extent to which Latina/o students' perceptions of support from high school teachers and counselors, as well as acculturation, predict enrollment in AP coursework; (b) examine Latina/o students' perceptions of different forms of support that appear to play a role in academic success (Hassinger…

A compulsory freshman orientation program at Tarrant County Junior College (Texas) required 18 hours of class contact. During the first two weeks of the program, freshmen were presented with general information about the college and introduced to college administrators. During the last six weeks, the students scheduled 10 hours (in any…

The aim of the study was to evaluate the Occupational Orientation programs funded by the Texas Department of Occupational Education. Interviews with 69 staff members rated the adequacy of various program features. Highest ratings were assigned to such items as freedom to utilize materials, equal opportunities, field trips, developing four year…

This report presents the findings of a research study conducted by Alvin Community College (ACC) as a subcontractor for Project FOLLOW-UP, which analyzed orientation and exit interview effects and their relationship to follow-up research on selected withdrawing and graduating students at ACC. Subjects of the study were 595 ACC students, 257 males…

This guide is designed as an aid for the adult education administrator in the pursuit of continuous excellence and quality improvement in adult education programs in Texas. The Acknowledgments section provides an introduction, background, history, and overview of the adult education National Reporting System (NRS); overview of the NRS measures and…

This section on job-related instruction is one of three that comprise a program entitled Related Instruction for Cooperative Part-Time Training. (Other sections are Personal Development and Basic Life Skills.) It contains nine instructional units. Each unit includes the following basic components: unit and specific objectives, notes to the…