The adult learner is often defined by age (25 years or older) as an easy way to distinguish this group from students who head to college straight out of high school. But age is insufficient as a defining factor. The growing popularity of other terms like nontraditional student--and more recently, terms like post-traditional student or today's…

Undergraduate research experiences have been widely demonstrated as a beneficial and essential component of the college experience. However, many community colleges face barriers and lack of support in implementing such research programs, which means a significant number of community college students miss out on these impactful experiences.…

The purpose of this article is to present the results of a study that examined the influence of a multi-stage, equity-focused professional development program on the beliefs and understandings about issues of equity and classroom practices among 28 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community college faculty members. The…

The purpose of this study was to determine if retention of first-year college students was influenced by specific variables and programs at one Midwest community college. The study was focused on responses from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2013) and peer mentoring…

As the number of young children with disabilities being included in diverse early childhood settings continues to increase, employing personnel with the requisite knowledge and skills to support their active participation and learning becomes of paramount importance. Because paraprofessionals frequently serve in this capacity, it is critical that…

The definition and description of student success programs in the literature (e.g., orientation, first-year seminars, learning communities, etc.) suggest underlying programmatic similarities. Yet researchers to date typically depend on ambiguous labels to delimit studies, resulting in loosely related but separate research lines and few…

Over a two-year period, six colleges involved in the Working Students Success Network (WSSN) initiative received financial support and technical assistance from ATD to identify key financial challenges their students face, develop specific strategies to address those challenges, and provide feedback on lessons learned from the work to be shared…

This study examined how participation in an inquiry-based workshop on assessing course syllabi for equity-mindedness and cultural inclusivity fostered community college math faculty learning about racial/ethnic equity and equity-mindedness. Findings show that the workshop prompted reflection on what equity means and how participants' teaching…

Student debt has increasingly become an important topic in higher education. Many students, particularly low-income and first-generation college students, do not have a solid understanding of managing personal finances. This becomes further compounded upon entering college, as these students lack the financial acumen to understand the long-term…

In this article we report on our exploration of academic advising practices at 19 community colleges in the Florida College System after the implementation of Senate Bill 1720. This bill made developmental education optional for many students and mandated that colleges provide academic advising for all new students. Descriptive statistics of…

Leadership development for faculty often is designed as training for administration, but faculty demonstrate leadership in the classroom, in their departments, college-wide, and beyond. To fully realize and leverage this leadership potential, colleges must design opportunities for faculty to hone their knowledge and skills as active participants…

Many students are being identified as needing remedial reading as they seek a postsecondary education. Most universities are not offering remedial coursework and thus leaving community colleges that offer remedial reading coursework as the only option for underprepared students. The goal of remedial reading instruction is to teach new literacy…

Many community college students show a lack of interest and engagement in studying history; students' disinterest in history curriculum appears to stem from a teacher centered pedagogy of lecturing and reading unaesthetic history textbooks. Using historical fiction to teach history and develop student interest and engagement is examined in this…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the relationship between participation in Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) at California Valley College (CVC) (one of the 113 California Community Colleges in California) and several measures of student learning. An embedded survey design was developed using William…

This study analyzes the effectiveness of implementing four information literacy sessions within two different English classes in a community college setting. The study found significant improvement in the comfort level of students starting, researching, and writing papers. Additionally, students showed an increased understanding in areas of…