Gatekeeper courses such as Anatomy and Physiology are often referenced in discussions regarding the national shortage of persons in allied health professions. In an attempt to bolster access to STEM professions, some community colleges are mandating prerequisite courses such as Natural Sciences and/or General Biology for STEM gatekeeping courses.…

The need to improve student success in community colleges has resulted in a growing interest in developmental mathematics. Yet there remains a need to understand the motivations and beliefs of developmental mathematics students in order to cultivate their success. Self-efficacy has been identified to be a predictor of student success. Little is…

Background/Context: Most community colleges across the country use a placement test to determine students' readiness for college-level coursework, yet these tests are admittedly imperfect instruments. Researchers have documented significant problems stemming from overreliance on placement testing, including placement error and misdiagnosis of…

This paper discusses the result of a statewide research effort in California to improve the accuracy of student placement in math and English in the California Community College system. We apply decision tree methods to high school and college transcript data to identify key measures of high school achievement that predict success in ten levels of…

This study investigated the extent that the attributes of incoming students and their subsequent academic and social interactions at an institution are related to community college student retention. Student data from a cohort of first-time students (N = 1089) attending a community college in southwest Missouri was analyzed to examine variables…

The completion agenda demands higher community college graduation rates among adult learners, and prior learning assessment (PLA) is a promising solution. PLA permits students to earn credit for college-level learning acquired outside of higher education and is associated with improved student outcomes. However, little is known regarding community…

Students' re-enrollment in the subsequent semester after their first semester at a four-year institution is a strong predictor of retention and graduation. This is especially true for students who transfer from a community college to a four-year institution because of the many external or non-academic factors influencing a student's decision to…

The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP®) is an exam program consisting of 33 exams in five subject areas that typically correspond to single-semester courses, but some correspond to full-year or two-year courses. CLEP exams offer students the opportunity to receive college course credit for learning that has already occurred outside of the…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of the number of college credits earned in Technical College Preparation (Tech Prep) and Dual Credit (College Now) programs as a predictor of continued success after high school, as measured by first-year college GPA at a Midwest Community College. This study looked at how the…

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to determine the degree to which Licensed Practical Nursing programmatic variables positively correlate with select Tennessee Technology Center institution pass rates on the licensure examination--NCLEX-PNRTM. This study investigated the relationship between the dependent variable of NCLEX-PNRTM…

This study investigated the effects the demographic variables age, gender, and ethnicity and their interactions had on academic performance in online courses delivered by public two-year colleges in Kentucky. The study controlled for previous academic performance measured by cumulative grade point average (GPA). The study used a random sample (N =…

This study compared traditional and distance education delivery platforms (onsite, hybrid, and online) at the college level in an urban setting in terms of student success, measured by final course grades and identified predictors of student success. The study examined the role of variables (prior knowledge of mathematics, language, gender,…

In this study, the different types of research designs used to assess the impact of prerequisite courses are presented. Supported by an in-depth literature review, the challenges that are faced in the assessment of the impact of prerequisites, from statistical to political, are identified and their pitfalls are pointed out. In particular, the…

Higher educational institutions face mounting challenges to the way they operate, including a growing population of demographically diverse students who demand flexibility in course delivery, timing, and content. Web 2.0 applications can be important components in implementing the required change. Implementation, however, requires faculty…

This qualitative case study considers factors such as difficulty of understanding mathematics and poor mathematics practicing strategy under academic factors and lack of family support under social factors as those that contribute to the failure. Many students entering community college have deficiencies in mathematics background and are required…