Projecting the prospects and possibilities for community colleges accurately is not an easy exercise due to the vulnerability of both internal and external conditions to unanticipated forces. One aspect of the community college that is particularly affected by external forces is enrollment. Enrollments are influenced by legislation, the decline in…

An overview is provided of the history and current status of arts education in community colleges in Iowa and across the nation. After a brief history of art programs in higher education, the paper reviews research on course offerings, enrollment trends, student characteristics, and the role of the colleges as community cultural centers.…

There is a large body of well-conducted research that supports the value of freshmen orientation seminars in promoting the success of first-year students at community colleges. Orientation programs have been shown to improve retention, program completion, and the level of academic performance of these students. In addition to improving student…

The mission of the California Community Colleges, first articulated in the "Master Plan for Higher Education" (1960) and since reaffirmed in California Assembly Bill 1725, is to provide Californians with quality courses and programs in transfer and career education and in the mastery of basic skills and English as a Second Language…

An analysis is provided of trends and issues related to minority enrollment in urban community colleges. Following introductory comments, trends are examined in the areas of urban demography, elementary and secondary school enrollment, postsecondary enrollment, retention, major fields of study, degree attainment, and staffing patterns. The next…

The program approval process of the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and the local process of course and program approval used by Illinois community colleges are detailed in this report. Following an introduction and study overview, course and program approval processes at John A. Logan College and Shawnee College are described and…

This study, a synthesis of 51 published prescriptive essays and program reports from 1978 to 1997, follows the development of honors programs in comprehensive community colleges. Despite arguments that programs of this sort betray the institution's democratic imperative by implying academic elitism, diverting needed funds from…

This paper asserts that information literacy is a crucial element in education at all levels, and in particular at the community college level. The author defines information literacy in a number of ways, including this recent definition offered by Shapiro and Hughes: "A new liberal art that extends from knowing how to use computers and access…

Presents the results of a study of community college faculty development activities. Reports that the colleges examined relied on traditional approaches to faculty development and made minimal efforts at evaluation. Urges colleges to develop more focused faculty development programs that are proven to improve learning and teaching. (Contains 35…

In response to recently raised concerns about the effective integration of general education into community college occupational programs, this report offers a review of the literature on general education and its place in the vocational curriculum. First, definitions of general education are presented and synthesized into the following…

An overview is provided of the institutional and technological factors to be considered in designing or updating a computer science curriculum at the community college level. After underscoring the importance of the computer in today's society, the paper identifies and discusses the following considerations in curriculum design: (1) the mission of…

Drawing from information gathered at conferences, through a literature review, telephone interviews with writing directors at all the community colleges in Michigan and several four-year institutions, and a survey of faculty members at Monroe County Community College (MCCC) this report assesses the status of writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) in…

The authors argue that faculty development is a crucial aspect of curriculum reform in general education. This article describes 10 principles for conducting successful faculty development, including: (1) identifying key people; (2) helping faculty listen to each other; (3) focusing on students; (4) encouraging faculty to accept responsibility for…

This document iscusses teacher education reform and how it has led to many changes in the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approval process for colleges of education. The curricula of teacher education programs have since gone through changes in efforts to adapt to statewide initiatives. The paper outlines findings…

Presented are some characteristics of curricula in engineering which existed in various educational institutions in the United States and which lead to the award of associate degrees. A tentative classification system by which content areas can be identified is offered, along with an analysis of curricula as they existed in different institutional…