This qualitative research study, using interviews and narrative analysis collected from community college faculty members, describes how student engagement is built through the presence of multicultural education. The study gathered the experiences of community college faculty, beginning with their backgrounds and teaching philosophy. As…

Community college classrooms afford students from a variety of backgrounds the possibility to engage and inform one another with respect to their unique perspectives and life experiences. Unfortunately, in many of these situations, students find themselves self-critical, and their internal comparisons with others may impede the potential of a…

Technology advances have changed the way faculty teach and students learn. The classroom has evolved from students listening to their faculty lecture to convey their knowledge to students utilizing interactive electronic resources that can take students worldwide in milliseconds. Tools in the classroom have also allowed faculty to quiz students…

Social relationships in the school context -- particularly teacher-student relationships and peer relationships -- are related to students' positive attitudes toward school, and consequently are of great importance regarding various aspects of learning and instruction. This can be concluded from studies that examine the influence of social…

College retention is a primary focus within many institutions of higher education; however, retention efforts have largely been unsuccessful in impacting first-year completion rates and eventual degree attainment. Drawing on research that demonstrates the value of a strong faculty-student relationship and an engaging classroom environment, this…

Community college teaching is a complex endeavor requiring not only the mastery of disciplinary knowledge but also the pedagogical skills needed to serve this diverse population of students. While many community college faculties are hired with advanced academic degrees, professional experience or both, many often have not had formal pedagogical…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of professional development modeled upon social learning theory on community college teacher efficacy. A pre-experimental, one-group pre- and post-test research design using the Teacher's Sense of Efficacy Scale was used to measure the effectiveness of a faculty development treatment on teacher…

"Transformational Learning in Community Colleges" details the profound social and emotional change that nontraditional and historically underserved students undergo when they enter community college. Drawing on case study material and student observations, the book outlines the systematic supports that two-year institutions must put in…

Community college faculty have experienced a shift in focus from access to access and student success. Given this shift in responsibility for student learning, community college faculty should be sufficiently prepared to teach a diverse student body and subsequently uphold beliefs regarding their ability to bring about desired outcomes of student…

This paper reports results from a mixed-methods study about how college students engage with news when questions of credibility and "fake news" abound in the U.S. Findings are based on 5,844 online survey responses, one open-ended survey question (N=1,252),and 37 follow-up telephone interviews with students enrolled at 11 U.S. colleges…

Vacuum and thin film technologies are critical to advanced manufacturing industries. With a grant from the National Science Foundation (DUE #14004080), Normandale Community College has developed courses that are delivered online and via telepresence to provide a formal education to vacuum technician students around the country. Telepresence…

This dissertation examines the pedagogical beliefs and instructional practices of community college faculty members. The dissertation uses a qualitative interpretive inquiry approach to explore the contextual understanding of pedagogy and teaching of community college. Drawing from the theoretical framework of pedagogy, teaching and beliefs, this…

Faculty eager to transform their teaching often have a difficult time understanding the learning literature and then integrating it into their teaching, in part because neuroeducation concepts such as constructivism, transfer, misconceptions, and metacognition are not part of their existing knowledge. Examples of these concepts in the literature…

There are substantial quantitative research and anecdotal reports on blended learning and blended learning courses. However, few research studies focus on what happens at the classroom level. This research study aims to consider the highly contextual environment of effective blended learning courses by identifying the strategies instructors use to…

A cohort comprised of high school and college teachers met for one year to build understanding of the critical transition of high school students to college. The seminar analyzed how current reforms in both systems will impact student skill development and preparedness for college work. The discussions highlighted the need to clarify expectations…