Active learning has been shown to improve student learning and engagement in many 4-year institutions; however, large-scale studies on the efficacy of active learning in community colleges are lacking. In this study, we investigate the effects of active learning in a first semester majors' general biology course at a large, suburban community…

This report describes a project undertaken by CCRC, Education Northwest, and three community colleges in Oregon to adapt lesson study for use among faculty teaching a precollege (developmental) quantitative literacy course. Lesson study is a collaborative professional development approach that has been implemented among K-12 mathematics teachers…

This document presents the variable definitions utilized in a study of the impacts of two- and four-year college attendance on learning orientations. The authors identify the specific survey items that compose the four orientations to learning explored in this study (i.e., openness to diversity/challenge, learning for self-understanding, internal…

Four learning-style instruments, differing in form, length, language, and conceptualization of learning style, were administered to 471 high school and community college students. All four instruments measured behaviors outlined by one conceptualization in the literature to comprise learning style, but none of the instruments measured all types of…

In consecutive quarters, two studies were conducted at a two-year vocational/technical college to determine how different goal structures within the learning environment could influence student expectations, achievement, and perceptions of the causes of learning outcomes. The first study investigated three goal structures (i.e., cooperative,…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on individual learning issues that was conducted as part of a conference on human resource development (HRD). "Communication in the Workplace: Using Myers-Briggs To Build Communication Effectiveness" (Patrice M. Scanlon, Judy K. Schmitz, Tracey Murray, Lisa M. Hooper) reports on a…

Computer-mediated instruction is particularly well-suited to typical community college students because it offers an alternative to the time and place constraints of traditional classrooms. Key characteristics of computer-mediated learning are as follows: instructors and students are separated by distance; instruction is delivered via computer…

Under the old system of trade skills education, instruction was delivered largely through kinesthetic methods. Currently, however, secondary and postsecondary trade skills education programs institutions in Australia and elsewhere are changing their educational emphasis from traditional skills to more technology-based skills. This shift raises the…