Community and technical colleges serve a vital function in STEM education by training workers for medium- and high-skilled technical careers and providing employers the labor necessary to operate and maintain thriving business ventures. A curriculum developed with the elements of a systems-based approach results in a program more relevant to the…

Research was undertaken to develop and evaluate an associate degree-level technical education program in Plant Operations oriented towards training students in applied science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills and knowledge relevant to a spectrum of processing industries. This work focuses on four aspects of the curriculum…

Employment within STEM fields has been escalating at a greater rate than employment in other fields (National Science Foundation, 2010). Unfortunately, the number of college students moving into STEM fields of study are substantially low (Lowell & Regets, 2006). The first two years of STEM education for many students take place at the…

"A History and Case Study at a Selected Tribal College" focuses on a tribally chartered two-year institution of higher education. The selected Tribal College serves Native American and non-Native American populations on two separate and distinct reservations and one urban location. This study surveys the history to answer basic foundational and…

A proposal is presented for an Honors Scholar Program at Moraine Valley Community College in response to the need to provide gifted students with the extra challenges they seek. After providing a rationale for the program, the membership of the steering committee and curriculum committees that would develop and guide the program is designated.…

There is often a particular void in the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students who intend to become competent working laboratory technicians. Inasmuch as certain basic professional skills ("soft skills," in this case) are not generally taught in traditional science courses, a new curriculum has been developed in order to enforce…

As part of an effort to reinforce the general education competencies of students in its Associate in Applied Science degree programs, Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) conducted two needs assessment surveys to develop a list of critical life skills for integration into existing curricula. Each of the identified skills can be developed in 2…

A study was conducted to determine the effects of selected personal, work, and educational variables on student attitudes toward the nursing profession and the health care system. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether the variables of age, sex, race, marital status, licensed vocational nurse (LVN) status, the awarding of credit for…

This report provides 2000-2001 information on funding, staffing, facilities, and enrollment at all Washington State community and technical colleges. It also includes demographics on student characteristics, enrollment, graduation, and transfer rates. Highlights include: (1) the colleges enrolled the equivalent of 158,192 full-time students; (2) a…

This is the second in a series of five monographs written around the theme, "meeting the changing needs of students." It describes the curriculum innovations and development at Harrisburg Area Community College since 1964, which was the first year of operation. Many new and innovative courses of study have been added to fill out the…

Aims to produce data and information that inform California Community College (CCC) decision-makers of the: extent of variance in California's associate degree definitions and graduation requirements, and perceptions of curricular leaders regarding the variances. Associate degree definitions and graduation requirements were compiled and analyzed…

In an effort to provide nontraditional students with the same opportunity as traditional students to reach the highest level of skills and competencies associated with hi-tech, high-wage employment, the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) offers alternatives to its historically successful full-time day program in chemical technology.…

Designed to clarify the function of the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree, this report lists and explains criteria for the degree as a means of enhancing the potential of the AAS to serve as a national employment credential and as the curricular foundation for the occupational mission of the community, technical, and junior colleges. The…

Includes "Assessing the Need for Community Concepts" (Marion Cahill et al.); "Expanding the Associate Degree Curriculum without Adding Time" (Marjorie K. Jamieson); and "A Community College Responds to Changes in Health Care Delivery" (Patricia D. Irons, Susan Meehan, and Margaret J. Reilly). (SK)

An overview is provided of recent efforts to review and redefine the associate degree, with special focus on a workshop sponsored by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) and the Miami-Dade Community College District (MDCCD) which attempted to sharpen the focus of the inquiry into the definition of the associate degree. First,…