In community colleges in the United States, graduation rates remain frustratingly low. Students face many challenges, including the financial costs of attending college; the demands of school, work, and family; complex institutional systems; underfunded student support services; and insufficient preparation for college-level work. To address these…

This study examines formerly incarcerated student programming from practitioner perspectives at California community colleges. The following research questions guide the study: 1) How has the pandemic and concurrent sociopolitical contexts influence the way staff, faculty, and administrators approach their work? 2) How do practitioners describe…

Employee recognition is important for multiple reasons. Through an informal survey, it was determined that the employees of the workforce development and community education division at Delaware Technical and Community College did not feel recognized, resulting in low morale in the division. This study provided the opportunity to develop…

This report explores the experiences of ten CAEL member community colleges in their efforts to develop quality non-degree credentials that can be completed in in one year or less, lead to good-paying jobs in high-demand industries, and are stackable to a higher degree, allowing learners to unlock opportunities for even greater economic mobility.…

Objective: Although most community college students intend to transfer to a 4-year college, few ultimately do. We sought to assess how student experiences of the Exploring Transfer (ET) program influenced transfer rates. The ET program was offered by a private, 4-year liberal arts college. Methods: We used data from a cross-sectional survey of…

Undergraduate research experiences have been widely demonstrated as a beneficial and essential component of the college experience. However, many community colleges face barriers and lack of support in implementing such research programs, which means a significant number of community college students miss out on these impactful experiences.…

This proposal is to develop a framework for designing a cybersecurity program. The goal of the program is to prepare students graduating from an accredited two-year college for success in cybersecurity careers. Several challenges such as program accreditation, workforce development, and Department of Homeland Security/National Security Agency…

Many colleges have initiated Student Success Coaching programs to support students from enrollment to completion. The purpose of this study was to design and implement an online training program to ensure that new Success Coaches at one community college receive adequate training before beginning to work with students. A review of the literature…

While food insecurity exists in the United States, research has shown it is felt at larger rates among the undergraduate student population. Those colleges with higher numbers of enrolled students of color also have larger numbers of students who are facing food insecurity. The California community college (CCC) system serves a diverse population…

This dissertation conducts an evaluative case study on a community college's Career-Technical Education (CTE) Cultural Resource Management (CRM) technical certificate program to bridge the CRM workforce gap. The study assesses the program's design and development quality by aligning the program theory with stakeholders' needs, including…

Objective: This article analyzes the implementation of two state grant programs in Tennessee aimed at improving the quality of in-demand postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programming at community and technical colleges. We use insights from our findings to propose a conceptual framework for understanding how external funding can…

This evaluation study had three main aims: 1) to examine how an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) Summit can be used to promote First Year Experience (FYE) instructors' sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness within the context of the FYE program at a community college; 2) to examine how an AI Summit might guide FYE program development; and 3) to…

This paper describes the different elements of a Professional Development School (PDS) partnership between a Community College in New York City and a public elementary school in a low-income neighborhood that serves predominantly children of color and low-income families. A major component of the partnership was a school-wide comprehensive…

Adjunct faculty hired to teach at a community college lack onboarding (Danaei, 2019). At the time of this study, Montgomery County Community College (Montco) did not offer an onboarding program to adjunct faculty. Previously collected data indicated that during the hiring process, adjunct faculty did not receive knowledge about college culture,…

"Green" jobs that contribute to preserving the environment are among the fastest-growing careers in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With the rising need for workers to fill these positions, and surging interest among students in environmental careers, community colleges are creating new courses, certifications and…