This dissertation examines the relationship between academic advisor interventions and course outcomes following an academic alert raised by faculty in the Starfish Retention Solutions software program at a small, rural community college in west-central Illinois. Utilizing a quantitative correlational study, using binary logistic regression…

Aligned with the American Association of Community College's 21st Century Initiative for community college completion, coaching has emerged in higher education as a promising practice for student support. Although hundreds of community colleges have implemented coaching programs, few studies have explored the practice of coaching and its…

This study investigates the impact of GeoGebra, a dynamic, accessible, and easy-to-use mathematics software, on student confidence and perceptions of its helpfulness in the context of Calculus III courses. A quasi-experimental design was employed to compare four sections of Calculus III, with two sections integrating GeoGebra for in-class…

Since January 2012, New York City public schools have been mandated to provide sexual health education in middle and high school as part of comprehensive health education. Nonetheless, anecdotal reports from students suggest that their sex education was inadequate. Twenty-seven students in a large community college in New York City participated in…

Service learning is a high-impact practice that helps students develop professional competencies such as teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and problem solving. This study investigated community partners' perceptions of students' professional competencies and their impact. Findings indicate that professional competencies had a significant…

Given growing awareness of the high prevalence of food insecurity among college students, higher education leaders are implementing various food interventions on their campuses. However, there is little research on the efficacy and impact of these initiatives. Using data from a field randomized control trial, we find that a relatively modest…

A dearth of literature exists on first-year transfer student interventions, which makes it difficult to determine whether there are transfer student subgroups that struggle more than others. This study used a latent class analysis to examine whether meaningful subgroups of transfer students emerged based on their response patterns to measures of…

The future of the workforce requires post-secondary education and the ability to effectively use technology. Technology has become an integral part of education, business, and daily life. Yet, there remains a digital divide for many individuals. Increasingly, community colleges are using technology in the classroom and as part of the processes…

Although nearly half of community college students require some type of remediation, less than one-third of the students who start in developmental education graduate within eight years (Park, Tandberg, Hu, & Hankerson, 2016). As such, there is great uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of developmental education (Ari et al., 2016; Bailey…

Objective: The community college sector plays a vital role in broadening access to education and helping states meet their workforce needs. An emerging trend and potential lever to better achieve these goals is the community college baccalaureate or CCB. Yet, opponents wonder whether CCBs may lead community colleges to abandon their traditional…

In response to the high cost of textbooks and other course materials, "Inclusive Access" automatic billing programs allow the cost of a discounted eTextbook and/or courseware to be automatically added to a student's tuition bill at the time of course registration. Touted for their ability to lower costs and provide students with access…

This study sought to better understand present-day relationships between institutional and programmatic characteristics and their impact on student outcomes at postsecondary career and technical schools. This is critical given: (a) the existence of a significant middle-skills gap impacting the U.S. economy; (b) a lack of research and guidance for…

There are hundreds of recognized tuition-free college "promise" programs, but few are as generous or flexible as the Kalamazoo Promise (KPromise). Pre-COVID studies on KPromise have demonstrated effects on increased college attendance, credit completion, and persistence. Extending these findings to the COVID-19 pandemic context can help…

Basic needs insecurity -- including housing and food insecurity, as well as lack of access to healthcare, childcare, transportation, and other basic needs -- is a critical barrier that can undermine persistence and completion rates for postsecondary students. The gaps in covering critical costs such as housing and food are pervasive among students…

High-impact practices in education can have a transformative influence on students' educational growth and personal development; however, research suggests that not all students participate in these educationally purposeful activities. Some institutions have integrated high-impact-practice programs into the curriculum to center these opportunities…