Background/Context: Community colleges are central to the United States' college completion goals. A popular strategy pushed by a number of influential policy organizations and foundations is a policy of tying state funding to community college completions, otherwise known simply as performance funding. This is happening despite little to no…

This study proposed to identify and report current programs of student follow-up at 16 Illinois and 24 non-Illinois public junior colleges. Plans and recommendations are given for improving follow-up programs in Illinois. The author concluded that (1) the purpose of follow-up is to evaluate and improve the institution's performance; (2)…

Community services, the only unique aspect of community colleges, needs faculty involvement and a separate administrative structure to be effective. (RN)

This program review manual provides a common or minimum set of review criteria and standard reporting procedures for colleges to use in conducting a self study to determine how well programs are functioning in relation to stated objectives, the mission and resources of the college and district, and the needs of the students and the community…

During the 1960's and 1970's, basic math programs were established at many two-year colleges after the influx of poorly prepared students, which resulted from a weakening of the exit criteria at the secondary level and of the entrance requirements at the postsecondary level. Though the success of these remedial programs is a matter of debate,…

Though program evaluation has been an important focus of higher education for the last 20 years, traditional evaluation models have been ineffective for on-going programs, particularly those where the outcomes are multifaceted or undefined. Over the last five years, several alternative viewpoints on program evaluation have been suggested which…

With the wide range of students community colleges must provide services for, there is an increasing need for colleges to analyze and segment their marketing efforts. As part of an effort to focus on specific market segments and take into account internal and external environments, an analysis was conducted at Illinois' Carl Sandburg College (CSC)…

Program reviews provide department chairs and faculty with vital information about the need for their program, changes that can improve the program's viability, and needs for resource allocation. In addition, well-designed reviews will determine program effectiveness and lead to improvements in program quality. In recent years, the role of program…

In response to low completion rates in a calculus course for a biology, management, and social sciences program at California's Orange Coast College (OCC), a project was undertaken to develop a revised course outline for the college's pre-calculus course to better prepare students for success in calculus. Specifically, the project sought to…

Drawing from on-site evaluations of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) operating at 22 California community colleges in 1987-88, this report assesses the programs with respect to management, outreach and recruitment, instructional development, counseling, transfer and transition, special activities, financial aid, and staff…

Reviews social changes affecting community colleges and the continuing education (CE) programs at the colleges. Argues that current CE programs are isolated from academic units but should instead be integrated across the institution. Proposes an integrated model that would better serve the needs of the communities. (25 citations) (AJL)

Describes a study of administrator evaluation systems at 350 community colleges, focusing on written policies, procedures, and evaluation instruments used. Indicates that 82% of the colleges had management appraisal plans and that 91% of these indicated that their plans were effective. Provides suggestions for improving the evaluation of…

California Assembly Bill (AB) 1725 was passed to improve the operation of the state's community colleges with respect to finance, governance, affirmative action, employment policies, instructional technique, and accountability, providing a $5 million fund for staff development. To assess the effects of AB 1725 on the quantity and quality of…

A follow-up study was conducted to investigate the long-term impact of using nearly $8 million of vocational education special-project funds in California community colleges. The study did not evaluate the projects themselves but assessed what had occurred afterward as a result of the funding. That is, the project identified and described program…

Program and Service Review (PSR) at Pima Community College in Arizona is a mechanism to provide continuous comprehensive evaluation and improvement of instructional programs and those support functions that directly serve students. The PSR's original statement of philosophy stresses the use of qualitative and quantitative measures to identify how…