In August 1993, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, in Virginia, undertook a study of developmental education (DE) practices in community colleges in Virginia and the other 14 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board to determine factors associated with program effectiveness. Surveys were mailed to the presidents of 313 two-year…

The "cooling-out" phenomenon at community colleges refers to an institutional process of encouraging students whose academic aspirations exceed their abilities to move out of transfer programs and into terminal degree programs. Critics claim that the cooling-out process is unfair, arguing that its basis on meritocratic principles of…

From fall 1990 to fall 1994, Florida's Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC) experienced a decline in enrollment among first-time-in-college students. To determine reasons for the decline, M-DCC examined characteristics and high school of origin of first-time students in the period, categorizing students as direct-entry (i.e., entering within 1…

A study was conducted at Miami-Dade Community College, in Florida, to examine ethnic enrollment patterns in English as a Second Language (ESL) and English for Non-Native Speakers (ENS) courses from fall 1988 to fall 1994. Study findings included the following: (1) college-wide enrollment during the period declined 9.1% for White non-Hispanic…

A July 1995 report by Florida's Miami-Dade Community College examined reasons for a decline in enrollment among first-time-in-college students, including non-Florida residents, from fall 1990 to fall 1994. This report looks at the change in credits generated by non-Florida residents and foreign students over the same period. Study findings…

The Teaching/Learning Project (TLP) begun in Florida at Miami-Dade Community College in 1986, employs courses, orientation sessions, and mentors for new faculty at the college to help ensure instructional quality. In February 1993, a study was conducted to assess the first year experiences of new faculty and to evaluate the effectiveness of the…

In response to concerns of unnecessary duplication in programs offered by Texas community/junior colleges and the Texas State Technical College (TSTC) system, TSTC conducted a two-phase study to examine curricula, enrollments, and outcomes for both systems. The first phase described differences in technical program curricula and graduate percent…

In preparation for an accreditation visit, New Mexico State University at Carlsbad (NMSU-C) developed plans and strategies for measuring student academic achievement. One of the first tasks completed was the development of a standardized syllabus format. The format includes course information, such as the title, number, name of instructor,…

In summer 1994, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) conducted a focused evaluation visit of Cincinnati Technical College (CTC) in Ohio to evaluate the degree of success of CTC's administrative structure and governance model, review the college's assessment plan, and review CTC's request for institutional change in status…

Based on the principles of quality and productivity improvement, Central Virginia Community College's (CVCC's) Quality First initiative is designed to provide continuous quality training to existing business, government, and educational institutions and enhance regional development activities to attract new business and jobs. Since its inception…

This planning document provides data on current operations as of January 1994 and goals for the future at San Joaquin Delta College, in California. Section I, presents the context for planning at the college, describing the following major factors shaping the college's future: (1) the population is rapidly expanding; (2) fee increases and…

Intended as a resource for student seminars, this guide describes the seminar process and provides suggestions for making seminars more productive. First, the learning objectives of the seminar process are listed, indicating that students should gain the following skills: group interaction, integrative discussion, critical evaluation, and…

Students for Volunteer Services was a demonstration project implemented by Michigan's Lansing Community College to facilitate student understanding of and participation in community service. Project activities focused on increasing the percentages of students who volunteer (with an emphasis on minority students), improving the abilities of…

As part of a review of the finance program at California's City College of San Francisco (CCSF), a project was undertaken to explore trends in the banking and finance industry to identify pre-service and in-service training needs and determine CCSF's role in meeting those needs. A review of trends found profound changes in the banking and finance…

Part of an annual review of occupational/technical programs at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC), this report describes enrollment, graduation, and placement outcomes for PVCC's Associate of Applied Science and certificate programs. Following an executive summary and introduction, the report presents data on program outcomes related to…