The birth of the two-year colleges created a demand for teachers which was filled largely by instructors from the high schools and by people fresh from graduate school. Teaching methods were shaped in large part by the needs of the students. Techniques were used before there were phrases to identify them or theory to explain them. The student…

In 1988, a survey was conducted at Compton Community College to ascertain whether the needs and priorities of its students were primarily campus-related or external. The study was also structured to identify students who planned to transfer to another college before completing their degree requirements. The survey solicited information on…

Based on a 3-year case study of an open-access community college, this monograph examines the background to, causes of, and possible resolutions for the decline of literacy in open-access colleges. Chapter 1 presents a working definition of literacy; considers the nature of literacy in a community college setting; and raises issues concerning the…

In the Maryland community colleges, a Success Rate Indicator is used to measure student success and is determined from the graduation, transfer, and still-enrolled status of a cohort of first-time full-time students after 4 years. The information is obtained by matching enrollment and graduation files from all public colleges in Maryland. Students…

Data were consolidated from 11 studies conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) between 1974 and 1981. The studies surveyed a total of 1,939 students, who left WRHC after attending at least one semester, to determine their educational objectives, current activities, employment characteristics, educational activities, and evaluation of…

The tables and graphs presented in this report reflect changes in community college enrollments in California over the past 10 years (fall 1977 to fall 1986), as they have responded to fluctuations in the state's economy, available state revenues, and community college funding. First, an executive summary highlights the following trends over the…

A study was conducted to determine which variables influence "high risk" women students to persist to graduation from a community college and which variables influence "low risk" women students to drop out of college. The study involved in-depth qualitative interviews with 17 returning adult women over 24 years of age. Study findings supported…

In April 1987, a survey was conducted at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) to provide students with the opportunity to evaluate the college's functions, services, and facilities, and to gather data to construct profiles of MATC day, evening, and weekend college students. Questionnaires were administered in class to 7,725 MATC students,…

In spring 1984, the Language Arts Department of University College, University of Cincinnati, began requiring all third-term Freshman English students to pass an exit test in order to receive credit for their final English course. The exit exam, which was part of a joint effort with the other five English Departments within the University,…

Accountability in two-year college vocational education assumes that colleges have knowledge of students' goals while they are attending college and have the capacity to follow-up on students to determine whether those goals were achieved. One measure of goal achievement is employment or further enrollment in fields in which students have been…

A study was conducted to determine the effect of the tuition reduction from $17.75 per quarter credit hour in 1985-86 to $17.00 per quarter credit hour for the 1986-87 academic year on enrollment in the Virginia Community College System during fall, 1986. The study involved a written survey of over 10,000 in-state students; the examination of…

In light of the increasing enrollment of part-time students at public two-year colleges, the question arises whether the conventional ratio (3:1 or so) for converting part-time to full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment accurately represents the actual costs of providing services to part-time versus full-time students. A study was conducted to…

In fall 1984, a survey of recent graduates of Sinclair Community College (SCC) was conducted to determine graduates' characteristics, perceptions of college services, and current activities. Study findings, based on a 52% response rate (N=611), included the following: (1) 62% of the graduates were female, 87% were Caucasian, and 34% were between…

In March 1984, immediately following the adminstration of the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) conducted a student survey in an effort to evaluate the educational reforms implemented at the college. The survey, which was completed by 918 CLAST examinees, focused on students' appraisal of the general…

A study was conducted to examine several academic and non-academic variables in terms of their relationship to student attrition at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC). The study sample consisted of 306 associate in arts degree-seeking students who first enrolled in fall 1981. Four groups of students, defined according to the last semester…