While limited, research centering LGBTQ students and experiences at the community college indicate students experience microaggressions, feelings of isolation, and a lack of curricular inclusivity at their community college institutions. With a lack of clarity around nondiscrimination policies at the federal level, coupled with a lack of…

Single mother students represent a significant proportion of the student body at community colleges. Thus, the purpose of this article is to examine the experiences of single mother students enrolled in community colleges across the United States and identify ways that administrators, faculty, and staff can foster their academic persistence. The…

Community colleges are viewed as essential in the preparation of skilled science professionals in the U.S., and research regarding instructor impacts on student attitudes toward science are timely and relevant. This study explored specific instructor characteristics and pedagogical behaviors and their influence student engagement, confidence, and…

This paper explores the implementation of student-centered and social justice-based teaching methods that promote a classroom atmosphere of equity, inclusion, and positivity by prioritizing students' emotional and psychological well-being in relation to the course content. This paper argues that creating a classroom atmosphere in which students…

Despite evidence suggesting that standardized tests are an imperfect measure of academic readiness, many community colleges across the country rely on them alone to determine student course placement. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced campuses to transition to remote operations in spring 2020, proctoring in-person placement tests became…

The state of Michigan has set a goal to increase the percentage of residents with a postsecondary degree or credential to 60 percent by 2030. Achieving that goal will require a concerted, strategic, and multipronged effort. Today, less than 50 percent of residents have attained a postsecondary degree or credential. While making college more…

This qualitative study of students in mid- and later-life (MLL; age 40 and older) sought to address the role faculty play in facilitating student success and how institutions support faculty, especially adjunct faculty. Adjunct faculty teach a majority of classes at community colleges but are not provided the same professional development…

Recent research based on the Dweck's mindset theory has shown that persons with a growth mindset who believe traits such as intelligence are malleable may put forth more effort and have greater academic success than those with a fixed mindset. However, little research has been conducted on mindsets of college students, many of whom enter…

"Current Term Enrollment Estimates Report" Series is published every January and May by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. It provides national enrollment estimates by degree level, institutional sector, enrollment intensity, age group, gender, major field as well as state-level enrollment estimates. Starting in fall…

Transferring to a four-year institution is an important pathway to student success. Many students who enroll in community college intend to transfer to a four-year institution and subsequently earn a bachelor's degree. However, few students ultimately do, with low-income students transferring at lower rates than their peers. The Texas Transfer…

The Tuition and Fee Report is produced annually by the Colorado Department of Higher Education to provide detailed information on the tuition and fee rates at Colorado's public institutions, as well as to give context regarding the state funding environment in which tuition and fee rate-setting occurs. Colorado has mirrored national trends over…

Across the United States, more than half of entering freshmen discover they are ineligible for college-level coursework each year, most commonly in math. The readiness gap is widest when considering students at nonselective two-year colleges, and students who are black, Hispanic, or from low-income families. It often spells disaster for students…

Active instructional approaches have been demonstrated to result in greater student achievement, prompting institutions to transition to more active learning environments. However, little work has been conducted to specifically measure the retention of knowledge gained. The purpose of the research presented here was to test assumptions regarding…

Students arrive in college with significant prior knowledge including misconceptions that hinder their ability to learn new concepts correctly. Misconceptions, or "alternative beliefs," have been widely studied in the physical sciences at higher education institutions; however, there is a paucity of research concerning the community…

While there has been a surge in the number of adults entering accelerated academic programs at colleges and universities over the last decade, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of adult learners in these programs who persist and achieve their degrees. This work sought to develop a detailed model for helping faculty and…