This dissertation is a qualitative study of a curriculum I designed for composition students in the Fall of 2012. The curriculum I created is informed by the Freirean edict that a self-generated desire to "create knowledge" is far more likely to result in meaningful, holistic learning than simply "banking" information. In the…

This 2016 student affordability report looks at the following numerical data for higher education in the state of North Dakota: (1) Tuition, Mandatory Fees, Room & Board; (2) Total Estimated Student Cost; (3) Federal Funding Sources; (4) Net Price; (5) Loan Volume and Indebtedness; and (6) Percent of Students with Aid. In 2015-16, tuition and…

The purpose of the current study was to determine if three community colleges were serving developmental education students in an effective and cost-efficient manner, make observations about the developmental education demographics, and conclude if Senate Bill 162 (SB 162) increased the percentage of college ready students who participated in…

Homework is considered an important aspect of learning mathematics, but little research has considered how students utilize feedback as part of the homework process. This mixed methods, quasi-experimental study examines how community college students in a developmental intermediate algebra course participated in a feedback reflection activity…

Objective: Excess credits earned by college students, over and above those required to complete their programs of study, have become increasingly a subject of interest and concern. There has been almost no research on the extent of these credits. This study focuses on all of the associate degree programs within one state's community college system…

Objectives and Participants: The purpose of this article is to describe weight indicators and weight-related behaviors of students enrolled in 2-year colleges, including sex differences. Methods: During Fall 2011 and Spring 2012, 441 students from 3 Minnesota community colleges enrolled in the Choosing Healthy Options in College Environments and…

This First Look presents findings from the provisional data of the Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS) Spring 2015 data collection, which included four survey components: (1) Enrollment at postsecondary institutions during fall 2014; (2) Finance, for the 2014 fiscal year; (3) Human Resources at postsecondary institutions during fall 2014;…

This paper examines the rise in student loan default and delinquency. It draws on a unique set of administrative data on federal student borrowing matched to earnings records from de-identified tax records. Most of the increase in default is associated with borrowers at for-profit schools, 2-year institutions, and certain other nonselective…

Over two million service men and women, returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will take advantage of the educational benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and will enroll in community colleges. Despite over 70 years of education benefits for U.S. veterans, there has been little research into the availability and effectiveness of…

Drawing on data from a program serving displaced workers and adult students, this article explores how students at a small rural-serving community college in North Carolina believe rurality influences their retention. We review the research and descriptive literature on rural community college challenges, advantages, and approaches to supporting…

The purpose of this study was to explore the differences between satisfaction levels among students at a two-year community college with their satisfaction of advising at the four-year institution into which they transferred. The mixed methods study included a modified version of the Survey of Academic Advising developed by American College…

Student retention is one of the greatest concerns for institutions of higher education. Despite rising enrollment, at least half of students do not return for their second year. Annually postsecondary institutions are losing 40% of their first-year students. Research based on schools in the east, Midwest, and southeast regions showed that…

This exploratory qualitative study investigated the experiences of California community college undocumented students and their career development processes and issues. Twelve undocumented students from multiple backgrounds participated in semi-structured interviews. It was evident from the students' backgrounds that being undocumented was not…

The purpose of this study was to determine if students learn clinical judgment as effectively using computer-based simulations as when using high-fidelity mannequin simulations. There was a single research questions for this study: What is the difference in clinical judgment between participants completing high-fidelity human simulator mannequin…

This research is a dual-case study which specifically focuses on two rural two-year colleges in separate parts of the United States: one in the central Southern region, and the other in the Northeastern region. I wanted to focus on these colleges' writing placement and proficiency practices in relation to their respective missions and how they…