The Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA) is the principal institutional accountability and improvement framework for community colleges with measures defined to encompass the full breadth of the community college mission and the diversity of students' goals and educational experiences. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)…

The problem of a prepared workforce is perennial. Part of the challenge is one of supply and demand, as education systems attempt to produce graduates with the technical competencies required for the current jobs available. In the new service- and knowledge-based economy, however, soft skills are cited as a greater need by today's employers.…

When students make significant progress toward a transfer goal, what impacts their likelihood for making it to university? Which student groups are more likely to achieve transfer success and which ones may need strategic support to make it across the finish line? The RP Group is exploring these questions as part of the Through the Gate transfer…

This technical report begins with an overview of the data and sample used in this component of research. This overview is followed by descriptive statistics of the independent and dependent variables used in the analysis. It provides a quick description of the statistical model before offering a detailed explanation of the study's results. [For…

Latinos are the fastest growing college population in California, but less than one-quarter of all Latino adults in the state earn a college degree. To reverse this trend, both the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and the California State University (CSU) Office of the Chancellor launched new initiatives in 2017 to raise Latino…

Community colleges are often considered an affordable entry point into postsecondary education for many students with a goal of earning a degree. As open access institutions, they accept any student who applies, including those considered to be below college level and in need of some level of remediation in the subjects of reading, writing and…

The study measured the awareness and use of metacognitive reading strategies among English as a foreign language (EFL) students at a medical college in Kuwait. The college offers a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a two-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). Data collection involved distributing the Metacognitive Awareness of…

This article examines the ways in which citizenship status uniquely shapes both the access and persistence of undocumented community college students in the Central Valley of California. Drawing on more than 2 years of qualitative fieldwork, it is argued that undocumented community college students navigate an institutional landscape of…

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…

Previous research has found a positive relationship between students who had completed a sequence of developmental reading and writing courses and success in a reading-intensive college-level course. This study replicates and expands upon the previous research of Goldstein and Perin (2008) by utilizing a differently diverse sample and an…

Purpose: This article examines the literature on the transfer function in American higher education, and it reviews three primary dimensions of transfer: (a) the transfer function and pathways, (b) transfer access and experiences, and (c) state transfer policy. Argument: This literature review engages core transfer concepts and we argue that the…

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…

Teaching building science to community college students can be challenging given both the macro (houses change subject to varying seasons) and the micro (heat transfer, moisture movement) level of the topics taught. Simulations and games can provide a way of learning material that can otherwise be difficult for students to understand. In this…