West Virginia Code §18B-1D-8 statutorily mandates the West Virginia Higher Education Report Card. This annual accountability report provides year-end higher education statistics for both of the state's higher education systems, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (Commission) and West Virginia Council for Community and Technical…

A problem exists with consistency in measuring and tracking students' academic goals in California Community Colleges [CCC]. Effective measurements in CCC that embody academic goals below the associate degree and four-year college articulation agreements, call for attention to determine student academic interests and completion rates. Specific…

Although there has been legislation that has improved access for students with disabilities, many students are choosing not to pursue postsecondary education. The rate of postsecondary attendance for students with learning disabilities and attention disorders has increased, but they are still enrolling in postsecondary education less frequently…

The study attempted to determine whether the use of a series of reading and response assignments decreased students' perceptions of chemistry difficulty and enhanced students' perceptions of the relevance of chemistry in their everyday lives. Informed consent volunteer students enrolled in General Chemistry II at a community college in the…

A department of computer information systems at a community college in the southeastern United States was struggling to retain students, a large number of whom often dropped out within the first and second semester of enrollment. Identifying potential solutions to the retention problem is important to department leaders, faculty, and students…

As open-door institutions of higher learning, community colleges should continue to increase their understanding of the characteristics, needs, and satisfaction of underprepared students. Understanding the satisfaction levels of underprepared students provides a foundation upon which to build support for student success and retention for…

College student persistence has been a concern of researchers and practitioners since the early 1960s. Traditional models have addressed the need for students to be integrated into the academic and social domains of the college campus. Recently, critical theorists and researchers have been questioning the relevance of the traditional models for…

The purpose of this case study was to explore the online learning environment through the experiences of the individual learner and to gain more insight into the elements of Business online courses, as framed by the Keller ARCS Model of Motivation. This study explored the following three Research Questions: 1. How do undergraduate first-year…

In Taiwan, people are getting more aware of beauty treatments and the concept of health care. This study hopes to bring all relevant concepts such as Aromatherapy, essential scented oils, medical foods, human meridians, Chinese five elements therapy, and beauty business management into the curriculum design, and seriously considered many factors…

This article reports on my attempt to use storytelling as an entry point into academic discourse in a learning community designed to meet the learning needs of ESL students who recently emigrated from the Dominican Republic. Based on research suggesting a correlation between academic success in a second language and first language literacy skills,…

Longitudinal studies that track student persistence each semester serve as the primary measurement of an institution's success or failure. These studies take place at the institutional and state-wide levels as well as nationally through grant-based organizations such as Complete College America. At the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC),…

Early research experiences must be made available to all undergraduate students, including those at 2-yr institutions who account for nearly half of America's college students. We report on barriers unique to 2-yr institutions that preclude the success of an early course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). Using a randomized study…

This article provides qualitative insights into addressing the issue of student retention in online classes in higher education. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted at random with 16 faculty who teach online courses at a large community college in the Northeast about how to improve online student retention. Qualitative analysis…

This study tested the extent to which student interaction with faculty, student peer teaching situations, student organization involvement, and discussion with diverse others contributed to self-reported learning for students involved in an ethnic-specific or multicultural student organization. The Community College Student Experiences…

Background/Context: Scarce research has been conducted examining why students choose to attend higher priced for-profit institutions over community colleges. The authors suggest that increased national concern over proprietary higher education warrants an in-depth comparative case study of the choice factors utilized by for-profit and community…