American higher education has often been more exclusive than inclusive in its higher education admission practices. Community colleges have greatly assisted in closing the gap of accessing higher education as they have become the chosen college entry point for students of color. Community colleges often remain the first choice for African American…

This study explored the associations among first-generation, Mexican-American, community college students' mental health services, social capital, resiliency, and their levels of reported college satisfaction. One hundred and five self-identified first-generation, Mexican-American or Chicanx, or Latinx with Mexican origins community college…

With new California legislation focused on completion and equity, California community colleges now more than ever are expected to ensure success of all students. Nontraditional community college students are not completing their courses at the same rates as their younger age peers. Prior research has indicated nontraditional students face…

Higher education research overlooks the achievement of Asian community college students, possibly due to the stereotypes of Asian students as naturally excelling in academia, perpetuated by the model minority myth. This is concerning, because in California, many of the academic achievements that are used to assess the effectiveness of initiatives,…

The Accelerating CTE project began as an extension of Jobs for the Future's (JFF's) Accelerating Opportunity (AO), a seven-year initiative to improve outcomes for adult education students in college. Building on the lessons learned and strong evidence realized in AO, the ECMC Foundation in 2016 invested in a three-year initiative where JFF…

Using transcript-level data from two community college state systems and a nationally representative survey, this short report examines how course-taking in humanities and liberal arts at community colleges affects transfer and outcomes at four-year colleges. Key findings: (1) Transfer students typically complete only a few courses in humanities…

Nationwide, only 24 percent of community college students earn a degree or certificate within three years of matriculat­ing. Students who enroll in summer classes at the end of the freshman year are more likely to persist and graduate. Summer enrollment enables students to earn additional credits, reducing the time it takes to earn a degree.…

The purpose of this action research study is to explore the impact of the cooperative learning technique of the jigsaw method on student engagement in the beginning biology laboratory at Northern Community College (NCC). Professorial observations, a student survey, and interviews were used to investigate whether or not jigsaw methods should be…

This Guide is designed to support the work of institutional cross-functional teams charged with strengthening adjunct faculty professional learning and institutional engagement. Each section shares key learnings from ATD's work with six Leader Colleges, including accomplishments in the form of new programs, services, or policies that can serve as…

This article reports findings from a study that aims to understand how to integrate mobile-learning into Learning Management System (LMS) in a community college in Hong Kong. In this study, a mobile-enabled LMS named SOUL was adopted to improve students' learning engagement and academic performance. Participating students were segregated into two…

Promise programs are proliferating across the United States, with wide variation in their design. Using national data on 33 Promise programs affecting single, 2-year colleges, this study examines program effects on first-time, full-time college enrollments of students by race/ethnicity and gender classification. Results suggest Promise programs…

Studies that compare perceptions of effective teaching abound. This analysis adds to that extensive body of research by differentiating between the face-to-face and online student perspective. In doing so, substantial differences in how these two student cohorts view effective teaching emerge. This study also compares student opinions about…

Black males like other students face struggles persisting in college; however, in predominantly White colleges they must deal with issues of race and cultural differences. The purpose of this study was to explore how Charismatic Black males culturally navigate these types of social contexts. Using an exploratory qualitative design, three themes…

Community colleges are rarely at the forefront of conversations regarding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Attracting diverse students into STEM fields is an important issue, and equally important is the need for science students to be prepared for and interested in tackling pressing societal issues. This study…

The purpose of this project was to increase student achievement, engagement, and satisfaction using animated instructional videos in an online general psychology course at a community college. This project not only considered the data collected from student activity tracking, but also examined students' perception of how the videos engaged and…