Background: Parents have long held an important role in their autistic children's lives. As autistic individuals enroll in higher education institutions at much higher rates, new issues emerge. In particular, autistic college students and their parents must reconcile the major transition with the extent to which parents must be involved and exert…

This study explores the implementation and impact of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in community college online courses. Using a qualitative research approach, the study investigates how UDL affects student engagement, accessibility, and learning outcomes from the perspectives of both students and instructors. Data were collected…

In today's increasingly interconnected world, intercultural skills and global competence are essential for success in the workforce and society. Internationalization initiatives, such as student mobility, have emerged as effective ways to develop these skills. This study explored the experiences of Black students who participated in community…

The purpose of this report is to analyze the differences between timely completers and students who did not complete in either a timely manner or complete at all, on several key early success indicators that are outlined below. Timely completion has been shown to mitigate financial burdens associated with prolonged enrollment, optimize…

Is there a pattern in how students solve Parsons puzzles? Is there a difference between the puzzle-solving strategies of C++ and Java students? We used Markov transition matrix to answer these questions. We analyzed the solutions of introductory programming students solving Parsons puzzles involving if-else statements and while loops in C++ and…

This article examines the impact of proactive, data-informed success coaching on students' retention and completion outcomes, drawing on theories of student engagement and a five-year (2016-2020), mixed-methods study of coaching conducted across 10 North Carolina community colleges. Results from a randomized controlled trial show that coaching…

This paper offers a qualitative analysis of decisions of 64 community-college students in seeking a transfer in Hong Kong. In weighing a number of educational options and then offers, with a similar level of desirability in some cases, in order to achieve their transfers, advantaged-class and disadvantaged-class respondents struggled with…

This study developed an equity-minded and trauma-informed model for improving community college student success rates. Since up to 94% of community college students have experienced trauma, it was imperative to establish a comprehensive approach to overcoming the resulting non-academic barriers and low completion rates. Since there is no existing…

This qualitative study examines open pedagogy as a critical instructional strategy in online community college settings to increase opportunities for authentic interactions that support student persistence. Discourse analysis was used to understand how community college students (n=78) perceive and connect with different aspects of open pedagogy…

This qualitative study aims to understand the experiences of students of color who have completed the transfer-level English class taught utilizing the concurrent model set by AB 705 and whether this model affects their academic success. The problem this study focused on was how equitable access to higher education is for community college…

Retention is a continuing concern for institutions of higher education, especially rural community colleges. Students are often not prepared for the rigor of college-level coursework, encounter academic and/or life obstacles, or do not possess the soft skills needed to succeed in college life. Research has shown that college-preparation courses…

Students identified as first-generation often intersect with other factors such as enrollment in community colleges, low income, minority ethnic and/or race identities, low expectations of college-going, and less academic preparation (Cataldi et al., 2018; Redford & Mulvaney-Hoyer, 2017). In 2015, national completion rates in the United States…

This study explored the perception of career barriers among low-income and minority students at Urban Community College by using career barrier inventory revised (CBI-R) instrument. Data analysis showed that students have perceived external career barriers, such as racial discrimination, and internal perceived career barriers, such as, inadequate…

This dissertation research focuses on Open Educational Resources (OER) and OER-based courses as a solution to the rising cost of textbooks. This study focuses on the impact of OER-based courses on student success metrics and examines student and faculty attitudes towards OER-based courses. The study takes place at a medium-sized, rural community…

African American women utilize the community college environments as an avenue to attain an education and eventually pursue career and educational goals while remaining in their own communities. However, not much is known about the unique perceptions and experiences of African American women impacting their enrollment and persistence at rural…