The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program provides legal protection to enhance access for a narrow subcategory of undocumented immigrants. Following the presidential election, a series of actions have pushed many of these recipients into limbo, leading to uncertainty and fear for these young students. This case study examined the…

Although community college students have historically been at the forefront in utilizing some distance education across their degrees due to their own employment, parenting, or transportation circumstances, COVID-19 forced all college instruction online for much of the 2020-2021 year in Alabama. Given the economically and technologically…

Many science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) community college students do not complete their degree, and these students are more likely to be women or in historically excluded racial or ethnic groups. In introductory courses, low grades can trigger this exodus. Implementation of high-impact study strategies could lead to increased…

Increased attention to police brutality and violence against people of color has elevated scrutiny of campus police. Students have critiqued the inequitable treatment of students of color on their campuses by campus police. In doing so, the students are critiquing racial inequity in the campus climate. The California Community Colleges…

"Current Term Enrollment Estimates Report" series is published every December and May by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. It provides national enrollment estimates by degree level, institutional sector, enrollment intensity, age group, gender, major field as well as state-level enrollment estimates. Starting in fall…

This paper details methods that were adopted during the transition to an online learning environment for students enrolled in Human Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology courses at a community college designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) in light of shelter-in-place orders established to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.…

While online student services became more relevant than ever amid the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, community colleges need to be proactive about alternative academic advising modalities. To respond to changing student needs and post-COVID-19 uncertainties, an equalized technology-mediated advising structure can increase advising accessibility,…

The purpose of this study was to determine if a difference existed in students' perceptions of teaching presence and social presence between the online and traditional face-to-face learning environments as defined by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) survey. A quantitative causal-comparative study design was used to survey students at a Midwest…

Background: This multiple case study explores the self-determination needs of academically underprepared students. The context for our study was a sweeping redesign of developmental education (DE) in Florida's community colleges, state-level legislation Senate Bill 1720 (SB 1720), which made DE optional for many students. Purpose of Study: The…

Community college completion rates are low, especially among low-income students. The existing policy and research attention has primarily focused on academic and financial challenges, but there is ample reason to think that non-academic obstacles might be key drivers of dropout rates for low-income students. This study focuses on the role of…

Student anxiety is a growing concern for colleges and universities. As science classrooms transition from traditional lecture to active learning, researchers have sought to understand how active learning affects undergraduate anxiety. However, although community colleges educate nearly half of all undergraduates, no studies have explored the…

Community colleges are a unique part of the American higher education system that promote access and opportunities for many students who might not otherwise attend a college or university. The purpose of this article is to address community colleges in three parts: their historical relevance, their organisational mission and structure and their…

In the U.S. educational system of higher education, community colleges are positioned as the institutions of access, with student financial aid as the primary policy lever to drive student enrollment. However, completion rates at community colleges are the lowest of all institution types, and financial aid has not been adequate to provide full…

Interstate Passport is a program that serves a national network of member institutions and states to facilitate block transfer of lower-division general education attainment based on student learning outcomes rather than on specific courses and credits. A student who is awarded a Passport for completing the general education courses specified by…

A community college had been attempting to integrate technology into instruction. For example, as a part of the school's attempt to integrate technology, a computer lab was added to all literacy classes in order to create a hybrid model. However, evidence indicated the laboratories were not being used effectively. There was too little exposure to…