Innovation

Community colleges across the U.S. have traditionally used standardized test scores to determine student readiness for placement into college-level courses. Unfortunately, research “shows that these placement tests are poor predictors of student grades in college-level . . . courses, resulting in inappropriate placements for as many as a third of test-takers (Ganga & Mazzariello, 2019, p. 2). This misplacement can result in additional time and financial burden for students striving to complete their college education. Alternative measures have been found to better indicate appropriate...

Breaking Down Barriers: First-Generation College Students and College Success

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June

Barriers to Academic Success: A Qualitative Study of African American and Latino Male Students

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June 2016

Students of color, males in particular, face significant challenges in higher education. African American male students, on average, are less successful than other racial/ethnic groups, including African American women. Compared to Asian/Pacific Islander or White/Non-Hispanic students, they are less likely to succeed in both developmental and college-level coursework and are more likely to drop out. Latino students are the least likely of all racial/ethnic groups to transfer. African American students and Latino males have the lowest persistence rates (Elgin Community College, 2010). Students...

Educating Legislators Beyond the Numbers: Mixed Methods Economic Impact Studies

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September 2021

Community college leaders face increasing pressure to prove a return on government investment in their institutions. Performance-based funding measures and economic impact studies are commonly used to monetize the success of community colleges. These well-intentioned efforts produce a beneficial, but limited, view of community colleges. However, community college leaders are well versed in navigating the needs, and sometimes competing interests, of diverse stakeholders. They understand they need to comply with required evaluation metrics to gain access to indispensable funding, but are also...

New Cannabis Program at Moraine Valley Community College Trains Students for Emerging Industry

Tags: Partnerships, Workforce Preparation

September 2021

Moraine Valley Community College introduced its new Cannabis Retail Specialist Certificate program in fall 2020 to attract students to the cannabis industry during its infancy in Illinois. In spring 2019, a retired Moraine Valley professor and department chair approached his former colleague, Dr. Margaret Lehner, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Assistant to the President, to gauge the college’s interest in developing a program in this emerging field on behalf of a vice president at Cresco Labs. Lehner discussed the issue with President Dr. Sylvia M. Jenkins and the...

Mesa Community College: Thunderbird Tech Studio Builds Competency and Supports Student Success in a Virtual World

Tags: Learning Resources, Technology Services

September 2021

At Mesa Community College’s Thunderbird Tech Studio, students can receive one-on-one guidance and tutoring for using and mastering technology that supports their academic learning. The Tech Studio team provides support for common college-supported technology tools such as Windows and Mac operating systems, Microsoft Office, Google Drive Suite, Canvas, and other systems. The beauty of the Thunderbird Tech Studio design is that it will morph into an in-person service once the pandemic subsides, thus allowing students to choose when, where, and how they receive technology tutoring and assistance...