Innovation Library
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Latest Innovations
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Tags: PartnershipsJanuary 2026In an October 2024 issue of Member Spotlight, the author detailed how Delta College rethought...
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Tags: AccessJanuary 2026Collaboration between community colleges and universities is not just beneficial—it is...
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From Training to Credential: Aligning TDCJ Officer Development With Postsecondary Workforce PathwaysTags: AccessJanuary 2026Coastal Bend College (CBC) is a rural community college in South Texas serving nine counties and...
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Tags: Community RelationsDecember 2025Although simulation training has long been recognized as an effective strategy for the development...
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Economic Development
February
2025
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Graduating high school students across the nation are faced with deciding whether to continue their education or enter the workforce. Many seek higher education in order to improve career opportunities and gain economic prosperity and social mobility (Blackwell & Pinder, 2014). The College Board claims that the average annual income for individuals who have a baccalaureate degree is $53,976. The unemployment rate among these graduates is 4.7 percent, which is lower than the U.S. unemployment rate of 6.7 percent (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014). While these statistics look promising, the...
August
2020
Oakton Community College’s Cannabis Dispensary and Patient Care Specialist certificate program is the direct result of a single interaction between a senior Oakton administrator and an Oakton alumnus. The alumnus worked for a medical cannabis dispensary and expressed the need for educated patient care specialists who were able to interact with chronically ill patients—in other words, those with job skills that go beyond being a “weed enthusiast.”
Students and alumni can positively impact curriculum and academic programming as members of career advisory committees and by playing a role in...
September
2016
As higher education evolves to accommodate new forms of learning and new workforce needs, skills are being assessed across an ever-widening range of activities within the learning landscape. Campus-based and online degree programs; professional certificates; competency-based education; open online courses; professional development initiatives; cocurricular and extracurricular activities; and programs in service learning, information literacy, and entrepreneurship are just some of the higher education settings in which competencies worth recognizing are demonstrated or observed. Digital badges...
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When looking at national data about American students who are identified as English language learners (ELL), overlapping definitions from two prominent sources are important to note. The U.S. Census Bureau uses the American Community Survey (2013) to obtain information about factors that disproportionately affect ELL students and their families. The survey compares statistics between "native" and "foreign" households, definitions which are determined by where the householder was born. Not all children whose parents were born outside of the U.S. are identified as ELL. However, when...
December
2025
Although simulation training has long been recognized as an effective strategy for the development of fundamental technical skills, trainers, educators, and administrators often overlook a critical secondary outcome of training simulation that is hidden in plain sight—the profound leadership development that occurs when students navigate complex, high-pressure scenarios with incomplete information and time constraints.
As students practice consequential decision-making, coordinate team responses, and adapt to unpredictable circumstances in realistic environments, they unconsciously develop...
February
2024
In a world fixated on conventional measures of success, the call to empower students as agents of change resounds with urgency. The journey begins by shifting our educational paradigm, placing intrinsic factors like competence, authenticity, and connection at the forefront. As we embark on this transformative endeavor, the following principles delve into practical steps to enhance student engagement and motivation, amplify student voices, and foster collaborative experiences. We envision a realm where education transcends mere preparation for an undefined future and instead becomes a catalyst...
