Community colleges play an important role in the U.S. economy, providing access to higher education for low-income young people, a path to higher-earning employment for low-income workers, and a supply of well-trained employees for local industry. In order to remain competitive with other major economies, however, the U.S. must sharply increase…

This document is an assessment of a performance-based education project that involved a United States history course, offered at a community college. Thirty-two student performance objectives are outlined and lesson plans designed to achieve each objective are presented. Each lesson plan consists of an instructional topic, prerequisites, interest…

A study was conducted to examine the influence of administrative actions on levels of faculty commitment to administratively defined priorities. Previous research conducted in a large, urban, multi-campus community college district revealed four district goals: serving new clientele, strengthening developmental education, retaining students, and…

A research project was conducted to develop and implement a model for community college missions. The new model would depart from existing models, which utilize a hierarchy of decreasing levels of generality beginning with institutional missions and culminating in objectives. In contrast, this research defined institutional mission in terms of…

Reports on a study in which presidents and governing board chairpersons from community colleges in Florida ranked a list of 20 institutional priorities. Findings indicate general agreement among the community college leadership. Compares results from a similar study conducted by the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges. (DMM)

A study was conducted to identify broad areas of concern related to the mission of Shelby State Community College (SSCC) in Memphis, Tennessee, and to compare the extent to which specific institutional goals were being carried out and ought to be carried out according to particular college constituencies. A 50-item institutional goal survey was…

Details a study of learning involvement among adults through interviews with 41 males over 25 enrolled at a small New England community college. Interviews revealed that in the preceding year respondents completed an average of seven learning projects, spending 285 hours on each, and that 56 percent of the projects were self-directed. (DMM)

Designed to promote institutional research to evaluate matriculation in California community colleges, this document outlines the methodology, anticipated results, and discussion points for nine model research projects. The research projects are designed to assess the effects of matriculation on student performance; on access to education,…

Program evaluation can be understood as the process of looking at how all aspects of a program or department have been functioning as the basis for informed planning and decision making. Although the objective dimensions used in evaluations can vary, methodologies can be categorized according to the four category framework (i.e., describing…

This annual report on the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) contains demographic and enrollment profiles of the nine colleges that compose the LACCD as well as a systemwide budget, and districtwide student characteristics. Following messages from the LACCD president and chancellor, the report contains profiles of the following…

Drawing from autobiographical essays prepared by students enrolled in urban community college districts in eight states, this report profiles the lives of these students with particular focus on family background; educational objectives; obligations and problems related to work and home life; and career and educational plans and goals.…

A study was conducted at St. Louis Community College (SLCC) to obtain students' opinions of the Clarkson Education Center (CEC), a new off-campus educational center opened in summer, 1984. The study sought information on the students enrolled at CEC and how they differed from the SLCC student body as a whole; students' views of the quality of…

Customized Contract Training (CCT), which involves contracting to design short term, non-credit courses and workshops to meet the training needs of specific employers, is the new buzz-word at community colleges. Though many assume this type of school-business partnership benefits everyone, the potential negative effects on community colleges as…

In fall 1978, a study was conducted at Eastfield College to determine the desirability of using a writing sample as part of the student assessment and advisement process. At an orientation session attended by 1,643 entering students, an entry-level assessment was conducted, consisting of a writing sample; an objective English composition test; the…

In 1992, a study was conducted to examine the relationship between a number of organizational criteria and the community college transfer function. Using a case study approach, six California community colleges, with either above average or below average transfer rates, were assessed in terms of adaptive capacity; organizational culture and…