Nontraditional students often enroll at institutions of higher learning without the technology skills needed to complete coursework and achieve academic success. The problem at a small community college in the Southern United States is that instructors are providing limited support for nontraditional students using technology, which may leave…

The gap between skilled workers needed and skilled workers available increased since the start of the fourth industrial revolution. Employees now need different knowledge, skills, and abilities to enter the workforce and stay current with new technologies than they did in the past. One way this knowledge gap and skilled worker shortage could be…

In this chapter, we discuss changes in the age structure of the labor force, the need for continued skill upgrading over the life course to remain employable, patterns of participation in adult learning and development activities, and the role community colleges play in providing education and training to middle-aged and older adults. In an…

The patient portal is an electronic repository of health information, including doctor's notes, laboratory test results, and diagnostic imaging reports. There are limited studies that explore how individuals make sense of their health information, and use that understanding to increase health literacy. Education leaders should consider the ways…

Community colleges have a strong history of providing vocational education and occupational training to meet changing workforce demands of local industries. In the Midwest, agricultural industries have expressed an expanding need for middle-skilled workers with postsecondary, pre-baccalaureate credentials. The 21st century agricultural landscape…

This study examined the demographic factors that predict intention to integrate technology into instruction by community college adjunct faculty. Regression model findings indicated that the demographic characteristics of years of teaching experience, teaching discipline, hours of preparation time, and years of experience using computers were…

Taking online courses has become a delivery mode of choice for many students. This collaborative study focuses on the impact of college readiness; technological resources, and course design on student success in an online introduction to computers distance education course within the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). The…

Fundamental computer skills are vital in the current technology-driven society. The purpose of this study was to investigate the development needs of students at a rural community college in the Southeast who lacked the computer literacy skills required in a basic computer course. Guided by Greenwood's pragmatic approach as a reformative force in…

Information overload is an issue not only in the corporate world, but also in the world of online education. This phenomenon has a unique relationship to nontraditional students who may lack the computer skills of traditional students. Little research has focused on this particular demographic. Failure to address this issue could result in lower…

"Working Together and Making A Difference: Virginia Western Community College and Goodwill Industries of the Valleys Partnership Case Study Report" is a report aimed at informing community college and workforce leaders of best practices for launching and expanding partnerships to serve students more effectively. Co-published by AspenWSI…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare the educational effectiveness of online versus in-class computer literacy courses, and examine the impact, if any, of student demographics (delimited to gender, age, work status, father and mother education, and enrollment status). Institutions are seeking ways to produce technologically…

Non-traditional student enrollment, especially at community colleges, has markedly risen in the last ten years due to national unemployment rates, the current economic climate, and employer demand for computer-literate employees. While university instructors struggle to constantly adapt their course materials to incorporate updates in software…

Taking online courses has become a delivery mode of choice for many students. This study focused on the impact of college readiness, technological resources, and course design on student success in an online computer literacy course offered in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). Recent statistics of student success in…

This dissertation is an action research study examining the use of technology to encourage critical thinking and digital literacy in a community college history class. The students are responsible for researching course material and teaching the class. They then use a wiki to contribute to and edit an interactive, online textbook that has been…

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of staff and faculty regarding factors affecting student success in distance learning at a California community college (CCC). Participants were members of the leadership group known as the distance learning committee. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using open-ended…