Presents several definitions of community services. Argues that community colleges will offer different community services depending upon their missions, and that community services should be designed to meet individual, institutional, and community needs. Proposes an adaptive community services model designed to respond to community needs, while…

An institution's philosophy and goals should become the basis for a continuing review and evaluation of a college's district-wide efforts. Specific objectives should be determined for implementation of established goals. The college should also use newly developed and/or redefined philosophy and goals as foundations for completing institutional…

Originally general education was a reaction against over-specialization and academic compartmentalization arising from the specialized degree structure--a reaction which stressed the need for a common experience for all students and emphasized the heritage of Western civilization. Early authors on the topic sought to define general education and…

After the determination that the Principles of Accounting course offered at Herkimer County Community College, New York, had a higher attrition rate than other introductory courses, a study was conducted to develop a computer-assisted diagnostic system which could identify the learning deficiences of accounting students and prescribe corrective…

A project was conducted at La Montana Regional College, a two-year institution in the central mountain region of Puerto Rico, to design a system by which solid, empirical evidence of institutional goal achievement could be collected. The project involved four components: a study of the literature on institutional goal achievement and the…

Describes the proliferation of new daily newspapers and the common goals and limitations that community colleges share with those newspapers. (AEA)

Information and exercises in this two-part learning module are provided to acquaint instructors with the educational theory behind competency-based education (CBE) and to help them apply this theory in the classroom. Part I of the module discusses: (1) the defining characteristics of CBE, in which instructional processes are designed to facilitate…

Community colleges are beginning to recognize that honors programs have a place in a comprehensive curriculum. Community colleges often experience problems attracting status-conscious, middle-class students, unless the institutions can convince the students and their parents that community colleges offer first-rate and academically challenging…

Describes the ways in which two community college presidents used framing to aid campus sense-making. Defines framing as the choice of one set of meanings over another, and sense-making as the process by which individuals interpret changes around them. Reports that the presidents chose frames that drove campus goals and subsequent strategies to…

Underscores the importance of student goal identification and student tracking for both the community college and its students. Reviews research findings indicating that large proportions of community college students are confused about their educational goals. Highlights methods used to help clarify their goals and monitor their progress toward…

This study, a synthesis of 51 published prescriptive essays and program reports from 1978 to 1997, follows the development of honors programs in comprehensive community colleges. Despite arguments that programs of this sort betray the institution's democratic imperative by implying academic elitism, diverting needed funds from…

Discusses the social impact of the community college in the context of functionalist and conflict theories of social stratification and education. Reviews research indicating that community colleges track students into occupations commensurate with their socio-economic status and studies demonstrating the increasing diversity in occupational…

Cites documents from the ERIC Clearinghouse for Junior Colleges collection dealing with critical issues for the 1980s. Specifies that many of the documents in the ERIC system prognosticate impending problems and offer coping strategies. (CAM)

Examines the extent to which both internal and external factors--such as background characteristics, high school experiences, and selected affective measures--influence, or explain, the educational aspirations of students at public and private two-year colleges. Describes a study of more than 13,000 freshmen students' educational aspirations and…

Addressing the problem of providing an appropriate mathematics education for vocational/technical students, this paper proposes the development of a technical mathematics sequence through the cooperative input of both math and technical faculty. First, introductory material discusses the liberal arts bias and lack of technical knowledge of typical…