Based on a literature review and interviews with administrators at five California community colleges, this report examines staff development efforts undertaken to improve the productivity of classroom instruction. Chapter I reviews the literature on staff development, considering the following issues: increasing demands for educational…

Reviews research literature concerning the rates of participation in and the effectiveness of instructional development programs in community colleges. Considers methodologies and findings, and concludes that the most effective methods (e.g., microteaching, minigrants, consultants) respect teachers' desire to be experts in specialized disciplinary…

Designed to examine the nature and extent of peer tutoring and tutor training at community colleges, this report reviews the literature on the topic, describes a national study conducted by the League for Innovation in the Community College (LICC), and reports on a survey of the attitudes of peer tutors at Johnson County Community College (JCCC)…

Based on a review of research and literature on student academic performance, provides an overview of the state of basic skills (developmental) instruction in the two-year college. Discusses the characteristics of successful basic skills programs. (DMM)

Presents the results of a study of community college faculty development activities. Reports that the colleges examined relied on traditional approaches to faculty development and made minimal efforts at evaluation. Urges colleges to develop more focused faculty development programs that are proven to improve learning and teaching. (Contains 35…

Describes the assessment of student learning outcomes in six domains: general education, transfer programs, vocational and occupational education, remedial and developmental education, continuing education, and affective and noncognitive areas. Discusses the use of assessment results and the implications of assessment for external accountability…

Reviews literature on the questionable value of remedial instruction during the 1960's and 1970's; the improvement of intake and placement procedures during the subsequent decade; student participation in voluntary remedial programs; and recommendations emerging from the most recent studies of remedial instruction. (DMM)

Reviews the history of libraries and learning resource centers in Ohio's two-year colleges for the past two decades, focusing on efforts related to networking and evaluation. Presents data from studies on learning resource programs published in 1981, 1984, and 1989. Includes a comparison of the 1988-89 data with seven national learning resource…

A study was conducted to compare the academic success of students who completed developmental education courses at Northwest Technical College with that of students who did not take such courses, but whose placement test scores indicated that they should. Subjects of the study were selected from 499 students who were advised, based on their test…

Reviews major research conducted between 1984 and 1989 on test anxiety among college, concluding that test anxiety may result from long-term memory problems. Explores techniques for reducing test anxiety, assessing the relative validity of each. Proposes a holistic approach to reducing test anxiety that addresses cognitive and emotional…

Discusses the changing nature of vocational education in the community college, offers models and strategies for organizing and delivering vocational education, and presents evidence on program effectiveness and outcomes associated with student participation. Notes that for some vocational education approaches--for example, tech prep--little is…

A research project was conducted to define cooperative education, to determine which two-year colleges in New York State operate cooperative education programs, and to assess the value of cooperative education. A survey of twenty-two colleges in the state identified 102 cooperative education offerings in thirty-seven interest areas. An assessment…

Contends that executive-level administrators must provide strategic leadership of the institutional mission if their community colleges are to adapt and respond to learner needs. Reports that content analyses of mission statements from 102 colleges revealed seven salient themes: access, workforce and economic development, comprehensive…

Examines the eight models for general education programming presented in this volume, highlighting patterns found in the articles. Indicates that the programs emphasize communication skills, an appreciation for diversity, technological and mathematical literacy, the development of moral reasoning skills, and the improvement of student critical…

This review of issues facing administrators of community college libraries and learning resources centers focuses on four main areas: (1) organization of services; (2) maximizing library effectiveness; (3) administrative qualifications; and (4) standards for community college libraries. It begins by arguing that, since a library reflects the goals…