The Rostrum is a quarterly publication of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Effective Participation in Governance: Policies and Practices (Julie Bruno); (2) TOP Code Alignment Project and Impacts on Local Coding (Craig Rutan); (3) Focus on Transfer: ADTs, UCTP Degrees, and…

"FACTC Focus" is a publication of Faculty Association of Community and Technical Colleges (FACTC) with the purpose of presenting diverse views on faculty issues. Included in this issue are: (1) LOL: The Easy ROUTE TO Critical Thinking (Barbara B. Parsons); (2) Critical Thinking: We Know It When We (Don't) See It (Jared Anthony); (3) Critical…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community College Count, this issue of Data Notes examines the reported transfer rates of Achieving the Dream colleges and the enrollment patterns of students who transfer to another institution either before or after receiving degrees from the community colleges. Nineteen percent of students in the 2002 cohort…

Community college students take circuitous routes through their education; very few enroll full-time and continue until they graduate. Erratic enrollment patterns have been negatively linked with academic progress and eventual credential completion--students enrolled continuously and on a full-time basis are more likely to attain their academic…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" investigates the number of attempts it takes students to complete all developmental education courses to which they are referred. Subsequent gateway course completion and overall persistence are also examined. Three-year outcomes were analyzed and…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" is the first of a two-part series investigating which academic terms have the highest frequency of stop-outs at Achieving the Dream colleges. In this issue, students who stop out during high-frequency terms are examined by enrollment status, gender, and…

This issue of "The Progress of Education Reform" will look at recent research on transfer and articulation in light of the new movement to increase degree attainment by addressing the following three questions: (1) Do articulation agreements ease the transfer process and lead to degree attainment; (2) what are the factors that facilitate…

Many postsecondary students possess risk factors that are associated with decreased rates of persistence and credential completion. Traditional students, those without risk factors and with greater rates of postsecondary success are in the minority. Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community College Count, this issue of "Data Notes" examines…

The Rostrum is a quarterly publication of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) The Need for full Time faculty (again) by Jane Patton; (2) Reading May Be the Key to Unlocking Basic Skills Success by Janet Fulks; (3) Diversity Institute on the Right Track by Beth Smith; (4)…

It has been found that students who took the traditional path to a bachelor degree--those who started and finished at the same institution--averaged 4.3 years to complete their degrees at State University System (SUS) institutions in 2002-03. 12.4% took 3.5 years or less, 54.2% took 4 years or less, 69.5% took 4.5 years or less, and 86.5% took 5…

Using the data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" is the second of a two-part series investigating the characteristics of late stop-outs--students who accumulate at least 30 credits within the first two years, only to stop out without completing credentials or transferring. The data show that male…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue looks at the differences between students enrolled part-time, compared with those enrolled full-time, during their first term. The analysis addresses differences in developmental needs, as well as various outcome measures -- persistence, credits completed, and accumulated…

"FACTC Focus" is a publication of Faculty Association of Community and Technical Colleges (FACTC) with the purpose of presenting diverse views on faculty issues. Included in this issue are: (1) Teaching Underwater (Jill Stukenberg); (2) The Ready Made Audience (Jason Nix); (3) Success or Insanity (J. Salas); (4) U Tube and Flickr…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" looks at who receives aid, how much they receive and how financial aid relates to persistence. The data show that among full-time students in the 2003 Achieving the Dream cohort, students of color were more likely to receive grants to fund their postsecondary…

"FACTC Focus" is a publication of Faculty Association of Community and Technical Colleges (FACTC) with the purpose of presenting diverse views on faculty issues. Included in this issue are: (1) Shooting In The Dark: Evaluating Distance Learning Instruction (Stephanie Delaney); (2) Trust Who? - Trust and Learning: Crafting a Conversation That…