Course design academies are typically intensive, offered in multi-day format, integrate an explicit backward design framework, and leverage multi-disciplinary participation. This article describes an "unbundled" course design academy model that considers the impacts of COVID-19 on faculty members: trauma, and their increased design…

Several concurrent trends are increasing the likelihood that short courses, microcredentials, and flexible learning pathways will become a regular and even dominant feature of education and training globally. This policy paper reflects on these trends with special reference to the post-secondary education sector, and explores ways to organize…

This brief shares learnings from the community of Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP) organizations and partners as they continue to deepen their practices to enhance the positive impact and durability of programming while also scaling to reach greater numbers of young people in similar situations. After a brief description of the national…

The Republic of the Marshall Islands Public School System, requested information about alternative assessment evaluation, including detail on performance and competency-based assessment. In response, this high-level scan from the Region 19 Comprehensive Center identifies example tools and measures along with key resources and references. Also…

The STEM Transfer Partnership (STP) initiative seeks to create systemic change within STEM degree pathways in Washington through collaboration between teams of faculty and staff from nine pairs of two-year and four-year institutions across the state. These teams are supported by Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) to work together to…

Pursuant to California Education Code 88922 and Assembly Bill 231, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and the Board of Governors for California Community Colleges are pleased to release the Guided Pathways Grant Report for Fiscal Years 2021-2023. This report includes a summary of the California community colleges' progress in…

The Student Success Center Network (SSCN) Coaching Program engages community colleges in institutional transformation through institutional coaching. In the most recent phase of work, supported by Ascendium Education Group, Jobs for the Future (JFF) and Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) engaged with grantee Centers in four…

The major is a standard undergraduate degree structure in which learners follow largely predetermined course paths with the primary goal of developing content knowledge and skills. Developing the more sophisticated ability to author inquiry is typically deferred to graduate training but can, we believe, be successfully cultivated in undergraduates…

Coaches are trusted advisors, information conduits, sounding boards, and advocates who facilitate institutional change. This report summarizes findings from the first five years of the Student Success Center Network's Coaching Program, focusing particularly on the most recent phase that engaged directly with Centers in four states (California,…

Immigrant students are served in adult basic education programs across the country. This includes internationally trained professionals who often face nonrecognition of their foreign credentials and experience, leading to underemployment and a devaluation of skills. This article explores this issue from the perspective of a local program at…

This paper presents the top state policy priorities for 2025 based on a survey of members of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO). This paper is not an exhaustive list of state higher education policy issues for 2025 but represents those most likely to affect state higher education communities in the year ahead.…

The Independent Transfer Pathways in North Carolina Project served as a catalyst in forging a culture of cooperation between community colleges and independent colleges and universities in North Carolina by creating a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the two systems. The project focused on developing discipline-specific articulation…

Both policymakers and educators have identified the pressing need for clear and consistent pathways from two-year to four-year postsecondary institutions in STEM fields. Though numerous interventions for transfer pathways have been designed and implemented, there remains a need for effective and sustainable models of transfer partnership that…

This report provides a synthesis of advice from community college presidents across 15 states, including North Carolina. The advice focuses on recommended areas of innovation that rural-serving institutions should consider in order to align with the changing nature of work and the workforce. While the nature and nuance of innovations at each…

The Student Success Center Network (SSCN) is dedicated to advancing racial justice and economic mobility by dramatically and equitably increasing the number of students earning postsecondary credentials with labor market value. Managed by Jobs for the Future, the SSCN has worked since 2012 to develop, implement, and scale student success…