Critical thinking is an important outcome of a college education. Assessment techniques that require students to demonstrate their understanding of course concepts are referred to as authentic assessment and promote the development of critical thinking. Little research exists on the types of assessment and grading practices utilized by community…

Community college efforts to increase completion rates typically involve small programs or pilots that serve relatively few students and often rely on temporary outside funding. However, small-scale innovations, such as learning communities, supplemental instruction, and mentoring programs--particularly if implemented in isolation from larger…

The main objective of the authors' proposed study is to evaluate the effectiveness of math placement policies for entering community college students on these students' academic success in math, and their transfer and graduation rates. The main research question that guides the proposed study is: What are the effects of various basic skills…

This exploratory study was an attempt to understand the types of affective learning. The study focused on beginning students who were enrolled in apparel construction/sewing laboratory in community colleges within Los Angeles and Ventura counties during the spring of 2009 (n = 155). The primary purpose of the study was to develop scales that would…

Critical thinking is an important outcome of a college education. Assessment techniques that require students to demonstrate their understanding of course concepts are referred to as authentic assessment and promote the development of critical thinking. Little research exists on the types of assessment and grading practices utilized by community…

A study was conducted in order to develop a systematic method for the evaluation of students' prior, non-sponsored learning for the award of college credit at Blackhawk College (Illinois). It was determined that a course designed to prepare the student for assessment of prior learning was the best way for the institution to provide assistance to…

Instructors at community colleges around Virginia have been assessing student learning informally and formally since their opening, but recently, with renewed emphasis on accountability and documentation, a group of faculty and administrators were brought together to study the assessment process and develop procedures to ensure that…

Published in partnership with WestEd, this significantly updated second edition of the bestselling book contains strategies for helping students in middle school through community college gain the reading independence to master subject area textbooks and other material. Features of this book include: (1) Based on the Reading Apprenticeship…

As part of an effort to understand and reduce an unacceptable attrition rate at Kirkwood Community College (KCC) in Iowa, a study was conducted to determine students' reasons for coming to the college. All 584 students who applied for admission to KCC in winter 1984 were mailed a copy of the Student Goals Inventory, an instrument which assesses…

This self-instructional learning packet was designed to introduce instructors to the development and writing of learning packets for their own courses. The packet contains seven learning modules, each providing a rationale, learning objectives, a pre-assessment test, informational text, learning activities, and a self-assessment instrument and…

Traditional, product-oriented testing must be abandoned if instructors in college reading and study skills programs are to effectively evaluate student educational outcomes. Such tests are hardly compatible with the way the brain functions, in that they require precise answers to precisely worded questions which are the product of the test-maker's…

As the first in a series of monographs on competency-based education (CBE), this paper presents background information and exercises to aid instructors in understanding and utilizing performance goals as tools for articulation, program development, and student evaluation. After introductory material discussing the major differences between…

In spring 1995, Virginia's John Tyler Community College (JTCC) conducted a survey of faculty to assess their perceptions of the integration of general education into classes and programs at the college. A total of 100 surveys were distributed to full-time faculty members and a random sample of adjunct faculty members, receiving a 34% response…

Article considered the characteristics of colleges and universities called an alternative system. (RK)

Argues that the primary purpose of teaching--motivating students to learn--would be facilitated by student involvement in establishing educational goals and by greater institutional flexibility. Reviews assessment's place in advisement and goal planning. Discusses implications of a human development approach to education for staffing and…