Relationships Matter

Recently Published Dissertations on Community and Junior Colleges

Academic advising plays a critical role in student retention and graduation rates in higher education institutions. In South African universities, the significance of academic advising has gained attention as a means to support students, especially in overcoming academic challenges and navigating socio-economic barriers. This study thus aimed to assess the effectiveness of academic advising in improving student retention and graduation rates in South African universities. A desktop research approach was employed, drawing from recent literature, institutional reports, and case studies from various universities. The study identified the strengths and weaknesses of academic advising systems, focusing on how personalized, holistic guidance impacts student success. Findings suggested that while academic advising contributes positively to student retention, its effectiveness is often hindered by inadequate resources, inconsistent implementation, and insufficient staff training.The study recommended strategies to optimize academic advising to enhance its impact on retention and graduation outcomes. The contribution of this study to scholarship lies in its comprehensive, context-specific analysis of academic advising within South African higher education. By synthesizing diverse sources and highlighting both the enablers and barriers to effective advising, this research fills a gap in the literature and provides actionable recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and institutional leaders seeking to improve student outcomes through enhanced academic advising practices. Keywords: Academic advising, student retention, South African universities, academic support, student success.

When I began working toward a Ph.D. in twentieth-century U.S. history in 1996, I saw my future self as do, I imagine, many graduate students training as college faculty: lecturing, chalk in hand, to a group of note-taking students. Or, perhaps, seated among a group of enthusiastic young adults who have come to college prepared for the rigors of higher education and arrive at class daily with their assignments complete. Th e reality of my personal experience has been quite diff erent, infl uenced largely by the increased use of technology in the college classroom and the growth of online learning. Teaching U.S. history to community college students in the twenty-fi rst century, I have discovered, necessitates a fl exible approach to students’ learning styles and a willingness to embrace technology in both the on-campus and online classrooms. My journey into the use of technology in the classroom began simply with a computer and a projector. No longer did I “just talk” at the blackboard; I moved beyond telling the students what I wanted them to learn to also showing them. For each lesson, I displayed artwork, photographs, or maps to illustrate the key points. Th ough I have no quantitative evidence that my students’ work improved, I sensed immediately upon adopting this practice that the classroom atmosphere was changed for the better. A political cartoon from the War of 1812, for example, could be the foundation for a class discussion on British military relations with Native Americans. No matter if no one in the class had noticed the image in the textbook: I had placed it in front of them during class, and its presence alone fostered discussion. I embraced the use of technology in the classroom as a powerful tool for learning: a way to address diff erent learning styles (such as visual, verbal, or auditory) to reach students who might have tuned out more traditional modes of lecturing. Still, I never anticipated that one day I would be teaching entire courses online. Nor did I imagine a day when my students would have the capacity to access an infi nite amount of data in the palms of their hands. Yet in fall 2008, my second year as a tenuretrack assistant professor at the Community College of Rhode Island, the department

For much of the twentieth century, the definition of success for most community colleges revolved around student retention and graduation. This definition no longer works—if it ever did. InStudent Success in the Community College: What Really Works?respected community college leaders, researchers, and innovators argue that student success is about redesigning community colleges in a manner that is consistent with each college’s mission, goals, student population, and resources. Concluding that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to increasing student success, chapter authors analyze national, state, and regional efforts to increase student success; identify principles institutions can use to frame student success initiatives; and outline specific actions community colleges can take to increase student—and institutional—success.Student Success in the Community College: What Really Works?also provides concrete examples of effective student success initiatives in a variety of community college settings.

Student retention and persistence tracking have become more prominent at community colleges. While it is known that community colleges have low completion rates, these institutions need help finding ways to retain and persist their students. This study explored the faculty perspective of retention and persistence strategies. Using a phenomenological tradition, 32 faculty members were recruited to participate from a community college in Northern Florida. Three themes emerged from the data, a sense of belonging, engagement, and communication. This data is significant because there is limited research about faculty perceptions of student retention and persistence. The data further describes how faculty members address retention and persistence in the classroom.

Problem Statement. There are conflicting studies on the relationship between the union and nonunion faculty and trust. Studies have shown that the union environment inherently produces a distrustful atmosphere and, with a union, employees are actually more dissatisfied than their nonunion counterparts. On the other hand, this has created a cycle where faculty may not trust administration, and administration may not trust faculty. For example, when doing negotiations, each party fights on behalf of itself, instead of fighting for the betterment of the organization. However, unions can give faculty a voice with administration and state and federal government, and may positively influence extrinsic rewards such as salary and benefits. This study investigated the relationship between faculty trust towards administration, other faculty, and union membership—specifically how trust is related to the relationships of faculty, administration, and the union. Method. This study used ex post facto or non-experimental research, which is a systematic inquiry where the researcher does not have control over the independent variables. It was used to determine if there is a relationship between faculty’s level of trust and their desire to be unionized, or if already unionized their desire was to stay unionized. This type of research displays the relationships among the variables but does not assume cause or effect. The Omnibus T-Scale developed by Hoy and Tschannen-Moran in 2003 was used to measure trust with their colleagues (other faculty), trust with administration, and trust total. The trust survey was sent to the full-time faculty at five Michigan community colleges. Community colleges selected were similar in size, demographics, and setting. The main difference for all of the community colleges is their union membership. Three nonunionized community colleges in Michigan were selected along with two unionized community colleges similar to the non-unionized community colleges in demographics, socioeconomic status, student population, and full-time faculty. Results. Based on these findings, this study led to the conclusion that there is a relationship between unionization and trust between faculty at unionized schools and administration. There is not a significant difference between trust at unionized and nonunionized schools and faculty. In fact, these findings are consistent with the literature that says, “There is usually an inverse relationship between rules and trust: the more people depend on rules to regulate their interactions, the less they trust others, and vice versa.” On the other hand, one important finding of this study that does not seem to be addressed in the literature is that there does not seem to be a relationship between trust and faculty and other faculty in regard to unionization status. Conclusion. According to the findings of this study, trust tends to make a difference on faculty trust with administration in a unionized environment. Trust is foundational to all relationships; it may positively influence faculty job satisfaction, student retention, and student engagement, and improve organizational effectiveness. It is my expectation that this study will help community college administrators develop strategies to increase trust

Rosenbaum, J. E., Deil-Amen, R., & Person, A. E. (2006). After Admission: From College Access to College Success. New York: RussellDOI: 10.1177/0091552108327071After Admission: From College Access to College Success examines student and college success from an organizational structure perspective and argues that problems students experience during their academic journey can be minimized by using intentionally supportive procedures and processes. To demonstrate how private occupational colleges minimize barriers that students experience, authors Rosenbaum, Deil-Amen, and Person compare and contrast public, accredited 2-year community colleges from a large metropolitan area with private occupational colleges that offer accredited associate's degrees in the same occupational fields. The authors compare the practices of these institutions with regard to support structures and services they provide to aid in student success. This book is written from the perspectives of three educators: a professor of sociology, education, and social policy (Rosenbaum); an assistant professor of education (Deil-Amen); and a doctoral candidate in human development and social policy (Person). More than 190 authors and works are referenced in this book, making it a rich compilation of both quantitative and qualitative research results.Recognizing that the United States has moved toward universal access for college, as exemplified by the open-access policy of community colleges, the authors identify methods to help community colleges reshape practices and processes in a contextrelevant manner. Because these students at these institutions tend to be the first in their families to attend college, their lack of knowledge about college culture as well as their need to develop soft skills can have negative implications for their success. These challenges, combined with socioeconomic strain, demands outside of college, and the need for realistic graduation timelines, all play a role in student success or failure. The authors argue that student characteristics have changed dramatically yet institutional processes have not. Specifically, Rosenbaum, Deil-Amen, and Person challenge community colleges to abandon the concept of individual student deficiencies as a prime reason for student failure and to consider institutional, structural, and procedural changes as a potential avenue to reverse the dismal success rate of community college students.The authors dispute the notion that community colleges engage in a cooling-out process while also demonstrating how warming up does not necessarily serve students well in the absence of appropriate support structures. They question the nonstigmatizing approach mat is often used in today's community colleges with regard to remediation, suggesting that ineffective information leads to confusion for students who are not aware that they may not earn degree credit in remedial courses. According to personal testimonies, students sometimes unknowingly enrolled in noncredit remedial courses only to learn after a semester or more that the courses in which they were enrolled did not fulfill graduation requirements. For students with limited financial resources, this constitutes a devastating misunderstanding.A variety of additional topics are explored in the volume, including problems community college students face regarding the amount and delivery of needed information, students' lack of social and cultural capital, community colleges' limited and ineffective use of advisory boards to support programs and student connections, minimal career services, and a lack of adequate institutional commitment for job placement services. Comparisons between the two types of institutions are made, indicating that private occupational colleges structure their student support services in a way that minimizes these challenges for their students. Although private occupational colleges work from a charter-building perspective, which helps them build beneficial connections for their students, community colleges rely on the traditional, credential concept with little regard to the market value of degrees and the additional needs of their graduates. …

This title offers techniques and tips for today's community college teachers. Statistical and anecdotal evidence documents that even states with relatively little ethnic or cultural diversity are beginning to notice and ask questions about long-term resident immigrants in their classes. As shifts in student population become more widespread, there is an even greater need for second language specialists, composition specialists, program administrators, and developers in colleges and universities to understand and adapt to the needs of the changing student audience(s). This book is designed as an entry-level treatment of the topic of diverse second language student audiences in U.S. post-secondary education. It is appropriate for those interested in working with student writers in academic settings, especially those students who are transitioning from secondary to post-secondary education. It provides a coherent synthesis and summary not only of the scope and nature of the changes but of their practical implications for program administration, course design, and classroom instruction. For pre-service teachers and those new(er) to the field of working with second language student writers, it offers an accessible and focused look at 'audience' issues with many practical suggestions. For teacher-educators and administrators, this book is a resource that can inform decision making.

Despite the advanced technology on today's community college campuses, the need for sit‐around‐the‐campfire human interaction endures. One way to bring this interesting dichotomy together is through a retreat based on the Great Teachers Seminar model.

Reviewed by: Improving Completion Rates Among Disadvantaged Students Juan R. Guardia Improving Completion Rates Among Disadvantaged Students Liz Thomas, Michael Cooper, and Jocey Quinn (Eds.) Stoke on Trent, U.K.: Trentham Books, 2003, 176 pages, $27.50 (softcover) What are colleges and universities across the globe doing to assist disadvantaged students? What can be done to improve their retention and graduation rates in higher education? The answers to these and other related questions are found in Improving Completion Rates Among Disadvantaged Students. Editors Thomas, Cooper and Quinn gathered a group of 14 higher education professionals from around the world, including Mike Abramson, Helen Anderson, Margaret Andrews, John Benseman, David Coltman, Kay Gardner, Stephen J. Handel, Margaret Heagney, Alfred Herrera, Peter Jones, Patricia McLean, Judy Nicholl, Margaret Noble, and Vincent Tinto, who have substantial experience working with access, attrition and retention programs to contribute to this volume. Although they all originate in countries dominated by the Anglo-Saxon culture, they have a general validity dealing as they do with central issues that have to be addressed if we are to come to terms with the problem of drop-out. (p. xiii) The book is organized into eight chapters. In the first, "Establishing Conditions for Student Success," Tinto describes four factors that contribute to student retention at colleges and universities in the United States (U.S.): (1) institutional commitment, (2) academic and social support, (3) involvement, and (4) learning. "Students are more likely to persist when they find themselves in settings that hold high expectations for their learning, provide needed academic and social support, and actively involve them with other students and faculty in learning" (p. 5). In addition, Tinto describes the importance of federal and state programs targeted at disadvantaged students and how institutions are being held accountable for student retention and graduation. In chapter two, "The Implications of Globalisation for Supporting Students with a Disability: An Australian Perspective," McLean, Heagney, and Gardner introduce us to their work with students with disabilities in Australia. Many of Australia's universities employ Disability Liasion Officers who provide services for disabled students, including those planning to study abroad and international students with disabilities studying in Australia. We also learn about the culture clash experienced by international students with disabilities and how Australia's Federal Disability Discrimination Act of 1992 and the federal government's equity blueprint, A Fair Chance for All: Education That's Within Everyone's Reach, play an important role in Australian higher education. Chapter three, "Access and Retention of Students from Educationally Disadvantaged Backgrounds: Insights from the University of California" provides readers with a U.S. perspective and describes how the University of California (UC) system addressed the issue of diversity on campus after Proposition 209 prohibited the use of race in admissions in state agencies. Handel and Herrera describe how UC created an Outreach Task Force (OTF) in charge of developing new ways of attracting disadvantaged students to UC [End Page 99] campuses. One of their initial findings included how "a significant number of underrepresented students attend a California Community College yet never transfer to a UC campus" (p. 38). The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) responded with the creation of the Centre for Community College Partnerships, which "develop academic partnerships among UCLA and community college faculty and administrators to increase the number of underrepresented students who apply and are admitted to the University of California" (p. 44). UCLA also offers the Summer Intensive Transfer Experience (SITE), a six-day academic program for educationally disadvantaged, low-income, first-generation, underrepresented community college students, which prepares them to transfer to a four-year institution (Handel & Herrera, 2003). In chapter four, Andrews discusses "Access and Learner-centred Approaches to Teaching and Learning in Further and Higher Education." The chapter focuses on a qualitative study of students, teachers, and staff who participate in programs targeted at disadvantaged groups, including women, Black and ethnic minorities, and lower-socioeconomic groups at two further education colleges and two universities in London. Further education colleges are "voluntary and private training organizations usually at sub-degree levels" (p. 54) and higher education is referred to mainstream universities. Results found that further education colleges are more consistent in...

Amidst declining state revenues, high transfer rates, and low student retention rates, academic advisors play increasingly crucial roles in attracting and retaining students at their institutions. Using a blend of structural functionalism and professionalism frameworks, the purpose of this literature review is to inform student affairs professionals and college administrators about the importance of academic advisors in their roles to encourage students to persist through their education at their postsecondary institutions. The findings from this review are intended to inform academic advisors and administrators at institutions of higher education on the roles academic advisors play in student retention efforts.

On-campus postsecondary programs like Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) programs started in response to increasing numbers of students with intellectual disabilities (SWIDs) entering higher education. The problem for many students with intellectual disabilities is the lack of support for an overall integrated academic experience once they matriculate into higher education from P-12 education. Collaborating with campus units such as academic advising, CTP programs, and individual academic advisors can enhance support and promote the successful academic integration of students with intellectual disabilities. Research has shown how an area like academic advising increases retention, graduation, and overall student success for students, and students with intellectual disabilities should be no different. Using a phenomenological single case study approach, seven students and two advisors participated in semi-structured interviews. Key findings include the importance of on-campus interconnectedness and support for an overall connected experience as important considerations for assisting successful academic integration for students with intellectual disabilities. Implications from this study contribute to the lack of research on how best to support the successful integration of SWIDs within academic advising, on campus, and in higher education communities.

In this study, cybersecurity faculty and academic advisors from community colleges and 4-year universities in the southeast region of the United States completed a survey assessing attitudes about and support for articulation agreements and related transfer policies. Hypothesizing that professional structures shape attitudes and experiences, the researchers conducted an exploratory quantitative study with primarily descriptive analyses. The results reveal differences in attitudes between community college and 4-year stakeholders and between faculty and academic advisors. The results of this study are discussed in relation to faculty and advisor training and communication.

Student retention is a topic at the forefront for all post secondary education institutions. Supporting students in their studies, providing the resources to empower them to complete their education is a critical component in the quality and success of colleges. It is also a fiscal concern for colleges. While first year programs abound, community colleges are faced with the challenges of a largely commuter population with very diverse backgrounds. Community colleges are also by mission, open access institutions. This quantitative research study looked at a mandatory placement project piloted at a central Iowa community college in 2006 and 2007. It focused on an analysis of the first year program options provided at the college and the effectiveness of intensive, directed advisement of students to participate in one or more of the options in relation to enhanced persistence from fall to spring. Six different academic course environments were studied: a traditional first year seminar course focused on acclimating students to college; a course focused on skills necessary for successful postsecondary studies; learning communities, educational constructs of collaborative courses sharing a single community of learners; and developmental courses in reading, writing and math, designed to prepare students for the rigors of college level instruction. The study looked at the makeup of the students who participated in each of the environments and the appeal to different demographic groups of students in reference to age categories, gender, race, first generation students and low income students. The study then focused on the outcomes of term GPA and credits retained in effectiveness of the project on student persistence from fall to spring.

Background/Context Although numerous studies have emerged shedding light on community college student success, the enduring role of social capital is often overlooked. Furthermore, when conceptualizing social capital in the community college context and its diverse student population, age represents a unique form of diversity in these institutions that warrants further exploration. Purpose This research identifies the sources of social capital and the relationships between different sources of social capital and community college success, taking into account how the identified sources and relationships may vary based on age through the following questions: First, what are the major sources of social capital among first-year community college students, and how do sources of social capital vary based on age of students? Second, how do different sources of social capital influence first-year community college success? Third, how do influences of social capital on first-year community college success vary based on the age of students? Research Design Our study drew on Coleman's conceptualization of social capital, along with survey, administrative, and transcript data from three 2-year colleges in a midwestern state. We performed factor analysis with invariance tests to investigate the sources of social capital among community college students and how the identified factor structure may vary by age. We further conducted a logistic regression to examine the relationship between social capital and community college student success across age. Findings Our findings indicate that social capital needs to be conceptualized differently for community college students across age because they indeed drew on multiple forms of social capital differently, and the sources of social capital that emerged in turn were related to student success in varied ways. Students under the age of 24 relied on institutional agents and academic interaction as dominant forms of social capital, whereas those over the age of 24 relied on significant other's support. Students under the age of 24 were more likely to succeed if they frequently visited advisors for academic reasons. A low or high level of support for schoolwork was related to a higher chance of success for students between 24 and 29 years of age. For the students who were over 30 years old, a moderate level of engagement in their learning network and discussions with academic advisors was related to the lowest level of dropping out. Conclusions This study extends the social capital model by illuminating the varying types of social capital that students of different age groups engage with, particularly in the community college context, and pushes the boundaries of the knowledge base on how social capital functions in relation to student success in postsecondary education. The findings also elucidate new directions for research, policy, and practice in regard to cultivating and maximizing networks and information for community college students of all ages.