scholarly journals Graduation Rates at San Jose State University of Transferring Community College Students with an Associate Degree for Transfer: A Process Evaluation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Cordova
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Graduation Rates ◽  
Process Evaluation ◽  
Associate Degree ◽  
State University ◽  
San Jose ◽  
San Jose State University

An Emotive Operation of Neoliberalism in Higher Education: Seeking a Second Chance in Hong Kong

2020 ◽  
pp. 009155212096487
Author(s):  
Yi-Lee Wong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Associate Degree ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Educational Expansion ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Second Chance

Objective: Educational expansion as a policy is believed to address the issue of the youth’s blocked social mobility. But, the argument that the transition to university is emotionally straining in a deindustrialized neoliberal context suggests an emotive aspect of neoliberalism in higher education. This article seeks to offer an illustration of such an emotive operation of neoliberalism through examining the emotional struggles of community-college students in Hong Kong. Method: This study draws on two qualitative analyses based on data collected from 83 community-college students in Hong Kong pursuing a bachelor’s degree through a newly available transfer function of an associate degree. Results: Given an emphasis of neoliberalism on individualism and competition, the respondents showed the following negative emotions: perverse feelings of inferiority about the new option, stress about the competitiveness of this pursuit and strategic/calculating in organizing their learning and dealing with their classmates, and anxiety of being seen as inadequate despite their successful transferals. Contributions: The emotional struggles of the respondents suggest that in view of a lack of well-paid prestigious professional or managerial jobs in a deindustrialized capitalist context, educational expansion as a policy—expanding the sector of community college in particular—wrapped up in a neoliberal discourse is not merely giving the youth a false hope but inflicting on them unnecessarily strained emotions. This suggestion urges policy makers to rethink the effectiveness of adopting an educational policy with a neoliberal approach to address an economic issue.

scholarly journals Effects of Online Course Load on Degree Completion, Transfer, and Dropout among Community College Students of the State University of New York

2019 ◽  
pp. 291-300
Author(s):  
Peter Shea ◽  
Temi Bidjerano
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
At Risk ◽  
New York ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Online Course ◽  
State University ◽  
Course Load

Past research suggests that some students are at risk of lower levels of academic performance when studying online compared to students who take coursework only in the classroom. Community college students appear to be among those that struggle in online settings. In this paper, we hypothesize that online course load may influence outcomes for such students, especially those at risk for lower levels of degree attainment. To examine this, we conducted a state-wide study using data from the 30 community colleges (n = 45,557) of the State University of New York, to understand online course-load effects on degree completion, transfer, and dropout. We conclude that when controlling for covariates known to impact degree completion, community college students who successfully complete online courses nearly double their chances (odds ratio = 1.72) of earning a degree or transferring to a 4 year college. However, racial minorities had reduced outcomes and additional research is warranted.Post-secondary completion is a significant predictor of a host of individual and societal benefits. Online education has increased access to post-secondary credentials for millions of people. (Allen Siemen, 2016). Community colleges enrol a higher proportion of online students than other institution types (NCES, 2017). However, concerns exist about outcomes for community college students who take online coursework, especially the effect of higher online course loads. The next section briefly summarizes relevant literature reflecting those concerns.

The Impact of Financial Aid on Associate Degree Attainment for Rural Community College Students: A Comparison of Rural, Urban, and Suburban Patterns

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-454
Author(s):  
Lijing Yang ◽  
Shannon Venezia
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Financial Aid ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Associate Degree ◽  
Degree Attainment ◽  
Rural Students ◽  
Rural Community Colleges ◽  
Rural Community College

Objective: Increasing rural community college degree attainment is very important to foster rural areas’ economic and social well-being. Rural community colleges differ greatly from their suburban and urban counterparts in financial aid patterns and student bodies. However, existing literature is vacant with respect to student financial aid and degree attainment in rural community colleges. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between financial aid and associate degree attainment for rural community college students and compare the financing patterns of the three locales. Method: Using data from Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09), we performed a series of logistic regression models that include financial aid variables and control variables from psychological, sociological, organizational, and internationalist perspectives. Results: We found rural community college students exceeded other locales in degree attainment. Logistic regression results reveal insignificant roles of Pell Grants and Federal Subsidized Loans, and negative role of Federal Unsubsidized Loans in associate degree attainment for rural community college students. Contributions: The results suggest that public subsidies, such as Pell Grants, were not sufficient to cover rural students’ unmet need for financing degree attainment, and that rural students are more cost-conscious in borrowing and spending than their suburban and urban counterparts.

scholarly journals “I Wanted to Know More”: A Narrative Exploration of Community College Students’ Goals and Aspirations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason VanOra
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Graduation Rates ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Complete Understanding

The literature on community colleges is overwhelmed by outcomes-oriented data concerning retention, attrition, and graduation rates. What we lack is a more complete understanding of why community college students choose to enroll in the first place. The current study seeks to fill this gap. Through a series of semi-structured interviews, students reported feeling motivated to attend community college by their desires to reconstruct themselves as scholars, make proud their families and communities of origin, achieve social mobility, and develop a more accomplished and purposeful sense of self. Implications of these findings for teaching and learning are discussed, as is the importance of using identity as a lens for understanding students’ motivations.

scholarly journals Effects of Online Course Load on Degree Completion, Transfer, and Dropout among Community College Students of the State University of New York

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Shea ◽  
Temi Bidjerano
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
At Risk ◽  
New York ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
The State ◽  
Online Course ◽  
State University ◽  
Course Load

Research suggests that some students are at risk of lower levels of academic performance when studying online compared to students who take coursework only in the classroom.  Community college students appear to be among those that struggle in online settings.  In this paper, we hypothesize that online course load may influence outcomes for such students, especially those at risk for lower levels of degree attainment.  To examine this, we conducted a statewide study using data from the 30 community colleges (n=45,557) of the State University of New York, to understand online course-load effects on degree completion, transfer, and dropout. We conclude that when controlling for covariates known to impact degree completion, on average, community college students who successfully complete online courses nearly double their chances (odds ratio=1.72) of earning a degree or transferring to a 4-year college. However, racial minority students had reduced outcomes and additional research is warranted.

scholarly journals A National Study of Differences between Distance and Non-distance Community College Students in Time to First Associate Degree Attainment, Transfer, and Dropout

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Shea ◽  
Temi Bidjerano
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Associate Degree ◽  
Degree Attainment ◽  
National Study ◽  
College Level ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Policy And Practice

Abstract Previous research indicates that online learning at the community college level results in higher rates of withdrawal, failure, and dropout compared to classroom-based education (Xu & Smith Jaggars, 2011; Smith-Jaggars & Xu, 2010). The primary goal of the current study was to examine national data (US Dept. of Ed. Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey, 2004-09) on three outcomes for community college students with and without online education experiences. The outcomes were attainment of first associate degree, transfer, and dropout. In contrast to previous research, compared to exclusively classroom-based students, results suggest significantly more students who had engaged in online education had attained an associate degree at the end of the observation period. There were no significant differences in transfer or dropout. These results are interpreted with regard to their implications for policy and practice.

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