Structures, Practices, and Policies to Support Community-Engaged Scholarship at the Community College

Author(s):  
Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif ◽  
Hugo García

This chapter illuminates the ways in which community colleges can develop and enhance their community-engaged scholarship (CES) to ensure they meet the needs of the local communities they are a part of. Indeed, community-engaged scholarship (CES) has been seen as a vehicle to support local communities by creating partnerships with postsecondary institutions to ensure research is conducted in a way that is mutually beneficial. The authors first explore the large corpus of literature regarding undergraduate research and then present a select number of community colleges that have been successful in incorporating undergraduate research projects. They then present how CES has been defined and how it has been implemented within a higher education context. They then proceed to introduce a CES conceptual model and explain how community colleges can utilize the model to support the institutionalization of CES programs. They conclude with recommendations for future research.

Author(s):  
Shirley M. Matteson ◽  
Irene Arellano ◽  
Sonya E. Sherrod

This chapter focuses on lessons learned from mandating community-engaged scholarship research projects for all doctoral students within a specific college of education prior to beginning their dissertations. Members of the administration of the college participated in semi-structured interviews that focused on capturing their thoughts about the 2 years in which a small group of faculty and students piloted the initiative. During the interviews, the administrators shared their perceptions and what they believed to be the varied reactions of both faculty and students who participated in the community engagement project. The chapter provides insights that may be useful for others wanting to initiate similar community engagement initiatives with doctoral students.


Author(s):  
Jennifer Englert-Copeland

Community colleges are inherently democratizing institutions. Through their open access policies, immersion in their local communities, and mission of preparing students for transfer or the workforce, they are positioned to produce graduates who have the skills to become change agents in their communities. Incorporating civic engagement within the community college setting often presents steep challenges as a result of funding models, a national narrow-focus on completion and credential production, and the barriers their own students face. Yet despite these challenges, community colleges across the country are increasingly focusing on methods of encouraging the civic engagement of their students and are participating in high-impact practices. Research confirms that students who are engaged civically do better academically. By assessing their civic programming, community colleges can shine light on the value of civic engagement as a fundamental outcome of a community college education. Only then will these institutions fully realize their mission as America's democracy colleges.


1993 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daryl F. Mellard ◽  
Mark Byrne

This study examined access to LD services in California's 103 community colleges. The data describe the pattern of referrals for LD, eligibility decisions, and students served according to age, ethnic, and gender groupings. Referrals in these settings are self-initiated and decisions on who receives state-supported classes and services are based on a statewide eligibility model. While the nature of students judged eligible and served as LD was similar to the referral patterns, the initial referrals themselves did not reflect the proportional groupings of the colleges' age, gender, and ethnic groups; besides, year-to-year fluctuations were noted. Fewer referrals were observed from some age and ethnic groups; the most notable differences included lower percentages of older students and Asian and Filipino students. These differences may be associated with such factors as the students' goals, self-attributions, and social influences. Of particular interest in future research is examination of influences on students' decisions to seek assistance in the community college setting.


2020 ◽  
pp. 009155212096487
Author(s):  
Tiberio Garza ◽  
Margarita Huerta ◽  
Hugo A. García ◽  
Jared Lau

Objective: The objective of this study was to create a model of English learners’ (ELs) persistence based on theory and empirical research. Findings from this research informs community college educators in helping ELs persist and guide future research regarding this important student population. Method: We examined ELs’ persistence using structural equation modeling (SEM) based on data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) among a U.S. national sample of 6,872 ELs. SEM was informed through the means of measurement models for latent variables. Reliability and validity were assessed through Cronbach’s alpha, principal component analysis, and fit indices. Results: Our results show that (a) sense of belonging had significant and positive direct effects on ELs’ persistence based on reenrollment decisions, (b) socioacademic integrative moments had significant and positive direct effects on ELs’ sense of belonging, and (c) learning communities had significant and positive direct effects on ELs’ socioacademic integrative moments and sense of belonging. Contributions: Community colleges offer broad access to postsecondary education for ELs, or students in the process of learning English as a second or other language. As a whole, our study contributes to a better understanding of how ELs may persist in their academic studies. We further discuss the implications of our findings in light of policy, practice, and future research.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
William E. Piland

<p>Community colleges have been in existence for over 100 years in the United States. They began by offering the first two years of undergraduate education for students in local communities. Over the decades they evolved into comprehensive institutions of higher education with a multi-faceted mission. Today, in an era of accountability and mistrust of governmental institutions, they are under siege. There are external and internal forces that are causing their troubles. Perhaps, the unthinkable could happen and they might cease to exist if bold steps aren’t taken to save them. There appears to be little time to waste.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 65-66
Author(s):  
Madeline Patton ◽  
◽  
Ellen Hause ◽  

The Community College Undergraduate Research Experience Summit was a rare opportunity for educators from various STEM disciplines and a cross section of institutions to share their perspectives on efforts by two-year colleges to build, implement, and sustain undergraduate research experiences.


10.28945/4435 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 177-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M Unangst ◽  
Nicole I Barone

Aim/Purpose: This paper evaluates three community college internationalization plans using quantitative textual analysis to explore the different foci of institutions across three U.S. states. Background: One of the purposes of community college internationalization is to equip future generations with the skills and dispositions necessary to be successful in an increasingly globalized workforce. The extent to which international efforts have become institutionalized on a given campus may be assessed through the analysis of internationalization plans. Methodology: We use the textual analysis tool Voyant, which has rarely been employed in educational research, being more frequently applied in the humanities and under the broad heading of “digital scholarship”. Contribution: Extant literature examining internationalization plans focuses on the four-year sector, but studies centered on the two-year sector are scarce. This study addresses that gap and seeks to answer the research questions: How do community colleges operationalize internationalization in their strategic plans? What terms and/or concepts are used to indicate international efforts? Findings: Key findings of this study include an emphasis on optimization of existing resources (human, cultural, community, and financial); the need for a typology of open access institution internationalization plans; and the fragmentation of international efforts at the community college level. Impact on Society: It is clear that internationalization at community colleges may take shape based on optimization of resources, which begs the question, how can education sector actors best support open access institutions in developing plans tailored to the local context and resources at hand? Future Research: We recommend additional use of quantitative textual analysis to parse internationalization plans, and imagine that both a larger sample size and cross-national sample might yield interesting results. How do these institutional groupings operationalize internationalization in the corpus of their plans?


1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estella Williams Chizhik

Disillusioned students are at risk for dropping out. This study examined the relationship between prematriculation college understanding and freshman students' unrealized expectations. A knowledge measure was created to assess preen-rolled students' understanding of the academic, social, and environmental conditions of postsecondary institutions. Though levels of college knowledge were expected to be associated with lesser college disillusionment, the data revealed a complex relationship. Community college students with high levels of knowledge about community colleges were less disillusioned than those with less understanding. Similar relationships were not found for students attending public or private 4-year universities. Implications for academic advisors are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 615-618
Author(s):  
Thomas Ritter

Purpose This paper aims to reflect on relevance of business-to-business research based on Van de Ven’s (2007) engaged scholarship model. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a reflection of the current state and potential future research avenues. Findings The paper highlights that relevance is important in all four engaged scholarship activities. Pitfalls also occur at all four parts. Research limitations/implications The paper highlights challenges and opportunities in business-to-business marketing research. Originality/value The paper reflects on relevance of research projects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edna Martinez ◽  
Chinasa Elue

An increasing number of community colleges have expanded their programmatic offerings to include baccalaureate degrees. In this national, mixed methods study, we examined how and to what extent the implementation of baccalaureate degree programs has impacted academic advising policies and practices across U.S. community colleges. Survey and interview data highlighted the reorganization of advising and adoption of various advising models as well as the need for collaborations, communication, and professional development. In addition to underscoring the overall complexities involved in establishing four-year degree programs at the community college, results from this study helped us illuminate implications for policy and planning as well as suggested areas for future research related to advising.


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