Why Games? Use of Massively Multiplayer Online Games in English andBusiness CoursesinHigherEducation

The Phenomenological study investigated the perceptions of 4 Community College administrators and 2 faculty, who experienced for the first time, the process of curricular modification using Massively Multiplayer Online Games or MMOs in their Business and English programs. Since administrators and faculty are key stakeholders of any initiative for technology integration in curricular modification, the study contributed to filling the gap in the literature regarding such stakeholder perceptions and added new insights regarding easy and affordable ways to successfully and effectively integrate MMOs within the curriculum in Higher Education disciplines.

Examining the Undocumented College Student Policy Implementation Environment Through a Contextual Interaction Theory Lens

The higher education policy implementation landscape has substantially shaped postsecondary education opportunities for undocumented youth, who are already negatively affected by discriminatory public policies, and institutional agents, who are often unprepared to address their needs. Guided by Bressers’s contextual interaction theory that identifies the role of contexts, actor characteristics, and social interactions among implementers in the policy implementation process, the researchers examined the experiences of 45 community college administrators in four states to understand how these elements shaped the participants’ role as implementers of policies for undocumented students. Implications are significant given current social and political landscapes and challenges higher education institutional agents encounter in implementing policies that affect undocumented students’ educational opportunities.

The International Descriptive Study of Effective Methods for the Recruitment and the Retention of Faculty in the United States

This qualitative descriptive study explored what community college administrators and faculty described as being effective recruitment and retention methods for faculty at community colleges in the Northeastern United States. This study answered two research questions: what recruitment methods do administrators and American faculty at community colleges describe as being effective in the recruitment of American faculty? Also, what retention methods do administrators and American faculty at community colleges describe as being effective in the retention of American faculty? The researcher applied critical race theory to form a framework for best practices in recruiting and retaining American faculty. Data were obtained by interviewing six American faculty and surveying seven community college administrators employed at Massachusetts community colleges who were selected using purposive sampling and community college online staff directories. Using MAXQDA data analysis software, the researcher initiated data analysis using thematic analysis. Data were organized and analyzed to identify codes, categories, and themes. Data analysis resulted in six themes: hiring processes, faculty diversity, recruitment strategies, work environment, student and faculty relationships, and retention strategies. The findings of this study can benefit community college personnel by recommending recruitment and retention strategies to effectively recruit and retain American faculty. There was limited research and data available related to the recruitment and retention of African American male faculty at community colleges. The faculty and administrator participants of this study provided rich data on effective recruitment and retention methods for African American male faculty at community colleges. The critical race theory theoretical framework was summarized. Theoretical and practical implications emerged. Based on the data and new insights, implications for future research were discussed.

Promoting Diversity Leadership

This chapter focuses on the difference between the diversity of community college students and community college administrators. While many community college students are poor, minority, and female, the vast majority of community college administrators, particularly chief executive officers, are affluent, White, and male. This inequity may have an impact on how administrators relate to students and the policies these administrators enact, resulting in concerns about equity and access to educational opportunities. The history of U.S. community colleges is discussed. A profile of the typical community college student is also presented. Definitions of leadership are provided, and diversity leadership research is examined. A strategy for increasing diversity at the administrative level in the community college setting is shared. Kotter's (1996) eight-stage model of change management is presented as a means of altering a college's culture to promote greater diversity leadership. The role of technology in increasing diversity is discussed, and directions for further research are shared.

The Relationship between Individual Student Attributes and Online Course Completion

This study was designed to investigate the existence of a relationship between scores on the Individual Attributes subscales of the SmarterMeasure™ online learning readiness indicator and successful course completion in a first semester, undergraduate, online history, psychology, sociology, or English course. Archival data consisting of 433 records of student scores on the Individual Attributes subscale of the SmarterMeasure™ was used in this non-experimental, explanatory correlational research design. Controlling for the effect of course content and instructor, data were analyzed using partial correlation analysis. Results of the study suggested negligible to extremely weak, positive relationships between the individual subscales and passing grades in the designated courses. Although weak relationships were demonstrated in this study, community college administrators should strategically implement a best practices approach that utilizes an online readiness assessment within all online courses, to be completed within the first two weeks of the semester.

Polymorphic Students

Objective: In an effort to break away from the stale classifications of community college students that stem from the hegemonic perspective of previous literature, this work utilizes the perceptions of community college practitioners to demonstrate new ways of understanding the identities of community college students. Method: By utilizing Gee’s identity theory and Grillo’s theory of intersectionality, we analyze interviews with community college practitioners from three different community colleges on the West coast of the United States to answer these questions: What identities (i.e., natural, institutional, and discursive) do faculty and administrators recognize in community college students? In what ways do community college faculty and administrators describe and conceptualize community college students? Findings: First, community college student identities are intricate and have changed with time; there are two different institutional views held by organizational members—the educational view and the managerial view—which both shape the construction of student identities and play a prominent role in determining which students are disadvantaged. Second, organizational members constructed meanings of student achievement and value (i.e., attributes or outcomes of the ideal student, or what policy makers and institutions refer to as success) according to organizational priorities and perspectives. Conclusion: This investigation encapsulates and elucidates the portrayals and understandings of community college students held by community college administrators and faculty as a means to acknowledge the diverse identities among these students. Scholars and practitioners are encouraged to acknowledge the polymorphic identities of this diverse population to improve scholarship and practice.

Promoting Diversity Leadership

This chapter focuses on the difference between the diversity of community college students and community college administrators. While many community college students are poor, minority, and female, the vast majority of community college administrators, particularly chief executive officers, are affluent, White, and male. This inequity may have an impact on how administrators relate to students and the policies these administrators enact, resulting in concerns about equity and access to educational opportunities. The history of U.S. community colleges is discussed. A profile of the typical community college student is also presented. Definitions of leadership are provided, and diversity leadership research is examined. A strategy for increasing diversity at the administrative level in the community college setting is shared. Kotter's (1996) eight-stage model of change management is presented as a means of altering a college's culture to promote greater diversity leadership. The role of technology in increasing diversity is discussed, and directions for further research are shared.

Diversity Leadership in the Community College

The chapter examines the disconnection between the diversity of community college students and community college administrators. The history of community colleges in the United States is presented, along with the demographics of the typical community college student. A definition of leadership is provided, and theories of diversity leadership are discussed. Methods of producing greater diversity at the administrative level are also explained. In particular, Kotter’s eight-stage model for organizational change is presented as a means of altering a college’s culture to promote greater diversity leadership. Further, strategies that can be used to increase diversity in community college leadership, with an emphasis on the role that technology can play in promoting diversity leadership, are presented. Directions for future research are shared.