The Importance of Indigenous Scholarship, Indigenous Knowledge, and Education in Micronesia

This chapter examines the importance of indigenous scholarship in the Micronesian region. The authors assess education, in particular graduate students' Master's theses in the Micronesian Studies Program at the University of Guam. The University of Guam is the only four-year university in the region, offering undergraduate and graduate programs. One of the main objectives of the university is research contribution to other two-year colleges in the region, such as the College of the Marshall Islands and the College of Micronesia, Yap State Campus. The importance of indigenous knowledge, the art of researching, cultural preservation, indigenous research methods, educational responsibilities, and imposter syndrome among UOG undergraduate students are discussed throughout the chapter, noting that education should be seen as an agent of social change by promoting indigenous scholarship, indigenous research methods, indigenous languages, sense of identity, and putting forth significant contributions to the academic literature of Micronesia.

Exploring the Relationship between Interest in Higher Education and 12th Grade Mathematics NAEP Scores

This study presented a secondary analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) dataset. The paper examined if a gap exists between the mathematics scores of 12th-grade public school students who have different levels of interest in higher education. - This study used a quantitative descriptive research design to analyze data from the 2013, 2015, and 2019 NAEP data sets. The findings include (1) the average mathematics scale score of students who complete college entrance exams, ACT/SAT, is higher than those who do not complete these exams. (2) The average mathematics scale score of students who complete the FAFSA is higher than those who do not complete the FAFSA. (3) Students who applied to four-year colleges performed significantly higher on the 12th-grade mathematics NAEP than those who did not. (4) Students who applied to two-year colleges performed significantly lower on the 12th-grade mathematics NAEP than those who did not. (5) Students who perceived a future benefit to mathematics scored higher on the mathematics NAEP. These findings indicate that students who are interested in higher education, particularly four-year education, do have higher 12th NAEP mathematics scores. These findings may provide insight into college preparation and guidance at the high school level.

Discrimination on Gender Binary Campuses

In recent years, transgender people have both grown in numbers and visibility in the united states. However, the issue of discrimination against transgender people has been a serious and widespread phenomenon in today's society. This paper discusses the transgender issues at large and how the issues negatively affect transgender students' college experiences in a variety of ways, including but not limited to institutions' failure to include "gender identity" in their nondiscrimination policies. The evidence from scholarly sources also suggests that religiously affiliated, single-sex and two-year colleges typically offer few protections for transgender students. Finally, the paper will examine institutions' past initiatives on the subject matter and provide recommendations for institutions to create a more gender-friendly environmnent.

Differences in Academic Resiliency When the Pandemic Forced Courses Online: Was Prior Online Coursetaking Protective?

We report results from a dataset consisting of all courses taken by students at the City University of New York [CUNY] in fall 2019 and spring 2020. This time frame covers the semester prior to the wide-spread onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City (i.e., pre-pandemic), and the semester when the coronavirus precipitated a rapid and unprecedented forced shift of all courses within the university system to a fully-online mode of instruction early in the term (i.e., pandemic term). Findings indicate that students at two-year colleges, men, and certain racial/ethnic groups had less resilient course outcomes when comparing their rates of pre-pandemic vs. pandemic course outcomes. However, these differences were observed primarily among those students who had not originally chosen to enrol in any fully online courses that year. In contrast, students who had originally chosen to enrol in fully online courses that year were much more resilient, with differences by institution type, gender, and race/ethnicity by and large not exacerbated by the pandemic.

Heterogeneity in the Returns to Credits for Public Two-Year College Entrants

Public two-year colleges offer an entry point to postsecondary education for many Americans who might otherwise forgo college. Most students leave college without a credential. A growing body of research examines the returns to higher education among two-year college entrants but primarily focuses on returns to credentials. This study examines the returns to different types of credits, including academic, technical, and developmental credits. In a series of individual fixed effects models, we use state administrative data following a population of public two-year college entrants to understand which college credits yield the greatest returns and how returns to credits vary across degree attainment. Our findings illustrate that average estimates of the returns to credits obscure varied patterns of returns among two-year college students, where sub-baccalaureate credential recipients appear to experience different returns to academic and technical credits compared with their peers.

Two-Year College Students Report Multiple Benefits From Participation in an Integrated Geoscience Research, Coursework, and Outreach Internship Program

Objective: Despite the availability of high-paying, high-demand careers, few women and students from underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities enter undergraduate programs understanding what the geosciences are and associated available career opportunities. This problem is compounded for students from backgrounds underrepresented in the United States. High-impact practices, such as mentoring, internships, undergraduate research experiences, and cohort-building, increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and math at 4-year institutions. What is not yet clear is the impact these interventions have on underrepresented students at two-year colleges, where the STEM pathway has become a main postsecondary school entry point for these students due to the affordability, flexibility, and academic support provided. Therefore, we designed, implemented, and researched a year-long program providing underrepresented students at a two-year college exposure to several of these experiences. Methods: We interviewed program participants about their perceptions and experiences in the program. Analysis proceeded using constant comparison. Results: Participants reported benefits from networking opportunities, gains in confidence, and gains in job skills, while some reported challenges for participation such as communication and time expectation conflicts; participants also struggled to balance the program with employment needs on top of school requirements. Different aspects of the program benefited different students, suggesting that all of these experiences could support recruitment and foster interest in geoscience for underrepresented students at two-year colleges. Conclusion: We conclude with implications for future research, program enhancements, and time constraint and mentoring needs related to characteristics of two-year college students.

Summit Recommendations Provide Guidance to Expand Undergraduate Research Experiences at Community Colleges

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.