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.

Increasing STEM Transfer Readiness Among Underrepresented Minoritized Two-Year College Students: Examining Course-Taking Patterns, Experiences, and Interventions

There is a strong need in the United States to increase the size and diversity of the domestic workforce trained in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). With almost half of all students that earn a baccalaureate degree enrolling in a 2-year public college at some point, the nation’s 2-year colleges provide great promise for improving the capacity of the STEM workforce for innovation and global competition while addressing the nation’s need for more equity between groups that have been historically included and those that have been economically and politically disenfranchized. Almost half of underrepresented minoritized (URM) students begin their post-secondary education at 2-year colleges yet their transfer rates within 5 years are only 16%. This study describes interventions put in place at a 2-year college to support increased transfer rates and STEM transfer readiness for URM STEM-interested students. The program studied, in place from 2017 through 2020, had an overall transfer rate of 45%. Analysis of administrative, transcript, and student survey data connects the program interventions to the existing research on STEM momentum and other research on URM STEM transfer success. Ultimately, this study identifies potential leading indicators of transfer readiness, providing much needed documentation and guidance on the efficacy and limitations of interventions to improve upward STEM transfer.

Tracing a selfie

This teaching report focuses on effectiveness of teaching pedagogies of the word formation process to Navajo students at a two-year college in the American Southwest. The activities used to teach the concepts of word formation are illustrated/described. The purpose of using authentic examples including songs from popular culture is to make students aware that these linguistic concepts are related to their everyday lives and in the hope that they can utilize these concepts and integrate real-life examples in their future teaching career. A feedback form was administered to collect the students’ views toward the pedagogies including activities in an introductory Linguistics class.

Community Colleges and Workforce Development

Community colleges have played a significant role in the strength of America's workforce for over a century. Throughout the past one hundred years, the two-year college system has evolved into a significant contributor for economic strength and growth. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a historical analysis of the modern community college. In doing so, the reader will have a clear understanding of why and how a contemporary community college came into existence, as well as causal factors to its success. Following the historical analysis, this chapter will discuss the creation of a dental hygiene program at a rural two-year college. The intent is to give this chapter's reader insight to the process by which a community college creates workforce-based programming.