<p> The community college serves a diverse student population with numerous programs and degrees designed to complete general education requirements and prepare students for job placement. As these students enter their anticipated occupation, most are unprepared for the oral skill requirements of their new job. They lack confidence to navigate any number of scenarios demanding interpersonal poise, teamwork, conflict resolution, presentation skills, and other occupation-specific speaking tasks. Since many of these degrees and certificates are offered partially or completely online, this Project presents a practical means of introducing speaking skills into the coursework of the growing online learning environment. The research examined the ethos of the community college and the impact of oral proficiency on the academic, personal, and occupational lives of students. Expanding on the core required speaking course, the study and resultant project informed by a genre study, presented genre-specific oral skill activities in online coursework integrating the application of multimedia tools. Constructivist learning theory was foundational to the experiential and dialogical instructional design. Interviews and ethnographic studies in online and live courses informed the teaching and assessment rubrics integrated into the Project. Reducing perceived transactional distance in online learning is critical to student success and a relational approach to teaching engenders favorable student responses.</p>

<p> The cultural capital of first generation community college students is crucial to their college persistence. Research that underscores cultural wealth is often overlooked in higher education research. Contrary to a deficit oriented approach that focuses mainly on <i>what</i> first-generation students' lack, this study concentrated on the strengths, knowledge, abilities, and skills students possess to succeed in college. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of family, institutions, and people in helping first-generation students use and build cultural capital to meet their personal, career, and academic goals. A convenient sample of 15 first-generation student participants and 1 advisor from a southern California community college was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed. Transcript analysis produced 5 major themes: (a) Pushing Agents, (b) Accountability Promotes Student Persistence, (c) Career Aspirations, and (d) Pivotal Programs and People in High School. The most salient finding, <i>Pushing Agents </i> detailed the far-reaching affect that family, institutions, and people had on the participants' higher education experience. Pushing agents were a positive factor that frequently, constantly, and intimately pushed participants to carry out their aspirations. In conclusion, participant interviews revealed numerous strengths, assets, and abilities that allowed them to accomplish their personal, career, and academic goals.</p>

<p> Like many colleges across the United States, Pipe Lake Community College (PLCC), (a pseudonym) has experienced a dramatic increase in enrollment of Latina/o students and is considered an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Other than Santiago &amp; Andrade's (2010) survey, little research has been conducted on emerging HSIs. Also, little research has been done on Latina/o student success at community colleges. Padilla developed a new line of inquiry focused on student success rather than student departure. </p><p> Padilla's expertise approach to student success modeling based on Harmon and King's (1972) use of expert systems served as the theoretical basis for this study (1991, 1994, 1999, 2009; Padilla et al. 1997). Padilla used the metaphor of a black box, a space that is hard to see or measure the processes occurring within, to describe the challenges measuring why some students succeed and others fail in college. This study replicates the approach of Padilla to understanding the student success black box utilizing tandem focus group and an unfolding matrix technique to discover the barriers successful Latina/o students experience and the heuristic knowledge needed and actions taken to overcome these barriers. Twenty-seven successful Latina/o students at PLCC identified 34 barriers that were classified into the following categories: psychological, decision-making, self-discipline, preparation, family, institutional, and cultural barriers. Successful Latina/o students at PLCC used experiential, procedural, relational and comparative, motivational and anticipatory heuristic knowledge (rules of thumb) and took persuasive, supportive, pragmatic, strategic and introspective actions to address the barriers that they faced. Identification of introspective actions has not been identified in prior student success research utilizing Padilla's approach. PLCC's successful Latino students took internal actions to address the psychological, family and self-discipline barriers they experienced. </p><p> Based on this case study, several recommendations were made including institutionalizing elements that support Latina/o success in grant programs, developing a mentoring program, and creating a parent services program. </p><p> Future research on Latina/o student success is needed, especially studies that examine the impact of college staff on Latina/o student success.</p>

<p> The purpose for this dissertation is to explore how students who have borrowed to attend a large, urban community college develop their value proposition for postsecondary education. Nearly half of all students in the United States begin their postsecondary education at community colleges. In the aftermath of the Great Recession when unemployment rates were unusually high, enrollment at community colleges increased dramatically, especially amongst minority students. This study focuses on three central questions: how do community college students describe their demand for higher education? Secondly, how do these students describe the economic and social benefits of college? And thirdly, to what extent do students understand the costs of college and their sources of financial aid? The study modifies Perna's Multi-Level Conceptual Model of Student Enrollment based upon the findings derived from qualitative interviews with twenty, currently community college students during the 2012 fall semester to determine how community college students define their value proposition. This value proposition was found to be comprised of the student's demand for higher education through academic preparation, availability of financial resources and the student's aspirations. Additionally, the value proposition was comprised of the expected benefits as expressed in monetary and non-monetary expectations as well as cost considerations. These combined enrollment factors were used to determine what criteria formed the basis for the student's borrowing decision and the use of the loan proceeds. The student interviews were analyzed through the lens of the multi-level conceptual framework and an interview with the institution's lending officer was used to interpret the student responses. The choice to attend community college was found to be more circumstantial than deliberate. The increasingly nontraditional students who do enroll in these institutions often have to balance employment and family obligations in pursuit of their aspirations. While these students pursued college with the expectation of higher earnings upon completion, many had an altruistic purpose in serving others. Finally, there exists a significant knowledge gap with regard to financial literacy exists among students which is exacerbated by the complexity of the financial aid process and the limited institutional resources available to support the nontraditional students attending community colleges.</p>

<p> This study examined selected community stakeholders' perception of the current leadership at their local community educational learning center during an organizational transformation and cultural change process. The transition from a community college to an educational learning center, mandated in 2006 by the Accredition Commission and agreed on by the Chancellor's office, was facilitated by a community college of another district. This process appeared to produce mixed reactions from various educational learning center constituency groups. During the transformational process, opinions how the institutional leadership addressed the task of developing a trusting and meaningful relationship with community stakeholders surfaced. Based on the survey responses gathered from selected community stakeholders from various community-based organizations, this study identified prevalent perceptions regarding the current educational learning center's leadership. </p><p> Previously, there has been no research examining how community stakeholders feel about the current leadership, state take-over, and partnership phenomena born out of a college district losing its accreditation. Therefore, while researching how satisfied selected community stakeholders were with the current leadership under these unique circumstances, this study also offered an in-depth look at college operations, accreditation expectations, and community relations. The majority of stakeholders surveyed were generally concerned about the current type of leadership at their local educational learning center, and the manner in which the state take-over and partnership impacted the subject community college district stakeholders during the organizational transformation and cultural change process. </p><p> While focusing on a transformational leadership theoretical framework, this dissertation revealed that generally, stakeholders had opinions that indicated they were not completely satisfied with the manner in which the organizational transformation and cultural change process is being conducted. The results of this study showed that community stakeholders were primarily dissatisfied with the type of leadership strategy facilitated during the transformational process; the manner in which communication is facilitated to the community and the quality of course program offerings. Opinions varied regarding campus services, facilities access and conditions. In the final chapter of this dissertation recommendations are offered to improve public and community relations under the unique circumstances of an organizational transformation and cultural change process of an urban community college.</p>

<p>The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the relationship between student learning and participation in Equal Opportunity Programs and Services (EOP&amp;S) at Irvine Valley College (IVC). An embedded survey design was developed using William Sedlacek's non-cognitive questionnaire (NCQ), items from the Community College Survey of Engagement (CCSSE), items based on Marcia Baxter Magolda's model of cognitive complexity, and items based on student learning outcomes for learning in EOP&amp;S. Students' demographic characteristics, progress data, and grades were also collected. The survey concluded with four open-ended questions examining students' perceptions about their learning. Though there were limited findings related to grades as an outcome measure, several NCQ scales were associated with the learning in EOP&amp;S outcome measure. Qualitative and mixed methods analyses extended statistical findings highlighting the importance of positive outlook and positive self-concept. Finally, the study found that students' academic and social involvement played a noteworthy role in students' development, especially as related to cognitive complexity and learning in EOP&amp;S. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to determine how economic factors correlate with and have an effect on enrollment at community colleges and provide benchmark enrollment strategies for use by community colleges in the future. A cluster sampling of 22 branch campus locations at 9 community colleges in Mississippi and their respective counties was selected. The independent variables used were median household income, percentage of persons below the poverty level, and unemployment rates. </p><p> A statistical correlation and regression was conducted to determine if economic factors (median household income, percentage of persons below the poverty level, and unemployment by county) had any correlation or an effect on the decrease or increase in enrollment at the respective community college campus. The correlation and statistical effect based on the regression model used demonstrated that median household income and poverty levels had the strongest correlation and the most statistically significant effect on community college enrollment in Mississippi. Unemployment had a very weak correlation and no statistically significant effect on the sample for community college enrollment for Mississippi during this period. There were some exceptions in which certain community college campuses and their respective county unemployment rates had a very high effect on enrollment for that specific campus and that specific period. </p><p> There were 6 phone interviews conducted following the analysis of the datasets to determine any internal or external causes to enrollment decreases and increases during this period. 4 of the 6 colleges responded. Of the colleges that responded, 2 saw increases and 2 saw decreases. The predominant enrollment factor denoted by the interviewee was retention and cohesive interdepartmental focus toward recruitment, which resulted in increased enrollment. Of the colleges that saw decreases and were interviewed, it was noted that enrollment personnel were not prepared for the enrollment decrease and could have been. </p><p> Target markets with higher income and lower poverty levels perform better during harsh periods of challenge for enrollment at community colleges. Increased retention and interdepartmental cohesion produces better preparation for challenging periods of declining enrollment.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to identify and prioritize a list of implementation risk factors and suggested mitigation measures for the development team of the California Community Colleges (CCC) Online Education Initiative (OEI) to improve the probability of successful implementation. This study led to the development of an authoritative and comprehensive prioritized list of risk factors and user-recommended mitigation strategies for the risks of a large-scale shared learning management system (LMS) implementation. The data collected and the conclusions derived from surveying college administrators and faculty are intended to augment the literature as well as advance the understanding of how to successfully implement a new shared LMS of this scale successfully. The participants in the policy Delphi study were 10 administrators, 10 full-time faculty members, and 7 adjunct faculty members from the cohort of the first colleges accepted to adopt the OEI. Two rounds of questionnaires were administered using the online electronic survey program SurveyMonkey. The first round asked participants to prioritize software implementation risk factors and make mitigation suggestions for the highest priority risks. The second round asked participants to rank the mitigation suggestions for the top 10 risks identified in the first round. Only 2 of the top 10 risk factors were statistically significant: underfunding of maintenance and support, and lack of faculty and staff responsibility, ownership, and buy-in for the project. There were no statistically significant differences in risk factor assessments based on job type, length of time in job, legacy LMS, legacy LMS experience, or size of college. OEI leadership and colleges should evaluate and implement the top mitigation suggestions for at least the first 2 risk factors and preferably all of the top 10. Engaging the early adopters in assessing potential implementation risks, prioritizing them, brainstorming mitigation measures, and prioritizing those measures yielded an actionable list the team can use to reduce implementation risks and improve the probability of success of the new OEI system.</p>

<p> Studies indicate that transfer is a daunting and culturally difficult process for Latin@ students which may explain the overwhelmingly low transfer rate in such population (Bradley, 2013; Campaign for College Opportunity, 2013; Fry, 2011). This is compounded by the fact that administrators and educators have failed to recognize Latin@ students' unique needs and barriers by amalgamating them into the overall student population (Rend&oacute;n Linares &amp; Mu&ntilde;oz, 2011). This study sought to address the aforementioned problems by investigating successful Latin@ transfer students' identity negotiation and visualization of comfortable spaces at universities before and after transfer. The study focused on students who participated in a community college educational services program and asked whether the program facilitated students' transfer to four-year institutions. Using identity negotiation theory as a framework, the findings revealed that Latin@ transfer students faced unpredictable environments, described the university as a whole new world, and experienced cultural shock. Additionally, they felt insecurity due to the professors, academics, peers, formal language, and their identity as Latin@s. The students reported feeling disconnected, especially from White staff and faculty and other students. However, students started feeling comfortable as they connected with other Latin@s and saw the university as a place for professional and academic positive identification and escape. After time, students felt included because they connected with personalized counselors, felt validation from professors and counselors, and joined Latin@ or major-based clubs. Furthermore, the university provided comfortable spaces where students could connect with other Latin@s and people in their majors, and escape from their hectic worlds. The findings suggest that students who attended the educational services program and were actively involved in workshops and events that the programs provided were better prepared for transfer to four-year institutions. Recommendations are made to support the creation and enforcement of educational services programs. Other recommendations include the following: the promotion of culturally-specific educational services programs and professional relationship development and networking for Latin@ transfer students; advertisement of culturally-specific comfortable spaces where Latin@ students can meet other Latin@s, learn about their majors, and rest; and increasing cultural competency training for students, administrators, and educators.</p>

<p> California community colleges are under pressure to increase core student attainment outcomes such as graduation rates, transfer rates, and certificate completion rates. This study examined whether, or how, the allocation of institutional expenditures for instructional, student support, administrative, and total educational and general activities influenced the student success outcomes and indicators of student progress and attainment rate (SPAR), percentage of students who earned at least 30 units (thirty-unit completion), and persistence rate (persistence) at California's community college districts. </p><p> This quantitative, explanatory, non-experimental study employed Astin's I-E-O model (Astin, 1977, 1993) as a conceptual framework, and examined through bivariate analyses, the relationships between (a) two input variables of socioeconomic status (SES) and district type (multi-college or single college); (b) eight mediating variables of various institutional expenditure categories and ratio metrics; and (c) three student success related outcome variables of SPAR, thirty-unit completion, and persistence. By understanding these relationships more completely, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers may be better able to develop strategies to improve student success outcomes within available financial resources, whether funding levels are decreasing, static, or growing. </p><p> The key findings revolved around SES being the dominant influencing factor in the attainment of each student success outcome of interest. Further, the relative level of SES seemed to drive the volume, cost, and distribution of programs and services from a district's finite budget, as low SES districts spent comparatively more than high SES districts on administrative functions and student support activities, and spent comparatively less on direct classroom instruction. Meanwhile, high SES districts did the inverse and spent comparatively less than low SES districts on administrative functions and student support activities and spent comparatively more on direct classroom instruction. Finally, institutional resource allocations of major topline expenditure measures for administrative, student support, and instructional were significantly different for low SES and high SES districts. Yet, because of the significant impact of SES on the outcomes, the differences did not make clear whether, or to what degree, the expenditure allocations for administrative, student support, and instructional activities directly influenced SPAR, thirty-unit completion, or persistence.</p>