This study investigated the effectiveness of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Pathways Project in the Florida College System. The project, devised as a means of turning a new corner in community college success, sought to improve lackluster persistence, retention, completion, and success rates in America’s community colleges. The AACC Pathways Project has provided an evidence- and research-based roadmap that can adapted to a variety of institutional settings and scaled up to impact all students. The theoretical framework for this study was two-fold. First, behavioral economics and the Paradox of Choice helped to explain the decisions students make (or sometimes fail to make) and helped to define “maps” for every program of study, which aimed to get students on a path, keep them on a path, and ensure that they are learning. Second, learning theory informed our understanding of how motivation and goal-setting further clarified the supports and guardrails in these “maps” by creating and fostering student self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-determination. This study compared one participating institution with two non-participating peer institutions in the Florida College System. A robust difference-in-differences analysis was employed to both compare treatment vs. control institutions as well as pre- and post-treatment periods in the AACC Pathways Project. The outcomes of interest represented the same “Key Performance Indicators” in the AACC Pathways Project: the number of college-level credits completed in the first term and first year, gateway college-level mathematics and English completion in year one, fall-to-spring persistence, and overall college-level course completion rates in the first year. To better explore the impacts of the project in the local context, a secondary analysis investigated differential rates of change based on race/ethnicity, gender, and enrollment status (full-time or part-time)—all key demographics of interest to community colleges given their greater enrollments of underrepresented, underserved, and part-time students when compared to universities. Ultimately, this study sought to answer if guided pathways, as implemented via the AACC Pathways Project, improved student outcomes as measured by key performance indicators relating to persistence, college-level credits earned, and college-level course completion. The study was also charged with answering if the impact of the AACC Pathways Project differed for any subgroups of students at the treatment institution. The results were mixed—in some instances there were no differential changes, while in others there were higher or lower odds of measured outcomes. However, results for racial/ethnic minority groups, males, and part-time students in the treatment institution showed significant promise for the guided pathways movement. Indeed, early studies on the AACC Pathways Project have found positive changes in these outcomes. Thus, the most meaningful implication of this study is that this is provides a basis of knowledge of what is happening at one institution. Far more research and time is needed to have a better sense of the broader impacts of the guided pathways movement. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. / Spring Semester 2019. / February 28, 2019. / AACC, American Association of Community Colleges, Community College Success, Guided Pathways, Pathways Project, Student SUccess / Includes bibliographical references. / Patrice Iatarola, Professor Directing Dissertation; James Klein, University Representative; Shouping Hu, Committee Member; Toby Park, Committee Member; Linda Schrader, Committee Member.

The labor market for part-time faculty at community colleges has changed such that in the past decade the number of instructors who teach part-time now outnumber those who teach full-time. This dissertation examines the full-time and part-time labor markets arguing that two separate labor markets exist. The supply in an urban area is nearly perfectly elastic for both full-time and part-time faculty; the demand side of the labor market is characterized by a number of costs. Data on costs were collected by two separate questionnaires, one to faculty and one to the personnel office of each college. The costs differ between full-time faculty and part-time faculty and include wages and fringe benefits, which are higher for the full-time than for the part-time faculty, and turnover costs which, on the basis of the total cost of the two groups, are higher for the part-time than for the full-time faculty. Because a service is produced, the input side rather than the output side of the labor market is used to estimate the expected productivity of the two groups. Literature on human resource investment is used as a basis for examination of productivity difference of the two groups. The labor market for the two faculty groups is segmented; however, the faculty perform nearly identical services and thus are considered perfect substitutes although not on a one-to-one ratio. The productivity difference between the full-time and part-time faculty is based on data collected by the faculty questionnaire. Based on the theoretical predictions and using the above data, the dissertation examines the effect of costs and constraints on the optimum employment combination of full-time and part-time faculty at urban community colleges. The hypothesis examined is that colleges act in a rational way given costs, productivity, and other constraints. Linear programming was used to examine the problem, and results showed that community colleges do act in a rational way, and will minimize total cost or maximize output. Further examination simulated conditions that might affect the community college from internal or external sources. The purpose of the simulation analysis was to determine the optimum combination of full-time and part-time instructors and the effect on the output or costs to the college. Simulations included changes in constraints, total budget, and total output requirements, and adjustments of costs and productivity relationships between the two faculty groups. The results showed that the college would adjust its part-time faculty, which formed a relatively variable factor of production, rather than its full-time faculty.

From 1990 to 2000, Oregon community colleges experienced a shift in their revenue sources from primarily local taxes to primarily state funding. Additionally during this time Oregon approved term limits for state officials and legislators. In preparation for the 2001-2003 biennial Legislative session, the community colleges pursued new approaches to securing an increase in state funding, which included a single funding request, the first pledge of unity among the community colleges and a trust-building process with the governor. This study followed the budget development processes for Oregon community colleges in preparation for and during the 2001-2003 legislative session. Interviews, observations and primary source materials were used by the researcher to describe the budget processes from the initial community college discussions through the enactment of the community college budget by the legislature. The governor was found to have the most significant influence in providing for the community college request for increased funding. The legislature was found to have less influence in providing increased revenue for community colleges. The governor, as part of his state budget, forwarded a request to the legislature for a $45 million increase for community colleges. The unity of community colleges in supporting one proposal during the session was found to have several positive impacts. Although community colleges received an increase in state funding, the funding formula for community colleges resulted in differentiated funding for each of the 17 Oregon community colleges. An epilogue provides a chronology of significant changes in state revenues, of special legislative sessions and of changes in community college funding after the enactment of the 2001-2003 community college budget. / Graduation date: 2003

The central purpose of this study was to determine various views of the professional competencies required by community college student financial aid administrators. Respondents in the study included a student financial aid recipient, a student financial aid administrator and a president from forty-five selected community colleges. The major tasks were: the construction and validation of a questionnaire with which to collect the desired data for the study; the analysis of the data to determine if there were differences of perceptions of needed competencies either between the different types of personnel involved in the study or because of differences in the size of colleges; and the formulation of implications to be considered in standardizing the profession and developing training programs for it. The construction and validation of the questionnaire was accomplished through a review of the literature, an evaluation by a jury of experts, and a field test. A mail survey questionnaire containing 121 professional competencies together with a five-point Likert-type scale was used to gather data. The dependent variable was the score judgmentally assigned by respondents to denote the degree of importance they determined as necessary for each of the 121 competencies. The population that was studied utilized the community colleges of California which were considered to represent a good cross section of all community colleges as to urban, suburban and rural and as to size. A random sample of forty-five colleges provided data source for the study. The F statistic, or analysis of variance, was used to point up differences between the mean scores for each competency with the .05 level of significance being used to determine differences existing between both personnel classifications and sizes of colleges. A test of Least Significant Difference was used to determine where specific differences existed between the ratings by different personnel types which were rejected in the two-way analysis of variance tests. The analysis of variance tests indicated that the ratings of the three personnel types, in their responses to the competencies in the questionnaire, were alike in 97 out of the 121 items. The same seemed to be true when the ratings were viewed according to size of college -- large, medium, or small -- where 120 out of the 121 items received responses that were in agreement. Respondents indicated that 62 of the 121. professional competencies required a high level of proficiency in the performance of the job as community college student financial aid administrator. Whenever community college presidents were in disagreement with financial aid administrators and students, they always showed a perceived lower level of importance than the other personnal classifications. Aid administrators, when they differed, showed a perception of higher importance. Students, who varied most often, believed some items to be more important, some less important than did members of the other personnel classifications. / Graduation date: 1972

Community colleges have long been thought of as the "people's college." For some thirty years, Oregonians have looked to their 16 community colleges as the less expensive, more accessible route to a college education. Oregon's community colleges have traditionally had the broad mission of providing comprehensive educational opportunities to all adults who can profit from the instruction. This foundation of open access, however, has recently been challenged. Issues in Oregon's social, political, and economic environments the past few years have resulted in substantial financial pressure on the community colleges. This situation has prompted many Oregon community college leaders to make tough operational decisions. Rightsizing strategies encompassing all budget categories have been extensive across the state. In many cases, community college leaders have been able to manage decline successfully, maintaining the institution's broad mission. In other cases, however, leaders have selected strategies in direct conflict with the stated mission of open access. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the consistency between the rightsizing behavior of Oregon's community college leaders and the community college mission of open educational access. The study employed a Tylerian objective-oriented evaluation methodology as a theoretical framework. In general, this approach compares the consistency between expected behaviors based on stated goals and demonstrated behaviors as measured via survey instrumentation. Frequency and statistical analyses were employed to address specific research questions developed to guide the study. Overall, there were substantial findings supporting the conclusion that Oregon community college leaders, in both past and planned rightsizing behaviors, were acting consistently with the mission of open educational access. / Graduation date: 1996

Thesis (doctoral)--Oregon State University. / Bibliography: p. 127-132. Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Nebraska--Lincoln, 2002. / Title from title screen. PDF text: [2] leaves abstract; x, 112 leaves dissertation : ill. Sites viewed Sep. 12, 2002. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-83 of dissertation).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Supervisor: John E. Roueche. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 230-241). Also available on the Internet.