A Case Study of Community College Studentsâ Perceptions Regarding Facultyâs Practice of Online Course Delivery: Virginia Community College

A Case Study of Community College Studentsâ Perceptions Regarding Facultyâs Practice of Online Course Delivery: Virginia Community College PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
This case study focused on students who had matriculated in online courses in the Business Management Program. The setting for the study was a Virginia community college. The purpose of this study was to examine the social, faculty and administrative, and technology influences on studentsâ perceptions of online learning. Studentsâ conveyed experiences and perceptions of the tools and practices faculty used to implement online learning were coded and categorized to generate grounded theory that may be used to govern distance learning implementation. Data were collected through document reviews, semi-structured interviews, and field studies. The interview participants were selected from the 2008 graduates of the Business Management Program. Data from personal memos and field studies were collected through studentsâ comments on individual courses. Interview data included descriptions of all the distance learning courses in which the interviewees had participated. The constant comparative method was used to analyze and code the data into themes that emerged and were applied to establish grounded theories that may prove to be useful in governing the tools and practices of distance learning in higher education. The findings of the study indicated that as the number of online courses that a student successfully completed increased, so did the studentâs preference of distance learning over the 2 traditional classroom environment. The study also revealed that students were reluctant to participate in distance learning if their first experiences in this method of delivery had been negative; therefore, administrators should be more supportive and evaluative in selecting online faculty. Findings also indicated that even though students enjoyed the time and place flexibility and convenience of distance learning, they still expected instructors to create and implement an environment that cultivated studentsâ social and academic success within the educational environment.

A Case Study of Community College Studentsâ Perceptions Regarding Facultyâs Practice of Online Course Delivery: Virginia Community College

A Case Study of Community College Studentsâ Perceptions Regarding Facultyâs Practice of Online Course Delivery: Virginia Community College PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
This case study focused on students who had matriculated in online courses in the Business Management Program. The setting for the study was a Virginia community college. The purpose of this study was to examine the social, faculty and administrative, and technology influences on studentsâ perceptions of online learning. Studentsâ conveyed experiences and perceptions of the tools and practices faculty used to implement online learning were coded and categorized to generate grounded theory that may be used to govern distance learning implementation. Data were collected through document reviews, semi-structured interviews, and field studies. The interview participants were selected from the 2008 graduates of the Business Management Program. Data from personal memos and field studies were collected through studentsâ comments on individual courses. Interview data included descriptions of all the distance learning courses in which the interviewees had participated. The constant comparative method was used to analyze and code the data into themes that emerged and were applied to establish grounded theories that may prove to be useful in governing the tools and practices of distance learning in higher education. The findings of the study indicated that as the number of online courses that a student successfully completed increased, so did the studentâs preference of distance learning over the 2 traditional classroom environment. The study also revealed that students were reluctant to participate in distance learning if their first experiences in this method of delivery had been negative; therefore, administrators should be more supportive and evaluative in selecting online faculty. Findings also indicated that even though students enjoyed the time and place flexibility and convenience of distance learning, they still expected instructors to create and implement an environment that cultivated studentsâ social and academic success within the educational environment.

Community College Professors' Perceptions of Open Educational Resources and Their Impact on Student Success and Social Justice in Education

Community College Professors' Perceptions of Open Educational Resources and Their Impact on Student Success and Social Justice in Education PDF Author: Sharon Moskowitz Kauffman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
The purpose of this instrumental qualitative case study was to address the challenges that community college professors face when curating or creating high-quality and low- or no-cost open educational resources (OERs), the accessibility of the resources, and the impact OER has on student success and social justice in education. The goal of this instrumental qualitative case study was to examine faculty’s perceptions of OERs and explore whether and how the professors thought use of OERs helps to improve student engagement and student success in the classroom. In seeking to explore community college professors’ perceptions of OER and their impact on student engagement and student success, the researcher used an instrumental qualitative case study. The target population for this study was full- and part-time faculty members who have created, curated, or have taught at least one semester (in the face-to-face, blended, or distance learning formats) using OER course content. This study utilized purposeful sampling and an additional participant was identified, invited and accepted the invitation as a result of the snowballing approach to selecting participants. The researcher conducted 12 semistructured interviews using open-ended questions to collect the data for this study. Analysis of the interviews led to the development of 5 themes and 10 subthemes associated with the data. The researcher’s interpretations led to three results. Based on the data and research findings, the researcher concluded that social justice in education emerged as being implied and woven through all participants’ responses. A comprehensive discussion on social justice in education is a subject for further research. There were three recommendations for practice covering these topic areas: (a) continue to foster the development and curation of OER, working collaboratively with partners internal and external to the institution; and (b) develop and promote OEP that allow students to acquire skills and knowledge, learning from their own and each other’s experiences; (c) create flexible and sustainable course design for the post-pandemic environment. There were two recommendations for future research as follows: (a) broaden the approach to work toward social justice in education; and (b) recognize students as producers and creators of content and provide them with interactive learning environments in which to learn and become agents of change. Keywords: open educational resources (OER), social justice in education community college, student engagement, student success, faculty perceptions, benefits to students, inclusive learning environment, student creators of content, OER quality

Community College Student Success

Community College Student Success PDF Author: Victor A. Henry Ubiera
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Academic achievement
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description
This study explored how community college students perceive certain faculty behaviors, its relationship with students' classroom motivators and how the perception of those behaviors and motivators predicts students' persistence and academic success. The statistics about the low rates of completion in higher education institutions is an issue that researchers and educational organizations are concerned about (Apolinar, 2013; Kolodner, 2015). Addressing this issue, a body of inquiring is focusing on the student-faculty relationship (Kezar & Maxey, 2014) revealing that faculty behaviors and student motivation are related to several students' outcomes (Lancaster & Lundberg, 2019; Wilson & Ryan, 2013). However, less is known regarding effective behaviors for community college faculty that help foster student success (Alexander, Karvonen, Ulrich, Davis, & Wade, 2012; Khandelwal, 2009). Such knowledge is needed in the Dominican Republic (DR), where the community college model is recently being implemented. The research design of this study was a quantitative descriptive and predictive nonexperimental research design, using an online survey. The sample consisted of 352 students from the first and only DR community college. The data was analyzed using independent T-Tests, ANOVA, Canonical Correlation Analysis, logistic and hierarchical multiple regressions. Overall, results indicate that faculty qualities and behaviors accounts for 48.5% in the variance in students’ classroom motivation. Findings reveal in more detail which faculty qualities and behaviors directly or indirectly have a higher influence in student motivation, persistence, and GPA. For example, it was found that encouragement behaviors such as demonstrating cares for student's well-being and praising a student for a job well done, were good predictors of student intent to persist. Fairness, such have realistic expectations for students, has significant positive correlation with students' expectancy for success, while control behaviors, such being authoritative, establishing academic goals, and managing class time, also are relevant, increasing the sense of interest and usefulness for non-traditional students. Success, usefulness, and interest when considered in isolation are good predictors of students' GPA, explaining 17%, 10%, and 6% respectively of the variance. These findings offer more detailed insights to serve as reference for building faculty development programs, fostering faculty instructional methods and practice that meets the diverse student needs in higher education contexts. This study adds to the literature base about community college student success and how it is connected with students' perceptions of faculty behaviors and classroom motivators. Also, it contributes to the empirical work to the limited amount of research currently available on the Dominican higher education context.

A Case Study of Student and Faculty Satisfaction with Online Courses at a Community College

A Case Study of Student and Faculty Satisfaction with Online Courses at a Community College PDF Author: Benny Joe Seaberry
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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A Case Study of Community College Students' Perceptions of Linked Courses Instructors' Use of Chickering and Gamson's (1987) "Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" Within Student Learning-communities and the Importance of the Principles in Helping Students with Their Academic Writing Skills

A Case Study of Community College Students' Perceptions of Linked Courses Instructors' Use of Chickering and Gamson's (1987) Author: Claudia L. Cousins
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781267338389
Category : College teaching
Languages : en
Pages : 428

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Book Description
The purpose of this single-site case study was to explore and describe community college students' perceptions of linked courses instructors' use of Chickering and Gamson's (1987) Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education within student learning communities and students' perceptions of how important the principles were in helping them with their academic writing skills. More specifically, the study focused on students enrolled in a community college in a northeastern state and who have participated in at least one learning community that included a writing course (e.g., English composition) and a content course (e.g., biology, sociology, philosophy). The framework used for the study is Chickering and Gamson's (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education . They are (a) encouraging contacts between students and faculty, (b) developing reciprocity and cooperation among students, (c) using active learning techniques, (d) giving prompt feedback, (e) emphasizing time on task, (f) communicating high expectations, and (g) respecting diverse talents and ways of learning (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). Two data collection methods were used: a researcher-designed survey, The Student Learning-Community Academic Writing Skills Survey (Cousins, 2011), and an in-person interview. The survey was a two part 42-item, self-report paper-pencil instrument. The first part was designed to elicit information about the students, and the second part was designed to gather information about strategies that their linked courses instructors used in the linked courses that they took over the past year at the college. All of the 15 participants who completed survey participated in the interviews. Findings were recorded for each component of the second part of The Student Learning- Community Academic Writing Skills Survey (Cousins, 2011) which is based on Chickering and Gamson's (1987) seven principles. The analysis of the survey and interview data yielded 154 findings. Overall, students perceived that their linked courses instructors did not use all of Chickering and Gamson's (1987) seven principles within their linked courses. Interviewees provided varied examples of how their linked courses instructors practiced the strategies within student learning-communities. The interview data reinforced the survey data. Conclusions and recommendations for practice and future research are presented for each of the seven components of the conceptual framework.

Online Learning in the Virginia Community College System

Online Learning in the Virginia Community College System PDF Author: Shanna Smith Jaggars
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Community colleges
Languages : en
Pages : 43

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Faculty Perceptions of Their Training to Teach Online at a Florida State College

Faculty Perceptions of Their Training to Teach Online at a Florida State College PDF Author: Morgan Barnett
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 108

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Book Description
Institutions of higher education are using distance education to meet the high demand of those seeking a college education. This is especially true for state/community colleges. There are many factors which influence the quality of distance courses, including, but not limited to, technology, pedagogy, and course structure. One of the main assumed factors is the level of training faculty receive prior to teaching online. This research describes a case study of a Florida state college and seeks to explore the faculty perceptions of the training they received in order to prepare for teaching online. This particular training program focuses on the learning platform. An in depth literature review is provided in order to examine the history of online education, the importance of student engagement, as well as a description of best practices for online course development. Results are organized around Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance and show the importance of faculty motivation to teach at a distance. A few emerging themes of online teaching influences appeared, including the importance of collaboration, comfort with technology, prior experience with distance education, enjoyment of teaching online, and fear of cheating.

Dissertation Abstracts International

Dissertation Abstracts International PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dissertations, Academic
Languages : en
Pages : 640

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Book Description


Redesigning America’s Community Colleges

Redesigning America’s Community Colleges PDF Author: Thomas R. Bailey
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674368282
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 301

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Book Description
In the United States, 1,200 community colleges enroll over ten million students each year—nearly half of the nation’s undergraduates. Yet fewer than 40 percent of entrants complete an undergraduate degree within six years. This fact has put pressure on community colleges to improve academic outcomes for their students. Redesigning America’s Community Colleges is a concise, evidence-based guide for educational leaders whose institutions typically receive short shrift in academic and policy discussions. It makes a compelling case that two-year colleges can substantially increase their rates of student success, if they are willing to rethink the ways in which they organize programs of study, support services, and instruction. Community colleges were originally designed to expand college enrollments at low cost, not to maximize completion of high-quality programs of study. The result was a cafeteria-style model in which students pick courses from a bewildering array of choices, with little guidance. The authors urge administrators and faculty to reject this traditional model in favor of “guided pathways”—clearer, more educationally coherent programs of study that simplify students’ choices without limiting their options and that enable them to complete credentials and advance to further education and the labor market more quickly and at less cost. Distilling a wealth of data amassed from the Community College Research Center (Teachers College, Columbia University), Redesigning America’s Community Colleges offers a fundamental redesign of the way two-year colleges operate, stressing the integration of services and instruction into more clearly structured programs of study that support every student’s goals.

Success Factors Among Community College Students in an Online Learning Environment

Success Factors Among Community College Students in an Online Learning Environment PDF Author: Paula B. Doherty
Publisher: Universal-Publishers
ISBN: 1581121067
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
Little is known about student success in online learning environments, especially how the predisposing characteristics that the learner brings to the learning environment may differentially affect student outcomes. This study explored the question of whether a student's "readiness" to be a self-directed learner is a predictor of student success in an online community college curriculum. The specific goal of this investigation was to determine whether there was a significant relationship between self-directed learning readiness-as measured by Guglielmino's (1977) Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS)- and student success-as measured by course completion, grade point average (GPA) and student satisfaction, the latter assessed by student responses to an opinion poll. The subjects of this study were community college students in the state of Washington, enrolled in one or more transfer-level online courses delivered via WashingtonONLINE (WAOL) during fall quarter 1999. Students who voluntarily chose to respond to two elective surveys comprised the study sample. A correlational research design was used to test the explanatory power of self-directed learning readiness and to describe the relationships between variables. Since this study was designed to test hypothesized relationships, the resulting correlation coefficients were interpreted in terms of their statistical significance. The expected outcome of this study was to confirm or disconfirm a statistically significant relationship between self-directed learning readiness and student success in an online community college curriculum. The findings of this study failed to achieve this outcome due to (1) the lack of statistical reliability of the SDLRS among the subject population; (2) the resulting lack of validity of the SDLRS among the study sample; (3) a nonresponse effect; and (4) a self-selection effect. The unanticipated outcome of this study was evidence that student perception of student/instructor interactions is a single variable predictor of student success among community college students in an online learning environment. Recommendations for further study include Web-specific research methodologies that address the potentially deleterious effects of nonresponse and self-selection in cyber-research environments and continued exploration of the multiple facets of student success in asynchronous learning domains.