Although open-access Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) continue to expand across the United States, they are often under-resourced and lack adequate institutional support services. This article presents findings from a qualitative case study of an asset-based, peer support program for Latinx students in an open-access HSI in the Southeast…

The number of federally designated Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs) has almost doubled over the last 10 years. This shift has led researchers and policy makers alike to increasingly scrutinize what it means to be Hispanic serving, and not just Hispanic enrolling. In this study, we present perspectives from five Hispanic community college…

The Maine Community College System provides this letter in accordance with 20-A MRSA §10013. This law requires the Maine Community College System (MCCS), University of Maine System (UMS), and Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) to provide the following information about first-generation college students by January 15th of each year: (1) Data regarding…

This research aimed to determine if community college students who complete an associate degree before transferring are likelier to complete a baccalaureate degree than those who transfer before completing an associate degree. Additionally, this study examined if the type of institution, public vs. private, that a student transfers to impacts…

Academic advising has been described as the second-most important function in the community college (behind only instruction) toward helping students achieve their goals. Using interview data from 78 students and 33 advisors at one of the nation's largest and most racially diverse community college systems, our qualitative case study examined how…

The low academic learning outcomes and persistence rates among students starting in developmental mathematics at community colleges are concerning. Improving the teaching and learning of developmental mathematics is imperative. This Action Research study aimed to investigate and improve developmental mathematics students' low retention rate and…

In 1947, the Truman Commission recommended that American colleges and universities recommit themselves to civic education. Community colleges accepted this responsibility and today they offer a wide range of programs and activities designed to educate students and prepare them for the life of an engaged citizen. Still, overall, the data show that…

Community colleges play an important role in providing access to higher education to underserved student populations who often arrive on campus underprepared for the academic rigor of a college classroom. To support these students, many community colleges have implemented academic coaching programs. Built from professional coaching practices,…

This chapter illustrates the potential promise and complexities of free college initiatives from the perspective of administrators, faculty, staff, and students who are involved in a scholarship program at a small Midwestern community college. Based on two waves of interviews conducted in 2019 and 2021 respectively, we found that, while largely…

This ethnographic study aimed to understand how the educational goals of Multilingual Learners at community colleges were shaped and examine how institutions may influence goal orientation. A critical ethnographic case study was utilized, employing data triangulation through observations and interviews as data collection methods. Participants…

Online education, also referred to as distance education, has been on a steady rise for over a decade, and California community colleges offer more online courses than any other public higher education institution. Although the success gap, as measured by course completion, between online and face-to-face learning is closing overall, online…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between the learner interactions of learner-content, learner-instructor, and learner-learner and either course satisfaction or perceived learning in online mathematics courses at the community college level. Additionally, this study investigated whether the learner interactions…

Prior research illustrates the predominance of autistic college students experiencing challenges in advocating for themselves. Drawing on Test and colleagues' (2005) four factors of self-advocacy, this qualitative case study examines how an autism-specific college support program (ASP) in a community college contributes to autistic college…

California community college data shows that most community college students will never earn a degree (The Community College Research Center, 2018) or take a long time to do so (Horn & Skomsvold, 2002; Jenkins et al., 2017). Low success holds significant impact for students of color since California community colleges serve 72% of all Latine…

We utilize a difference-in-difference design to examine the effect of adopting a statewide promise program on the enrollment of community college students across socio-economic status. Limited by a small sample size for treated units, we find inferential evidence that the adoption of a state-wide, last-dollar promise program for community colleges…