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News and Updates

News and Updates

Developing Faculty Change Agents: CSCC Presentation Recap

Improving access to STEM education and jobs depends in part on rethinking how science is taught in the classroom and how students are introduced to career pathways. CCRI’s Debra Bragg is an external evaluator for an NSF-funded project that supports and encourages faculty to lead that kind of change. In March, she joined the researchers involved in the project to facilitate a session at the Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) Annual Conference. Continue reading “Developing Faculty Change Agents: CSCC Presentation Recap”

CCRI at NISTS 2019

At the NISTS 2019 conference our very own Lia Wetzstein, Ling Yeh, and Debra Bragg led a session on understanding the multiple ways partnerships are enacted and what policy, practice, and cultural norms promote or inhibit these collaborations. Our team drew upon qualitative data from one of our larger multi-state, mixed-methods studies of two and four-year institutional pairs that outperform others in their state at transfer and completion. We interviewed faculty, staff, and students and will present findings on the various factors that influenced their partnerships.

If you find the below presentation of interest, please consider attending NISTS 2020 in February!

CCBA Conference 2019

CCRI shared recent work on community college baccalaureates (CCB) alongside partners from New America at the Community College Baccalaureate Association conference last week. In addition to presenting the results of a national landscape study, the researchers also facilitated a session on equity concerns and tactics for CCBs.

The Evolving Landscape for Community College Baccalaureates

Recently CCRI began working with New America’s Center on Education and Skills (CESNA) to refresh and expand understanding of CCB degrees nationally. The study builds on a national landscape study Dr. Bragg co-led in 2009 and focuses on state adoption and implementation of these degrees. During the CCBA conference, director Debra Bragg and researcher Maria Claudia Soler presented initial findings with New America’s Mary Alice McCarthy and Ivy Love. They highlighted what’s happening in states that are new adopters (e.g., Missouri & Ohio), potential adopters (e.g., New Hampshire & Wyoming), and mature adopters (e.g., Florida & Washington). In addition, the researchers led discussion on the important developments in institutional support for baccalaureate degree programs and student enrollments, and completion and employment. Issues related to demographics, geography, program (occupational) foci, and program approval were also covered. For more information about this study, view the recent post on New America’s website.

View CCB Landscape Presentation

The Equity Imperative

Exploring the equity of policies and processes related to community college is a core element of CCRI’s mission. CCRI Director Bragg brought this expertise to the CCBA conference alongside her New America colleagues. Their presentation shared evidence that prompts the need for an equity framework – such as the lower college completion rate for students of color (see Data Note 2) – and provided guidance on how to develop that framework. Presenters focused on barriers to enrollment and success in baccalaureate programs across higher education sectors (e.g. cost, information asymmetry, time poverty) and how community colleges can and are rising to meet these challenges. They also facilitated small group discussions on policies and program design elements that foster equity in community college baccalaureate programs.

View Equity Imperative Presentation

NISTS Conference 2019

Transfer as part of the path toward bachelor’s degree attainment is increasingly more common and often the route taken by underserved students. The recent National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) conference experienced record attendance this year demonstrating an increased interest in studying and sharing best practices on the transfer process and efforts to impact education equity. CCRI researchers Lia Wetzstein and Theresa Ling Yeh added to this conversation with a presentation on findings from CCRI’s High Performing Transfer Partnerships (HPTP) study.

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HPTP Data Note 10: Transfer Research and Multilevel Models

Structural, financial, and information barriers at both two- and four- institutions complicate the process of student transfer. Current research on the topic does not adequately address the shared responsibility between these institutions, or examine possible differences in transfer success rates by race. In Data Note 10 of the High-Performing Partnerships (HPTP) study, CCRI researchers contribute to filling these research gaps by examining the unique contribution of institutional pairs on transfer student outcomes. The researchers also argue for the use of multi-level models to avoid spurious results in this complex and important area of study.

Continue reading “HPTP Data Note 10: Transfer Research and Multilevel Models”

HPTP Data Note 9: Transfer Partnerships and a Culture of Collaboration

In Data Note 6, we described a variety institutional transfer partnership typologies, differentiating those with increasing levels of collaboration and describing aspects of their culture, policy and practices. This Data Note draws upon qualitative findings from the High-Performing Transfer Partnerships (HPTP) study to more fully elucidate a construct described by an interviewee as a “culture of collaboration”, which we found in partnerships that demonstrated the highest level of collaboration.

 

Continue reading “HPTP Data Note 9: Transfer Partnerships and a Culture of Collaboration”