Report roundup
By AACC 21st Century Center Staff
April 27, 2017
A monthly roundup of reports of interest to the community college sector.
Here are three reports you should know about this month.
- The greatest challenges facing e-learning administrators are addressing accessibility and universal design, and the support staff needed for training and technical assistance. This is according to the survey results published in the Instructional Technology Council’s (ITC) Annual National eLearning Report. The survey results also show that open educational resources (OERs) are expected to have a growing impact on community colleges. The anticipated effect of OERs on two-year college campuses has steadily increased from 36 percent in 2012 to 57 percent in 2016. Stumbling blocks still exist, though, including the time needed to locate and evaluate resources.
- Two years into AACC’s Pathways Project, many of the 30 two-year colleges selected to participate are “going all in” and making progress toward developing the structures for pathways at their institutions, according to a Community College Research Center (CCRC) report. CCRC is one of the partners on Pathways. The report describes the ways in which the AACC Pathways colleges are mapping pathways to get students to their end goal; helping students choose and enter a program pathway; keeping students on the path; and ensuring students are learning. The report also looks at how the Pathways colleges are engaging the entire institution in implementing guided pathways.
- Attending college full time – even for just one semester – can give students a better chance at success. This is according to a report from the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE). “Full-time students identify primarily as college students and develop habits that promote engagement,” the report’s authors say. “A student who always considers him or herself a part-time student might identify as a worker who goes to school and is likely to see college as one of multiple competing demands.” Encouraging students to attend full time is one approach to improving chances of completion, but that’s not realistic for many students. The report’s authors suggest helping part-time students have a college-going experience that mirrors the experience of full-time students.