This is Open Education Week, an annual global event to raise awareness of free and open sharing in education – particularly, open educational resources (OER). Tennessee’s colleges and universities are recognizing the week by launching Tennessee Open Education, a statewide higher education collaboration that “crystallizes all the great work already underway across the state to […]
Completion Articles
Student story: A 320-mile road to success
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” That “little extra,” as quoted by NFL Hall of Fame Coach Jimmy Johnson, is something that seems to resonate well with Ty Goodrich, a Northeast Community College student in his second year in the electromechanical technology program. “My family has taught me to not give […]
Report roundup
Here are three reports to check out this month. A new national survey by the ECMC Group of U.S. teens indicates their likelihood of pursuing a four-year degree has decreased substantially over the past eight months, while a growing number believe they can achieve professional success with a postsecondary education attained in three years or […]
Keeping the momentum going
Eighty-one percent of institutions in the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) are using Wake Technical Community College’s Finish First NC (FFNC) data tool to increase student completions. Now the innovative program is being piloted at Louisburg College. Thanks to a $31,000 grant from Lumina Foundation, Wake Tech has been testing its Finish First NC […]
Helping other students and gaining valuable experience
In 2019, two community college alumni at the University of California, Berkeley created College Leap to help community college students transfer. Now, with 20 chapters and multiple activities in the works, the co-founders aim to take peer advisement to new levels to improve students’ transfer experiences. They’ve also structured leadership roles in the organization to […]
Beyond books
Community college libraries have long provided online resources – not just learning materials, but also online access to librarians and staff through chatbots and video conferencing. Those resources have expanded during the pandemic, as has an awareness of all the services campus libraries provide. This has been a time of “opportunities and challenges,” says Jose […]
Pathways for parents
Bristol Community College’s new Parenting Advancement Pathways program holistically supports student parents who are balancing their education while raising children. The program provides valuable resources inside and outside of the college such as case management, financial and career planning, counseling as well as integrated, wrap-around academic support that leads to earning a degree. “When parents […]
New challenges, new skills
Before Covid, Brea Nazareno enjoyed the lively campus atmosphere at Oregon’s Portland Community College (PCC), acting as student body president and a Phi Theta Kappa chapter president. Now back with her parents in Vancouver, Washington, Nazareno is completing her administrative duties online. Nazareno, 23, misses campus as well as taking part in the social justice […]
Partnerships selected for Equity Transfer Initiative
Sixteen partnerships from 13 states representing 17 community colleges and 19 universities will participate in the Equity Transfer Initiative (ETI), which aims to increase transfer rates for African-American, Hispanic, adult and first-generation learners. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) will lead the initiative in partnership with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities […]
Expanding OER statewide
Getting access to physical textbooks has become more difficult during the pandemic. Campuses are closed to students, and the cost of textbooks is a growing barrier. The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) launched an online library of educational content in December to provide faculty and students with free digital materials to enhance teaching and learning. […]