Suchergebnisse

Academic advising plays a critical role in student engagement and persistence at community colleges, and colleges are increasingly adopting advising technologies to increase their capacity to support students. However, much remains unknown about the process of planning for and implementing technology-mediated advising redesigns. To explore these reforms' complex dynamics, we adapted Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory of human development, conceiving of the student advising experience as embedded in three interrelated contexts: the external environment (the political, economic, and cultural environment outside the institution), the institutional environment (where changes in practice are implemented), and the interpersonal environment (where advising interactions occur). Using interview data collected from a diverse group of stakeholders at two community colleges and two broad-access four-year institutions, we identified several dynamics that have implications for practitioners, funders, and policymakers looking to enact technology-mediated advising reforms: External dynamics included involvement in national college completion organizations and initiatives, state policies related to college completion, and state and local economic conditions. Institutional dynamics included resource constraints, the degree to which advising policies and procedures were centralized, and approaches to managing institutional change. Finally, interpersonal dynamics included individual advising approaches, advising capacity, and reactions to technology.

To improve the educational experiences and outcomes of student veterans, the Kisco Foundation developed the Kohlberg Prize in 2015. Two cohorts of colleges were awarded competitive grants to enhance their veterans services. This piece examines the process of creating integrated services for student veterans through the institutionalization of one-stop veterans resource centers, drawing on information provided via winners' responses to standard application and narrative reporting templates. The authors identify key challenges inherent in integrating services. Some of these—for instance, those related to budgets and staffing—are practical. Others are philosophical, highlighting different approaches to service integration and perhaps calling into question the best way to serve specific populations within complex institutions and communities. The authors highlight several approaches colleges took to integrate support services for student veterans, weigh the pros and cons of different approaches, and share observations that may benefit other community colleges as they think through the best ways to support their own military-connected students.

Education is a key component in the transition back to civilian life and employment for many new veterans. Enrollment in college allows veterans to upgrade existing skills or gain new skills in order to transition to a new career. Successful completion of college programs provides veterans with valuable credentials that may validate uncredentialed skills they gained in the military. However, many service members find it difficult to align these skills and knowledge gained via military service to the civilian labor market. To improve the educational experiences and outcomes of student veterans enrolled in community colleges, the Kisco Foundation in 2015 awarded five community colleges across the country the Kohlberg Prize, a six-month planning grant to enhance services for veterans by connecting them to broader college reform initiatives. The authors of this review examined the community colleges' proposal narratives to understand the colleges' perceptions of veteran students' strengths and challenges, their current delivery of supports and suggestions for improving support services, and the relationship between their veteran services and broader reform efforts. The authors gained insights into what community college personnel believe are the key ways to improve support for their veteran students. The review explores strategies taken by the five awardee community colleges to better serve veteran students so that they feel more comfortable at college and are better able to persist and earn a credential. Policy recommendations are also provided. A summary version of the review is also available.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill of 2008 has increased postsecondary education participation rates of military service members and veterans. Such participation is critical for military-connected individuals as they transition to civilian life. Postsecondary education enables military-connected individuals to upgrade their existing skills, gain new skills, or earn a credential that helps translate their skills into nonmilitary occupations. However, federal statistics indicate that while the Post-9/11 GI Bill has increased higher education participation rates overall, a higher percentage of veterans have entered for-profit colleges than have entered public institutions. In 2007–2008, 14 percent of veterans enrolled in college were at for-profit institutions, and 42 percent were at community colleges; by 2011–2012, these proportions had shifted to 24 percent and 37 percent, respectively.