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What have we learned about community colleges innovation?
Through years of work with community colleges, we have studied a wide range of innovations in their programs including developmental education reform, online learning, credit for prior learning, and career pathways development across sectors including information technology, health care, and manufacturing.
Current Projects on Community College Innovation
Quality in Community College Noncredit Education
An estimated 5 million students enroll in noncredit courses and programs at community and technical colleges each year. This project examines how community colleges ensure quality in noncredit programs and how students make choices about pursuing these credentials.
Community College S-STEM Network (CCSN) – Developing & Sharing Research on Low-Income STEM Student Decision-Making & Pathways
This project is looking at the decision-making processes of low-income community college students who are in S-STEM education. Students’ decision-making processes while completing STEM programs in community colleges are far from understood. This study, however, will overview the underlying processes behind students’ decisions to go into these programs and the choices they make while continuing their education in S-STEM. It will also take a look at how elements of the S-STEM programs, the institutions themselves, and students’ attributes influence these decisions.
The Hidden Innovation Infrastructure: Understanding the Economic Development Role of Technician Education in the Changing Future
Technicians are essential to the functioning of the innovation economy, but the important role they play is often unrecognized. This study examines the economic development impact of community college technician education and the Advanced Technological Education program in the context of the changing nature of work.
Pathways into Careers in Information Technology: Community College Student Decision Making About Academic Programs and Jobs
Community colleges offer many program and career opportunities in the field of information technology (IT). This project examines how students’ experiences and information resources influence their decision-making and how that evolves over time.
Past projects on Community College Innovation
Evaluating an Apprenticeship Program in Advanced Manufacturing
The County College of Morris received a $4 million grant to develop an advanced manufacturing apprenticeship program that will serve 1,600 participants at eight county colleges in New Jersey. The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center evaluated the four-year Career Advance project to identify strategies for replicating and expanding the program.
Lumina Foundation's All Learning Counts Initiative Evaluation
In 2019, the Lumina Foundation awarded $3.5 million in grants to nine organizations nationwide in its All Learning Counts initiative, which seeks to ensure that knowledge, skills and abilities gained outside of formal higher education can be applied to credential programs. A four-year evaluation of this program is being conducted by the Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center and Brandon Roberts + Associates, a public policy consulting firm.
New Jersey Health Professions Pathways to Regional Excellence Project (NJ-PREP)
A consortium of New Jersey community colleges received a $15 million federal grant in 2014 to prepare students to enter and advance in the health professions in the state.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) evaluated the implementation of the grant and partnered with the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, which calculated the project’s employment outcomes.
New Workforce Professionals Academy Evaluation
As senior leaders in community colleges continue to retire, the National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE) has sought ways to support the development of a new generation of leaders for community college workforce education.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) conducted a two-year evaluation of a program created by NCWE’s New Workforce Professionals Academy, which seeks to develop the skills and expand the knowledge of workforce education professionals who are new to the field.
Clark State Community College Advanced Manufacturing in a Global Economy
A $2.5 million federal grant was awarded to Clark State Community College in Springfield, Ohio to revise and expand its advanced manufacturing programs in 2014.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) developed and reformed the curriculum in the project to create stackable credentials, improve opportunities for hands-on learning, improve student recruitment and advising, and expand employer engagement.
Richland College Veterans-Focus Engineering Technology
Richland College in Dallas, Texas, received a $2.75 federal grant in 2014 to revise its manufacturing and electronics technology programs to better meet student and industry needs.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) assessed the project by summarizing its implementation and outcomes.
The Equity Role of Community Colleges in Career Preparation
Students enroll in community college primarily to prepare for a good career. Completing a degree can lead students from historically marginalized groups out of poverty and into the middle class.
This keynote address and issue brief presents career development as a central part of the community college equity mission and examines strategies to promote career development.
Gateway Math Requirements for Workforce Programs
Community college students who transfer to workforce programs face a range of requirements for gateway classes in math and English, which creates challenges in measuring student success in these programs.
This study, conducted by the Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC), examined how often workforce study programs have requirements that ensure basic proficiency and completion of introductory courses.
Interstate Passport Program Evaluation
Community college students who want to transfer to a four-year institution often face obstacles in bringing their college credits with them. To address this problem, the Interstate Passport® Program was created to remove obstacles for students seeking to receive credit for general education attainment.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) conducted a study of Interstate Passport®, which is the only network of regionally accredited, nonprofit, public and private two- and four-year institutions dedicated to the block transfer of lower-division general education credits.
The Colorado Online Energy Training Consortium (COETC)
A consortium of colleges in Colorado received a $17.3 million federal grant to enhance the schools’ energy training programs and to redesign the developmental education pathways in the state.
The Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center (EERC) evaluated this project to determine how successfully project goals were being met.
Consortium for Healthcare Education Online (CHEO)
The Consortium for Healthcare Education Online (CHEO) received a $14.2 million federal grant to help community college students develop the skills needed for working in the allied health fields.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) evaluated this grant by identifying critical measures of program implementation and by assessing how successfully project goals were met.
Multiple Measures of Developmental Education in Colorado
The use of a self-assessment tool in the math and English placement of students at three Colorado community colleges was evaluated in this study. The project examined whether an assessment and placement rubric altered math and English placement decisions and how it affected students’ progress and success.
The study was a partnership among the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), Rutgers University, and the University of Michigan.
Alternatives to Mathematics Education: An Unprecedented Program (AMP-Up) Evaluation
Two New Jersey community colleges launched a project to determine whether two alternative remedial math teaching methods would more effectively retain more students than the traditional lecture structure.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) conducted a study of the program, Alternatives to Mathematics Education: An Unprecedented Program, which was offered at Bergen Community College and Union County College.
Interstate Passport Program Evaluation
Community college students who want to transfer to a four-year institution often face obstacles in bringing their college credits with them. To address this problem, the Interstate Passport® Program was created to remove obstacles for students seeking to receive credit for general education attainment.
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) conducted a study of Interstate Passport®, which is the only network of regionally accredited, nonprofit, public and private two- and four-year institutions dedicated to the block transfer of lower-division general education credits.
Post-Graduate Earnings, Job Security, and Major Choice Survey
To what extent does labor market information influence students’ earnings expectations and choice of college majors? And how does this vary by socioeconomic background?
The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center (EERC) explored the issue of accessibility of labor market information and its impact on students’ expectations of future earnings and their choice of major. Based on a survey of 3,000 undergraduates at Rutgers’s three main campuses, the study analyzed the impact of accessing labor market information on the students’ earnings expectations and on their college major choices.
Colorado Helps Advanced Manufacturing Program (CHAMP)
A $24.9 million federal grant was awarded to the Colorado Helps Advanced Manufacturing Program (CHAMP) to increase the completion of degrees and certifications in manufacturing to best serve employers’ needs.
The Rutgers Education and Employment Research Center (EERC) evaluated the program by assessing how successfully project goals were being met.
Colorado Sector Strategy Evaluation Case Studies
In 2009, Colorado launched a program to create a more skilled workforce by customizing and creating curriculum in its community colleges that would meet the needs of targeted industries in the state.
A team of researchers from the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations evaluated the 10 grants awarded in the initiative to identify the best practices and recommendations from the program.
Career Advance Apprenticeship Grant at County College of Morris Evaluation
The County College of Morris has received a $4 million grant to develop an advanced manufacturing apprenticeship program that will serve 1,600 participants at eight county colleges in New Jersey. The Rutgers Education & Employment Research Center is evaluating the four-year Career Advance project to identify strategies for replicating and expanding the program.
