Understanding the Community College Method: A Comprehensive Guide

Community colleges offer diverse educational pathways, and understanding the various methods they employ is crucial for students to make informed decisions. These methods range from traditional classroom settings to innovative online and hybrid models, each designed to cater to different learning preferences and needs.

Traditional On-Campus Learning

The "On Campus - Traditional or Face-to-Face" method represents the conventional approach to education. Classes are held in person at the school, with students and teachers meeting in a classroom on the school's grounds. This format fosters direct interaction, immediate feedback, and a sense of community among learners. It includes synchronous on-ground classroom-based instruction, as well as sections coded with other instructional codes for classroom-based instruction like Lab, Clinical, Co-op.

Online Learning: A Spectrum of Flexibility

Online learning has become increasingly prevalent, offering flexibility and convenience. It encompasses several distinct approaches:

Completely Online - Asynchronous

In this format, all schoolwork is done on the internet, and students are not required to be online at the same time as their teacher or classmates. This allows learners to complete lessons, watch videos, and complete assignments whenever it's best for them, instead of having to log in at a specific time for a live class. Course content, such as readings, assignments, and tests, is available through the Internet with no scheduled class meetings. Students choose when to sign in and participate in course activities but are expected to log in and complete work often. Instructor permission may be required to register for online sections.

Completely Online - Synchronous

Here, all classes take place on the internet but at specific times, mirroring regular school hours. Students and instructors engage in real-time learning, fostering a sense of immediacy and interaction. Live synchronous online sessions are held at specified times using Teams/WebEx/Collaborate.

Read also: About Grossmont Community College

Mostly Online

This approach involves completing most schoolwork on the internet through classes, videos, and assignments. However, in-person attendance may be required for special projects or meetings.

Blended/Hybrid Learning: The Best of Both Worlds

"Blended/Hybrid" learning combines elements of both in-person and online instruction. Students attend classes with their teacher and classmates in person some of the time and complete work online at home or elsewhere during other times. This method balances direct interaction with the flexibility of online learning. This course method is for courses that have required hands-on components that cannot be accomplished online or asynchronously, for example: labs, manufacturing, clinical, technology, or digital arts courses. Students will be required to attend scheduled class sessions on-ground or remotely as noted in the schedule.

HyFlex/BlendFlex: Ultimate Flexibility

HyFlex is a course delivery method that provides students with the most flexibility. It combines three modalities: in-person, remote, and online. Students can choose how they want to learn: in the classroom with the teacher and other students, online from somewhere else (like home), or by watching a recording of the class later. This allows students to complete part or all of the course instruction asynchronously, without attending scheduled live sessions (either on-ground or remotely). Some hyflex courses may not offer the online attendance option.

Additional Learning Modalities

Beyond the primary methods, community colleges also employ other modalities to enhance the learning experience:

Video Technology

This approach utilizes technology to connect students via video, facilitating remote interaction and collaboration.

Live Online

Students join the class in real-time from anywhere using platforms like Zoom, enabling participation regardless of location. Live synchronous online sessions are held at specified times using Teams/WebEx/Collaborate.

Remote via Zoom

Similar to live online, this method allows students to join the class from any location using Zoom. These classes meet at specific times scheduled using videoconferencing software.

Remote Learning - Reduced Time

Classes require both virtual attendance in remote classes and classwork done through assignments in Brightspace.

Live Remote Online (LRON)

This course delivery method requires students to attend a synchronous class at a specified time and day as noted in the schedule but allows students to take a course partially onsite and partially live remote online (via video conference). This may be according to a set rotating schedule to ensure social distancing (for example, 1/2 of the students are synchronous online on Tuesdays while 1/2 are on-ground in the classroom, and then the schedule is flipped), OR if social distancing is no longer a concern, students will have the option of attending class on-ground or continuing to participate via live online remote.

Specialized Learning Environments

Community colleges also offer specialized learning environments to cater to specific needs and interests:

Competency-Based Education (CBE)

CBE courses are online and self-paced, customized to the students' needs. Students can test out of material they've already mastered and concentrate on the material they need to learn.

Internships

Internships provide students with on-the-job training experience through cooperating businesses, agencies, and organizations.

Learning Communities

A learning community integrates the content of two or more courses, graded as if taken separately. These courses are designed for highly motivated and independent learners.

Self-Paced Learning

The student and instructor will work together to agree upon a course schedule and self-paced agreement that, in some cases, may take up to one calendar year to complete.

Study Away

Study Away opportunities are programs for which college credit is earned while studying in any one of more than 30 countries for a summer, semester, or year.

Travel Courses

Travel Courses may require in-class activities as well as traveling to a destination.

Factors Influencing Student Success: Completion Rates

A completion rate is the percentage of students in a given cohort (e.g., 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, etc.) who successfully completed a transfer-level course in English or math within the specified timeframe (e.g., one term, one year, two years, three years). The cohort is defined by the student's starting level and the academic year of the student's first English or math enrollment. Prior to fall 2022, completion counts included a successful completion after the first or second attempt. Successful completions include A, B, C (including +/- grades where allowable), P, and CR grades, as well as incomplete grades equivalent to a passing grade (e.g., IA, IB, IC, IPP). Enrollments with grade codes of ID, IF, XX, DR, MW, RD, UD, UG, RD0, RD1, RD2, RD3, RD4, RD5, RD6, RD8, IX, INP and IP were not included in the analysis, as they do not represent valid enrollments or letter grades. Excused withdrawals (EW) count as a valid enrollment and are considered a non-successful attempt.

Users can disaggregate transfer-level completion rates for English and math based on student characteristics to determine if disproportionate impact (DI) is present for the selected subgroup. Student groups who significantly perform below the average rate of all other groups are identified as DI with the Percentage Point Gap (PPG) method. PPG uses the average (excluding the group of interest i.e., PPG-1 method) as a reference taking sample sizes into account.

Students are assigned to a college based on their first course enrollment in the discipline and include completion anywhere in the system. Completion is attributed to the starting college.

English courses are defined by the Taxonomy of Program (TOP) code 1501.00 (English). English as a Second Language courses equivalent to a transfer-level English course were not included in the data file. Additionally, courses with pre-transfer CB 21 codes (e.g., "A", "B", "C", or "D") were included as below transfer level. The CB05 requirement was added in the summer 2023 dashboard update and did not have large impacts for statewide rates; however, a small number of colleges did see a change in completion rates.

Math courses are defined by the TOP code 1701.00 (Mathematics) as well as courses that meet transfer-level math or quantitative reasoning requirements in other TOP code areas including 0103.00 (Plant Science), 0501.00 (Business), 0504.00 (Banking & Finance), 0505.00 (Business Administration), 0599.00 (Other Business and Management), 0506.00 (Business Management), 0701.00 (Information Technology, General), 0702.00 (Computer Information Systems), 0706.00 (Computer Science), 0707.10 (Computer Programming), 0707.30 (Computer Systems Analysis), 0801.00 (Education, General), 1506.00 (Speech Communication), 1509.00 (Philosophy), 1701.00 (Math, General), 1799.00 (Other Math), 1702.00 (Mathematics Skills), 2001.00 (Psychology), 2003.00 (Behavioral Science), 2099.00 (Other Psychology), 2201.00 (Social Sciences), 2204.00 (Economics), and 2208.00 (Sociology). Math courses within other TOP codes were identified in collaboration with the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges. Additionally, courses with pre-transfer CB 21 codes (e.g., "A", "B", "C", or "D") were included as below transfer level. The CB05 requirement was added in the summer 2023 dashboard update and did not have large impacts for statewide rates; however, a small number of colleges did see a change in completion rates.

The timeframe to completion represents the period over which the starting cohort is tracked to successful completion of the transfer level course. One-term is completion within the first term of enrollment in the discipline. The one-year timeframe includes students who completed a transfer-level class within one year (365 days) of their initial attempt in the sequence (e.g., Fall-[Winter]-Spring-Summer; Spring-Summer-Fall-[Winter]; etc.). This filter allows users to select different student variables to determine the presence of disproportionate impact (see Methodology above). Only student variables available in the COMIS system may be reported in the dashboard. Based on the student variable selected, a set of included subgroups will appear. If disproportionate impact is present for a subgroup, a circle will appear in the visualization around the specific data point.

Calculated field based on age at first enrollment in the discipline. Identifies students in lowest GPA band (Below 1.9 for English, and below 2.3 for Math) who enrolled in a corequisite course in their first attempt at a transfer-level course in the subject. Displays only African American, Asian, Hispanic and White. Cumulative GPA as captured in CCApply application. Most recent GPA used based on application date. Note: Enrollment in programs (i.e., dual enrollment, DSPS, EOPS, veterans, or foster youth) were included as enrolled in the program if enrollment occurred at any point within the timeframe of the data file.

Community Colleges: A Gateway to Higher Education

The first step to studying in the United States is researching your options to find a college or university that best fits your needs. Community colleges offer two-year programs leading to the Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree. These colleges also have technical and vocational programs with close links to secondary/high schools, community groups, and employers in the local community. You can find large community colleges with multiple campuses in an urban/suburban setting or small campuses in a rural setting.

Undergraduate students studying at community colleges can earn academic credit towards a bachelor’s degree. Earning academic credit at a community college, which is usually less expensive, can help lower the overall cost of a bachelor’s degree. Community colleges may also have a more flexible admissions process.

Community colleges and 4-year colleges and universities often develop special agreements for the transfer of credits and degrees between the institutions. In this “2+2 process,” you can earn a bachelor’s degree with two years of community college, followed by two years of university study.

Community colleges often lead the United States in educating students in cutting- edge fields such as biomedical technology, biotechnology, robotics, laser optics, internet and computer technologies, and geographic information systems. academic life and practice their English-language skills.

Community colleges offer a variety of support services and cross-cultural programs, including tutoring, advising, career planning, study skills, and counseling-many designed specifically for international students.

Choosing the Right Method

The diverse range of learning methods available at community colleges allows students to select the approach that best suits their individual needs and learning styles. Factors to consider include:

Learning preferences: Do you prefer direct interaction or independent study?
Time constraints: Do you need a flexible schedule or can you commit to fixed class times?
Technical skills: Are you comfortable using online learning platforms and tools?
Personal circumstances: Do you have family or work obligations that require flexibility?

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