In Milestone Three, you will submit a draft of the Impact section (Section III) of your written recommendation for the final project. This exercise will facilitate your ability to understand the progression of community colleges in the United States from vocational and technical colleges to degree-granting institutions. This milestone will allow you to analyze the transition’s impact on student learning outcomes. Additionally, you will identify best practices for acquiring state financial resources for both vocational and technical colleges as well as degree-granting community colleges. Lastly, you will identify best practices for acquiring external financial resources and the current trends in acquisition of these resources.
Prompt
You have been hired as a member of the President’s Cabinet at Our Community College (OCC). The OCC Board of Trustees is exploring the idea of moving OCC to a degree-granting institution and has tasked the president and his cabinet to make a recommendation. Using the provided profile of OCC, you will make a recommendation to the cabinet that will outline the progression of OCC from a vocational and technical college to degree-granting institution.
For this milestone, submit a document that compares and contrasts the community impact of a regionally-accredited, degree-granting institution, Our Community College. Discuss how the community impact informs the institutions ability to obtain funding resources. Also discuss how this impact relates to the scenario provided in the Final Project Document.
Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed:
- Impact
- Describe the potential community impact of this transition in regard to student learning outcomes. Based on your previous identification of key differences in student learning outcomes before and after the transition (II-C), what are some connections to the community (e.g., hands-on training, apprenticeships)?
- Identify best practices in higher education that relate to acquiring state financial resources for both vocational and technical colleges as well as degree-granting community colleges. What are some relevant financial resources that both types of institutions require? What are some current trends in the acquisition of state financial resources for both types of institutions?
- Identify best practices in higher education that relate to acquiring external financial resources for both vocational and technical colleges and degree-granting community colleges. What are some relevant external financial resources that both types of institutions solicit? What are some current trends in the acquisition of external financial resources for both types of institutions?
What to Submit
Your paper must be submitted as a two- to four-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least six sources cited in APA format.
WEEK 7 HEA 660 Milestone Four Guidelines and RubricIn Milestone Four, you will submit a draft of the Communication section (Section IV) of your written recommendation for the final project. This exercise will facilitate your ability to understand the progression of community colleges in the United States from vocational and technical colleges to degree-granting institutions. This milestone will allow you to analyze the reason behind this transition and how the transition benefits the diversity of learners. This milestone will ask you to recommend strategies to communicate a new mission, vision, goals, and rationale of a community college transitioning to a degree-granting institution. In this milestone, you will also analyze various ways in which communication would evolve due to the transition.
Prompt
You have been hired as a member of the President’s Cabinet at Our Community College (OCC). The OCC Board of Trustees is exploring the idea of moving OCC to a degree-granting institution and has tasked the president and his cabinet to make a recommendation. Using the provided profile of OCC, you will make a recommendation to the cabinet that will outline the progression of OCC from a vocational and technical college to degree-granting institution.
For this milestone, submit a document that analyzes the communication strategies required to inform and support change at a community college. Additionally, discuss how these strategies relate to the scenario provided in the Final Project Document.
Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed:
- Communication
- Recommend strategies to communicate a new college mission, vision, and goals given the transition. What is the role of the Board of Trustees in communicating with the community and internal and external stakeholders? Who are the members of the community and internal and external stakeholders that will need to be communicated to? How will the formats for communication differ?
- Recommend strategies to communicate the rationale for the transition to both internal and external constituencies. Given the justifications you have identified, what are some appropriate formats for communicating to the different groups?
- Analyze potential ways that communication would evolve due to the transition. Predict what information would need to be shared during the first three to six and six to twelve months of the transition. Differentiate which information would be communicated to the different stakeholder groups. Would the communication formats change throughout the first 12 months?
What to Submit
Your paper must be submitted as a two- to four-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least six sources cited in APA format.
WEEK 8 HEA 660 Short Paper Guidelines and RubricThis short paper assignment will allow you to analyze one of the various advancement opportunities for community colleges. You must identify an online article that discusses one of the following community college topics:
- Fundraising
- Advocacy
- Community Partnerships
- Institutional Partnerships
After identifying the article, write a review that includes a summary of the article, your defended position of the article contents, and a conclusion that demonstrates your understanding of the article topic.
Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed:
- Summary of the article
- Defended position of the article contents
- Conclusion
What to Submit
Your paper must be submitted as a one- to two-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format.
WEEK 9 HEA 660 Final Project Guidelines and RubricOverview
The final project for this course is the creation of a written recommendation. The final paper is an in-depth historical view of the transformation of community colleges from technical colleges into two-year institutions. Students may utilize archival records from community colleges that reflect how modern-day community colleges navigated this change to two-year institutions.
Through a given scenario as a member of the President’s Cabinet at a vocational and technical community college, this exercise will facilitate your ability to understand the progression of community colleges in the United States from vocational and technical colleges to degree-granting institutions. The exercise will examine this progression from a funding standpoint to its impact on four-year institutions. Additionally, the exercise will allow for strategy recommendations in regards to the role of the community college in meeting the needs of traditional and non-traditional learners through its mission, vision, and goals.
The project is divided into four milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Four, Six, and Seven. The final submission will occur in Module Nine.
In this assignment you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
- Analyze the societal impact of community colleges transitioning from vocational and technical colleges to degree-granting institutions in the United States
- Analyze funding sources for community college systems in the United States for the purpose of informed decision making in higher education administration
- Develop strategies that foster relationships between community colleges and degree-granting institutions in the United States for meeting the needs of traditional and nontraditional learners
- Recommend effective strategies for communicating community college mission, vision, and goals based on the board’s role in governance
- Recommend best practices on fundraising and development in community colleges within the United States for generating additional financial resources
Prompt
You have been hired as a member of the President’s Cabinet at Our Community College (OCC). The OCC Board of Trustees is exploring the idea of moving OCC to a degree-granting institution and has tasked the president and his cabinet to make a recommendation. Using the provided profile of OCC, a vocational and technical community college, you will make a recommendation to the cabinet that will outline the progression of OCC from a vocational and technical college to a degree-granting institution. The recommendation will examine this progression from a funding standpoint and identify the potential impacts on the relationship of OCC with four-year institutions and society. Additionally, the report will provide strategy recommendations in regard to ensuring that OCC is meeting the needs of traditional and nontraditional learners through its mission, vision, and goals.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
- Justification
- Analyze why a board of trustees would look to transition the institution from a vocational and technical college to a degree-granting institution. What are some current reasons why vocational and technical colleges have transitioned to degree-granting institutions? What beneficial impacts to the community have you identified?
- Analyze how this transition benefits the needs of traditional and nontraditional learners. Compare and contrast traditional and nontraditional learners. What are some relevant challenges both types of learners must overcome? Which adult learning theories support your analysis?
- Describe how this transition would better facilitate matriculation to degree-granting institutions from a student perspective. What are some current realities for students when they matriculate from a vocational and technical college to a degree-granting institution? What are some current trends in bridging the two types of colleges to foster an easy transition for students?
- Describe how this transition would better facilitate transfer from the perspective of the educational leaders of four-year institutions. What are some current realities for educational leaders in higher education when students transfer from a vocational and technical college to a degree-granting institution? What are some current trends in bridging the two types of colleges?
- Distinguish how state funding formula decisions inform community colleges to move to degree-granting institutions. What are some current state funding issues that states have addressed and the methods they utilized? Determine whether these methods would be appropriate, and predict their impact on the community college.
- Progression
- Evaluate fundraising strategies in relationship to vocational and technical colleges and degree-granting institutions. What are some current trends in fundraising that are being used today? Which seem to both maximize and manage beneficial, long-term impact?
- Analyze the impact on state funding for the college before and after the transition. Identify current resources for both types of institutions that are available at the state level. What are some impacts on community colleges due to funding fluctuations?
- Describe key differences in student learning outcomes at the college before and after the transition. What are some key considerations regarding the academic dimension, for example, grading, reporting, and support? What are some current student outcome trends at both types of institutions, for example, advising?
- Analyze the potential impact on state funding sources for student learning after the transition. What are some current solutions colleges have utilized as a result of funding concerns?
- Impact
- Describe the potential community impact of this transition in regard to student learning outcomes. Based on your previous identification of key differences in student learning outcomes before and after the transition (Section II-C), what are some connections to the community (e.g., hands-on training, apprenticeships)?
- Identify best practices in higher education that relate to acquiring state financial resources for both vocational and technical colleges as well as degree-granting community colleges. What are some relevant financial resources that both types of institutions require? What are some current trends in the acquisition of state financial resources for both types of institutions?
- Identify best practices in higher education that relate to acquiring external financial resources for both vocational and technical colleges and degree-granting community colleges. What are some relevant external financial resources that both types of institutions solicit? What are some current trends in the acquisition of external financial resources for both types of institutions?
- Communication
- Recommend strategies to communicate a new college mission, vision, and goals given the transition. What is the role of the Board of Trustees in communicating with the community and internal and external stakeholders? Who are the members of the community and internal and external stakeholders that will need to be communicated to? How will the formats for communication differ?
- Recommend strategies to communicate the rationale for the transition to both internal and external constituencies. Given the justifications you have identified, what are some appropriate formats for communicating to the different groups?
- Analyze potential ways that communication would evolve due to the transition. Predict what information would need to be shared during the first three to six and six to twelve months of the transition. Differentiate which information would be communicated to the different stakeholder groups. Would the communication formats change throughout the first 12 months?
Milestones
Milestone One: Draft of Justification In Module Two, you will submit a draft of the Justification section (Section I) of your written recommendation. You will submit a two- to four-page document that analyzes the current landscape of regionally accredited degree-granting community colleges in regard to their common mission and vision. You will also analyze how that landscape impacts commonly accepted student outcomes of modern-day community colleges. Additionally, you will discuss how this justification relates to the provided scenario. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Draft of Progression In Module Four, you will submit a draft of the Progression section (Section II) of your written recommendation. You will submit a two- to four-page document that analyzes the differences in learning outcomes of a regionally accredited degree-granting community colleges and Our Community College as described in the given profile. You will compare and contrast how these different types of institutions obtain resources to ensure your described learning outcomes. You will discuss how this progression relates to the provided scenario. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Milestone Three: Draft of Impact In Module Six, you will submit a draft of the Impact section (Section III) of your written recommendation. You will submit a two- to four-page document that compares and contrasts the community impact of a regionally accredited degree-granting institution, Our Community College, as described in the given profile. You will discuss how the community impact informs the institution’s ability to obtain funding resources. You will also discuss how this justification relates to the provided scenario. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.
Milestone Four: Draft of Communication In Module Seven, you will submit a draft of the Communication section (Section IV) of your written recommendation. You will submit a two- to-four page document that analyzes the communication strategies required to inform and support change at a community college. You will discuss how this justification relates to the provided scenario. This milestone is graded with Milestone Four Rubric.
Final Submission: Written Recommendation In Module Nine, you will submit your written recommendation. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. The final submission will be graded using the Final Product Rubric.
What to Submit
Your recommendation should be 10–15 pages with the standard formatting: one-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font, using the most current APA style manual for citations.
WEEK 10 HEA 660 Module Ten Journal Guidelines and RubricOverview
Journal activities in this course are private. Only the instructor can view and comment on your assignments. Use this journal assignment to reflect on what you have learned during the class. How do you think differently about community colleges given that the mission and student outcome measurements have evolved? Are there functional areas of community college that deserve more public attention in order to ensure student success? How can administrators ensure that community colleges are resilient enough to stand the test of time and continue to serve students and the population, as well as provide curriculum that will lead to success as a four-year institution?
What to Submit
Submit the assignment as a Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins.