AI Beliefs and Practices in Community College Classrooms

The country, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Virginia Community College System initiatives all promote generative AI within education. It is a topic of great concern and interest for higher education instructors, yet at the same time many faculty members feel uncertain about effectively integrating it into class material. To further add pressure to the AI explosion, community colleges particularly face a responsibility to prepare their students for success in this new AI-focused environment. In this article, seven faculty members from Camp Community College discuss the implications of generative AI programs, including subscriptions and chatbots, within their particular courses and how it is affecting those in the workforce careers associated with their fields. In addition, they reflect on challenges and benefits with various AI programs and the overall artificial intelligence effect upon education. Ultimately, the authors advocate for support and balance, preserving faculty autonomy and equipping students with the needed skills for the changing work environment

Short-Term Study Abroad Programs: A Sustainable Model for Community Colleges

This study employed qualitative methods to explore how the UVA in Valencia Summer Program 2019/ 2021 approached instructional practices (e.g., in-class and out-of-class immersive learning activities, homestays, pre-program services, including use of L2 and culture learning strategies) to identify those features of the program design that Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) could reproduce in a new short-term study abroad designed to expand its students’ oral proficiency and cultural awareness. The study used data from Zoom interviews with faculty, administrators, and L2 participating students. The findings address the study’s purpose in describing how the UVA in Valencia Summer Program 2019/ 2021 facilitates language and culture learning abroad and point to several recommendations suitable to the PVCC context and, by extension, other colleges in the VCCS

Uncovering the Treasure of Self-Directed Learning

Self-directed learning enables students to take charge of their educational journey by selecting their own paths, thereby fostering intrinsic motivation. Traditional educational models often rely on extrinsic motivators like grades and rewards, whereas self-directed approaches emphasize personal satisfaction and curiosity. Review of existing research highlights how extrinsic rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation, leading to decreased academic performance and well-being. Herein we also present practical examples from classroom settings, demonstrating how real-world applications and student-led investigations can enhance engagement and learning outcomes. Additionally, we address the role of digital platforms in facilitating self-directed learning while noting the challenges of information reliability. Our research review and classroom experiences suggest that fostering intrinsic motivation through self-directed learning not only improves academic performance but also contributes to broader educational success and personal growth. Ultimately, this work advocates for a shift towards educational environments that support students’ natural propensity for exploration and self-driven inquiry, creating lifelong learners who are passionate and engaged in their educational pursuits

Exploring Credit Loss for Engineering Transfer Students

One of the issues at the heart of transfer is the mobility of credits across institutions—moving credits from one institution to another is a crucial process for the transfer pathway to be a viable option. Credit loss is a critical issue for transfer students enrolled in highly sequential degrees, such as engineering. A student could be set back a year or more if they miss one required prerequisite course at the time of transfer. Determining who experiences credit loss in engineering could help ease the transfer process, improve graduation rates, and broaden participation in engineering since the transfer pathway has been identified as a key national strategy to diversify the field. This study examines credit loss experienced by engineering transfer students at Virginia Tech from 2009 to 2018 and compares this loss across both student and institutional characteristics. We found that credit loss differed across both sending institutions and engineering disciplines. The findings from this paper can be used to inform advisors, faculty, administrators, and policymakers about the role of credit loss in the engineering transfer process. This research can provide information necessary to inform degree pathways, articulation agreements, and policies that promote successful transfer and degree completion. Additionally, we provide examples of informed practices such as data and faculty sharing between 2- and 4- year institutions to improve the transfer pathway and reduce credit loss. We hope the example institutional case from this paper can inspire similar analyses at other institutions that seek to improve the transfer experience

The Impact of Dual Enrollment on Educational Aspirations of Traditionally Underrepresented Students in Community College

This research study examined the difference in academic motivation and academic self-efficacy of traditionally underrepresented students in community college who previously participated in high school dual enrollment programs versus their comparable peers without dual enrollment experience. This is important given the socio-economic disparities between the various student groups participating in this selective college preparatory program. Historically, traditionally underrepresented students have yet to participate in dual enrollment programs commensurate with their non-minority and affluent peers. By examining the difference between these two specific student subgroups, the researchers addressed what types of motivation and self-efficacious behaviors affected these college students who opted to participate in dual enrollment or not. The researchers used a quantitative, non-experimental survey strategy to address the three research questions. Data were collected from 235 traditionally underrepresented students at four community colleges in southeastern Virginia after their first semester in higher education. The research showed that regardless of dual enrollment experience, these students had high confidence in their self-efficacy and tended to be extrinsically motivated regarding their academic outcomes and educational aspirations. This information can assist high school and community college officials in developing strategies and policies to recruit and increase participation in dual enrollment by traditionally underrepresented students. Greater participation in dual enrollment could subsequently increase enrollment in higher education in Virginia

Physician Assistant Student Well-being: Where Do We Go from Here?

Burnout and mental wellness have become a focus for both practicing providers and individuals in medical training programs. While techniques that assist in burnout and stress mitigation can vary, few techniques have been evaluated in the physician assistant student population. Green spaces have been utilized to reduce stress, improve cognitive function, and improve an individual’s well-being. To evaluate what is currently being utilized to improve physician assistant student well-being this study utilized the PubMed search engine for collection of a scholarly review. A qualitative review of the literature was completed along with a comparison of what green space exposure could offer to the physician assistant student population. The review showed that there is limited literature evaluating wellness initiatives within physician assistant programs. Green spaces have been shown to improve well-being in other populations, but to date, no studies have been completed on the physician assistant student population. Each individual responds differently to different stress mitigation techniques. With the increasing rates of stress, burnout, and worsening mental well-being in physician assistant students, further research into a variety of mitigation and coping techniques such as green space exposure needs to be completed