An Exploration of Noncredit Community College Enrollment

D’Amico, Mark M.; Morgan, Grant B.; Robertson, Shun; Houchins, Carlie Bunch

doi:10.1080/07377363.2014.953438

Cited by 17 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…To our knowledge, only one study in our literature review has used student transcript data in multiple institutions to provide a comprehensive understanding of noncredit students. Based on a sample of 122,886 noncredit student records in one state, D’Amico et al (2014) conducted a statewide analysis on noncredit students enrolling in community colleges. Their results revealed noticeable differences in noncredit course enrollment along several demographic characteristics.…”

Section: Prior Literature On Noncredit Education In Community Collegesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The limited available information is primarily based on interviews and surveys of school administrators or data from a single college. Voorhees and Milam (2005) have pointed out, and many other researchers agree (e.g., Arena, 2013; D’Amico, Morgan, Robertson, & Houchins, 2014; Pusser et al, 2007; Van Noy et al, 2008), that it is not possible to fully understand nontraditional pathways to college education without having clearer and more systematic information about this hidden college . The increasingly important role of noncredit education raises fundamental questions about the varied student needs that these types of programs must meet, the extent to which community colleges have kept pace with the growing demand for workforce training, and the outcomes of noncredit students.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Noncredit Education in Community College: Students, Course Enrollments, and Academic Outcomes

Ran

2019

Community College Review

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Objective: This study examines the characteristics, course enrollment patterns, and academic outcomes of students who started their college careers in noncredit courses. Method: Drawing upon a rich dataset that includes transcript and demographic information on both for-credit and noncredit students in multiple institutions, this study explores the demographic and academic profiles of students enrolled in various fields of noncredit education, their course performance in noncredit programs, their educational intent upon initial enrollment, and their transition to the for-credit sector among degree-seeking students. Results: Our results support recent evidence from qualitative studies and studies from a single institution that students enrolled in noncredit programs tend to be adult learners and are typically from a lower socioeconomic background than credit students at community colleges. Yet, more than half of the noncredit students drop out of college after their initial term, even among students who expressed intent to transition to credit-bearing programs. The idiosyncratic patterns of course enrollment and transition to credential programs seem to suggest that there is no general structured pathway or institutional support for credential-seeking noncredit students. Contributions: This article is among one of the first attempts that use student transcript data from multiple institutions to provide a comprehensive understanding of noncredit students and their academic outcomes. Results from this study highlight the importance of future research in exploring institutional services and structures that may effectively facilitate the academic progression and success of noncredit students.

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Section: Prior Literature On Noncredit Education In Community Collegesmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Noncredit Education in Community College: Students, Course Enrollments, and Academic Outcomes

Ran

2019

Community College Review

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“…2 Although findings have not been consistent, many of the studies show that more than half of states provide colleges with some noncredit funding. In an attempt to categorize noncredit activity, D’Amico et al (2014) used one state’s noncredit data to propose a list of four primary community college noncredit functions: “occupational training (paid for by individuals), sponsored occupational (contract) training, personal interest, and pre-college remediation for those states that use noncredit for ABE, ESL, GED, and developmental studies” (p. 157). The authors included “pre-college remediation” to capture a noncredit course type for states that deliver some aspect of precollege work through the continuing education function as opposed to delivering developmental studies through credit-based mechanisms (D’Amico et al, 2014, p. 157).…”

Section: Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The authors conclude, in part, that noncredit courses tend to attract older students from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds who do not use them as a bridge to for-credit courses (Xu & Ran, 2015). Van Noy (Van Noy & Jacobs, 2009;Van Noy, Jacobs, Korey, Bailey, &Hughes, 2008) andD'Amico (D'Amico, Morgan, Katsinas, Adair, &Miller, 2017;D'Amico, Morgan, Robertson, & Houchins, 2014) have done important work on the community college's involvement in noncredit workforce development. These studies focus almost exclusively on documenting the types of courses offered, the students who take them, and the extent and importance of workforce training in responding to shifting workforce demands, as well as the nature of public funding for these programs (Van Noy & Jacobs, 2009; also see Cronen & Murphy, 2013).…”

Section: Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adjusting College Costs for Noncredit Enrollments: An Issue for Data Geeks or Policy Makers?

Romano

Kirshstein

D’Amico

et al. 2019

Community College Review

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Objective: In the first study of its kind, the impact of excluding noncredit enrollments in calculations of spending in community colleges is explored. Noncredit enrollments are not reported to Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), but expenditures for these efforts are. This study corrects for this omission and provides new estimates of spending on community college students in four states. Method: Data on noncredit enrollments were made available from four states—New York, New Jersey, California, and North Carolina. Interviews with campus and state officials within each state helped us verify the findings. In addition, Delta Cost Project data were analyzed and adjusted to account for noncredit enrollments. Results: Our analysis indicates that the expenditure per full-time equivalent (FTE) student measure, which researchers typically use, seriously overstates the resources that community colleges have to spend on educating students; however, great variations exist within and across states. Conclusion: Community colleges are underfunded to an even greater extent than standard IPEDS analyses indicate.

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“…Although noncredit education may not be a new delivery mechanism for community colleges, it is underemphasized in discussions partially because of a lack of consistent terminology and understanding. In an effort to clarify the key functions of noncredit enrollment, D'Amico, Morgan, Robertson, and Houchins () analyzed the headcount enrollment of one state's noncredit enrollment to devise a categorization of noncredit course types. They include “occupational training,” “sponsored occupational (contract) training,” “personal interest,” and “pre‐college remediation” (p. 157).…”

Section: Meeting Local Needsmentioning

confidence: 99%